Method and device for assisting a overtaking maneuver in motor vehicles

• US 20030163239A1
• Filed: 04/21/2003
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Winner, Hermann, Irion, Albrecht, Lauxmann, Ralph
• Granted Patent: US 6,842,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/081 using distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons

Abstract

A method for assisting in a passing maneuver for motor vehicles (24) having a distance and speed control device, in which vehicles (40, 42) in the passing lane (28) are also taken into account and, if the traffic situation detected by sensors (18) or an intervention by the driver suggests a desire to pass, control is temporarily carried out to an increased passing speed, wherein the distances to the vehicles (40, 42) located in the passing lane are measured, and the passing speed is calculated as a function of the distances (d₀, d_i) of the vehicle (32) to be passed and at least the vehicle (40) directly preceding in the passing lane (28).

Claims

1. A method for assisting in a passing maneuver for motor vehicles (24) having a distance and speed control device, in which vehicles (40, 42) in the passing lane (28) are also taken into account and, if the traffic situation detected by sensors (18) or an intervention by the driver suggests a desire to pass, control is temporarily carried out to an increased passing speed,

wherein the distances to the vehicles (40, 42) located in the passing lane are measured, and the passing speed is calculated as a function of the distances (d₀/d_i) of the vehicle (32) to be passed and at least the vehicle (40) directly preceding in the passing lane (28).

2. The method as recited in claim 1,

wherein if no desire to pass is present, a steady-state control is carried out specific to a distance, selected by the driver, to a preceding vehicle (32), and in the event of a desire to pass, a passing-aid function is carried out parallel to the steady-state control, and the output signal corresponding to the passing speed (Vr) is superimposed with a manipulated variable (Δ

V) supplied by the steady-state control.

3. The method as recited in claim 2,

wherein the manipulated variable of the steady-state control is a steady-state setpoint value (Δ

V) for an increase or lowering of the traveling speed, and the passing speed (Vr) is added to the steady-state setpoint value (Δ

V).

4. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the passing-aid function is active only for a limited time span after a desire to pass has been detected.

5. The method as recited in claim 4,

wherein the output signal representative for the passing speed (Vr) is limited according to a time-dependent function (Ü

W(t)) whose function value decreases continually to zero after a certain time span.

6. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the passing-aid function is only active at vehicle speeds above a predefined threshold speed (V_min).

7. The method as recited in claim 6,

wherein the output signal representative for the passing speed (Vr) is limited according to a speed-dependent function (f(V)) which, below the threshold speed (V_min), has the value zero, and increases continually starting from the threshold speed.

8. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein a separate vehicle-specific passing speed (Vr_i) is calculated for each preceding vehicle (32, 40) detected, and the final passing speed (Vr) is determined by minimum selection from the vehicle-specific passing speeds.

9. The method as recited in claim 8,

wherein the vehicle-specific passing speed (Vr_i) is limited upward by a variable dependent on the distance (d_i) of the vehicle in question.

10. The method as recited in claim 9,

wherein the distance-dependent variable is proportional to the square root of the distance (d_i).

11. The method as recited in one of claims 1 through 7, wherein the passing speed is also a function of the relative speeds (vr_i) of at least the vehicles (40, 42) located in the passing lane (28).

12. The method as recited in claim 11,

wherein for each vehicle (40, 42) detected in the passing lane (28), a vehicle-specific passing speed (Vr_i) is calculated which is a function of the relative speed (vr_i) and the distance (d_i) of the vehicle in question, and the final passing speed (Vr) is determined by minimum selection from the vehicle-specific passing speeds (Vr_i), with additional limitation upward by a variable which is a function of the distance (d₀) of the vehicle (32) immediately preceding in one'"'"'s own lane (26).

13. A device for carrying out the method as recited in one of the preceding claims, comprising a driver (12) acting on the drive system (14) of a vehicle (24), a distance sensor (18) for detecting the distance of preceding vehicles (32, 34, 40, 42), a steady-state controller (10) which supplies a command in the form of a steady-state setpoint value (Δ

V) to the driver (12) for increasing or lowering the vehicle speed and either regulates the vehicle speed to a set speed selected by the driver or regulates the distance of the vehicle to the vehicle (32) preceding in the same lane, and a device (22, 44, 46, 48) for detecting a desire by the driver to pass,

wherein the distance sensor (18) is designed to detect the distance to vehicles (40, 42) in a passing lane (28), and a passing-aid module (52) is provided which, when a desire to pass is detected, increases the steady-state setpoint value (Δ

V) by a passing speed (Vr) which is a function of the distance of the vehicle (32) immediately preceding in the same lane, and the distance of at least the vehicle (40) immediately preceding in the passing lane.