VEHICLE DRIVING SUPPORT DEVICE

• US 20130218433A1
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: MATSUNO, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 9,514,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/12 Pre-actuation of braking systems without significant braking effect; Optimizing brake performance by reduction of play between brake pads and brake disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/188 hydraulic brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/803 Relative lateral speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/647 by matching two-dimensional images to three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

There is provided a vehicle driving support device. The vehicle driving support device according to the present invention calculates a time-to-collision to an obstacle ahead. When the time-to-collision is shorter than a predetermined threshold value, which means the possibility of the collision between the obstacle and a vehicle is determined to be high, and in at least either one of cases in which an engine automatic stop controller automatically stops an engine and in which a brake negative pressure is higher than a set pressure, so that the negative pressure of a brake booster is insufficient, the device outputs a signal to a brake controller so as to start a pump of a brake driver for realizing a prefill function in which a brake pad of each wheel is pressed against a braking surface of a disc rotor.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving support device comprising:

a front environment recognizing unit for recognizing an environment in front of a vehicle;

a collision determining unit for making a determination through a comparison between an evaluation value, by which a possibility of collision between an obstacle in front of the vehicle and the vehicle is set, and a predetermined threshold value when the front environmental recognizing unit recognizes the obstacle;

an engine automatic stop control unit for automatically stopping an engine when a driving condition set in advance is established; and

a brake control unit for starting a pump serving as a brake driving unit, when the collision determining unit determines that the possibility of the collision between the obstacle and the vehicle is high, and in at least one of a case in which the engine automatic stop control unit automatically stops the engine and a case in which a negative pressure of a brake booster is insufficient.

2. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the brake control unit starts a pump of the brake driving unit to execute a pre-fill function in which a brake pad of each wheel is pressed against a braking surface of a disc rotor.

3. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, when the front environment recognizing unit does not recognize the obstacle as a vehicle ahead, the brake control unit starts the pump of the brake driving unit, when the collision determining unit determines that the possibility of the collision between the obstacle and the vehicle is high, and in at least one of a case in which the engine automatic stop control unit automatically stops the engine and a case in which a negative pressure of a brake booster is insufficient.

4. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 2, wherein, when the front environment recognizing unit does not recognize the obstacle as a vehicle ahead, the brake control unit starts the pump of the brake driving unit, when the collision determining unit determines that the possibility of the collision between the obstacle and the vehicle is high, and in at least one of a case in which the engine automatic stop control unit automatically stops the engine and a case in which a negative pressure of a brake booster is insufficient.

5. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, when the front environment recognizing unit recognizes that the obstacle is a vehicle ahead, the brake control unit calculates a lap ratio between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead in the widthwise direction, and when the lap ratio does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, the brake control unit cancels the start of the pump of the brake driving unit.

6. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 2, wherein, when the front environment recognizing unit recognizes that the obstacle is a vehicle ahead, the brake control unit calculates a lap ratio between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead in the widthwise direction, and when the lap ratio does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, the brake control unit cancels the start of the pump of the brake driving unit.

7. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, when the front environment recognizing unit recognizes the obstacle as a vehicle ahead, a brake lamp of the vehicle ahead is turned off, and the front environment recognizing unit detects a blue signal, the brake control unit cancels the start of the pump of the brake driving unit.

8. The vehicle driving support device according to claim 2, wherein, when the front environment recognizing unit recognizes the obstacle as a vehicle ahead, a brake lamp of the vehicle ahead is turned off, and the front environment recognizing unit detects a blue signal, the brake control unit cancels the start of the pump of the brake driving unit.