Vehicle control system for evading steering maneuvers

Abstract

A vehicle control system for evading a steering maneuver includes: a forward object detector configured to detect an object in a path of travel of a vehicle; a steering wheel configured to control a steering direction of the vehicle; a vehicle user interface configured to display a visual indication to a driver and generate audio for the driver; and a vehicle control module configured to identify an object in a path of travel of the vehicle via the forward object detector, determine an estimated collision time with the object, and, in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified time threshold, control the vehicle in response to the estimated collision time being less than the specified time threshold. At least one of the following is performed: providing a driver with a recommended visual indication of evading a steering maneuver via a vehicle user interface; generating a recommended audio reminder for avoiding the steering operation; a steering torque is applied to the steering wheel to indicate the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

Description

[0001] introduce

[0002] The information provided in this section is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The work of the inventors currently listed (to the extent that it is described in this section) and aspects of the description that may not have been prior art at the time of filing are neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure.

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to a vehicle control system for an evasive steering maneuver that includes determining a preferred side of the vehicle for a recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0004] The current trend in the automotive industry is to introduce safety systems for avoiding or mitigating collisions. Some introduced safety systems, such as forward collision avoidance systems (FCAS), aim to avoid or mitigate forward collisions between the vehicle hosting such systems and oncoming vehicles. For example, a forward collision alert may be issued to the driver when the host vehicle is rapidly approaching the nearest vehicle on the road or a vulnerable road user. Summary of the invention

[0005] A vehicle control system for an evasive steering maneuver includes: at least one forward object detector configured to detect one or more objects in a vehicle's path of travel; a steering wheel configured to control a steering direction of the vehicle; a vehicle user interface configured to display visual indications to a driver and generate audio for the driver; and a vehicle control module configured to identify objects in the vehicle's path of travel via the at least one forward object detector, determine an estimated collision time with the object, and in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified time threshold, perform at least one of the following operations: provide a visual indication of a recommended evasive steering maneuver to the driver via the vehicle user interface; generate an audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver; and apply a steering torque to the steering wheel to indicate the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0006] In other features, the vehicle control module is configured to, in response to the estimated time to collision being less than a specified time threshold, apply a steering torque to the steering wheel to rotate the steering wheel about a steering axis of the steering wheel.

[0007] In other features, the vehicle control module is configured to apply the steering torque as a series of individual pulses that are spaced apart from each other over a period of time.

[0008] In other features, the vehicle includes a steer-by-wire vehicle steering device, and the vehicle control module is configured to apply the steering torque only to the steering wheel and not to the wheels of the vehicle.

[0009] In other features, the vehicle control module is configured to determine whether the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel and apply steering torque to the steering wheel only in response to determining that the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel.

[0010] In other features, the vehicle control module is configured to: in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified time threshold, display a visual indication of a recommended evasive steering maneuver to the driver on a display of a vehicle user interface, and the visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a recommended steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0011] In other features, the vehicle control module is configured to: in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified time threshold, generate an audio reminder of a recommended evasive steering maneuver, and the audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a prompt tone indicating a steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0012] In other features, the vehicle control module is configured to obtain one or more vehicle operating condition parameters via one or more vehicle sensors, and determine a preferred steering direction for a recommended evasive steering maneuver based on the one or more vehicle operating condition parameters, wherein the preferred steering direction indicates a left steering direction or a right steering direction having a higher likelihood of safety than an opposite direction of the left steering direction or the right steering direction.

[0013] In other features, at least one of the visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a preferred steering direction, an audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes the preferred steering direction, or a steering torque applied to a steering wheel to indicate that the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes the preferred steering direction.

[0014] In other features, determining the preferred steering direction comprises imposing one or more hard constraints on the one or more vehicle operating condition parameters, each hard constraint indicating a parameter value that prohibits selection of a steering direction.

[0015] In other features, the one or more hard constraints include at least one of: a collision with a traffic threat, traversal of a hard obstacle or a non-drivable space, or a current vehicle motion above a safe maneuvering threshold.

[0016] In other features, determining the preferred steering direction comprises applying one or more soft constraints to the one or more vehicle operating condition parameters, each soft constraint indicative of a parameter value indicating a lower safe probability of a steering direction.

[0017] In other features, the one or more soft constraints include at least one of: relative distance and motion to traffic threats, a layout of a road on which the vehicle is traveling, and a current motion of the vehicle.

[0018] In other features, the specified time threshold is a specified second time threshold, the vehicle control module is configured to initiate the forward collision alert in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified first time threshold, and the specified first time threshold is greater than the specified second time threshold.

[0019] A method for recommending an evasive vehicle steering maneuver includes: controlling a steering direction of a vehicle via a steering wheel of the vehicle; detecting an object in a travel path of the vehicle via at least one forward object detector of the vehicle; determining an estimated collision time with the object by a vehicle control module; and in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified time threshold, performing at least one of the following operations: providing a visual indication of a recommended evasive steering maneuver to a driver via a vehicle user interface of the vehicle; generating an audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver; and applying a steering torque to the steering wheel to indicate the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0020] In other features, the method includes applying a steering torque, including applying the steering torque to a steering wheel to rotate the steering wheel about a steering axis of the steering wheel.

[0021] In other features, the steering torque is applied as a series of individual pulses that are spaced apart from each other over a period of time. In other features, the vehicle includes a steer-by-wire vehicle steering device, and applying the steering torque includes applying the steering torque only to a steering wheel without applying the steering torque to wheels of the vehicle.

[0022] In other features, the method includes determining whether a driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel and applying steering torque to the steering wheel only in response to determining that the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel.

[0023] In other features, the method includes displaying a visual indication of a recommended evasive steering maneuver to a driver on a display of a vehicle user interface, and the visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a recommended steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0024] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle control system for avoiding steering maneuvers, the vehicle control system comprising:

[0025] at least one forward object detector configured to detect one or more objects in the vehicle's path;

[0026] a steering wheel configured to control a steering direction of the vehicle;

[0027] a vehicle user interface configured to display visual indications to the driver and generate audio for the driver; and

[0028] The vehicle control module is configured to:

[0029] identifying an object in a path of travel of the vehicle via the at least one forward object detector;

[0030] determining an estimated time of collision with the object; and

[0031] In response to the estimated time to collision being less than a specified time threshold, performing at least one of the following operations: providing a visual indication of a recommended evasive steering maneuver to a driver via a vehicle user interface; generating an audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver;

[0032] A steering torque is applied to the steering wheel to indicate the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0033] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle control module is configured to: in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified time threshold, apply a steering torque to the steering wheel to rotate the steering wheel around the steering axis of the steering wheel.

[0034] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle control module is configured to apply the steering torque as a series of individual pulses, and the series of individual pulses are spaced apart from each other within a period of time.

[0035] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein:

[0036] The vehicle includes a steer-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus; and

[0037] The vehicle control module is configured to apply steering torque only to the steering wheel and not to wheels of the vehicle.

[0038] According to the vehicle control system of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle control module is configured as follows:

[0039] determining whether the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel; and

[0040] Steering torque is applied to the steering wheel only in response to determining that the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel.

[0041] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein:

[0042] The vehicle control module is configured to: in response to the estimated time to collision being less than a specified time threshold, display a visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver to a driver on a display of a vehicle user interface; and

[0043] The visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a recommended steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0044] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein:

[0045] The vehicle control module is configured to: in response to the estimated time to collision being less than the specified time threshold, generate the audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver; and

[0046] The audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a chime indicating a steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0047] According to the vehicle control system of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle control module is configured to:

[0048] obtaining one or more vehicle operating condition parameters via one or more vehicle sensors; and

[0049] A preferred steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver is determined based on the one or more vehicle operating condition parameters, the preferred steering direction indicating a left steering direction or a right steering direction having a higher likelihood of safety than an opposite direction of the left steering direction or the right steering direction.

[0050] A vehicle control system according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein at least one visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes the preferred steering direction, an audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes the preferred steering direction, or a steering torque applied to a steering wheel to indicate that the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes the preferred steering direction.

[0051] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, determining the preferred steering direction includes: applying one or more hard constraints to the one or more vehicle operating condition parameters, each hard constraint indicating a parameter value that prohibits selection of a steering direction.

[0052] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more hard constraints include at least one of the following: collision with traffic threats, crossing hard obstacles or non-drivable spaces, or current vehicle motion above a safe handling threshold.

[0053] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, determining the preferred steering direction includes applying one or more soft constraints to the one or more vehicle operating condition parameters, each soft constraint indicating the following: a parameter value indicating a lower safety probability of the steering direction.

[0054] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more soft constraints include at least one of the following: relative distance and movement to traffic threats, the layout of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and the current movement of the vehicle.

[0055] According to the vehicle control system described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein:

[0056] The specified time threshold is a specified second time threshold;

[0057] The vehicle control module is configured to initiate a forward collision alert in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified first time threshold; and

[0058] The specified first time threshold is greater than the specified second time threshold.

[0059] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for recommending an evasive vehicle steering maneuver, the method comprising:

[0060] Controlling the steering direction of the vehicle via the vehicle's steering wheel;

[0061] detecting an object in a path of travel of the vehicle via at least one forward object detector of the vehicle;

[0062] determining, by a vehicle control module, an estimated time of collision with the object; and

[0063] In response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified time threshold, performing at least one of the following operations:

[0064] providing a visual indication of a recommended evasive steering maneuver to a driver via a vehicle user interface of the vehicle;

[0065] generating an audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver; and

[0066] A steering torque is applied to the steering wheel to indicate the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0067] According to the method of the second aspect of the present disclosure, applying the steering torque comprises: applying the steering torque to the steering wheel to rotate the steering wheel around a steering axis of the steering wheel.

[0068] The method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the steering torque is applied as a series of individual pulses, the series of individual pulses being spaced apart from each other within a period of time.

[0069] The method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein

[0070] The vehicle includes a steer-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus; and

[0071] Applying the steering torque includes applying the steering torque only to the steering wheel without applying the steering torque to wheels of the vehicle.

[0072] The method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure further includes:

[0073] determining whether the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel; and

[0074] Steering torque is applied to the steering wheel only in response to determining that the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel.

[0075] The method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein:

[0076] displaying a visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver to the driver on a display of the vehicle user interface; and

[0077] The visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a recommended steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0078] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims and drawings.The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0079] The present disclosure will be more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0080] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of an example embodiment of a vehicle control system for avoiding a steering maneuver.

[0081] Figure 2 It is a depiction Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example implementation of a system.

[0082] Figure 3 is a flow chart depicting an example process for controlling an evasive steering maneuver reminder.

[0083] Figure 4 is a flow chart depicting an example process for determining a reminder type for an evasive steering maneuver.

[0084] Figure 5 is a graph depicting an example process for providing pulses to apply steering wheel torque.

[0085] Figure 6and Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example embodiment for determining a preferred side of a vehicle for an evasive steering maneuver.

[0086] Among the drawings, reference numerals may be repeated to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0087] Evasive steering is a forward collision mitigation feature that becomes more effective than braking at higher closing speeds.Some example embodiments described herein provide a vehicle control system and method for automatically recommending an evasive steering maneuver to a driver as a more effective collision avoidance maneuver.

[0088] For example, some drivers may not intuitively consider an evasive steering maneuver as a response to a high-stress, rapidly evolving collision risk situation. Some example embodiments provide evasive driving maneuver recommendations or "hints" to prompt the driver to consider an evasive steering maneuver in a preferred direction (e.g., a left or right steering direction that has been determined to be the safest option for an evasive steering maneuver based on sensed vehicle operating parameters and surrounding objects). These evasive steering maneuver recommendations may include, for example, a steering wheel nudge by applying a small and brief torque to the steering wheel, a haptic seat reminder, a side-related audio reminder tone, a side-related visual notification, etc.

[0089] In various implementations, the vehicle control module may ensure that all necessary conditions for avoidance are met (such as no obstacles on at least one side of the vehicle), and then apply a brief but noticeable steering torque to the steering wheel to prompt the driver to take an evasive steering maneuver. In a steer-by-wire system, torque may be applied only to the steering wheel, leaving the wheel / vehicle trajectory unaffected.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the steering wheel nudge is applied only when the driver's hands are on to avoid a counter-steering reaction by the driver (e.g., if the driver takes their hands off and would react to visually observing the steering wheel turning by grabbing the steering wheel and turning it in the other direction). The degree of hands-on detection before applying steering wheel torque may be calibratable.

[0091] Additionally or alternatively, directional visual reminders, audio prompts, tactile feedback, etc. can be used to prompt the driver. The vehicle control module can be configured to select a preferred side for avoidance based on several factors such as oncoming traffic, side / rear threats, obstacles, and safety restrictions. Unlike conventional reminder methods, in addition to the possible danger, the driver is also advised of ways to avoid the danger through recommended evasive steering maneuvers.

[0092] Example embodiments may be implemented where the vehicle control module only provides a reminder and steering control is entirely driver-implemented, the vehicle may assist in completing an evasive steering maneuver after driver initiation, or the recommended evasive steering maneuver may be entirely implemented by the vehicle's autonomous driving system. For example, a "driver-initiated" implementation may engage and assist in completing an evasive maneuver after the driver begins turning the steering wheel, and then stabilize the vehicle after the forward threat has been cleared.

[0093] Reference now Figure 1 , the vehicle 10 includes front wheels 12 and rear wheels 13. Figure 1 , the drive unit 14 selectively outputs torque to the front wheels 12 and / or the rear wheels 13 via drive trains 16 and 18, respectively. The vehicle 10 may include different types of drive units. For example, the vehicle may be an electric vehicle such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle, a vehicle including an internal combustion engine (ICE), or other types of vehicles.

[0094] Some examples of drive unit 14 may include any suitable electric motor, a power inverter, and a motor controller configured to control power switches within the power inverter to adjust the speed and torque of the electric motor during propulsion and / or regeneration. The battery system provides power to or receives power from the electric motor of drive unit 14 via the power inverter during propulsion or regeneration.

[0095] although Figure 1 The vehicle 10 includes one drive unit 14, but the vehicle 10 may have other configurations. For example, two separate drive units may drive the front wheels 12 and the rear wheels 13, one or more individual drive units may drive individual wheels, etc. As can be appreciated, other vehicle configurations and / or drive units may be used.

[0096] The vehicle control module 20 may be configured to control the operation of one or more vehicle components, such as the drive unit 14 (e.g., by commanding torque settings of the electric motors of the drive unit 14). The vehicle control module 20 may receive inputs for controlling vehicle components, such as signals received from a steering wheel 30, an accelerator pedal, etc. For safety purposes, the vehicle control module 20 may monitor vehicle telematics, such as vehicle speed, vehicle position, vehicle braking and acceleration, etc.

[0097] The vehicle control module 20 may receive signals from any suitable component for monitoring one or more aspects of the vehicle, including one or more vehicle sensors such as cameras, microphones, pressure sensors, wheel position sensors, position sensors such as global positioning system (GPS) antennas, etc. Some sensors may be configured to monitor the current motion of the vehicle, the acceleration of the vehicle, steering torque, etc.

[0098] like Figure 1 , the vehicle 10 includes an optional rear object detector 24, an optional front object detector 26, and an optional side object detector 28. In various embodiments, the vehicle 10 may include more or less (or no) of any of these optional sensors. Each object sensor may include any suitable camera, laser, lidar sensor, etc., which are used to detect objects around the vehicle 10. In some example embodiments, the vehicle object detectors may be configured to detect a closest in-path vehicle (CIPV) (e.g., another vehicle ahead of the current travel path of the vehicle 10), a vulnerable road user (VRU) (e.g., a pedestrian or a cyclist), etc.

[0099] The vehicle control module 20 may communicate with another device via a wireless communication interface, which may include one or more wireless antennas for transmitting and / or receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication interface may communicate via any suitable wireless communication protocol, including but not limited to vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, Wi-Fi communication, wireless area network (WAN) communication, cellular communication, personal area network (PAN) communication, short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth), etc. The wireless communication interface may communicate with a remote computing device via one or more wireless and / or wired networks. With respect to vehicle-to-vehicle (V2X) communication, the vehicle 10 may include one or more V2X transceivers (e.g., V2X signal transmission and / or reception antennas).

[0100] As described above, the vehicle 10 may include a steering wheel 30. The vehicle control module 20 may be configured to apply a steering torque to the steering wheel 30 to provide a steering wheel nudge, such as a slight rotation of the steering wheel 30 about the steering axis of the steering wheel 30. For example, if the forward object detector 26 detects that the time to collision (TTC) of the CIPV is less than a specified time threshold (e.g., indicating that a potential collision with another vehicle may occur), the vehicle control module 20 may apply a steering torque to the steering wheel 30 to recommend to the driver that they turn the steering wheel to take an evasive steering maneuver around the CIPV.

[0101] The vehicle control module may apply a series of steering torque pulses to the steering wheel 30 to alert the driver, such as a series of pulses of approximately 200 milliseconds. These pulses may alert the driver without causing sufficient steering torque to significantly affect the steering direction of the vehicle. In some example embodiments, a single steering torque pulse may be applied to the steering wheel 30.

[0102] Some vehicles may have a steer-by-wire (SBW) system, in which the wheels are electronically turned based on steering wheel input, but the steering wheel is not mechanically connected to the wheels. In this case, the vehicle control module 20 can be configured to apply steering torque to rotate the steering wheel 30 without moving the wheels.

[0103] Some vehicles may provide hands-on detection, which includes one or more sensors for determining whether the driver currently has his hands on the steering wheel. In some example embodiments, the vehicle control module 20 may be configured to apply steering torque to the steering wheel 30 only after determining that the driver currently has his hands on the steering wheel.

[0104] The vehicle 10 also includes a user interface 22. The user interface 22 may include any suitable display (such as on a dashboard, on a console, or elsewhere), a touch screen or other input device, a speaker for generating audio, etc. In some example embodiments, the vehicle control module 20 may be configured to provide a visual notification of a recommended evasive steering maneuver on the user interface 22, and / or generate an audio reminder of a recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0105] The vehicle control module 20 may be configured to determine a preferred side for a recommended evasive steering maneuver. For example, the front object detector 26, the rear object detector 24, the side object detector 28, other vehicle sensors, etc. may be configured to obtain vehicle operating parameters, including other vehicles and objects around the vehicle 10, road conditions around the vehicle 10, the current motion of the vehicle 10, etc., and determine which side (e.g., left or right) may provide the safest evasive steering maneuver. Based on this determination, the vehicle control module may provide a notification of the recommended evasive steering maneuver on the preferred side of the vehicle 10, such as a visual notification on the preferred side, an audio chime on the preferred side (or a left / right voice notification), and / or a steering wheel nudge on the preferred side by applying a steering torque.

[0106] Figure 2 It is a depiction Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example implementation of a system. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , a first vehicle 202 is approaching a second vehicle 204. When the first vehicle 202 approaches the second vehicle 204, the first vehicle 202 may determine an estimated time to collision (TTC) based on, for example, a distance between the first vehicle 202 and the second vehicle 204, a relative speed of the first vehicle 202 and the second vehicle 204, and the like.

[0107] When the first vehicle 202 is at a first collision time 210 (or a first distance) from the vehicle 204, the vehicle control module of the first vehicle 202 may issue a forward collision alert (FCA). For example, the forward collision alert may simply notify the driver that a possible forward collision risk has been identified.

[0108] At the second collision time 212 (or second distance), the vehicle control module of the first vehicle 202 can initiate a recommended evasive steering maneuver reminder. This can include, for example, applying a steering torque to nudge the steering wheel, displaying a visual notification of the recommended evasive steering maneuver, generating an audio reminder indicating the recommended evasive steering maneuver, etc.

[0109] The second time to collision 212 may be less than the first time to collision 210, or the distance between the first vehicle 202 and the second vehicle 204 may be shorter. In this manner, the vehicle control module may first issue a general forward collision alert, and then, if the first vehicle 202 continues to get closer to the second vehicle 204 after the forward collision alert, subsequently generate a notification of a recommended evasive steering maneuver.

[0110] At point 214, the driver initiates an evasive steering maneuver. For example, the driver may respond to the steering wheel nudge by turning the steering wheel so that the vehicle 202 travels along the evasive path 206 around the second vehicle 204. The evasive path 206 may be controlled manually by the driver, automatically if the vehicle is equipped with an automated driving system, etc. In some example embodiments, an indication may be provided to the driver, and if the driver initiates an evasive steering maneuver (such as by manually initiating further rotation of the steering wheel beyond the steering nudge from the vehicle control system), the automated driving system may take over to perform the remainder of the evasive steering maneuver.

[0111] For example, an automatic emergency steering (AES) window 208 may indicate a distance at which it is determined to be relatively safe to perform an evasive steering maneuver. Prior to the AES window 208, it may be safer to first apply the brakes before determining whether an evasive steering maneuver is required. Within the AES window 208, there may be enough room for the first vehicle 202 to move to the side before it reaches the second vehicle 204. After the AES window 208, the first vehicle 202 may be too close to the second vehicle 204, making it safer to simply apply the brakes to reduce the effects of an unavoidable collision.

[0112] Figure 3 is a flow chart depicting an example process for controlling an evasive steering maneuver reminder. The process may be performed by, for example Figure 1 The method begins at 304 by monitoring a time to collision (TTC) with a closest in-path vehicle and / or vulnerable road user.

[0113] At 308 , the vehicle control module is configured to determine whether the TTC is less than a specified first time threshold (eg, five seconds, three seconds, etc.) If not, the vehicle control module returns to 304 to continue monitoring the time to collision.

[0114] If the vehicle control module determines at 308 that the TTC is less than the first threshold, control issues a forward collision alert (FCA) at 312. For example, the vehicle control module may issue a general reminder that a forward collision risk exists and the driver should remain alert.

[0115] At 316, the vehicle control module determines whether the TTC is less than a specified time threshold. The second time threshold may be less than a specified first time threshold. For example, the first time threshold may be used for a general indication that there is a risk of a forward collision, while the second time threshold (e.g., two seconds, one second, less than one second, etc.) may indicate that the vehicle is closer to an object in front of the vehicle and an evasive action is recommended.

[0116] If control determines at 316 that the TTC has not dropped below a specified time threshold (e.g., because the vehicle has sufficiently decelerated, etc.), control proceeds to 336 and no further prompts are presented. For example, if the driver applies the brakes after the forward collision alert is generated and does not get closer to the object in front of the vehicle, no further evasive steering action may need to be taken.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the vehicle control module may continue to monitor the TTC for a specified time period at 316 and only move to 336 after the time period has expired. For example, after an FCA is generated, the system may continue to monitor the TTC. If the TTC does not drop below a specified second threshold within ten seconds after the FCA, within thirty seconds after the FCA, etc., then it may be determined that the driver has avoided a possible collision event.

[0118] If the vehicle control module determines at 316 that the collision time is less than the specified second time threshold, control proceeds to 320 to determine whether the speed of the vehicle is above the safe maneuver threshold speed. If so, control proceeds to 336 and does not issue a recommended steering maneuver prompt (e.g., because the vehicle is already traveling too fast to safely perform the steering maneuver).

[0119] If control determines at 320 that the vehicle speed is safe to perform the evasive steering maneuver, control determines the preferred escape side at 324. For example, one or more vehicle sensors may be used to obtain current operating parameters of the vehicle and may determine the safest side of the vehicle for steering (e.g., based on the presence of other cars around the vehicle, based on current road topography, based on current movement of the vehicle, etc.).

[0120] At 328 , the vehicle control module is configured to determine whether the escape side is available. For example, control may determine whether there are no other cars in other adjacent lanes on either side of the vehicle, whether there are no road obstacles on either side of the vehicle, etc. If it is determined at 328 that neither side of the vehicle is safe for an evasive steering maneuver, control proceeds to 336 and does not issue a recommended steering maneuver prompt.

[0121] If control determines at 328 that the escape side is available (e.g., because there are no other vehicles or road obstacles in the adjacent lane, etc.), control proceeds to 332 to prompt the driver to prefer the escape side, which may be the left or right side of the vehicle determined to have the safest potential for an evasive steering maneuver. The prompt may include any suitable notification, such as the example visual indications, audio reminders, and steering wheel nudge notifications described herein.

[0122] Figure 4 is a flow chart depicting an example process for determining a reminder type for an evasive steering maneuver. The process may be performed by, for example, Figure 1 The method begins at 404 by monitoring an automatic emergency steering (AES) prompt request.

[0123] If an AES reminder is requested at 408 (such as because the TTC is less than a threshold for recommending an evasive steering maneuver), control proceeds to 412 to determine whether a visual reminder has been selected (e.g., specified in a reminder setting of the vehicle control module 20). If so, control issues a visual reminder to the driver via the vehicle user interface at 416.

[0124] At 420, the vehicle control module is configured to determine whether a non-visual reminder has been selected. If so, control proceeds to 424 to issue an audio reminder tone, a tactile reminder (such as vibration of the steering wheel or vehicle seat), etc. The audio reminder may include a voice instruction recommending a right or left turn or a directional reminder tone based on audio played on different speaker sides of the vehicle, etc.

[0125] At 428, the vehicle control module is configured to determine if the driver has his hands on at 432. For example, the vehicle may include one or more sensors configured to determine if the driver currently has at least one hand on the steering wheel. If so, control proceeds to 436 to determine if the vehicle has a steer-by-wire (SBW) system.

[0126] If the vehicle has an SBW system at 436 , control may apply steering torque only to the steering wheel without applying any steering torque to the vehicle's wheels. If the vehicle does not have an SBW system, control may apply steering torque to the steering wheel at 440 , which also affects the steering input to the wheels via a mechanical connection.

[0127] Figure 5 is a diagram depicting an example process for providing pulses to apply steering wheel torque. Figure 5 As shown in , a series of 500 pulses are applied to gently rotate the steering wheel. The first pulse 502, the second pulse 504 and the third pulse 506 are spaced apart from each other.

[0128] Each pulse may have a specified length, such as 200 milliseconds. The pulses may have the same or different lengths, or may be spaced apart by the same or different amounts. For example, the frequency of the pulses may increase until the driver initiates an evasive steering maneuver.

[0129] Each pulse may have a specified magnitude, such as approximately 2 Nm of torque. Each pulse may have the same or different magnitudes. For example, the force of each pulse may increase until the driver initiates an evasive steering maneuver. Figure 5 Multiple pulses are illustrated, but in some example embodiments, a single steering torque pulse may be applied to the steering wheel.

[0130] Figure 6 and Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example embodiment for determining a preferred side of a vehicle for evasive steering maneuvers. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 6 , a first vehicle 602 is approaching a second vehicle 604 while a third vehicle 606 is traveling in an oncoming lane.

[0131] For example, in response to the vehicle control module of the first vehicle 602 determining that the TTC with the second vehicle 604 is less than a specified time threshold, the vehicle control module can determine whether there are any available escape paths for the first vehicle 602 to steer around the second vehicle 604 .

[0132] For example, the vehicle control module 602 can determine whether the left escape path 610 would result in a safe evasive steering maneuver. Figure 6 As shown in , the third vehicle 606 is traveling in the oncoming lane, which indicates that the left escape path 610 is not available. The vehicle in the oncoming lane can be considered a hard constraint that prohibits or prevents the escape path on that side from being further considered as a candidate for an evasive steering maneuver.

[0133] like Figure 6 As shown in , the right escape path 612 will encounter a road hazard 608 (such as a wall, a steep embankment, etc.), which indicates that the right escape path 612 is not available. Figure 6 In the example of , the vehicle control module may determine that there is no safe escape path available, and therefore the vehicle control module will not provide an evasive steering recommendation.

[0134] exist Figure 7, a first vehicle 702 is approaching a second vehicle 704, while a third vehicle 706 is traveling in the same direction in an adjacent lane, ahead of the second vehicle 704. In this example, the vehicle control module of the first vehicle 702 may determine that both the left escape path 710 and the right escape path 712 are available (e.g., because there are no hard constraints, such as oncoming vehicles or road hazards on either side of the first vehicle 702).

[0135] In this example, the vehicle control module of the first vehicle 702 can use one or more soft constraints to determine which of the left escape path 710 and the right escape path 712 is the preferred escape path (e.g., which has a higher probability of safely evading the turning maneuver). The vehicle control module can determine that the right escape path 712 is the preferred escape path because, although both sides have room for the first vehicle 702 to turn, the right escape path 712 does not have any vehicles at all.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the preferred side escape path may be based on one or more of a collision hard constraint, a road layout hard constraint, and a master vehicle motion hard constraint. Example collision hard constraints may include, but are not limited to, a collision risk with oncoming traffic, a collision risk with a side threat, a collision risk with a front threat, a collision risk with a rear threat, a collision risk with a hard obstacle, and low object detection confidence.

[0137] Example road layout hard constraints may include, but are not limited to, passing through hard obstacles, passing through non-drivable spaces, and low lane detection confidence. Example master vehicle motion hard constraints may include, but are not limited to, lateral velocity above safety limit, lateral acceleration above safety limit, yaw rate above safety limit, lateral jerk above safety limit, steering above safety limit, and steering rate above safety limit.

[0138] The hard constraints may be combined using any suitable algorithm, such as matrix operations including multiplying and summing parameter values ​​for each constraint in each category, comparing parameters to thresholds, etc. If a parameter score for a hard constraint sensed on one side of the vehicle is above a hard constraint threshold, that side of the vehicle may be discarded as a possible escape path due to unsafe steering maneuvers on that side of the vehicle.

[0139] In some example embodiments, when no side is excluded based on hard constraints, soft constraints can be used to determine which side of the vehicle has a preferred (e.g., safest) escape path. For example, soft constraints can include actor kinematics soft constraints, road layout soft constraints, master vehicle motion soft constraints, etc.

[0140] Example actor kinematic soft constraints may include, but are not limited to, lateral distance to front threat, longitudinal distance to front threat, lateral distance to side threat, longitudinal distance to side threat, relative speed to side threat, relative acceleration to side threat, lateral distance to rear threat, longitudinal distance to rear threat, relative speed to rear threat, relative acceleration to rear threat, neighboring actor predictability, and object detection confidence.

[0141] Example road layout soft constraints may include, but are not limited to, lateral distance to oncoming lane, lateral distance to road obstacles, lateral distance to non-drivable space, adjacent lane width, adjacent free space, adjacent lane marking type (where dashed lane markings are penalized less than solid lane markings), adjacent obstacle type, adjacent field of view, adjacent lane curvature, and adjacent lane detection confidence.

[0142] Example master vehicle motion soft constraints may include, but are not limited to, lateral overlap with forward threats, lateral velocity, lateral acceleration, longitudinal velocity, longitudinal acceleration, longitudinal jerk, lateral jerk, yaw rate, yaw acceleration, steering actuation force, and brake actuation force.

[0143] The soft constraint parameter values ​​may be combined using any suitable algorithm, such as matrix multiplication and addition, comparing values ​​to thresholds, etc. The scores for the left and right sides may be compared, and the side with the lowest soft constraint score may be selected as the preferred side for the recommended evasive steering maneuver (e.g., due to a greater likelihood that the steering maneuver is safe).

[0144] The foregoing description is essentially merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or use. The broad teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, although the present disclosure includes specific examples, the true scope of the present disclosure should not be so limited, because other modifications will become apparent after studying the drawings, descriptions and appended claims. It should be understood that one or more steps in the method can be performed in different orders (or simultaneously) without changing the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, although each embodiment is described as having specific features above, any one or more of those features described with respect to any embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented in any other embodiment and / or combined with the features of any other embodiment, even if the combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and the arrangement of one or more embodiments to each other is still within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0145] The spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "disposed." Unless explicitly described as "directly," when describing the relationship between a first element and a second element in the above disclosure, the relationship can be a direct relationship, in which there are no other intermediate elements between the first element and the second element, but can also be an indirect relationship, in which there are one or more intermediate elements (spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be interpreted to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical "or," and should not be interpreted to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0146] In the drawings, the direction of the arrows, as indicated by the arrows, generally demonstrates the flow of information (e.g., data or instructions) of interest to the illustration. For example, when component A and component B exchange various information, but the information transmitted from component A to component B is relevant to the illustration, the arrow may be directed from component A to component B. This unidirectional arrow does not mean that no other information is transmitted from component B to component A. In addition, for information sent from component A to component B, component B may send a request or a receipt confirmation of the information to component A.

[0147] In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" or the term "controller" may be replaced with the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system on a chip.

[0148] The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuit may include a wired or wireless interface connected to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a combination thereof. The functions of any given module of the present disclosure may be distributed between multiple modules connected via the interface circuit. For example, multiple modules may allow load balancing. In a further example, a server (also referred to as a remote or cloud) module may perform some functions on behalf of a client module.

[0149] The term "code" as used above may include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and may refer to a program, a routine, a function, a class, a data structure, and / or an object. The term "shared processor circuit" encompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor circuit" encompasses a processor circuit that executes some or all of the code from one or more modules in combination with an additional processor circuit. References to multiple processor circuits encompass multiple processor circuits on discrete dies, multiple processor circuits on a single die, multiple cores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a single processor circuit, or a combination of the above. The term "shared memory circuit" encompasses a single memory circuit that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory circuit" encompasses a memory circuit that stores some or all of the code from one or more modules in combination with additional memory.

[0150] The term "memory circuit" is a subset of the term "computer-readable medium". As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" does not cover transient electrical or electromagnetic signals propagated through a medium (such as on a carrier wave); therefore, the term "computer-readable medium" may be considered to be tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory, tangible computer-readable media are non-volatile memory circuits (such as flash memory circuits, erasable programmable read-only memory circuits, or mask read-only memory circuits), volatile memory circuits (such as static random access memory circuits or dynamic random access memory circuits), magnetic storage media (such as analog or digital magnetic tape or hard disk drives), and optical storage media (such as CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs).

[0151] The apparatus and methods described in this application may be implemented in part or in whole by a special purpose computer created by configuring a general purpose computer to perform one or more specific functions embodied in a computer program. The above-mentioned function blocks, flow chart components and other elements serve as software specifications, which can be translated into a computer program by routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

[0152] The computer program includes processor executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable medium. The computer program may also include or rely on stored data. The computer program may include a basic input / output system (BIOS) that interacts with the hardware of the special-purpose computer, device drivers that interact with specific devices of the special-purpose computer, one or more operating systems, user applications, background services, background applications, etc.

[0153] A computer program may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed, such as HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), XML (Extensible Markup Language), or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), (ii) assembly code, (iii) object code generated by a compiler from source code, (iv) source code for execution by an interpreter, (v) source code for compilation and execution by a just-in-time compiler, etc. By way of example only, the source code may be written using syntax from a language including: C, C++, C#, Objective C, Swift, Haskell, Go, SQL, R, Lisp, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language Fifth Edition), Ada, ASP (Active Server Pages), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang, Ruby, Visual Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK, and

Claims

1. A vehicle control system for avoiding steering maneuvers, the vehicle control system comprising: at least one forward object detector configured to detect one or more objects in the vehicle's path; a steering wheel configured to control a steering direction of the vehicle; a vehicle user interface configured to display visual indications to the driver and generate audio to the driver; as well as The vehicle control module is configured to: identifying an object in a path of travel of the vehicle via the at least one forward object detector; determining an estimated time of collision with the object; as well as In response to the estimated time to collision being less than a specified time threshold, performing at least one of the following operations: providing a visual indication of a recommended evasive steering maneuver to a driver via a vehicle user interface; generating an audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver; A steering torque is applied to the steering wheel to indicate the recommended evasive steering maneuver. 2 . The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle control module is configured to: in response to the estimated collision time being less than a specified time threshold, apply a steering torque to the steering wheel to rotate the steering wheel about a steering axis of the steering wheel. 3 . The vehicle control system of claim 2 , wherein the vehicle control module is configured to apply the steering torque as a series of individual pulses that are spaced apart from each other over a period of time.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 2, wherein: The vehicle includes a steer-by-wire vehicle steering apparatus; and The vehicle control module is configured to apply steering torque only to the steering wheel and not to wheels of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle control system of claim 2, wherein the vehicle control module is configured to: determining whether the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel; and Steering torque is applied to the steering wheel only in response to determining that the driver currently has at least one hand in contact with the steering wheel.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle control module is configured to: in response to the estimated time to collision being less than a specified time threshold, display a visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver to a driver on a display of a vehicle user interface; and The visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a recommended steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

7. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle control module is configured to: in response to the estimated time to collision being less than the specified time threshold, generate the audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver; and The audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes a chime indicating a steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver.

8. The vehicle control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control module is configured to: obtaining one or more vehicle operating condition parameters via one or more vehicle sensors; and A preferred steering direction for the recommended evasive steering maneuver is determined based on the one or more vehicle operating condition parameters, the preferred steering direction indicating a left steering direction or a right steering direction having a higher likelihood of safety than an opposite direction of the left steering direction or the right steering direction.

9. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one visual indication of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes the preferred steering direction, an audio reminder of the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes the preferred steering direction, or a steering torque applied to a steering wheel to indicate that the recommended evasive steering maneuver includes the preferred steering direction.

10. The vehicle control system of claim 8, wherein determining the preferred steering direction comprises: One or more hard constraints are imposed on the one or more vehicle operating condition parameters, each hard constraint indicating a parameter value that prohibits selection of a steering direction.

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