Vehicle driving assist system

• US 7,904,246 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kondoh, Takayuki, Matsushita, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, CE LI
• Application Number:
  US11/491,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20070032914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/70, 701/93, 701/96, 701/301, 340/903, 340/435, 340/436, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 180/170
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 26/021 with means for providing feel, e.g. by changing pedal force characteristics
• 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 vehicle driving assist system is configured to provide a driver with advanced notification regarding changes in the operating states of the controls when several controls are being executed. The vehicle driving assist system has a controller configured to execute an accelerator pedal actuation reaction force control based on a risk potential that indicates a degree of convergence between the host vehicle and a preceding obstacle and an automatic braking control based on the possibility of contact between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle. When the automatic braking control will change from a low operating state to a high operating state while an actuation reaction force is being generated in the accelerator pedal in accordance with the risk potential, a pulsed supplemental reaction force is generated in the accelerator pedal and an alarm sound is generated.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving assist system comprising:

a traveling situation detecting section configured to output a traveling situation detection result based on at least a following distance between a host vehicle and a preceding obstacle and a host vehicle speed of the host vehicle;

a risk potential calculating section configured to calculate a risk potential indicative of a degree of convergence between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle based on the traveling situation detection result of the traveling situation detecting section;

an actuation reaction force control section configured to control an actuation reaction force exerted by an accelerator pedal of the host vehicle based on the risk potential calculated by the risk potential calculating section;

a host vehicle behavior control section configured to control a behavior of the host vehicle;

a behavior control operating state notifying section configured to notify a driver in advance of a future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control section while the actuation reaction force control section is executing control of the actuation reaction force exerted by the accelerator pedal;

a driver operation recommendation section configured to provide the driver with a recommended driving operation in accordance with the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control section, the recommended driving operation being distinct from notification to the driver of the future operating state; and

a control state transition mode determination section configured to determine a control state transition mode that indicates how the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control section will change,

the behavior control operating state notifying section notifying the driver in advance of the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control section based on a result of a determination of the control state transition mode determination section, and the driving operation recommendation section determining the recommended driving operation based on the result of the determination of the control state transition mode determination section.

2. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 1, wherein

the behavior control operating state notifying section is further configured to produce an urging stimulus that urges the driver to perform a recommended driving operation in accordance with the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control section.

3. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a collision potential determining section configured to determine a possibility that the host vehicle will contact the preceding obstacle based on the traveling situation detection result of the traveling situation detecting section,

the host vehicle behavior control section being further configured to execute braking control to avoid contact or reduce an impact of contact when the collision potential determining section has determined that the possibility of contact is high, the braking control being carried out via an intelligent brake assist device which overrides the driver'"'"'s braking such that braking control is carried out without regard to the driver'"'"'s braking efforts.

4. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a lateral position calculating section configured to calculate a lateral position of the host vehicle relative to a host vehicle traveling lane in which the host vehicle is traveling;

and

a lane departure determining section configured to determine a possibility that the host vehicle will depart from the host vehicle traveling lane based on the lateral position calculated by the lateral position calculating section,

the host vehicle behavior control section being further configured to execute lane departure preventing control to prevent the host vehicle from departing from the host vehicle traveling lane when the lane departure determining section has determined that the possibility that the host vehicle will depart from the host vehicle traveling lane is high.

5. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 4, wherein

the behavior control operating state notifying section is further configured to notify the driver by causing the accelerator pedal to exert a pulsed supplemental reaction force.

6. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 4, wherein

the behavior control operating state notifying section is further configured to notify the driver by causing at least one of the accelerator pedal, a steering wheel and a seat to vibrate.

7. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle behavior control section includes a deceleration force control section configured to generate a deceleration force against the host vehicle based on the risk potential.

8. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 7, wherein

the behavior control operating state notifying section is further configured to notify the driver by causing at least one of the accelerator pedal, a steering wheel and a seat to vibrate.

9. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 7, wherein

the behavior control operating state notifying section is further configured to notify the driver that the future operating state of the deceleration force control section is going to change when a deceleration generated by the deceleration force control section is predicted to exceed or fall below a prescribed deceleration after a prescribed amount of time has elapsed.

10. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 9, wherein

the behavior control operating state notifying section is further configured to notify the driver by causing the accelerator pedal to exert a pulsed supplemental reaction force.

11. The vehicle driving assist system as recited in claim 9, wherein

the behavior control operating state notifying section is further configured to notify the driver by causing at least one of the accelerator pedal, a steering wheel and a seat to vibrate.

12. A vehicle equipped with the vehicle driving assist system according to claim 1.

13. A vehicle driving assist system comprising:

traveling situation detecting means for outputting a traveling situation detection result based on at least a following distance between a host vehicle and a preceding obstacle and a host vehicle speed of the host vehicle;

risk potential calculating means for calculating a risk potential indicative of a degree of convergence between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle based on the traveling situation detection result;

actuation reaction force control means for controlling an actuation reaction force exerted by an accelerator pedal of the host vehicle based on the risk potential that was calculated;

host vehicle behavior control means for controlling a behavior of the host vehicle;

behavior control operating state notifying means for notifying a driver in advance of a future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control means while the actuation reaction force control means is executing control of the actuation reaction force exerted by the accelerator pedal;

driver operation recommendation means for providing the driver with a recommended driving operation in accordance with the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control means, the recommended driving operation being distinct from notification to the driver of the future operating state; and

control state transition mode determination means for determining a control state transition mode that indicates how the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control means will change,

the behavior control operating state notifying means notifying the driver in advance of the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control means based on a result of a determination of the control state transition mode determination means, and the driving operation recommendation means determining the recommended driving operation based on the result of the determination of the control state transition mode determination means.

14. A vehicle driving assistance method comprising:

determining a risk potential indicative a degree of convergence between a host vehicle and a preceding obstacle based on at least a following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle and a host vehicle speed of the host vehicle;

controlling an actuation reaction force exerted by an accelerator pedal of the host vehicle based on the risk potential;

notifying a driver in advance of a future operating state of a host vehicle behavior control section configured to control a behavior of the host vehicle while control of the actuation reaction force is being executed in accordance with the risk potential;

providing the driver with a recommended driving operation in accordance with the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control section, the recommended driving operation being distinct from notification to the driver of the future operating state; and

determining a control state transition mode that indicates how the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control section will change,

with the notifying of the driver being accomplished in advance of the future operating state of the host vehicle behavior control section based on a result of the determining of the control state transition mode, and the recommended driving operation being recommended based on the result of the determining of the control state transition mode.