Method and device for assisting in a passing maneuver for motor vehicles

• US 6,842,687 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2002
• Issued: 01/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Lauxmann, Ralph, Winner, Hermann, Irion, Albrecht
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US10/296,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 701/93, 701/96, 180/169, 180/170, 340/435, 340/903
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/081 using distance control
• 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 2013/932 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 assisting, in a passing maneuver, for motor vehicles having a distance and speed control device, in which vehicles in the passing lane are taken into account and, if the traffic situation detected by sensors or an intervention by the driver suggests a desire to pass, control is temporarily carried out to an increased passing speed. The distances to the vehicles located in the passing lane are measured and the passing speed is calculated as a function of the distances of the vehicle to be passed and at least the vehicle directly preceding in the passing lane.

Claims

1. A method for assisting in a passing maneuver of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle including a distance and speed control device, comprising:

measuring a distance to a vehicle located in a passing lane;

calculating a passing speed as a function of a distance of a vehicle to be passed and the distance of the vehicle located in the passing lane, the vehicle located in the passing lane preceding the motor vehicle;

temporarily increasing by the passing speed if one of a traffic situation detected by sensors or an intervention by a driver, indicates a desire to pass;

in an event of the indication of the desire to pass, carrying out a passing-aid function parallel to a steady-state control, and superimposing an output signal corresponding to the passing speed with a manipulated variable supplied by the steady-state control.

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

calculating a respective vehicle-specific passing speed for each preceding vehicle detected; and

determining a final passing speed by minimum selection from the vehicle-specific passing speeds.

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

wherein the passing speed is a function taking into account relative speeds of vehicles located in the passing lane.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the intervention by the driver includes at least one of actuation of a turn signal and an active steering intervention.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the intervention by the driver includes a special switch.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensors include a rear-space radar.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the passing-aid function is inactivated below a threshold speed of the motor vehicle.

8. A method for assisting in a passing maneuver of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle including a distance and speed control device, comprising:

measuring a distance to a vehicle located in a passing lane;

calculating a passing speed as a function of a distance of a vehicle to be passed and the distance of the vehicle located in the passing lane, the vehicle located in the passing lane preceding the motor vehicle;

temporarily increasing by the passing speed if one of a traffic situation detected by sensors or an intervention by a driver, indicates a desire to pass;

in an absence of the indication of the desire to pass, carrying out a steady-state control, specific to a pre-selected distance between the motor vehicle and a preceding vehicle, wherein the pre-selected distance is selected by the driver; and

in an event of the indication of the desire to pass, carrying out a passing-aid function parallel to the steady-state control, and superimposing an output signal corresponding to the passing speed with a manipulated variable supplied by the steady-state control.

9. The method according to claim 8,

wherein the manipulated variable of the steady-state control is a steady-state setpoint value for an increase or decrease of a traveling speed;

and

wherein the passing speed is added to the steady-state setpoint value.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the passing-aid function is carried out for a limited time span after the event of the indication of the desire to pass.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein an output signal representation of the passing aid function is limited according to a time-dependent function whose function value decreases continually to zero after a predetermined time span.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the passing-aid function is only active at vehicle speeds above a predefined threshold speed.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein an output signal representative of the passing speed is limited according to a speed-dependent function having the value zero below the predefined threshold speed, and increasing continually from the predefined threshold speed.

14. A method for assisting in a passing maneuver of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle including a distance and speed control device, comprising:

measuring a distance to a vehicle located in a passing lane;

calculating a passing speed as a function of a distance of a vehicle to be passed and the distance of the vehicle located in the passing lane, the vehicle located in the passing lane preceding the motor vehicle;

temporarily increasing by the passing speed if one of a traffic situation detected by sensors or an intervention by a driver, indicates a desire to pass;

calculating a respective vehicle-specific passing speed for each preceding vehicle detected; and

determining a final passing speed by minimum selection from the vehicle-specific passing speeds,

wherein an upper limit of each respective vehicle-specific passing speed is a variable dependent on a distance of the corresponding preceding vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the variable is proportional to a square root of the distance of the corresponding preceding vehicle.

16. A method comprising:

measuring a distance to a vehicle located in a passing lane;

calculating a passing speed as a function of a distance of a vehicle to be passed and the distance of the vehicle located in the passing lane, the vehicle located in the passing lane preceding the motor vehicle;

temporarily increasing by the passing speed if one of a traffic situation detected by sensors or an intervention by a driver, indicates a desire to pass, wherein the passing speed is a function taking into account relative speeds of vehicles located in the passing lane;

for each respective one of the vehicles located in the passing lane, calculating a respective vehicle-specific passing speed as a function of the relative speed and a respective distance of the respective one of the vehicles; and

determining a final passing speed by minimum selection from the vehicle-specific passing speeds;

wherein an upper limit of the final passing speed is a variable which is a function of a distance of an immediately preceding vehicle in a traveling lane of the motor vehicle.

17. A system for assisting in a passing maneuver for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a distance sensor configured to detect distances of preceding vehicles including distances to vehicles in a passing lane;

a steady-state controller configured to supply a command in a form of a steady-state setpoint value to an arrangement for increasing or lowering the vehicle speed, and further configured to perform a steady-state control to one of regulate the vehicle speed to a set speed selected by a driver of the motor vehicle or regulate a distance of the motor vehicle to a preceding vehicle in a same lane as the motor vehicle;

a device configured to detect an event indicating a desire of the driver to pass;

a passing-aid module configured to carry out a passing-aid function parallel to the steady-state control to increase the steady-state setpoint value by a passing speed as a function of the distance of the motor vehicle to the immediately preceding vehicle in the same lane and a distance of at least an immediately preceding vehicle in the passing lane, when the event indicating the desire to pass is detected.