Emergency brake assistance system for assisting a driver of a vehicle when setting the vehicle in motion

• US 8,942,904 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Foerster, Daniel, Klug, Michael, Hartmann, Andreas, Weiss, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US13/514,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20120265418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70, 477/182, 180/282
• US Class Current: 701/70
• 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 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An emergency brake assistance system includes: a collision risk detection unit (12) to detect a risk of collision with an object in front of the vehicle, based on data from an environment sensor (14) for recording objects in front of the vehicle and data from an accelerator sensor (16) for recording an intention to accelerate by the driver; and a collision avoidance unit (18) to implement measures to prevent a potential collision with the object in front of the vehicle, based on data from the collision risk detection unit. The system temporarily deactivates, for a specified time duration, an override condition of a safety concept of the system when the accelerator sensor records the driver'"'"'s intention to accelerate and the vehicle speed is below a specified speed threshold. Thus the driver'"'"'s acceleration command when setting the vehicle in motion temporarily cannot override an automatic actuation of the emergency brake system.

Claims

1. An emergency brake assistance system for assisting a driver of a vehicle when setting the vehicle in motion, comprising

a collision risk detection unit configured to detect a risk of collision with an object in front of the vehicle, based on data from an environment sensor system for recording objects in front of the vehicle and data from an accelerator sensor system for recording an intention to accelerate by the driver, and

a collision avoidance unit configured to implement measures to prevent a potential collision with the object in front of the vehicle, based on data from the collision risk detection unit, wherein

the emergency brake assistance system is configured to temporarily implement, for a specified time duration, a temporary deactivation of a cancellation and activation-suppression condition by which an activation of a safety concept of the vehicle can be canceled or suppresses, wherein said temporary deactivation is implemented when recording an intention to accelerate by the driver at a vehicle speed which is lower than a specified speed threshold.

2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the collision risk detection unit is configured

to estimate a vehicle acceleration within an adaptable time frame, based on the data from the accelerator sensor system, and

to detect the risk of collision with an object in front of the vehicle when the estimated vehicle acceleration gives cause to anticipate that a collision with the object will occur.

3. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the collision risk detection unit is configured

to calculate one or more calculated values including a time ttc until an expected collision will occur, a time ttb until a required braking maneuver should be conducted, a time tts until a required steering maneuver should be conducted and/or a necessary deceleration a_nec in order to avoid the expected collision, based on the data from the environment sensor system and the accelerator sensor system, and

to evaluate the risk of collision with an object in front of the vehicle, based on one or more of these calculated values.

4. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the collision avoidance unit is configured to implement one or more of the following actions as measures to prevent a potential collision with the object in front of the vehicle:

output of a brake intervention signal to a trigger an electronic brake system to perform an autonomous time-restricted brake intervention,

output of an acceleration block signal to trigger an engine control device the suppress of the intention to accelerate by the driver for a restricted period of time,

output of a visual, acoustic and/or haptic warning for the driver.

5. A system according to claim 4, characterized in that the collision avoidance unit is further configured to output a brake intervention signal with a variable gradient and for a variable target deceleration up to a maximum possible deceleration.

6. A system according to claim 1, further configured to temporarily output a deactivation signal to implement the temporary deactivation of the cancellation and activation-suppression condition, for the specified time duration amounting to approximately 1 to 3 seconds.

7. A system according to claim 6, further configured to only output the deactivation signal when

the vehicle is at standstill, or

the vehicle speed is lower than the specified speed threshold and an acceleration of the vehicle is not negative.

8. A system according to claim 6, further configured not to emit the deactivation signal when a negative acceleration of the vehicle is present.

9. In a vehicle having an accelerator pedal by which a driver of said vehicle asserts an intention to accelerate said vehicle, an accelerator pedal sensor connected to said accelerator pedal and configured to output an accelerator pedal signal, an environment sensor arranged and configured to sense a potential obstacle in front of said vehicle and to output an environment sensor signal, an engine for driving said vehicle, a brake for braking said vehicle, a speed sensor to sense a current speed of said vehicle, and at least one safety device including at least one of an electronic brake system configured to actuate said brake, an engine control device configured to control said engine, a visual warning device configured to emit a visual warning to said driver, an acoustic warning device configured to emit an acoustic warning to said driver, and a haptic warning device configured to emit a haptic warning to said driver,

an improvement comprising an emergency brake assistance system which comprises:

a collision risk detection unit connected to said environment sensor to receive said environment sensor signal, and connected to said accelerator pedal sensor to receive said accelerator pedal signal, and configured to determine a collision risk of a potential collision with said potential obstacle based on at least said environment sensor signal and said accelerator pedal signal; and

a collision avoidance unit connected to an output of said collision risk detection unit, and configured to produce, at least one output connected to said at least one safety device, at least one collision avoidance signal based on said collision risk, so as to actuate said at least one safety device to prevent or reduce a severity of said potential collision with said potential obstacle;

wherein said emergency brake assistance system is configured to implement an override condition based on certain values of said accelerator pedal signal indicating an intention of said driver to override said collision avoidance signal, so as not to actuate or to stop actuating said at least one safety device, and

wherein said emergency brake assistance system is further configured to temporarily deactivate, for a specified time duration, said override condition when at least the following deactivation conditions pertain;

a) said accelerator pedal signal indicates an intention of said driver to accelerate said vehicle, and

b) said current speed of said vehicle is below a specified speed threshold.

10. The improvement in the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said emergency brake assistance system is configured to temporarily deactivate said override condition only when said deactivation conditions pertain.

11. The improvement in the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said specified time duration is in a range from 1 to 3 seconds beginning when said accelerator pedal signal indicates said intention of said driver to accelerate said vehicle.

12. The improvement in the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said emergency brake assistance system is configured to output a deactivation signal to temporarily deactivate said override condition when said deactivation conditions pertain.

13. The improvement in the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said vehicle further includes an acceleration sensor to sense a current acceleration of said vehicle, and wherein said deactivation conditions further include:

c) said current acceleration of said vehicle is non-negative.

14. The improvement in the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said current speed must be zero for said current speed to be below said specified speed threshold.