VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR ADVISING DRIVER OF SAME

• US 20110193693A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Prakah-Asante, Kwaku O., Lu, Jianbo, Filev, Dimitar Petrov, Syed, Fazal Urrahman, Tseng, Fling
• Granted Patent: US 9,707,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/107 Longitudinal acceleration
• 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

Abstract

A method for advising a driver of a vehicle including a haptic driver interface may include determining a speed of the vehicle, determining a distance between the vehicle and another vehicle, and activating the haptic driver interface based on the speed and distance.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a forward sensing system configured to detect a distance between the vehicle and another vehicle;

a haptic driver interface; and

at least one controller configured to activate the haptic driver interface if the distance between the vehicles is less than a predefined threshold.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the haptic driver interface is a haptic accelerator pedal.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to activate the haptic driver interface at an intensity that depends on the distance.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 wherein the intensity increases as the distance decreases.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine whether, after the haptic driver interface is activated, the distance increases and, if not, decrease the predefined threshold.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the predefined threshold is decreased to a predefined minimum.

5. The vehicle of 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to categorize a driver'"'"'s dynamic control of the vehicle by type and alter the predefined threshold based on the type.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a forward sensing system configured to determine a distance and relative speed between the vehicle and another vehicle;

a haptic driver interface; and

at least one controller configured to activate the haptic driver interface based on the distance and relative speed.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 wherein the haptic driver interface is a haptic accelerator pedal.

10. The vehicle of claim 8 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine a time to collision with the another vehicle based on the distance and relative speed and wherein activating the haptic driver interface based on the distance and relative speed includes activating the haptic driver interface if the time to collision is less than a predefined threshold.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to activate the haptic driver interface at an intensity that depends on the time to collision.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the intensity increases as the time to collision decreases.

14. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine whether, after the haptic driver interface is activated, the time to collision increases and, if not, decrease the predefined threshold.

13. The vehicle of 10 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to categorize a driver'"'"'s dynamic control of the vehicle by type and alter the predefined threshold based on the type.

15. A method for advising a driver of a vehicle including a haptic driver interface, the method comprising:

determining a speed of the vehicle;

determining a distance between the vehicle and another vehicle; and

activating the haptic driver interface based on the speed and distance.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining a gap time between the vehicles based on the speed and distance and wherein activating the haptic driver interface based on the speed and distance includes activating the haptic driver interface if the gap time is less than a predefined threshold.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising activating the haptic driver interface at an intensity that depends on the gap time.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising categorizing a driver'"'"'s dynamic control of the vehicle by type and altering the predefined threshold based on the type.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining whether, after the haptic driver interface is activated, the gap time increases and, if not, decreasing the predefined threshold.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the predefined threshold is decreased to a predefined minimum.