Method for automatically preventing aquaplaning

• US 9,493,145 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2011
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG), Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG), Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Eckert, Alfred, Mehr, Wilfried, Strauss, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worden, Tommy
• Application Number:
  US13/579,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20130035836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,124 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/12 Friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/13 Aquaplaning, hydroplaning
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/06 Active Suspension System
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of automatically preventing or reducing aquaplaning during the driving operation of a motor vehicle on a route provides that:

• • a) a camera-based road sign recognition of a road sign on a section of the route determines whether the road sign indicates a risk of aquaplaning on the section of the route,
  • b) at least one sensor device detects whether there is a wet road condition on the section of the route, and
  • c) a driving assistance function for preventing or reducing aquaplaning is carried out if the road sign recognition determines that the road sign indicates the risk of aquaplaning and the sensor device detects the wet road condition on the section of the route.

Claims

1. A method of automatically preventing or reducing a risk of an occurrence of aquaplaning during driving operation of a motor vehicle on a route, comprising the steps:

a) with a camera, acquiring a camera image of a road sign on a section of the route, and performing a road sign recognition of the road sign in the camera image to determine whether the road sign is an aquaplaning warning sign that indicates a risk of aquaplaning on the section of the route,

b) with at least one sensor device, determining whether there is a wet pavement on the section of the route, and

c) with a driver assistance system or an active safety system of the motor vehicle, carrying out a driving assistance function that helps proactively prevent or reduce the risk of the occurrence of aquaplaning of the motor vehicle before aquaplaning has already begun or is immediately imminent, automatically in response to the road sign recognition having determined that the road sign is an aquaplaning warning sign that indicates there is the risk of aquaplaning on the section of the route and the wet pavement having been determined to exist on the section of the route, without regard to actual vehicle dynamics of the motor vehicle and without regard to any condition of the vehicle itself.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said sensor device comprises an optical sensor that detects a pavement surface to determine the wet pavement on the pavement surface.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance function comprises at least one of:

adjusting a damping of a running gear of the motor vehicle by switching to a hard damping of the running gear, or

adjusting an ABS system of the motor vehicle to make the ABS system more sensitive than before the adjusting of the ABS system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance function comprises reducing a driving speed of the motor vehicle so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum limit value.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance function comprises adjusting an active speed control system of the motor vehicle, which is a cruise control (CC) system or an adaptive cruise control (ACC) system.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the adjusting of the active speed control system automatically reduces the driving speed of the motor vehicle to a pre-specified speed value that is pre-specified as applicable for wet roads.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance function comprises switching off an active speed control system of the motor vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising informing the driver of the motor vehicle before switching off the active speed control system.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance function comprises adjusting a vehicle-movement-dynamics control system of the motor vehicle to a more sensitive setting of parameters such that wheels of the motor vehicle do not lose adhesion on the wet pavement.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance function comprises switching off a system for automatic longitudinal and lateral control of the motor vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising informing a driver of the motor vehicle before switching off the system for automatic longitudinal and lateral control of the motor vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising automatically reducing a driving speed of the motor vehicle or bringing the motor vehicle to a complete stop, if a driver of the motor vehicle does not manually carry out a lateral and longitudinal control of the motor vehicle after the switching off of the system for automatic longitudinal and lateral control of the motor vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance function comprises forwarding to a driving motor of the motor vehicle, a deceleration request triggered by a driver'"'"'s actuation of a brake pedal of the motor vehicle, and implementing a limitation on the deceleration request such that wheels of the motor vehicle do not lock.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein an acceleration request is triggered by a driver'"'"'s actuation of an accelerator pedal of the motor vehicle, and the driving assistance function comprises limiting the acceleration request by implementing an acceleration of the motor vehicle with a lower value in comparison to the acceleration request or by suppressing the acceleration request.

15. A method of automatically preventing or reducing a risk of an occurrence of aquaplaning of a motor vehicle while said motor vehicle is driving on a section of a roadway with a road sign along said section of said roadway, comprising:

a) with a sensor device, determining whether a roadway surface in said section of said roadway is wet and accordingly emitting a wetness signal;

b) with a camera, acquiring a camera image of said road sign along said section of said roadway;

c) with an electronic road sign recognition system, evaluating said camera image to determine whether said road sign is recognized as an aquaplaning warning sign that indicates a danger of aquaplaning for said section of said roadway; and

d) when said wetness signal indicates that said roadway surface in said section of said roadway is wet and said evaluating of said camera image determines that said road sign along said section of said roadway is recognized as said aquaplaning warning sign that indicates said danger of aquaplaning for said section of said roadway, then based thereon and in response thereto, and without regard to actual vehicle dynamics of said motor vehicle and without regard to any condition of said motor vehicle itself, with a driver assistance system or active safety system of the vehicle automatically issuing an aquaplaning danger warning to a driver of the motor vehicle or automatically adjusting a driving operation of the motor vehicle to proactively prevent or reduce the risk of the occurrence of aquaplaning of the motor vehicle before aquaplaning has already begun or is immediately imminent.

16. A method of automatically reducing a risk of aquaplaning of a motor vehicle driving on a road, comprising the steps:

a) with a camera, acquiring an image of a road sign along the road;

b) with an electronic road sign recognition system, analyzing the image and thereby determining whether the road sign is recognized as a sign that warns of a risk of aquaplaning;

c) with a sensor device, determining whether there is a wet pavement on the road;

d) when the determining in the step b) and the determining in the step c) are both affirmative, then based thereon and in response thereto automatically triggering a driver assistance system or an active safety system of the motor vehicle to perform an assistance function that reduces a risk of aquaplaning of the motor vehicle, without regard to whether any aquaplaning is already occurring or is imminent, without regard to an actual interaction between tires of the motor vehicle and the road, without regard to whether aquaplaning is having any influence on the motor vehicle, and without regard to actual vehicle dynamics of the motor vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the triggering of the driver assistance system or the active safety system occurs before any aquaplaning has already begun or is immediately imminent, so that the assistance function proactively and preemptively reduces the risk of aquaplaning.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein said sensor device comprises an optical sensor that acquires an optical image of a pavement surface of the road, and is configured to detect, in said optical image, wetness on said pavement surface as the determining of the wet pavement on the road.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the assistance function comprises adjusting a suspension of the motor vehicle to a harder damping.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the assistance function comprises adjusting at least one of an antilock braking system and a vehicle dynamics control system of said motor vehicle to a more sensitive setting.