Method and apparatus for reducing collision injury/damage of vehicles

• US 9,199,614 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kong, Sze-Hon
• Application Number:
  US12/927,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/301, 701/302, 701/46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/003 characterised by occupant or pedestian
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01259 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/024 Collision mitigation 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 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An on-vehicle apparatus is provided to reduce damage from collisions. In the apparatus, an object located in a field in a travel direction of a vehicle is detected and a time to collision (TTC) is detected. A controller performs automatic intervention braking in the vehicle when it determined that the time to collision is equal to or shorter than a first threshold time. Further, when it determined that the time to collision is equal to or shorter than a second threshold time shorter than the first threshold time and meets a preset actuation condition, a protection controller makes a protection device active for vehicle protection. A collision speed is also estimated based on an deceleration of the vehicle caused by the automatic intervention braking. The preset actuation condition is a condition that the estimated collision speed is equal to or higher than a preset threshold speeds.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing damage from collisions, the apparatus being mounted on a vehicle provided with a protection device and a braking device, the apparatus comprising:

a first detector detecting an object which is present in a field in a travel direction of the vehicle;

a time estimator estimating, repeatedly, at first time intervals, a time to collision (TTC) on the basis of results detected by the first detector, the time to collision being defined as a ratio of a relative distance between the object and the vehicle to a relative speed between the object and the vehicle;

a braking controller activating the braking device to perform automatic intervention braking of the vehicle at a time when the time to collision detected by the time estimator is equal to or shorter than a first threshold time;

a second detector detecting a deceleration of the vehicle;

a speed estimator starting to estimate, repeatedly, at second time intervals, a collision speed of the vehicle on the basis of the deceleration detected by the second detector at the time when the time to collision detected by the time estimator becomes equal to or shorter than the first threshold time, wherein the collision speed being defined as a vehicle speed estimated under an assumption that the time to collision would become zero which means a collision between the vehicle and the object, the second time intervals being shorter than the first time intervals;

a determination unit determining, every time when the collision speed is estimated, i) whether or not the time to collision is equal to or shorter than a second threshold time, the second threshold time being shorter than the first threshold time; and

ii) whether or not the collision speed estimated by the speed estimator is equal to or higher than a preset threshold speed; and

a protection controller activating the protection device when the determination unit determines that the time to collision is equal to or shorter than the second threshold time and determines that the collision speed is equal to or higher than the preset threshold speed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the speed estimator estimates the collision speed V on the basis of the following formula:

V²−

V₀²=2α

X₀

where the relative speed is V₀, the relative distance is X₀, and the deceleration is α

(<

0), wherein the relative speed V₀ and the relative distance X₀ are based on the result detected by the detector.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the protection device is operable reversibly.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the protection device is operable irreversibly,

the apparatus comprising:

a sensor that measures a physical value to sense a collision between the vehicle and the object; and

a control device that allows the protection controller to make the protection device active only when the detected physical value measured by the sensor is equal to or higher than a threshold which is preset to be smaller than a reference physical value with respect to the collision.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protection device is operable reversibly.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protection device is operable irreversibly,

the apparatus comprising:

a sensor that measures a physical value to sense a collision between the vehicle and the object; and

a control device that allows the protection controller to make the protection device active only when the detected physical value measured by the sensor is equal to or higher than a threshold which is preset to be smaller than a reference physical value with respect to the collision.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the speed estimator estimates the collision speed of the vehicle only when the time to collision becomes equal to or shorter than the first threshold time.