Lane changing assistant for motor vehicles

• US 20060009910A1
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Ewerhart, Frank, Guenther, Clemens, Wittig, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,363,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

A lane changing assistant for motor vehicles, having a speed control system and a surroundings sensor system for recording the traffic environment including the traffic in an adjacent lane, having a decision device for deciding whether a lane changing request of the driver is to be accepted, and having a command device for issuing an acceleration command to the speed control system in the case of a lane changing request, wherein a recognition device is developed to recognize a window for swinging into the adjacent lane without danger, in the light of the data of the surroundings sensor system; and the command device is developed to compute an acceleration strategy adjusted to the window, including a point in time for the beginning of the acceleration.

Claims

1. A lane changing assistant for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a speed control system;

a surroundings sensor system for recording a traffic environment including traffic in an adjacent lane;

a decision device for deciding whether a lane changing request of a driver is to be accepted;

a command device for issuing an acceleration command to the speed control system in the case of the lane changing request; and

a recognition device for recognizing a window for moving into the adjacent lane without danger, based on data of the surroundings sensor system, wherein the command device computes an acceleration strategy adjusted to the window, including a point in time for beginning of an acceleration.

2. The lane changing assistant as recited in claim 1, wherein, the command device transmits a lane changing signal to the driver in the form of a perceptible initial acceleration, in response to an issuance of an acceleration command.

3. The lane changing assistant as recited in claim 2, wherein the lane changing signal is a signal whereby the lane changing request signaled by the driver is accepted.

4. The lane changing assistant as recited in claim 2, wherein:

the lane changing signal is a lane changing request, and

the command device breaks off the acceleration strategy if the lane changing request has not been confirmed by an action of the driver within a prespecified time span.

5. The lane changing assistant as recited in claim 1, wherein the recognition device evaluates the suitability of windows for moving into the adjacent lane, as a function of a boundary value for the acceleration of the motor vehicle.

6. The lane changing assistant as recited in claim 5, wherein the recognition device varies the boundary value as a function of a situation.

7. The lane changing assistant as recited in claim 1, wherein the recognition device includes signal inputs for a plurality of sensors of the surroundings sensor system, one of the plurality of sensors monitoring a rear space in the adjacent lane behind the motor vehicle, and another one of the plurality of sensors monitoring the adjacent lane at a level of the motor vehicle.