Method for adjusting the speed of a motor vehicle

• US 6,763,904 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Winner, Hermann, Lueder, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RESTIFO, JEFFREY J
• Application Number:
  US10/018,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20030070851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 701/96, 348/148
• US Class Current: 180/167
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0066 responsive to vehicle path curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0083 responsive to centrifugal force acting on vehicle due to the path it is following
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/047 the memory being digital
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/805 Azimuth angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/72 for two-dimensional tracking, e.g. combination of angle and range tracking, track-while-scan radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons

Abstract

A method for controlling the speed of a vehicle is proposed, where, in the vehicle to be controlled, the yaw rate or rotation rate is measured, in particular to determine the curvature of the vehicle'"'"'s own travel trajectory, and where, using a proximity sensor or position sensor, at least one vehicle traveling ahead or at least some other object within a sensor'"'"'s sensing range is detected, particularly with regard to an offset from the travel course of the vehicle to be controlled. By delaying the travel-course offset of a vehicle driving ahead, determined in preset measuring cycles, by a predefined time span, and by using the then instantaneous curvature of the travel trajectory, a historical travel-course offset is ascertained, one is able to simply and rapidly predict the travel course of the vehicle to be controlled.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a speed of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

in the vehicle to be controlled, measuring one of a yaw rate and a rotation rate to determine a curvature of a trajectory of the vehicle;

causing one of a proximity sensor and a position sensor to detect one of at least one vehicle traveling ahead and at least some other object within a sensing range, with regard to an offset from a travel course of the vehicle to be controlled;

determining a travel-course offset of a vehicle driving ahead in preset measuring cycles;

delaying the travel-course offset of the vehicle traveling ahead by a predefined time lag;

ascertaining a historical travel-course offset in accordance with a then active curvature of the trajectory of the vehicle to be controlled; and

controlling the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the travel-course offset results;

wherein the historical travel-course offset is determined in accordance with the relation yc_hist=yv_hist−

k*d_hist²/2, d_hist likewise being one of generated and estimated as a historical distance between the vehicle to be controlled and the vehicle driving ahead on the basis of a delay.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

for an active travel-course offset and the historical travel-course offset, determining a lane probability of the vehicle driving ahead for at least one of an own lane and adjacent lanes of the vehicle to be controlled.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

in the vehicle to be controlled, providing a number of further detection devices for measuring positions of the vehicle ahead; and

to select an object driving ahead as a vehicle to which a speed of the vehicle to be controlled is to be adapted, evaluating and weighting all results from the further detection devices.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein:

the evaluation and weighting are carried out using one of a video camera, a satellite-supported navigational system, a system for analyzing fixed destinations, and a system for determining a collective yaw rate of objects driving ahead.

5. A method for controlling a speed of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

in the vehicle to be controlled, measuring one of a yaw rate and a rotation rate to determine a curvature of a trajectory of the vehicle;

causing one of a proximity sensor and a position sensor to detect one of at least one vehicle traveling ahead and at least some other object within a sensing range, with regard to an offset from a travel course of the vehicle to be controlled;

determining a travel-course offset of a vehicle driving ahead in preset measuring cycles;

delaying the travel-course offset of the vehicle traveling ahead by a predefined time lag;

ascertaining a historical travel-course offset in accordance with a then active curvature of the trajectory of the vehicle to be controlled;

controlling the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the travel-course offset results; and

supplementing a time span until a maximum value t_hist is reached by a component that increases with a duration of observation to form t_hist/dyn;

wherein the predefined time lag is selected such that the historical travel-course offset is determined after approximately half of a distance between the vehicle to be controlled and the vehicle driving ahead.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

the historical travel-course offset is determined in accordance with the relation yc_hist=yv_hist−

k*d_hist²/2, d_hist likewise being one of generated and estimated as a historical distance between the vehicle to be controlled and the vehicle driving ahead on the basis of a delay.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein:

the historical distance is estimated according to the relation d_hist=d_active−

vr*t_hist.

8. A method for controlling a speed of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

in the vehicle to be controlled, measuring one of a yaw rate and a rotation rate to determine a curvature of a trajectory of the vehicle;

causing one of a proximity sensor and a position sensor to detect one of at least one vehicle traveling ahead and at least some other object within a sensing range, with regard to an offset from a travel course of the vehicle to be controlled;

determining a travel-course offset of a vehicle driving ahead in preset measuring cycles;

delaying the travel-course offset of the vehicle traveling ahead by a predefined time lag;

ascertaining a historical travel-course offset in accordance with a then active curvature of the trajectory of the vehicle to be controlled;

controlling the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the travel-course offset results; and

at any one time, delaying by a preset value an instantaneous value of curvature of the trajectory of the vehicle to be controlled, the delay being considered as well in the determination of the historical travel-course offset.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein:

the predefined time lag is selected such that the historical travel-course offset is determined after approximately half of a distance between the vehicle to be controlled and the vehicle driving ahead.

10. A method for controlling a speed of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

in the vehicle to be controlled, measuring one of a yaw rate and a rotation rate to determine a curvature of a trajectory of the vehicle;

causing one of a proximity sensor and a position sensor to detect one of at least one vehicle traveling ahead and at least some other object within a sensing range, with regard to an offset from a travel course of the vehicle to be controlled;

determining a travel-course offset of a vehicle driving ahead in preset measuring cycles;

delaying the travel-course offset of the vehicle traveling ahead by a predefined time lag;

ascertaining a historical travel-course offset in accordance with a then active curvature of the trajectory of the vehicle to be controlled;

controlling the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the travel-course offset results;

for an active travel-course offset and the historical travel-course offset, determining a lane probability of the vehicle driving ahead for at least one of an own lane and adjacent lanes of the vehicle to be controlled; and

mixing two lane probabilities as a function of a quality of one of the historical travel-course offset to form a new value.

11. A method for controlling a speed of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

in the vehicle to be controlled, measuring one of a yaw rate and a rotation rate to determine a curvature of a trajectory of the vehicle;

causing one of a proximity sensor and a position sensor to detect one of at least one vehicle traveling ahead and at least some other object within a sensing range, with regard to an offset from a travel course of the vehicle to be controlled;

determining a travel-course offset of a vehicle driving ahead in preset measuring cycles;

delaying the travel-course offset of the vehicle traveling ahead by a predefined time lag;

ascertaining a historical travel-course offset in accordance with a then active curvature of the trajectory of the vehicle to be controlled; and

controlling the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the travel-course offset results;

wherein;

the predefined time lag is selected such that the historical travel-course offset is determined after approximately half of a distance between the vehicle to be controlled and the vehicle driving ahead; and

the historical travel-course offset is determined in accordance with the relation yc_hist=yv_hist−

k*d_hist²/2, d_hist likewise being one of generated and estimated as a historical distance between the vehicle to be controlled and the vehicle driving ahead on the basis of a delay.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein:

the historical distance is estimated according to the relation d_hist=d_active−

vr*t_hist.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

supplementing a time span until a maximum value t_hist, is reached by a component that increases with a duration of observation to form t_hist/dyn.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

supplementing a time span until a maximum value t_hist is reached by a component that increases with a duration of observation to form t_hist/dyn.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

at any one time, delaying by a preset value an instantaneous value of curvature of the trajectory of the vehicle to be controlled, the delay being considered as well in the determination of the historical travel-course offset.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

for an active travel-course offset and the historical travel-course offset, determining a lane probability of the vehicle driving ahead for at least one of an own lane and adjacent lanes of the vehicle to be controlled.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

mixing two lane probabilities as a function of a quality of one of the historical travel-course offset to form a new value.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

for an active travel-course offset and the historical travel-course offset, determining a lane probability of the vehicle driving ahead for at least one of an own lane and adjacent lanes of the vehicle to be controlled.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of:

mixing two lane probabilities as a function of a quality of one of the historical travel-course offset to form a new value.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

in the vehicle to be controlled, providing a number of further detection devices for measured position of the vehicle ahead; and

to select an object driving ahead as a vehicle to which a speed of the vehicle to be controlled is to be adapted, evaluating and weighting all results from the further detection devices;

wherein the evaluation and weighting are carried out using one of a video camera, a satellite-supported navigational system, a system for analyzing fixed destinations, and a system for determining a collective yaw rate of objects driving ahead.