Method for operating a motor vehicle during fully automatic vehicle guidance

• US 9,403,533 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: De Bruin, Dirk, Bogner, Andreas, Schiehlen, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans, Garrett
• Application Number:
  US14/615,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20150151757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/001 Planning or execution of driving tasks
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

A method for operating a motor vehicle using a control unit during operation of a fully-automatic driver assistance system is designed to guide the vehicle independently of the driver. The control unit actuates a drive unit and/or a brake unit during operation of said driver assistance system such that the motor vehicle maintains a predefined distance to a vehicle in front which is detected as a target object, the control unit also actuating the actuation unit of a steering system such that the motor vehicle is kept within its own detected lane. If the vehicle in front, detected as the target object, leaves the detected lane and if there is no new preceding vehicle, a braking action is performed.

Claims

1. A method for effecting an automatic driver assistance of a user vehicle having a control unit configured to control a drive unit, a brake unit and a steering system of the user vehicle independently of the driver, the method comprising:

controlling the drive unit and/or the brake unit, via the control unit, to maintain a prescribed distance between the user vehicle and a detected target vehicle ahead, and

controlling the steering system, via the control unit, to maintain the motor vehicle within a detected lane,

detecting whether the target vehicle leaves the detected lane and whether a preceding target vehicle is not present in the detected lane; and

controlling the brake unit, via the control unit, to execute a braking action in the event it is detected that the target vehicle leaves the detected lane and that the preceding target vehicle is not present in the detected lane.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the braking action is executed such that the user vehicle comes to a standstill within a predefined time interval or within a predefined distance.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the braking action is executed such that the user vehicle comes to a standstill within a distance that existed between the user vehicle and the target vehicle at a point in time at which the target vehicle was detected leaving the detected lane.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the braking action is executed such that the user vehicle comes to a standstill within a distance that existed between the user vehicle and the target vehicle at a point in time at which the target vehicle was detected leaving the detected lane.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

issuing a warning to the driver, the warning indicating that it is detected that the target vehicle leaves the detected lane and that the preceding target vehicle is not present in the detected lane.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

issuing a warning to the driver, the warning indicating that it is detected that the target vehicle leaves the detected lane and that the preceding target vehicle is not present in the detected lane.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

issuing a warning to the driver, the warning indicating that it is detected that the target vehicle leaves the detected lane and that the preceding target vehicle is not present in the detected lane.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

simultaneously detecting whether the driver is touching the steering wheel,

wherein the braking action is only executed if it is simultaneously detected that the driver is not touching the steering wheel.

9. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

simultaneously detecting whether the driver is touching the steering wheel,

wherein the braking action is only executed if it is simultaneously detected that the driver is not touching the steering wheel.

10. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

simultaneously detecting whether the driver is touching the steering wheel,

wherein the braking action is only executed if it is simultaneously detected that the driver is not touching the steering wheel.

11. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

simultaneously detecting whether the driver is touching the steering wheel,

wherein the braking action is only executed if it is simultaneously detected that the driver is not touching the steering wheel.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a transversal control requirement and/or a transversal control trajectory; and

controlling a steering actuator unit of the steering system to guide the user vehicle along the determined transversal control requirement and/or transversal control trajectory independently of driver.

13. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining a transversal control requirement and/or a transversal control trajectory; and

controlling a steering actuator unit of the steering system to guide the user vehicle along the determined transversal control requirement and/or transversal control trajectory independently of driver.

14. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

determining a transversal control requirement and/or a transversal control trajectory; and

controlling a steering actuator unit of the steering system to guide the user vehicle along the determined transversal control requirement and/or transversal control trajectory independently of driver.

15. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining a transversal control requirement and/or a transversal control trajectory; and

controlling a steering actuator unit of the steering system to guide the user vehicle along the determined transversal control requirement and/or transversal control trajectory independently of driver.

16. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining a transversal control requirement and/or a transversal control trajectory; and

controlling a steering actuator unit of the steering system to guide the user vehicle along the determined transversal control requirement and/or transversal control trajectory independently of driver.

17. A method for operating a motor vehicle, by a control unit, during operation of a fully automatic driver assistance system configured to guide the vehicle independently of the driver, the method comprising the acts of:

detecting, by the control unit, a target vehicle traveling in the motor vehicle'"'"'s own detected lane and ahead of the motor vehicle;

actuating, by the control unit, at least one of a drive unit and a brake unit during the operation of said driver assistance system in order to maintain a prescribed distance between the vehicle and the target vehicle;

actuating an actuation unit of a steering system in order to keep the motor vehicle within the detected lane; and

performing a braking action if the target vehicle is detected as leaving said detected lane and no preceding vehicle is detected as being present.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

simultaneously detecting whether the driver is unable to assume a driving task;

wherein the braking action is performed if it is simultaneously detected that the driver is unable to assume the driving task.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein it is detected that the driver is unable to assume the driving task when it is detected that the driver is not touching the steering wheel.