Vehicle-behavior control apparatus and vehicle-behavior control system

• US 9,598,075 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Makino, Takafumi, Tsuchiya, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US14/775,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20160023655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 701/37, 701/41, 701/48, 701/70, 701/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0164 mainly during accelerating or braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/08 Characteristics of fluid dampers adjusting fluid dampers in general F16F9/44 - F16F9/53
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/823 Obstacle sensing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/10 Damping action or damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/242 Obstacle avoidance manoeuvre
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• 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 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/182 Brake pressure, e.g. of fluid or between pad and disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/205 Steering speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/207 Steering angle of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/226 : Damping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/045 : Improving turning performance
• 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: B62D 15/0265 : Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/159 : characterised by computing methods or stabilisation processes or systems, e.g. responding to yaw rate, lateral wind, load, road condition
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to an embodiment includes a collision determining unit that determines whether a vehicle collides with an obstacle when the vehicle is decelerated while going straight based on at least a detection result of the obstacle in front of the vehicle and a detection result of a running state of the vehicle in a condition in which wheels are being braked, and a vehicle-behavior control unit that performs at least one of the control of steering rear wheels and the control of giving a difference in braking conditions between the left and right wheels such that the vehicle is decelerated while detouring around the obstacle without steering front wheels when it is determined to collide with the obstacle by the collision determining unit, as one example.

Claims

1. A vehicle-behavior control apparatus comprising:

a collision determining unit that determines whether a vehicle collides with an obstacle when the vehicle is decelerated while going straight based on at least a detection result of the obstacle in front of the vehicle and a detection result of a running state of the vehicle in a condition in which wheels are being braked; and

a vehicle-behavior control unit that performs at least one of control of steering rear wheels and control of giving a difference in braking conditions between left and right wheels such that the vehicle is decelerated while detouring around the obstacle without steering front wheels when it is determined to collide with the obstacle by the collision determining unit,

wherein the vehicle-behavior control unit makes time to perform control shorter as a speed of the vehicle is in a higher state based on the detection result of the running state of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-behavior control unit prioritizes an operation by a driver over the control by the vehicle-behavior control unit when the operation by the driver is detected.

3. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when a steering direction of the rear wheels at the time the operation by the driver is detected and a steering control direction of the rear wheels corresponding to the operation by the driver are different from each other, the vehicle-behavior control unit performs the control to steer the rear wheels more moderately as compared with when the steering direction of the rear wheels at the time the operation by the driver is detected and the steering control direction of the rear wheels corresponding to the operation by the driver are same.

4. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-behavior control unit starts control of braking the rear wheels after starting control of steering the rear wheels.

5. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-behavior control unit starts control of braking the rear wheels after starting control of braking the front wheels.

6. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-behavior control unit performs control such that the rear wheels are steered at a fixed steering speed regardless of a speed of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein operation of a braking system that brakes the wheels differs between when control of detour and deceleration is performed by the vehicle-behavior control unit and when the vehicle is stopped without detouring.

8. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-behavior control unit further controls damping characteristics of a suspension device of the wheel.

9. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collision determining unit detects the running state of the vehicle, and determines whether collision with the obstacle occurs depending on at least one of a detection result of rotational speed of the wheels, operating conditions of braking devices of the wheels, and a detection result of acceleration of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an obstacle detection unit that detects the obstacle in front of the vehicle; and

a running-state detection unit that detects the running state of the vehicle.

11. A vehicle-behavior control apparatus comprising:

a collision determining unit that determines whether collision with an obstacle occurs based on at least one of a detection result of the obstacle in front of a vehicle and a detection result of a running state of the vehicle; and

a vehicle-behavior control unit that performs at least one of control of steering rear wheels and control of giving a difference in braking conditions between left and right wheels such that the vehicle is decelerated while detouring around the obstacle without steering front wheels when it is determined to collide with the obstacle by the collision determining unit,

wherein the vehicle-behavior control unit makes time to perform control shorter as a speed of the vehicle is in a higher state based on the detection result of the running state of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

an obstacle detection unit that detects the obstacle in front of the vehicle; and

a running-state detection unit that detects the running state of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle-behavior control system comprising:

a data acquisition unit that acquires data to be a source of detecting an obstacle in front of a vehicle;

a steering device of rear wheels;

a braking device of wheels; and

a control device including a collision determining unit and a vehicle-behavior control unit, the collision determining unit determining whether the vehicle collides with the obstacle when the vehicle is decelerated while going straight based on at least a detection result of the obstacle in front of the vehicle and a detection result of a running state of the vehicle in a condition in which the wheels are being braked, the vehicle-behavior control unit performing at least one of control of steering the rear wheels and control of giving a difference in braking conditions between left and right wheels such that the vehicle is decelerated while detouring around the obstacle without steering front wheels when it is determined to collide with the obstacle by the collision determining unit,

wherein the vehicle-behavior control unit makes time to perform control shorter as a speed of the vehicle is in a higher state based on the detection result of the running state of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle-behavior control system according to claim 13, further comprising an actuator that controls damping characteristics of a suspension device of the wheel.