Preventive safety activation in a vehicle

• US 7,899,596 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Zimmer, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US11/720,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/45, 701/49, 340/436, 340/438, 340/441, 280/734, 280/735, 280/728.1, 280/730.2, 180/271
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01311 monitoring the braking system, e.g. ABS
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/38 using means for lifting bonnets
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0488 Wiper arrangement for crash protection or impact absorption

Abstract

A method for triggering and transferring a vehicle into a pedestrian preventive safety state to increase the passive safety of the other party in an accident, in which a triggering condition of the pedestrian preventive safety state of the vehicle is generated on the basis of a signal of at least one vehicle sensor, which can indicate a high probability of a vehicle accident, particularly with a pedestrian or a bicyclist, for an immediately imminent time span, and with the presence of a positive triggering condition of the pedestrian preventive safety state, a part or a section of the vehicle, which could inflict additional bodily injury on the other party in the case of an accident with the vehicle, is moved from an area of probable impact with the other party and/or additionally shielded, whereby the vehicle is at least partially transferred to the pedestrian preventive safety state.

Claims

1. Method for triggering and transferring a vehicle into a pedestrian preventive safety state to increase the passive safety of another party in an accident,

in which a triggering condition (A) of the pedestrian preventive safety state of the vehicle is generated on the basis of a signal of at least one vehicle sensor, which can indicate a high probability of a vehicle accident, for an immediately imminent time span, and

with the presence of a positive triggering condition (A=+) of the pedestrian preventive safety state, a part or a section of the vehicle, which could inflict additional bodily injury on the other party in the case of an accident with the vehicle, is moved from an area of probable impact with the other party and/or additionally shielded, whereby the vehicle is at least partially transferred into the pedestrian preventive safety state, and the positive triggering condition (A=+) comprises two signals, wherein

via a signal generated by an anticipatory sensor, the respective part or section of the vehicle is put into a preventive safety activation, and via a signal generated by a contact sensor, the respective part or section of the vehicle is put into the pedestrian preventive safety state.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle also executes an automatically triggered full braking.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein, when transferring the vehicle into the pedestrian preventive safety state, a windshield wiper device (10), preferably a wiper lever (12) of a front windshield wiper, is at least partially lowered into an area below its functional position.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein, to create additional deformation space for the other party in an accident, when transferring the vehicle into the pedestrian preventive safety state, a front hood (20) of the vehicle is lifted up into an area which is near the windshield (30).

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the wiper lever (12), during its downward movement, at least partially disappears under the raising front hood (20), and the raising of the front hood (20) and the descending of the wiper lever (12) are coordinated with each other in terms of time preferably to avoid a collision between the wiper lever (12) and the front hood (20).

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the information to generate the triggering condition (A) originates from at least one signal of a time-related anticipatory sensor or a linkage of a plurality of signals from anticipatory sensors, wherein at least one of the anticipatory sensors is a deceleration measuring sensor, a wheel sensor of an antilock system, an IR sensor, an ESP sensor, a camera system or a radar device.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein a sufficient criterion for triggering the pedestrian preventive safety state of the vehicle is a strong deceleration in the vehicle, or a critical driving condition of the vehicle together with the detection of a person outside the vehicle.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein, in addition, a signal of a contact sensor, particularly to detect a pedestrian impact, is taken into consideration during the transition of the vehicle to the pedestrian preventive safety state and when detecting an impact by means of the contact sensor, the part or the section of the vehicle, which could inflict additional bodily injury on the other party in the case of an accident with the vehicle, preferably the wiper lever (12), is moved away from the danger zone at maximum speed and preferably against a solid limit stop.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle measures that can be initiated for the pedestrian preventive safety state are reversible in particular if the detection reliability of a pedestrian impact is less than 100% for the vehicle, preferably directly after a near accident.

10. Method according to claim 3, wherein a decision to lower the wiper lever (12) in the pedestrian preventive safety state is made by the control electronics of the windshield wiper motor.

11. Method according to claim 2, wherein, when transferring the vehicle into the pedestrian preventive safety state, a windshield wiper device (10), preferably a wiper lever (12) of a front windshield wiper, is at least partially lowered into an area below its functional position.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein, to create additional deformation space for the other party in an accident, when transferring the vehicle into the pedestrian preventive safety state, a front hood (20) of the vehicle is lifted up into an area which is near the windshield (30).

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein the wiper lever (12), during its downward movement, at least partially disappears under the raising front hood (20), and the raising of the front hood (20) and the descending of the wiper lever (12) are coordinated with each other in terms of time preferably to avoid a collision between the wiper lever (12) and the front hood (20).

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein the information to generate the triggering condition (A) originates from at least one signal of a time-related anticipatory sensor or a linkage of a plurality of signals from anticipatory sensors, wherein at least one of the anticipatory sensors is a deceleration measuring sensor, a wheel sensor of an antilock system, an IR sensor, an ESP sensor, a camera system or a radar device.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein a sufficient criterion for triggering the pedestrian preventive safety state of the vehicle is a strong deceleration in the vehicle, or a critical driving condition of the vehicle together with the detection of a person outside the vehicle.

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein, in addition, a signal of a contact sensor, particularly to detect a pedestrian impact, is taken into consideration during the transition of the vehicle to the pedestrian preventive safety state and when detecting an impact by means of the contact sensor, the part or the section of the vehicle, which could inflict additional bodily injury on the other party in the case of an accident with the vehicle, preferably the wiper lever (12), is moved away from the danger zone at maximum speed and preferably against a solid limit stop.

17. Method according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle measures that can be initiated for the pedestrian preventive safety state are reversible in particular if the detection reliability of a pedestrian impact is less than 100% for the vehicle, preferably directly after a near accident.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein a decision to lower the wiper lever (12) in the pedestrian preventive safety state is made by the control electronics of the windshield wiper motor.

19. Method according to claim 11, wherein a decision to lower the wiper lever (12) in the pedestrian preventive safety state is made by the control electronics of the windshield wiper motor.