Parking assist control apparatus and storage medium for parking assist control program

• US 7,344,205 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Mori, Yukio, Matsuura, Masahiro, Kamiya, Kazuhiro, Kato, Kazutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz; Christopher P.
• Application Number:
  US11/137,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 303/3, 303/7, 303/15, 303/20, 303/124, 340/345, 340/346, 340/932.2, 701/28, 701/36, 701/41
• US Class Current: 303/124
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle

Abstract

When an abnormality is detected in a vehicle side device such as an obstacle sensor during parking assist control, a brake control ECU ends the parking assist control and outputs a control signal to warn the driver while forcibly stopping the vehicle by outputting a first drive signal to a hydraulic brake device and generating braking force.

Claims

1. A parking assist control apparatus which executes a parking assist control that controls a speed of a vehicle at a predetermined speed by applying a braking force using a braking force apply mechanism capable of applying the braking force to wheels of the vehicle against a driving force generated thereto, irrespective of an intention of a driver, when a parking assist mode is set for assisting the driver with parking the vehicle, the parking assist control apparatus comprising:

an abnormality detection unit which detects an abnormality in a vehicle side device which is used in executing the parking assist control, wherein the abnormality detection unit receives a detection signal indicative of an abnormal state of a distance measuring sensor serving as the vehicle side device and detects an abnormality of the distance measuring sensor; and

a vehicle brake control mechanism which stops the vehicle by outputting an instruction signal to the braking force apply mechanism and generating the braking force when the abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality, wherein the parking assist control is for assisting a driver to park the vehicle at a location where the vehicle should stop using a signal of the distance measuring sensor for detecting the distance to an obstacle at a periphery of the vehicle.

2. The parking assist brake apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the braking force apply mechanism includes a first brake mechanism used during execution of the parking assist brake control and a second brake mechanism that is different from the first brake mechanism and is capable of applying the braking force to the wheels of the vehicle irrespective of the intention of the driver;

the abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality of the first brake mechanism serving as the vehicle side device; and

the vehicle brake control mechanism runs the vehicle at a predetermined speed corresponding to the parking assist control or stops the vehicle by outputting the instruction signal to the second brake mechanism and generating the braking force when the abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the first brake mechanism.

3. The parking assist brake apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle brake control mechanism changes whether to output the instruction signal to the second brake mechanism and generate the braking force, or generate the braking force with the first brake mechanism without outputting the instruction signal to the second brake mechanism, depending on the location where the abnormality of the first brake mechanism occurred.

4. The parking assist control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the first brake mechanism is structured so as to apply the braking force dividing the wheels provided on the vehicle into two brake systems, the vehicle brake control mechanism generates the braking force with the first brake mechanism without outputting the instruction signal to the second brake mechanism when the location where the abnormality of the first brake mechanism occurred is in only one of the two brake systems.

5. The parking assist brake apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle brake control mechanism outputs the instruction signal to the second brake mechanism and generates the braking force with the second brake mechanism when an abnormality has occurred in both brake systems of the first brake mechanism.

6. The parking assist brake apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle brake control mechanism outputs the instruction signal to an electric automatic parking brake serving as the second brake mechanism.

7. The parking assist control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle brake control mechanism changes whether to output the instruction signal to the braking force apply mechanism and generate braking force depending on the location where the abnormality of the distance measuring sensor occurred.

8. The parking assist control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle brake control mechanism does not output the instruction signal to the braking force apply mechanism if an abnormality of the distance measuring sensors has been detected in a distance measuring sensor that is positioned on the opposite side from the vehicle traveling direction.

9. The parking assist control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle brake control mechanism does not output the instruction signal to the braking force apply mechanism if an abnormality of the distance measuring sensors has been detected in a distance measuring sensor that is positioned on the opposite side from the vehicle traveling direction and on the side of the vehicle where the wheels are on the inside of a turn.

10. A parking assist control system comprising:

the parking assist control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the braking force apply mechanism includes an automatic pressure increase control mechanism which generates braking pressure on the wheels by automatically increasing the pressure, and

the vehicle brake control mechanism stops the vehicle by controlling the automatic pressure increase control mechanism by outputting the instruction signal and generating the braking force in the wheels by automatically increasing the pressure.

11. The parking assist brake apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a target deceleration detecting portion which receives data indicative of the speed of the vehicle and obtains a target deceleration based on the data indicative of that speed, wherein the vehicle brake control mechanism controls the braking force applied to the wheels by the braking force apply mechanism, and outputs the instruction signal and adjusts the braking force applied to the wheels by the braking force apply mechanism so that the target deceleration obtained by the target deceleration detecting portion is achieved.

12. The parking assist brake apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a deceleration increase gradient detection unit which receives data indicative of the speed of the vehicle and obtains a deceleration increase gradient based on that data, wherein the vehicle brake control mechanism controls the braking force applied to the wheels by the braking force apply mechanism, and outputs the instruction signal and adjusts the braking force applied to the wheels by the braking force apply mechanism so that the deceleration increase gradient obtained by the deceleration increase gradient detection unit is achieved.