Driver assistance system for motor vehicles

• US 9,802,613 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Fuehrer, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): ISMAIL, MAHMOUD S
• Application Number:
  US14/862,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20160082971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 701 48, 701 25, 701 70, 701 96, 340439, 340435, 180167
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/20 Direction indicator values
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/162 Speed limiting therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

A driver assistance system for motor vehicles, having a velocity regulation function for regulating the velocity of the subject vehicle to a nominal velocity, and having an adjacent-lane monitoring function, characterized by a turning assistance function which, when the velocity regulation function is active and an incoming signal indicates an imminent turning process that requires crossing an adjacent lane, monitors the traffic in the adjacent lane with the aid of the adjacent-lane monitoring function, and, as a function of locations and velocities of traffic participants in the adjacent lane, determines a spatial and temporal window for moving into the adjacent lane and adapts the nominal velocity to this window.

Claims

1. A driver assistance system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

one or more data processing systems operative to receive input signals from sensory components of the motor vehicle and transmit output signals to actuators of the motor vehicle, wherein said one or more data processing systems are programmed to perform;

a velocity regulation function regulating a velocity of the motor vehicle to a nominal velocity;

an adjacent-lane monitoring function; and

a turning assistance function that, in response to an incoming signal indicating an imminent turning process that requires crossing an adjacent lane, monitors traffic in the adjacent lane with the aid of the adjacent-lane monitoring function, and, as a function of a location-and a velocity of a traffic participant in the adjacent lane, determines two or more spatial and temporal windows located in the adjacent lane for moving the motor vehicle into one of the two or more spatial and temporal windows that are in the adjacent lane, at least one window of said two or more spatial and temporal windows requiring acceleration of the motor vehicle to reach the at least one window, selects one of said two or more spatial and temporal windows based at least in part on a speed limit, and adapts the nominal velocity to the selected one of the two or more spatial and temporal windows,

wherein the turning assistance function positons at least one of the two or more spatial and temporal windows in the adjacent lane before a side road that branches off the adjacent lane so as to establish a traveling path for the motor vehicle to turn onto the side road through the at least one of the two or more spatial and temporal windows in the adjacent lane.

2. The driver assistance system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a navigation system providing a route planning function generating a signal that indicates the imminent turning process.

3. The driver assistance system as recited in claim 1, where the velocity regulation function includes an adaptive cruise control function for regulating a distance to a vehicle driving ahead in a lane of the motor vehicle including the driver assistance system.

4. The driver assistance system as recited in claim 1, where the adjacent-lane monitoring function includes a blind-spot detection function.

5. The driver assistance system as recited in claim 1, where the adjacent-lane monitoring function includes a lane change assist.

6. The driver assistance system as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one radar sensor for monitoring a space next to and behind a vehicle in the adjacent lane.

7. The driver assistance system as recited in claim 1, wherein said one or more data processing systems are further programmed to perform:

an assistance function recognizing the speed limit based on input from at least one of a navigation system or a multifunction video camera, wherein, as a function of a situation, the turning assistance function is adapted for increasing the nominal velocity up to a maximum value that is determined by the speed limit.

8. The driver assistance system as recited in claim 1, where the turning assistance function is adapted for outputting a lane change recommendation to a driver.

9. The driver assistance system as recited in claim 8, wherein said one or more data processing systems are further programmed to perform:

a lane keeping support function, said driver assistance system further comprising;

a haptic signal output system that acts on a steering wheel of the motor vehicle and that is utilized by the turning assistance function for outputting the lane change recommendation.

10. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the turning assistance function selects the one of said two or more spatial and temporal windows such that adaptation of the nominal velocity to the selected one of the two or more spatial and temporal windows will not increase the nominal velocity above the speed limit.

11. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the turning assistance function selects the one of the two or more spatial and temporal windows depending on which of the at least one of the two or more windows requires changing the nominal velocity the least.

12. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the at least one window is in front of another vehicle travelling in the adjacent lane, and at least one other window of said two or more spatial and temporal windows is located behind the other vehicle travelling in the adjacent lane.

13. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein a rear boundary of at least one of the two or more spatial and temporal windows is located ahead of a front of a vehicle in the adjacent lane, and wherein a rear of the vehicle in the adjacent lane is ahead of a front of the motor vehicle.