System for recognising the lane-change manoeuver of a motor vehicle

• US 7,386,385 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucas Automotive GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Lucas Automotive GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Heinrichs-Bartscher, Sascha
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US11/132,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 701/93, 701/96, 701/74, 701/82, 701/301, 340/903, 340/435, 702/147, 180/170, 180/169, 342/455
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/426 Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar G01S13/66 takes precedence
• 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 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles

Abstract

System for evaluating the traffic environment of a motor vehicle and for influencing the speed of the motor vehicle in its own traffic lane, comprising an electronic control unit, which is connected to a signal transmitter that produces a signal characteristic of the desired speed of the motor vehicle, a signal transmitter that produces a signal characteristic of the yaw of the motor vehicle about its vertical axis, a signal transmitter that produces a signal, which is characteristic of the articles situated, in the direction of travel of the motor vehicle, in front of the motor vehicle in terms of their spacing and orientation relative to the motor vehicle and which reproduces the speed relative to the speed of the system motor vehicle and/or the spacing relative to the system motor vehicle and/or the angular offset or the cross track distance relative to the vehicle longitudinal axis of the system motor vehicle, and a signal transmitter that produces a signal characteristic of the speed of at least one wheel of the motor vehicle, and which is connected to at least one control device, which influences the performance of the motor vehicle, for supplying said device with output signals derived from the performance of the motor vehicle situated in front of the system motor vehicle, whereby the electronic control unit detects a lane change of the system motor vehicle when the change of the angular offset or of the track cross distance of the target motor vehicle, upon the performance of which the performance of the system motor vehicle is to be dependent, relative to the vehicle longitudinal axis of the system motor vehicle is above a specific threshold value and substantially equal to the yaw of the system motor vehicle with an inverse sign.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating a driving environment of a driver'"'"'s motor vehicle and for influencing a speed of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle relative to other motor vehicles in the driving environment, the system comprising:

a desired speed signal transmitter that is configured to generate a signal that is characteristic of a desired speed of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle;

an actual speed signal transmitter that is configured to generate a signal that is characteristic of an actual speed of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle;

a yaw rate signal transmitter that is configured to generate a signal that is characteristic of a yaw rate of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle;

an object signal transmitter that is configured to generate a signal that is characteristic of a distance and a bearing angle, relative to the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle, of the other motor vehicles;

an electronic control unit (ECU) that is configured to generate an output signal in response to the desired speed signal, the actual speed signal, the yaw rate signal, and the object signal; and

a control device that is configured to influence the actual speed of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle in response to the output signal, wherein the ECU is configured to;

select one of the other motor vehicles as a target motor vehicle;

generate the output signal in response to the desired speed signal, the actual speed signal, and the object signal for the selected one of the other motor vehicles; and

detect a lane change of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle when a change of the bearing angle of the target motor vehicle is above a specific threshold value and substantially equal to an angular turning of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle about its vertical axis with an inverse sign.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to low-pass-filter a noise amplitude of the change of the bearing angle.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU configured to exclude one of the other motor vehicles from selection as the target motor vehicle when the distance of the one of the other motor vehicles exceeds a threshold value.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU configured to exclude one of the other motor vehicles from selection as the target motor vehicle when the bearing angle of the one of the other motor vehicles exceeds a threshold value.