Emergency assistance for controlling a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9908526-B2
Application number	US-201414895506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2014
Priority date	Jun 4, 2013
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A method and device for transferring a vehicle travelling with lateral guidance support into a driving state with a reduced risk of the consequences of a collision in the event of the driver experiencing an emergency, wherein the speed of the vehicle is higher than a predefined limiting speed. The method detects a hands-off situation of the driver and outputs a hands-off warning in a hands-off phase and carries out a warning escalation in an escalation phase if there is no reaction to the hands-off warning, wherein initiation of the escalation phase is prevented if a predefined blocking condition is satisfied.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for transferring a vehicle traveling with lateral guidance support into a driving state with a reduced risk of collision in response to a driver of the vehicle experiencing an emergency, wherein the speed of the vehicle is higher than a predefined speed limit, the method comprising:
detecting a hands-off situation of the driver during a hands-off phase of vehicle operation;
outputting a hands-off warning during the hands-off phase of vehicle operation based on the detection of the hands-off situation;
initiating an escalation phase of vehicle operation during the hands-off phase of vehicle operation based on whether a predefined blocking condition is satisfied; and
performing a warning escalation, during the escalation phase, in response to detection of no reaction to the hands-off warning during the hands-off phase.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blocking condition is a function of instances of triggering of the escalation phase of vehicle operation which have already taken place during operation of the vehicle, and the blocking condition is satisfied by a number of instances of triggering of the escalation phase being equal to a predefined value.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the number of instances of triggering of the escalation phase of the vehicle operation within one driving period is equal to the predefined value.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reducing vehicle speed during an intervention phase to a speed which is lower than or equal to a speed limit, wherein the vehicle is kept on a current lane in response to detection of no driver reaction to the warning escalation during the escalation phase of vehicle operation, and deactivating all longitudinal and lateral guidance for the vehicle as well as all warnings in response to the vehicle reaching the speed limit.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein,
during the escalation phase of vehicle operation, lateral guidance support intervention takes place at a later time compared to lateral guidance support intervention otherwise, wherein the later time is selected as a function of the vehicle speed such that the vehicle is prevented from exiting the current lane, and,
during the intervention phase, the warning escalation is intensified by virtue of the fact that at least the lateral guidance of the vehicle has a jerky lateral profile.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lateral guidance support in the escalation phase or in the intervention phase is actuated again by the driver only in response to a steering intervention of the driver being detected.

7. A device for transferring a vehicle traveling with lateral guidance support into a driving state with a reduced risk of the consequences of a collision in the event of the driver experiencing an emergency, the device comprising:
a longitudinal guidance apparatus;
a lateral guidance apparatus;
a hands-off detection apparatus;
an emergency assistant for carrying out warning escalations and interventions into the driving functions of the vehicle as a function of the results of the hands-off detection apparatus; and
a blocking apparatus for blocking the emergency assistant based on satisfaction or non-satisfaction of a predefined blocking condition,
wherein, subsequent to the emergency assistant detecting a hands-off situation of the driver and outputting a hands-off warning in a hands-off phase, the emergency assistant initiates an escalation phase during the hands-off phase of vehicle operation based on whether the predefined blocking condition is satisfied, and performs a warning escalation, during the escalation phase, in response to detection of no reaction to the hands-off warning during the hands-off phase.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the blocking apparatus blocks the emergency assistant as a function of instances of activation of the emergency assistant which have already taken place, wherein the blocking condition is satisfied based on the number of instances of activation being equal to a predefined value.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein, after a positive hands-off detection, the emergency assistant carries out the warning escalation in at least two successive driving phases, including an escalation phase and a subsequent intervention phase, wherein, in response to unsuccessful running of the intervention phase when a speed limit is reached, the emergency assistant deactivates at least the longitudinal guidance apparatus and the lateral guidance apparatus.

10. The device of claim 7 further comprising an apparatus for detecting driver steering activity.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag
• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Eigel Thomas

Classifications

• B60W50/14 Primary

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title

• B62D15/0265

  Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering · CPC title

• B60W30/02

  Control of vehicle driving stability · CPC title

• B60W30/12

  Lane keeping · CPC title

• B60W2710/30

  Auxiliary equipments · CPC title