Driving assist system for vehicle

• US 7,155,342 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimura, Takeshi, Kobayashi, Yosuke, Naito, Genpei
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/967,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/70, 701/93, 701/96, 701/300, 701/301, 342/455, 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 180/167, 180/169, 180/170
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering

Abstract

A vehicle driving assist system calculates a risk potential of the subject vehicle with respect to a front obstacle by estimating a compression amount of a vertical resilient member which is imaginary provided at the front of the subject vehicle when the subject vehicle approaches the front obstacle. The correction amounts of drive force and braking force and the correction amount of reaction force are calculated based upon the calculated risk potential so as to perform drive force/braking force correction control and reaction force control simultaneously.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving assist system comprising:

an obstacle detection device that detects an obstacle in vehicle surroundings;

a risk potential calculation device that calculates a risk potential of a subject vehicle with respect to the obstacle based on detection results of the obstacle detection device;

a drive torque correction device that reduces drive torque generated at the subject vehicle, based on the risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device; and

a reaction force control device that controls reaction force generated at an operation device through which a travel command for the subject vehicle is issued according to a correction amount for the drive torque to be reduced by the drive torque correction device.

2. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 1, wherein:

the drive torque correction device comprises a drive torque correction amount calculation device that calculates the correction amount for the drive torque based on a current risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device, and

the reaction force control device comprises a reaction force calculation device that calculates a control amount of the reaction force based on the current risk potential.

3. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 1, wherein:

the reaction force control device controls the reaction force simultaneously as the drive torque correction device controls the drive torque.

4. A vehicle driving assist system comprising:

an obstacle detection device that detects an obstacle in vehicle surroundings;

a risk potential calculation device that calculates a current risk potential of a subject vehicle with respect to the obstacle based on detection results of the obstacle detection device;

an accelerator pedal operation amount detection device that detects an operation amount of an accelerator pedal;

a drive torque correction device that corrects a relationship of drive torque with respect to the accelerator pedal operation amount in a reduction direction based on the current risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device;

an engine control device that controls an engine to generate the drive torque calculated by the drive torque correction device;

a reaction force calculation device that calculates a reaction force to be generated at an operation device through which a travel command for the subject vehicle is issued based upon the current risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device; and

a reaction force generation device that generates the reaction force calculated by the reaction force calculation device.

5. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a brake pedal operation amount detection device that detects an operation amount of a brake pedal;

a brake control device that generates braking torque according to the brake pedal operation amount; and

a braking torque correction device that corrects a relationship of the braking torque with respect to the brake pedal operation amount in an increasing direction based on the current risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device.

6. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 5, wherein:

the brake control device carries out a retarding action according to the accelerator pedal operation amount in the event that the accelerator pedal operation amount is smaller than a predetermined value.

7. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 4, further comprising:

an evasion determination device that determines a possibility that the subject vehicle evades the obstacle based on the detection results of the obstacle detection device; and

an automatic braking control device that controls a brake control device to carry out automatic braking when the evasion determination device determines that the obstacle cannot be evaded.

8. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an evasion determination device that determines a possibility that the subject vehicle evades the obstacle based on the detection results of the obstacle detection device; and

an automatic braking control device that controls the brake control device to carry out automatic braking when the evasion determination device determines that the obstacle cannot be evaded.

9. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 7, wherein:

the evasion determination device comprises a braking evasion determination device that determines whether the obstacle can be evaded only by braking the subject vehicle, and a steering evasion determination device that determines whether the obstacle can be evaded only by steering the subject vehicle, and

when one of the braking evasion determination device and the steering evasion determination device determines that the obstacle cannot be evaded, the automatic braking control device controls the brake control device to carry out the automatic braking.

10. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a reaction force correction device that corrects the reaction force calculated by the reaction force calculation device to a predetermined value when the evasion determination device determines that the obstacle cannot be evaded.

11. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 4, wherein:

the operation device is the accelerator pedal.

12. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 11, wherein:

the reaction force calculation device increases the reaction force of the accelerator pedal as the current risk potential becomes bigger.

13. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 4, wherein:

the operation device is a brake pedal.

14. The vehicle driving assist system according to claim 13, wherein:

the reaction force calculation device reduces the reaction force of the brake pedal as the current risk potential becomes bigger.

15. A vehicle driving assist system comprising:

an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle in vehicle surroundings;

a risk potential calculation means for calculating a risk potential of a subject vehicle with respect to the obstacle based on detection results of the obstacle detection means;

a drive torque correction means for reducing drive torque generated at the subject vehicle, based on the risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation means; and

a reaction force control means for controlling reaction force generated at an operation device through which a travel command for the subject vehicle is issued according to a correction amount for the drive torque to be reduced by the drive torque correction means.

16. A vehicle driving assist system comprising:

an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle in vehicle surroundings;

a risk potential calculation means for calculating a current risk potential of a subject vehicle with respect to the obstacle based on detection results of the obstacle detection means;

an accelerator pedal operation amount detection means for detecting an operation amount of an accelerator pedal;

a drive torque correction means for correcting a relationship of drive torque with respect to the accelerator pedal operation amount in a reduction direction based on the current risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation means;

an engine control means for controlling an engine to generate the drive torque calculated by the drive torque correction means;

a reaction force calculation means for calculating a reaction force to be generated at an operation device through which a travel command for the subject vehicle is issued based upon the current risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation means; and

a reaction force generation means for generating the reaction force calculated by the reaction force calculation means.

17. A vehicle driving assist method comprising:

detecting an obstacle in vehicle surroundings;

calculating a risk potential of a subject vehicle with respect to the obstacle based on the detected obstacle;

reducing drive torque generated at the subject vehicle based on the calculated risk potential; and

controlling reaction force generated at an operation device through which a travel command for the subject vehicle is issued according to a correction amount for the drive torque to be reduced.

18. A vehicle driving assist method comprising:

detecting an obstacle in vehicle surroundings;

calculating a current risk potential of a subject vehicle with respect to the obstacle based on the detected obstacle;

detecting an operation amount of an accelerator pedal;

correcting a relationship of drive torque with respect to the accelerator pedal operation amount in a reduction direction based on the calculated current risk potential;

controlling an engine to generate the calculated drive torque;

calculating a reaction force to be generated at an operation device through which a travel command for the subject vehicle is issued based upon the calculated current risk potential; and

applying the calculated reaction force to the operation device.

19. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle driving assist system that comprises (a) an obstacle detection device that detects an obstacle in vehicle surroundings;

(b) a risk potential calculation device that calculates a risk potential of a subject vehicle with respect to the obstacle based on detection results of the obstacle detection device;

(c) a drive torque correction device that reduces drive torque generated at the subject vehicle based on the risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device; and

(d) a reaction force control device that controls reaction force generated at an operation device through which a travel command for the subject vehicle is issued according to a correction amount for the drive torque to be reduced by the drive torque correction device.

20. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle driving assist system that comprises (a) an obstacle detection device that detects an obstacle in vehicle surroundings;

(b) a risk potential calculation device that calculates a current risk potential of a subject vehicle with respect to the obstacle based on detection results of the obstacle detection device;

(c) an accelerator pedal operation amount detection device that detects an operation amount of an accelerator pedal;

(d) a drive torque correction device that corrects a relationship of drive torque with respect to the accelerator pedal operation amount in a reduction direction based on the current risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device;

(e) an engine control device that controls an engine to generate the drive torque calculated by the drive torque correction device;

(f) a reaction force calculation device that calculates a reaction force to be generated at an operation device through which a travel command for the subject vehicle is issued based upon the current risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculation device; and

(g) a reaction force generation device that generates the reaction force calculated by the reaction force calculation device.