Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Of relative distance from an obstacle
Utility Patent
1998-11-25
2001-01-02
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Of relative distance from an obstacle
C340S436000, C340S903000, C340S933000, C701S301000
Utility Patent
active
06169478
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vehicle control system having a combination of obstacle detectors, more particularly to a vehicle control system which has two kinds of sensors for detecting an obstacle present ahead on the course of travel of the vehicle and controls the operation of an alarm or braking of the vehicle in response to the detected result.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various obstacle avoidance techniques have hitherto been proposed. For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Hei 6(1994)-298022 teaches detecting the distance to an obstacle (e.g., another vehicle running ahead on the road) and automatically operating an alarm or a brake, if needed, so as to avoid the contact with the obstacle.
As the sensor for this purpose, a laser radar (also known as “lidar”) or a radar utilizing a millimeter waves is often used. Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Hei 4(1992)-248489 discloses the use of the laser radar. Japanese Laid-open Patent Applications Hei 7(1995)-63842 and Hei 8(1996)-94749 disclose the use of the millimeter-wave radar.
Generally speaking, the laser radar is superior to the millimeter-wave radar in position detection accuracy, while the millimeter-wave radar is more resistant than the laser radar against disturbance due to weather (such as rain, fog) or environment. It would therefore be possible to combine these kinds of sensors (different in position detection accuracy) in such manner that the sensors share roles depending on the situations.
The laser radar is superior in position detection accuracy to the millimeter-wave radar, but is apt to be inoperative due to environmental conditions such as bad weather. When these sensors are combined, if the laser radar becomes inoperative, and if the automatic braking is operated based on the output of the millimeter-wave radar, the automatic braking may not always be operated properly, causing the vehicle driver to experience annoyance. This will be the same if the alarm is operated based only on the millimeter-wave radar output, when the laser radar is inoperative.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is therefore to overcome the foregoing problems by providing a vehicle control system having a combination of obstacle detectors comprised of at least two sensors different in position detection accuracy, which controls the operation of alarming or braking properly, when one of the detectors is inoperative, based on the output of the other detector, thereby sparing the vehicle driver from experiencing annoyance.
To achieve this object, the invention provides a system for controlling a vehicle having a brake which brakes wheels of the vehicle, comprising first obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle present ahead on a course of travel of the vehicle; brake control means for operating the brake based on an output of the first obstacle detecting means when a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle is less than a first predetermined value; second obstacle detecting means, different from the first obstacle detecting means in position detection accuracy, for detecting the obstacle present ahead on the course of travel of the vehicle; and inoperativeness determining means for determining whether the first obstacle detecting means is inoperative; wherein the brake control means operates the brake based on an output of the second obstacle detecting means when the distance is less than a second predetermined value which is less than the first predetermined value, when the inoperativeness determining means determines that the first obstacle detecting means is inoperative.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5087918 (1992-02-01), May et al.
patent: 5530651 (1996-06-01), Uemura et al.
patent: 5594413 (1997-01-01), Cho et al.
patent: 5631639 (1997-05-01), Hibino et al.
patent: 4-248489 (1992-09-01), None
patent: 6-298022 (1994-10-01), None
patent: 7-63842 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 8-94749 (1996-04-01), None
Hada Satoshi
Ichikawa Shoji
Sugimoto Yoichi
Urai Yoshihiro
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Pope Daryl
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