VEHICLE COLLISION AVOIDANCE AND WARNING SYSTEM

• US 20120101701A1
• Filed: 10/20/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Moshchuk, Nikolai K., Chen, Shih-Ken, Zagorski, Chad T., Chatterjee, Aamrapali
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0033 Single-track, 2D vehicle model, i.e. two-wheel bicycle model
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/182 Brake pressure, e.g. of fluid or between pad and disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/207 Steering angle of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/106 Longitudinal acceleration
• 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: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A collision avoidance system in a host vehicle that employs combined automatic braking and steering. The collision avoidance system defines thresholds that identify a time to collision with a target vehicle by the host vehicle that are based on the speed of the host vehicle, the acceleration of the host vehicle, the speed of the target vehicle, the acceleration of the target vehicle, the distance to the target vehicle from the host vehicle and a coefficient of friction of the roadway. The collision avoidance system provides full automatic collision avoidance braking if the time to collision is less than one threshold and the lane adjacent to the host vehicle is not clear. The collision avoidance system provides both automatic steering and braking of the host vehicle if the time to collision is less than another threshold and the lane adjacent to the host vehicle is clear.

Claims

1. A method for providing collision avoidance in a host vehicle, said method comprising:

defining first, second, third and fourth thresholds that identify a time to collision with a target vehicle by the host vehicle that are based on a speed of the host vehicle, an acceleration of the host vehicle, a speed of the target vehicle, an acceleration of the target vehicle, a distance to the target vehicle from the host vehicle and a coefficient of friction of a roadway on which the host vehicle and the target vehicle are traveling, where the first threshold is greater than the second threshold, the second threshold is greater than the third threshold and the third threshold is greater than the fourth threshold;

determining if the time to collision is less than the first threshold, and if so, initiating a collision warning;

determining if the time to collision is less than the second threshold if the time to collision is less than the first threshold, and if so, providing limited automatic braking of the host vehicle;

checking a condition of whether a roadway lane adjacent to the host vehicle is clear;

determining if the time to collision is less than the third threshold if the time to collision is less than the second threshold;

providing full automatic collision avoidance braking if the time to collision is less than the third threshold and the lane adjacent to the host vehicle is not clear;

determining if the time to collision is less than the fourth threshold if the time to collision is less than the third threshold and the lane adjacent to the host vehicle is clear; and

providing both automatic host vehicle steering and host vehicle braking in the host vehicle if the time to collision is less than the fourth threshold and the roadway lane adjacent to the host vehicle is clear.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the third threshold is determined based on a bicycle model and a degree of rotation of the host vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein providing both automatic steering and braking includes providing optimal steering and braking where the steering is reduced as the braking is increased and the braking is reduced as the steering is increased.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the optimal braking is between 0.2 and 0.4 g.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein providing both automatic steering and braking includes only providing automatic steering if the speed of the host vehicle is above a predetermined minimum vehicle speed.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the predetermined minimum vehicle speed is based on the coefficient of friction of the roadway.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the minimum vehicle speed is about 11 m/sec for relatively high coefficient of friction roadways.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein initiating a collision warning includes initiating an audible warning.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein providing limited automatic braking of the host vehicle includes providing a level of braking that is a only warning to a driver of the host vehicle.

10. A method for providing collision avoidance in a host vehicle, said method comprising:

defining a plurality of thresholds that identify a time to collision with a target object by the host vehicle that are based on a speed of the host vehicle, an acceleration of the host vehicle, a speed of the target object, an acceleration of the target object, a distance to the target object from the host vehicle and a coefficient of friction of a roadway on which the host vehicle is traveling, where one of the plurality of thresholds is the smallest threshold;

determining if the time to collision is less than the smallest threshold; and

providing both automatic host vehicle steering and host vehicle braking in the host vehicle if the time to collision is less than the smallest threshold.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein providing both automatic host vehicle steering and host vehicle braking includes only providing automatic host vehicle steering if a lane adjacent to the host vehicle is clear.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein providing both automatic steering and braking includes providing optimal steering and braking where the steering is reduced as the braking is increased and the braking is reduced as the steering is increased.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the optimal braking is between 0.2 and 0.4 g.

14. The method according to claim 10 wherein providing both automatic steering and braking includes only providing automatic steering if the speed of the host vehicle is above a predetermined minimum vehicle speed.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the predetermined minimum vehicle speed is based on the coefficient of friction of the roadway.

16. A system for providing collision avoidance in a host vehicle, said system comprising:

means for defining first, second, third and fourth thresholds that identify a time to collision with a target object by the host vehicle that are based on a speed of the host vehicle, an acceleration of the host vehicle, a speed of the target object, an acceleration of the target object, a distance to the target object from the host vehicle and a coefficient of friction of a roadway on which the host vehicle is traveling, where the first threshold is greater than the second threshold, the second threshold is greater than the third threshold and the third threshold is greater than the fourth threshold;

means for determining if the time to collision is less than the first threshold, and if so, initiating a collision warning;

means for determining if the time to collision is less than the second threshold if the time to collision is less than the first threshold, and if so, providing limited automatic braking of the host vehicle;

means for checking a condition of whether a roadway lane adjacent to the host vehicle is clear;

means for determining if the time to collision is less than a third threshold if the time to collision is less than the second threshold;

means for providing full automatic collision avoidance braking if the time to collision is less than the third threshold and the lane adjacent to the host vehicle is not clear;

means for determining if the time to collision is less than the fourth threshold if the time to collision is less than the third threshold and the lane adjacent to the host vehicle is clear; and

means for providing both automatic host vehicle steering and host vehicle braking in the host vehicle if the time to collision is less than the fourth threshold and the roadway lane adjacent to the host vehicle is clear.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the means for providing both automatic steering and braking provides optimal steering and braking where the steering is reduced as the braking is increased and the braking is reduced as the steering is increased.

18. The system according to claim 17 wherein the optimal braking is between 0.2 and 0.4 g.

19. The system according to claim 16 wherein the means for providing both automatic steering and braking only provides automatic steering if the speed of the host vehicle is above a predetermined minimum vehicle speed.

20. The system according to claim 19 wherein the predetermined minimum vehicle speed is based on the coefficient of friction of the roadway.