Safety system for a means of transportation and a method relating to the same

• US 8,086,406 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Ewerhart, Frank, Werner, Uwe, Freienstein, Heiko, Selinger, Joachim, Carstens-Behrens, Soenke, Hagemann, Markus, Tilp, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US10/590,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,547 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/41, 180/167, 180/169, 340/902, 340/436, 107/113, 133/139, 133/146
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/001 the torque NOT being among the input parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

In order to enhance a safety system, in particular an accident avoidance system for a means of transportation, in particular a motor vehicle, having at least one steering system and at least one brake system in such a way that an avoidance maneuver initiated by the operator of the means of transportation when approaching an obstacle is supported with respect to both the device and the method, thus preventing an accident through collision, the evaluation unit determines at least one driving variation, in particular at least one avoidance trajectory and/or at least one automatic emergency braking action from the data and information and when or after the operator of the means of transportation initiates a driving maneuver, in particular an avoidance maneuver or an emergency braking maneuver, the safety system, in particular the evaluation unit specifies, supports and/or suggests this driving maneuver in an optimized form, in particular in the form of an optimal avoidance trajectory or in the form of an automatic emergency braking.

Claims

1. A safety system corresponding to an accident avoidance system and for a motor vehicle that includes at least one steering system and at least one brake system, comprising:

at least one detection unit for detecting internal and external conditions including vehicle parameters and a vehicle environment;

at least one evaluation unit, wherein;

the at least one evaluation unit compiles conditions detected by the at least one detection unit in the form of data and information,

the at least one evaluation unit evaluates the detected conditions with respect to a hazard potential,

the at least one evaluation unit determines from the data and information at least one driving variation, the determination including determining which of an optimal avoidance trajectory and at least one automatic emergency braking action is warranted, and

when or after an operator of the motor vehicle initiates a driving maneuver corresponding to one of an avoidance maneuver and an emergency braking maneuver, the at least one evaluation unit;

outputs to the operator an optimized form of the driving maneuver corresponding to the optimal avoidance trajectory, in an instance where the at least one evaluation unit determines that the optimal avoidance trajectory is warranted; and

at least one of outputs to the operator a warning and initiates the at least one automatic emergency braking action, in an instance where the at least one evaluation unit determines that the at least one automatic emergency braking action is warranted.

2. The safety system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the steering system informs the operator of the optimal avoidance trajectory as at least one of;

one of an induced steering torque and an applied steering torque,

at least one haptic signal corresponding to one of at least one oscillation and at least one vibration, and

an induced additional steering angle implemented by superimposed steering.

3. The safety system as recited in claim 1, wherein in the event of danger corresponding to a high risk of collision, the evaluation unit at least one of:

sends at least one of an acoustic warning, a haptic warning, and a visual warning, and

triggers the automatic emergency braking if no other driving variation corresponding to an avoidance trajectory is available.

4. The safety system as recited in claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to at least one of parameterize, prepare, and activate at least one of the steering system, the brake system, and a chassis of the motor vehicle in response to an evaluation that the hazard potential corresponds to a high risk of collision, so that the handling characteristics of the motor vehicle are optimized for a driving maneuver to be performed by the operator corresponding to one of an avoidance maneuver and an emergency braking maneuver.

5. The safety system as recited in claim 1, wherein the safety system is used in at least one driver assist system for increasing safety by avoiding accidents in traffic.

6. A computer-implemented method of a vehicle safety system comprising at least one computer processor, for increasing safety by avoiding accidents in road traffic, the method comprising:

detecting, by the processor, internal and external conditions associated with parameters and an environment of a motor vehicle;

compiling, by the processor, the detected conditions in the form of data and information;

evaluating, by the processor, the detected conditions with respect to a hazard potential;

determining, by the processor and from the data and information, at least one driving variation, the determination including determining which of an optimal avoidance trajectory and at least one automatic emergency braking is warranted; and

one of during a driving maneuver and after the driving maneuver corresponding to one of an avoidance trajectory and an automatic emergency braking;

outputting, by the processor and to the operator, an optimized form of the driving maneuver corresponding to the optimal avoidance trajectory, in an instance where the determination is that the optimal avoidance trajectory is warranted; and

at least one of outputting to the operator a warning and initiating the at least one automatic emergency braking, by the processor, in an instance where the determination is that the at least one emergency braking is warranted.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

in the event of danger corresponding to a high risk of collision, at least one of;

emitting at least one of at least one acoustic signal, at least one haptic signal, and at least one visual warning signal, and

triggering an automatic emergency braking if no other driving variation associated with an avoidance trajectory is available.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein in the event of danger corresponding to an occurrence of an obstacle on a regular road surface, at least one avoidance trajectory is calculated both for a driving maneuver corresponding to an avoidance variation to the left as well as for a driving maneuver corresponding to an avoidance variation to the right that are optimal for the momentary situation.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising at least one of:

parameterizing, preparing, and activating at least one of the steering system, the brake system, and a chassis of the motor vehicle in response to an evaluation that the hazard potential corresponds to a high risk of collision, so that the handling characteristics of the motor vehicle are optimized for a driving maneuver to be performed by the operator corresponding to one of an avoidance maneuver and an emergency braking maneuver.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the method is used in at least one driver assist system for increasing safety by avoiding accidents in traffic.

11. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

informing an operator of the motor vehicle of an optimal avoidance trajectory at least one of;

as one of an induced steering torque and an applied steering torque,

as at least one haptic signal corresponding to one of at least one oscillation and at least one vibration, and

as an induced additional steering angle implemented by superimposed steering.