Collision warning device having guardrail detection

• US 8,412,416 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Wackerl, Oliver, Schwindt, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US12/451,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20100286874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,833 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/301, 701/300, 701/96, 701/469, 340/435, 340/436, 340/437, 340/439, 348/118, 348/119, 348/135, 348/143, 348/148, 348/152, 348/169, 348/171, 342/70, 382/103, 382/104, 382/106, 382/107, 382/291, 180/167, 180/169, 367/909
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A collision warning device for motor vehicles includes: a locating system for locating objects in the area in front of the vehicle; a control device for evaluating the data of the locating system and for outputting a warning signal in the event of an imminent risk of a collision; and a detection module for detecting the course of guardrails with the aid of the data of the locating system. In the control device an additional warning function is implemented, which calculates, with the aid of the dynamic state of the vehicle and with the aid of the detected guardrail course, a parameter for the transverse dynamics of the vehicle, which is required to avert a collision with the guardrail, and which outputs a warning signal when this parameter is larger than a predefined value.

Claims

1. A collision warning device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

an object locating system configured to supply data regarding detected object; and

a control device operationally connected to the object locating system and receiving the data from the object locating system regarding detected object, the control device having a detection module configured to detect the course of guardrails in the path of the motor vehicle with the aid of the received data from the object locating system;

wherein the data from the object locating system are evaluated in the control device to determine whether an imminent risk of collision for the motor vehicle exists, and in the case of the imminent risk of collision exists, a first warning function is implement by outputting a first warning signal, and wherein the control device performs an additional warning function by calculating, with the aid of dynamic state characteristics of the vehicle and with the aid of the detected guardrail course, a parameter for the transverse dynamics of the vehicle required to avert a collision with the guardrails in the path of the motor vehicle, and outputting a second warning signal when the parameter for the transverse dynamics is greater than a predefined threshold value.

2. The collision warning device according to claim 1, wherein the object locating system is configured to locate objects in the area in front of the vehicle.

3. The collision warning device as recited in claim 1, wherein the parameter for the transverse dynamics of the vehicle is a smallest-possible transverse acceleration value of the vehicle allowing the vehicle to pass the guardrails along the detected guardrail course without collision.

4. The collision warning device as recited in claim 3, wherein the control device is configured to calculate, for implementing the additional warning function, a reference course of the vehicle in which the transverse acceleration would be equal to the predefined threshold value at an instantaneous speed of the vehicle, and determine whether the determined reference course intersects with the guardrails along the detected guardrail course.

5. The collision warning device as recited in claim 4, wherein the object locating system is a radar sensor.