Threat assessment algorithm for forward collision warning

• US 6,813,562 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Colgin, Ronald C., Altan, Osman D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/272,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/96, 342/70, 342/71, 340/436
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• 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 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An algorithm for use in a forward looking collision warning system employed in a vehicle. The collision warning system includes a radar device that generates track files of the range and speed of objects in the vehicle'"'"'s path. The system also includes a collision warning processor running the algorithm that receives the track files and various input data to determine whether an alert of a potential collision should be issued, and if so, to what degree. The input data includes the speed and acceleration of the vehicle, whether the vehicle'"'"'s brakes are being applied, collision warning sensitivity, driver distraction modifiers, road condition data, such as wiper speed and outside air temperature, etc. is provided. The processor calculates an alert level based on the various inputs, and outputs the alert level to a driver vehicle interface to notify the driver of the potential collision.

Claims

1. A method of indicating a potential collision between a subject vehicle and at least one detected object, comprising:

transmitting a beam from a beam device into a field-of-view;

receiving reflections of the beam at the beam device from an object in the field-of-view;

generating track files based on the reflections that include the distance the object is from the vehicle;

processing an alert condition in a collision processor based on the track files and other system inputs, wherein the other system inputs include the speed of the subject vehicle and one or more of a driver distraction modifier, a system fault modifier and a driver sensitivity modifier, and wherein processing an alert condition includes calculating a predicted acceleration of the subject vehicle based on the current acceleration of the subject vehicle, the current speed of the subject vehicle, the speed of the object and a predicted acceleration the object; and

alerting a driver of the subject vehicle in the event that a potential collision with the object is determined.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the driver distraction modifier includes whether the driver is activating a vehicle radio and/or a vehicle heating and cooling system.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the driver sensitivity modifier determines the aggressiveness or conservativenes of issuing the alert from a manual input by the driver.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the system fault modifier provides a determination as to whether the collision processor and/or the beam device are operating correctly.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the system inputs include an outside air temperature and whether vehicle windshield wipers have been activated.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the system inputs include whether the subject vehicle is being braked.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the collision processor gives an alert level between a minimum level of zero and a maximum level of 100.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the collision processor provides a visual signal if the alert is below a maximum level and an audio signal if the alert is at a maximum level.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising preventing the alert from being given until the vehicle is traveling above a first predetermined vehicle speed, and preventing the alert from being given if the vehicle speed drops below a second predetermined vehicle speed.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the first predetermined vehicle speed is 25 miles per hour and the second per determined vehicle speed is 20 miles per hour.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the processor prevents the alert from being given if the processor determines that the vehicle is overtaking the object.

12. The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining whether an adaptive cruise control is activated.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the beam is selected from the group consisting of radar beams and optical beams and the beam device is selected from the group consisting of radar devices and optical devices.

14. A method of providing an alert indicating a potential collision between a subject vehicle and one or more moving or stationary objects, comprising:

transmitting a radar beam from a radar device into a field-of view;

receiving reflections of the radar beam at the radar device from an object in the field-of-view;

generating track files based on the reflections that include the relative speed of the object and the distance the object is from the subject vehicle;

processing an alert condition in a forward warning collision processor based on the track files and other system inputs, wherein the other system inputs include the speed of the subject vehicle, a driver distraction modifier, a system fault modifier, a driver sensitivity modifier, an outside environment modifier, wherein processing the alert condition includes determining whether the alert should be issued, and wherein processing an alert condition further includes calculating a predicted acceleration of the subject vehicle based on the current speed of the subject vehicle, the current acceleration of the subject vehicle, the speed of the object and a predicted acceleration of the object; and

generating the alert in the event that the collision process determines that there is a potential collision with the object.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the driver distraction modifier includes whether the driver is activating a vehicle radio and/or a vehicle heating and cooling system.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein the driver sensitivity modifier determines the aggressiveness or conservativeness of issuing the alert from a manual input by the driver.

17. The method according to claim 14 wherein the system fault modifier provides a determination as to whether the collision processor and/or the radar device are operating correctly.

18. The method according to claim 14 wherein the system inputs include an outside air temperature and whether vehicle windshield wipers have been activated.

19. The method according to claim 14 wherein the collision processor determines an alert level between a minimum level of zero and a maximum level of 100.

20. The method according to claim 14 further comprising preventing the alert from being given until the vehicle is traveling above a first predetermined vehicle speed, and preventing the alert from being given if the vehicle speed drops below a second predetermined vehicle speed.

21. The method according to claim 14 wherein the processor prevents the a lert from being given if the processor determines that the vehicle is overtaking the object.

22. The method according to claim 14 further comprising determining whether an adaptive cruise control is activated.

23. A method of providing an alert indicating a potential collision between a subject vehicle and one or more moving or stationary objects, comprising:

transmitting a radar beam from a radar device to a field-of-view;

receiving reflections of the radar beam at the radar device from an object in the field-of-view;

generating track files based on reflections that include the relative speed of the object and the distance the object is from the subject vehicle;

processing an alert condition in a forward warning collision processor based on the track files and other system inputs, wherein the other system inputs include the speed of the subject vehicle, a driver distraction modifier, a system fault modifier, a driver sensitivity modifier, an outside environment modifier, a predicted acceleration of the subject vehicle and a predicted acceleration o the object, wherein the driver sensitivity modifier determines aggressiveness or conservativeness from a manual input by the driver and the system fault modifier provides a determination as to whether the collision processor and/or the radar device are operating correctly, wherein the predicted acceleration of the subject vehicle is based on the current speed of the subject vehicle, the current acceleration of the subject vehicle, the speed of the object and the predicted acceleration of the object, and wherein processing the alert condition includes determining whether the alert should be issued; and

generating the alert in the event that the collision processor determines that there is a potential collision with the object.

24. A collision warning system for providing an alert signal indicating a potential collision between a subject vehicle and an object in the path of the vehicle, said system comprising:

a beam device, said beam device transmitting a beam into a field-of-view and receiving reflections of the beam from objects in the field-of-view, said beam device generating track files based on the reflections that include the relative speed of the object and the distance of the object from the subject vehicle;

a collision processor, said collision processor being responsive to the track files and system inputs, said collision processor determining whether the alert signal should be issued based on the track files and other system inputs, said other system inputs including one or more of a driver distraction modifier, a system fault modifier and a driver sensitivity modifier, said collision processor calculating a predicted acceleration of the subject vehicle based on the current speed of the subject vehicle, the current acceleration of the subject vehicle, the speed of the object and a predicted acceleration of the object; and

a vehicle interface responsive to the alert signal from the collision processor, said vehicle interface providing an indication to a driver the subject vehicle that a collision is possible.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein the driver distraction modifier includes whether the driver is activating a vehicle radio and/or a vehicle heating and cooling system.

26. The system according to claim 24 wherein the driver sensitivity modifier sets the aggressiveness or conservativeness of issuing the alert signal.

27. The system according to claim 24 wherein the system fault modifier provides a determination as to whether the collision processor and/or the beam device are operating correctly.

28. The system according to claim 24 wherein the system inputs include a determination of an outside air temperature and whether vehicle windshield wipers have been activated.

29. The system according to claim 24 wherein the system inputs include whether the subject vehicle is being braked.

30. The system according to claim 24 wherein the collision processor provides a visual signal if the alert signal is below a maximum level and a audio signal if the alert signal is at the maximum level.

31. The system according to claim 24 wherein the collision processor prevents the alert signal from being issued until the vehicle is traveling above a first predetermined vehicle speed, and prevents the alert signal from being issued if the vehicle speed drops below a second predetermined vehicle speed.

32. The system according to claim 24 wherein the processor prevents the alert signal from being given if the processor determines that the vehicle is overtaking the object.

33. The system according to claim 24 wherein the processor determines whether an adaptive cruise control is activated.

34. The system according to claim 24 wherein the beam device is selected from the group consisting of radar devices and optical devices and the beam is selected from the group consisting of radar beams and optical beams.

35. A method of indicating a potential collision between a subject vehicle and at least one detected object, comprising:

transmitting a beam from a beam device into a field-of-view;

receiving reflections of the beam at the beam device from an object in the field-of-view;

generating track files based on the reflections that include the distance the object is from the vehicle;

processing an alert condition in a collision processor based on the track files and other system inputs, wherein the other system input include the speed of the subject vehicle and one or more of a driver distraction modifier, a system fault modifier and a driver sensitivity modifier;

alerting a driver of the subject vehicle in the event that a potential collision with the object is determined; and

preventing the alert from being given until the vehicle is traveling above a first predetermined vehicle speed, and preventing the alert from being given if the vehicle drops below a second predetermined vehicle speed.

36. A collision warning system for providing an alert signal indicating a potential collision between a subject vehicle and an object in the path of the vehicle, said system comprising:

a beam device, said beam device transmitting a beam into a field-of-view and receiving reflections of the beam from objects in the field-of-view, said beam device generating track files based on the reflections that include the relative speed of the object and the distance of the object from the subject vehicle;

a collision processor, said collision processor being responsive to the track files and system inputs, said collision processor determining whether the alert signal should be issued based on the track files and other system inputs, said system inputs including one or more of a driver distraction modifier, a system fault modifier and a driver sensitivity modifier, wherein the collision processor prevents the alert signal from being issued until the vehicle is traveling above a first predetermined vehicle speed, and prevents the alert signal from being issued if the vehicle speed drops below a second predetermined vehicle speed; and

a vehicle interface responsive to the alert signal from the collision processor, said vehicle interface providing an indication to a driver the subject vehicle that a collision is possible.