System for influencing the speed of a motor vehicle

• US 7,831,368 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• 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: Schroder, Marko
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US11/132,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 701/10, 701/70, 701/93, 701/96, 701/301, 701/36, 701/74, 701/82, 340/436, 340/903, 342/70, 180/170
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0066 responsive to vehicle path curvature
• 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

Abstract

A system for influence the speed of a host vehicle while the host vehicle is driving in a lane based on a control unit evaluating an environment of a host vehicle. The system has an electronic control unit connected to many sensors. The sensors each generate a signal. The control unit controls the host vehicle based on the signals from the sensors and further calculates a “bendiness”characteristic value from a yaw rate signal of the host vehicle. Sensed objects including other vehicles which are further away than other vehicles from the host vehicle are excluded from selection as target vehicle based on the “bendiness” characteristic value.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating the driving environment of a driver'"'"'s motor vehicle and for influencing the 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;

establish a curvature of the lane of travel of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle in response to at least the yaw rate signal;

differentiate the established curvature of the lane of travel as a function of one of distance traveled by the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle and time traveled by the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle;

select one of the other motor vehicles as a target motor vehicle and exclude at least one of the other motor vehicles from selection as the target motor vehicle in response to at least the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel; and

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

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to differentiate the curvature of the lane of travel as a function of the distance traveled by the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the ECU is configured to reduce the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel with a predetermined rate in the case of straight lane sections over a predetermined distance according to the result of the differentiation.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to increase the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel with a predetermined rate in the case of two contradirectional bend sections without a straight intermediate stretch.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to modify the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel by a dynamic component when a signal that reproduces a bend in the lane of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle lies above a predetermined value, and the ECU is configured to remove the dynamic component in the absence of the yaw rate signal lying above a predetermined value.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein in the case of a right-hand driving environment, the ECU is configured to either add or subtract the dynamic component to the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel for right-hand bends, and wherein in the case of left-hand driving environment, the ECU is configured to either add or subtract the dynamic component to the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel for left-hand bends.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the ECU is configured to modify the dynamic component according to an average curvature of the lane of travel of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle and a change in the direction of travel in the bend.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein the ECU is configured to establish a change in direction of travel from an integral of the yaw rate signal received over time.

9. The system according to one claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to increase the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel by a dynamic component when a signal that reproduces a bend in the lane of the driver'"'"'s motor vehicle lies above a predetermined value, and wherein the ECU is configured to decrease the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel by the dynamic component in the absence of a yaw rate signal lying above a predetermined value.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the ECU is configured to modify the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel by the dynamic component only for right-hand bends in the case of a right-hand driving environment and is configured to modify the differentiated curvature of the lane of travel by the dynamic component only for left-hand bends in the case of a left-hand driving environment.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to adapt the established curvature of the lane of travel based in response to previously received yaw rate signals.