Vehicle driving support apparatus

• US 8,909,452 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Hiroki, Natori, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US13/411,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 701 70- 98, 303/193, 303/191, 303/125
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/06 Disposition of pedal
• 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 10/188 hydraulic brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0953 the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands

Abstract

In a vehicle driving support apparatus, if a brake pedal operation by a driver is detected during a braking control, a cruise control unit determines that it is highly likely that the driver recognizes a possibility of a collision of a subject vehicle and a obstacle, and halts the braking control. On the other hand, if a depression amount of the brake pedal by the driver changes to a release side at or over a preset speed, the cruise control unit restarts the halted braking control.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving support apparatus, comprising:

a collision determining unit for determining a possibility of a collision of a subject vehicle and a obstacle that is recognized in a front of the subject vehicle;

a braking control unit for performing a braking control with respect to the obstacle when the collision determining units determines that there is the possibility of the collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle;

a control halt determining unit that determines a halt of the braking control when a brake pedal operation by a driver is detected; and

a control restart determining unit that determines a restart of the halted braking control when a brake pedal depressed by the driver is shifted to a release side and when a speed of the brake pedal is over a preset pedal speed while it is determined there is the possibility of the collision against the obstacle.

2. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preset pedal speed is set to a high speed that is unlikely to be generated when the driver operates the brake pedal to the release side with the driver'"'"'s foot being put on the brake pedal.

3. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the brake pedal swings to the release side by an urging force.

4. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collision determining unit comprises:

a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to the collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle; and

a warning executing unit for warning the driver when the time to the collision becomes shorter than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

5. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collision determining unit comprises a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to the collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle, and

wherein the braking control unit performs the braking control so as to alert the driver when the time to the collision becomes shorter than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

6. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collision determining unit comprises a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to the collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle, and

wherein the braking control unit performs the braking control so as to stop the subject vehicle when the time to the collision becomes shorter than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

7. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collision determining unit comprises a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to the collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle, and

wherein the braking control unit permits the halt of the braking control determined by the control halt determining unit only when the time to the collision is longer than a predetermined threshold.

8. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collision determining unit comprises a time to collision calculating unit for calculating a time to the collision of the subject vehicle and the obstacle, and

wherein the braking control unit prohibits the halt of the braking control determined by the control halt determining unit when the time to the collision is shorter than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

9. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a brake pedal depression sensor for detecting a depression stroke of the brake pedal by the driver as a depression amount of the brake pedal.

10. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the braking control unit starts to work again after the braking control unit is halted by the brake pedal operation of the driver.

11. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control restart determining unit restarts the braking control unit according to a depressing amount of the brake pedal by the driver after halting the braking control.

12. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preset pedal speed is set to a predetermined value within a speed that the brake pedal forms when the brake pedal is swung to the release side only with an urging force.

13. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preset pedal speed is set to a speed that is not generated when the driver operates the brake pedal to the release side with the driver'"'"'s foot being put on the brake pedal.

14. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the brake pedal depressed by the driver is shifted to the release side and when the speed of the brake pedal is over the preset pedal speed, the control restart determining unit determines that there is a possibility that the driver'"'"'s foot has accidentally slipped off the brake pedal.

15. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the driver is noticed with a warning control that there is the possibility of the collision and the driver performs the brake pedal operation, and afterwards the driver'"'"' foot slips off the brake pedal so that the brake is released, the halted braking control is restarted with respect to the obstacle.

16. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the braking control unit restarts the halting braking control according to a movement of the brake pedal, after the halted braking control.

17. The vehicle driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the braking control unit is halted while an intention of the driver to decelerate is given priority, and after the braking control unit is halted, the braking control unit restarts, irrespective of the intention of the driver, depending on a movement of the brake pedal.