Motor vehicle having a preventive action protection system

• US 7,908,059 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2005
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Bullinger, Wilfried, Moehle, Karl, Wagner, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/659,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20100063685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,054 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 180/273, 280/734, 700/50, 706/52
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01311 monitoring the braking system, e.g. ABS
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems

Abstract

A motor vehicle, such as a passenger car, having a preventive action protection system is provided, which includes safety devices which are actuated as a function of features which are based on input variables from a safety sensor system in a data evaluation and control device, wherein, when a critical driving state is detected, the data evaluation and control device actuates at least one safety device which is assigned to the driving state. The features are each assigned a specific weighting relating to the criticality of the driving state.

Claims

1. In a motor vehicle, a preventive action protection system comprising:

a data evaluation and control device including a safety sensor system; and

safety devices which are actuated as a function of features based on input variables of the safety sensor system, wherein;

when a critical driving state is detected, the data evaluation and control device actuates at least one safety device which is assigned to the driving state, and

each of the features is assigned a specific weighting based on a criticality of the driving state,

wherein a superordinate criticality is formed from the specific weightings of a plurality of the features and is compared with a triggering threshold.

2. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the superordinate criticality represents an overall criticality of a sensed collision object.

3. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the superordinate criticality is filtered by an adjustable time window in the data evaluation and control device.

4. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the features are based on input variables stored in a memory over a defined period of time.

5. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the features comprise a position of a collision object.

6. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 5, wherein a direction vector from which the position of the collision object is predicted, is determined from position data of the collision object in a defined period of time.

7. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 5, wherein a weighting of a criticality of the position of the collision object is increased if a predicted position of the collision object lies in a predefined region.

8. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 5, wherein weighting of the criticality of the position of the collision object is increased if a measured position of a collision object deviates from a predicted position.

9. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the features comprise a remaining time before impact.

10. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the features comprise an offset of a collision object in the lateral direction of the motor vehicle.

11. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the features comprise a relative velocity between a collision object and the motor vehicle.

12. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the features are based on input variables stored in a memory over a defined period of time.

13. The preventive action protection system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the features comprise a position of a collision object.

14. A method for protecting occupants of a motor vehicle that includes a preventive action protection system, comprising:

assigning a weighting to each of a plurality of features that are based on input variables of a safety sensor system;

detecting a critical driving state of the motor vehicle; and

actuating a safety device assigned to the detected critical driving state;

wherein each of the weightings of the plurality of features is assigned, based on a criticality of the critical driving state,

wherein a superordinate criticality is formed from the weightings of the plurality of the features and is compared with a triggering threshold.