Control unit and method for an emergency steering support function

• US 9,731,762 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hass, Carsten, Keller, Martin, Bertram, Torsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shelley
• Application Number:
  US14/895,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20160280265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0009 Proportional differential [PD] controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/207 Oversteer or understeer
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/20 Sideslip angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/202 Steering torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/207 Steering angle of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering

Abstract

A control device for a land vehicle is described. The control device is set up to control at least one actuator of the land vehicle on the basis of an avoidance trajectory calculated by the control device in order to support a driver of the land vehicle during an evasive maneuver. The control device is also set up to receive sensor signals of at least one sensor; to generate an environmental model from the received sensor signals; to determine the position of an object relative to a current position of the land vehicle in the generated environmental model; and to calculate a preliminary avoidance trajectory. In the calculation of the preliminary avoidance trajectory, the current position of the land vehicle in the generated environmental model constitutes the starting point of the preliminary avoidance trajectory. A preliminary end point of the preliminary avoidance trajectory is determined on the basis of the determined position of the object. To determine the parameters of the preliminary avoidance trajectory, at least the coordinates of the starting point and of the preliminary end point are used.

Claims

1. A control device for a land vehicle, wherein the control device is set up to control at least one actuator of the land vehicle on the basis of an avoidance trajectory calculated by the control device in order to support a driver of the land vehicle during an evasive maneuver, the control device also being set up

to receive sensor signals of at least one sensor;

to generate an environmental model from the received sensor signals;

to determine the position of an object relative to a current position of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle in the generated environmental model; and

to calculate a preliminary avoidance trajectory, wherein

the current position of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle in the environmental model constitutes the starting point of the preliminary avoidance trajectory,

a preliminary end point of the preliminary avoidance trajectory being determined on the basis of the determined position of the object, and wherein

at least the coordinates of the starting point and of the preliminary end point are used to determine the parameters of the preliminary avoidance trajectory,

the control device also being set up to extend the preliminary avoidance trajectory by changing the coordinates of the preliminary end point in order to determine an optimized avoidance trajectory with a lesser curvature than the preliminary avoidance trajectory.

2. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the extending of the preliminary avoidance trajectory comprises:

shifting of the x-coordinates of the preliminary end point in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

determining of at least one extended avoidance trajectory;

distance to the object;

continuing the extension by repeating the execution of the steps for the extended avoidance trajectory if the safety distance is maintained for the extended avoidance trajectory;

aborting of the extension of the preliminary avoidance trajectory if the safety distance is not maintained, in which case the last extended avoidance trajectory in which the safety distance to the object is maintained is selected as the optimized avoidance trajectory.

3. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is set up to arrange the preliminary end point laterally next to a rear edge of the object.

4. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is set up to determine the x-coordinate of the preliminary end point in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on the basis of the x-coordinate of an edge delimiting the object toward an open traffic space.

5. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is set up to determine the y-coordinate of the preliminary end point in the lateral direction of the vehicle on the basis of the road course in the area of the object contained in the environmental model.

6. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the course of the avoidance trajectory corresponds to a fifth- or sixth-degree polynomial.

7. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is set up to use derivations of a polynomial following the course to determine the parameters of the preliminary avoidance trajectory.

8. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is set up to use the environmental model and/or the sensor signals to determine the parameters of the preliminary avoidance trajectory.

9. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is set up to determine target values for controlling the at least one actuator from the avoidance trajectory.

10. The control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is set up to calculate a new avoidance trajectory if actual values for the lateral offset, lateral speed, lateral acceleration and/or steering wheel angle lie outside of a tolerance range.

11. A steering support system for a land vehicle, comprising

a control device as set forth in claim 1;

at least one camera and/or at least one radar sensor; and

a steering support actuator;

the control device being set up

to generate an environmental model on the basis of sensor signals received from the at least one camera and/or from the at least one radar sensor; and

to control the at least one steering support actuator calculated by the control device in order to support a driver of the land vehicle during an evasive maneuver.

12. A method for calculating an avoidance trajectory for a steering support function of a and vehicle, comprising

receiving of sensor signals of at least one sensor;

generating an environmental model from the received sensor signals;

determining the position of an object relative to the current position of the diver'"'"'s own vehicle in the generated environmental model;

calculating a preliminary avoidance trajectory, wherein

the current position of the driver'"'"'s own vehicle in the environmental model constitutes the starting point of the preliminary avoidance trajectory;

a preliminary end point of the preliminary avoidance trajectory is determined from the determined position of the object,

at least the coordinates of the starting point and of the preliminary end point are used to determine the parameters of the preliminary avoidance trajectory; and

determining of an optimized avoidance trajectory with a lesser curvature than the preliminary avoidance trajectory through extension of the preliminary avoidance trajectory by changing the coordinates of the preliminary end point.