Pre-crash assessment of crash severity for road vehicles

• US 6,571,161 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Altan, Osman D., Wood, Francis D., Browne, Alan Lampe
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/782,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/301, 701/200, 701/213, 701/214, 340/436, 280/728.1, 280/734, 280/735, 180/272, 382/104
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01088 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data

Abstract

A method of pre-crash prediction of the severity of an imminent crash of road vehicles is disclosed using a pre-crash sensor, a computer system coupled with pre-crash vehicle condition signal sources and a vehicle communication system onboard each of two vehicles involved in a crash. The method includes the steps of determining that a collision of the vehicles is imminent, exchanging vehicle crash-related information between the vehicles when an imminent collision is determined, computing crash-defining information onboard each vehicle and predicting onboard each vehicle the severity of the imminent collision whereby occupant protection devices of the vehicles may be deployed in accordance with the predicted severity.

Claims

1. A method of predicting the severity of an imminent collision of first and second vehicles which are closing on each other, said method comprising the steps of:

determining that a collision of said vehicles is imminent,

exchanging vehicle crash-related information between the vehicles when an imminent collision is determined, said crash-related information, for said first vehicle, being represented by first vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said first vehicle and, for said second vehicle, being represented by second vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said second vehicle,

processing, onboard said first vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a first crash-defining data signal,

processing, onboard said second vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a second crash-defining data signal,

predicting onboard said first vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said first crash-defining data signal, and

predicting onboard said second vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said second crash-defining data signal.

2. A method as defined by claim 1 wherein:

said step of determining that a collision of the vehicles is imminent is performed by a pre-crash sensor onboard said vehicles.

3. A method as defined by claim 1 wherein:

said step of exchanging vehicle crash-related information is performed by an electromagnetic wave communication system onboard said vehicles.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said steps of processing and predicting are performed by an onboard computer system.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said first vehicle condition defining signals comprise closing speed of said vehicles and crash characteristics of said first vehicle, said second vehicle condition defining signals comprise closing speed of said vehicles and crash characteristics of said second vehicle.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein:

said first vehicle condition defining signals comprise an angle of approach signal,

said second vehicle condition signal comprises an angle of approach signal.

7. A method as defined in claim 6 wherein:

said angle of approach signal is derived from a global positioning system.

8. A method of controlling the occupant protection devices in each of first and second road vehicles, said method comprising the steps of;

determining whether said vehicles are closing on each other,

if said vehicles are closing on each other, determining whether collision of said vehicles is imminent,

developing, onboard said first vehicle, first vehicle condition-defining signals which represent pre-crash conditions affecting the severity of a crash with another vehicle,

developing, onboard said second vehicle, second vehicle-condition defining signals which represent pre-crash conditions affecting the severity of a crash with another vehicle,

if a collision is imminent, transmitting said first vehicle condition-defining signals from said first vehicle to said second vehicle and transmitting said second vehicle condition-defining signals from said second vehicle to said first vehicle,

processing, onboard said first vehicle, said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a first crash-defining data signal,

processing, onboard said second vehicle said first and second vehicle condition-defining signals to obtain a second crash-defining data signal,

predicting onboard said first vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said first vehicle based upon said first crash-defining data signal and controlling the occupant protection devices onboard said first vehicle in accordance with the predicted severity, and

predicting onboard said second vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said second vehicle based upon said second crash-defining data signal and controlling the occupant protection devices onboard said second vehicle in accordance with the predicted severity.

9. Apparatus for use onboard a first road vehicle for controlling the deployment of occupant protection devices onboard said first vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

means for determining whether said first vehicle is closing on a second vehicle and for producing a warning signal when a collision of the first and second vehicles is imminent,

means responsive to the warning signal for transmitting first crash-related information to said second vehicle,

means for receiving second crash-related information from said second vehicle,

computer means for processing said first and second crash-related information of both vehicles for predicting the severity of the imminent collision and for controlling deployment of the occupant protection devices in accordance with the prediction.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein:

said means for determining comprises a pre-crash sensor.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein:

said means responsive to said warning signal for transmitting crash-related information comprises an electromagnetic-wave transmitter.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein:

said means for receiving crash-related information comprises an electromagnetic-wave receiver.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein:

said computer means comprises a pre-crash processing computer and a vehicle dynamics computer coupled together.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13 comprising:

a computer readable memory device for storing information related to the crashworthiness of said first vehicle,

said memory device being coupled with said computer means.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 comprising:

plural vehicle condition sensors for producing plural vehicle condition-defining signals,

said sensors being coupled with said computer means.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 comprising:

a global positioning system coupled with said computer means for developing position, heading and speed signals of the vehicle.

17. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 in combination with additional apparatus onboard a second road vehicle for controlling the deployment of occupant protection devices onboard said second road vehicle, said additional apparatus comprising:

means for determining whether said second vehicle is closing on said first vehicle and for producing a warning signal when a collision of said first and second vehicles is imminent,

means responsive to the warning signal for transmitting second crash-related information to said first vehicle,

means for receiving said first crash-related information from said first vehicle,

computer means for processing said first and second crash-related information of both vehicles for predicting the severity of the imminent collision and for controlling deployment of said occupant protection devices onboard said second vehicle in accordance with the prediction.

18. A method of predicting the severity of an imminent collision of a vehicle with another object, said method comprising the steps of:

determining that a collision of the vehicle and the object is imminent,

exchanging vehicle crash-related information between said vehicle and said object when an imminent collision is determined, said crash-related information for said vehicle, being represented by vehicle condition-defining signals developed onboard said first vehicle and, for said object, being represented by a crash characteristics signal for said object,

processing onboard said vehicle, said vehicle condition defining signals and said crash characteristics signal from said object to obtain a crash-defining data signal for said vehicle, and

predicting onboard said vehicle the severity of the imminent collision for said vehicle based upon said crash-defining data signal.