System for influencing the speed of a motor vehicle

• US 7,840,330 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• 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: Heinrichs-Bartscher, Sascha
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US11/132,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: 701/10, 701/70, 701/93, 701/301, 701/36, 701/96, 340/70, 340/436, 340/933, 340/930, 340/903, 342/71, 342/72, 342/90, 342/70, 280/735, 382/104, 180/170
• US Class Current: 701/96
• 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 13/723 by using numerical data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control

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 (ECU), 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 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, in order to supply said device with output signals derived from the performance of the motor vehicle situated in front of the system motor vehicle, in which in the electronic control unit (ECU) the width of the system motor vehicle traffic lane is modified in dependence upon the distance of articles detected in the space in front of the system motor vehicle from the system motor vehicle, wherein the width in the close range and in the remote range is smaller than in the medium range.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating a traffic environment of a motor vehicle and for influencing a speed of the motor vehicle in its own traffic lane, comprising:

a signal transmitter that is configured to produce a signal characteristic of a desired speed of the motor vehicle;

a signal transmitter that is configured to produce a signal characteristic of a yaw of the motor vehicle about its vertical axis;

a signal transmitter that is configured to produce a signal characteristic of article situated, in a 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 represents at least one of;

(i) a speed relative to the speed of the motor vehicle;

(ii) a spacing relative to the motor vehicle; and

(iii) an angular offset or the cross track distance relative to the vehicle longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle;

a signal transmitter that is configured to produce a signal characteristic of the speed of at least one wheel of the motor vehicle;

an electronic control unit (ECU) connected to the signal transmitters and that is configured to generate output signals in response to the desired speed signal, the yaw signal, and the article signal, in which in the electronic control unit (ECU) is configured to modify a simulated width of the motor vehicle traffic lane in dependence upon the distance of the articles detected in front of the motor vehicle from the motor vehicle, wherein the simulated width in a close range in front of the motor vehicle and in a remote range in front of the motor vehicle is smaller than in a medium range in front of the motor vehicle; and

a control device connected to the electronic control unit (ECU) and that is configured to influence the actual speed of the motor vehicle in response to the output signal.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein in the electronic control unit (ECU) is configured to define the simulated width of the motor vehicle traffic lane only at points in the space in front of the motor vehicle where there are articles situated in the sensed space in front of the motor vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein in the electronic control unit (ECU) is configured to modify the simulated width of the motor vehicle traffic lane in dependence upon the distance of articles detected in the space in front of the motor vehicle and upon the orientation of a curve in such a way that at a large distance the simulated width decreases at the curve outer side and the simulated width at a medium distance increases at the curve inner side.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the articles is a target motor vehicle, and wherein in the electronic control unit (ECU) the simulated width of the motor vehicle traffic lane is widened at one or both sides at the point where the target motor vehicle is situated, upon the performance of which the performance of the motor vehicle is to be dependent.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein in the electronic control unit (ECU) in dependence upon the length of time, for which the performance of the motor vehicle is dependent upon the performance of the target vehicle, the simulated width of the motor vehicle traffic lane is increased at one or both sides at the point where the target motor vehicle is situated.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein in the electronic control unit (ECU) the simulated width of the motor vehicle traffic lane is modified in dependence upon the curviness of the road, on which the motor vehicle is situated.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein in the electronic control unit (ECU) the simulated width of the motor vehicle traffic lane is modified in dependence upon the speed of the motor vehicle.

8. A system for evaluating a traffic environment of a motor vehicle and for influencing a speed of the motor vehicle in the motor vehicle'"'"'s traffic lane, comprising:

a first signal transmitter that produces a signal characteristic of a desired speed of the motor vehicle;

a second signal transmitter that produces a signal characteristic of a yaw of the motor vehicle about its vertical axis;

a third signal transmitter that produces a signal characteristic of an article situated in front of the motor vehicle in a direction of travel of the motor vehicle in terms of a spacing and orientation of the article relative to the motor vehicle;

a fourth signal transmitter that produces a signal characteristic of the speed of at least one wheel of the motor vehicle;

an electronic control unit (ECU) which receives the signals produced by the first, second, third, and fourth signal transmitters, and which modifies a simulated width of the motor vehicle traffic lane in dependence upon the distance between the motor vehicle and the article detected in a space in front of the motor vehicle such that the simulated width in a close range in front of the motor vehicle and in a remote range in front of the motor vehicle is smaller than in a medium range in front of the motor vehicle, the electronic control unit (ECU) generating an output signal based upon the performance of the motor vehicle and the detection of the article situated in front of the motor vehicle; and

at least one control device which influences the performance of the motor vehicle based at least in part upon the output signal of the electronic control unit (ECU).

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the article in front of the motor vehicle is another motor vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the signal produced by the third signal transmitter represents at least one of:

(i) the speed of the article relative to the speed of the motor vehicle;

(ii) the spacing of the article relative to the motor vehicle; and

(iii) an angular offset or the cross track distance of the article relative to the vehicle longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle.