VEHICLE SIDE IMPACT CONTROL

Abstract

Vehicle system comprising: a sensor configured to detect an impact vehicle; and a processing device (150) programmed to predict an impact zone (110), define a passenger zone (115) with respect to a host vehicle (100), and generate a control signal to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115), wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to receive a driver input signal and determine whether the driver input signal controls the host vehicle (100) to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115), wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to cancel the driver input signal with the control signal if the driver input signal controls the host vehicle (100) to leave the impact zone (110) in the passenger zone (115), wherein the passenger zone (115) is defined at least in part by a location of at least one occupant inside the host vehicle (100).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle system with a sensor configured to detect an impact vehicle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method comprising detecting an impact vehicle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle system with an occupant detection system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Vehicles incorporate various restraint systems to reduce the risk of injury to occupants in the event of a collision. Examples of common restraint devices include seat belts and airbags. During a collision, seat belts aim to keep passengers in their seats, while airbags aim to cushion passengers from impacting certain parts of the vehicle interior. The vehicle body design can also help minimize injury by redirecting impact forces away from passengers.

[0003] DE 197 41 631 A1 discloses a method and a device for avoiding and / or minimizing conflict situations in road traffic. DE 103 29 567 A1 discloses a device and a method for reducing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants in an accident. WO 2009 / 092374 A1 discloses a method for influencing the movement of a vehicle upon early detection of an unavoidable collision with an obstacle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary host vehicle incorporating a side impact control system. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing exemplary components of the side impact control system incorporated into the vehicle of Fig. 1 can be integrated. The Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B illustrate example scenarios of how the side impact control system can change an impact zone. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary process that may be performed by the side impact control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0004] When an impact (collision) cannot be avoided, one method of reducing the risk of injury to occupants in the host vehicle is to reroute the host vehicle so that the impact occurs at a location as far away from the passenger compartment as possible. In the context of an unavoidable side impact, the host vehicle may incorporate a side impact control system including a sensor and a processing device. The sensor may detect an impact vehicle. The impact vehicle may include a vehicle that is imminently about to collide with the host vehicle. The processing device is programmed to predict an impact zone. The impact zone may be a location relative to the host vehicle where the impact vehicle is likely to collide with the host vehicle.The processing device may be further programmed to define a passenger zone relative to the host vehicle. The passenger zone may be based at least in part on where occupants are located in the passenger compartment of the host vehicle. For example, if the impact zone includes the driver's side of the host vehicle, the passenger zone may be limited to the area of ​​the passenger compartment near the driver's seat when no other passengers are present in the host vehicle. The passenger zone may be expanded to include the area of ​​the passenger compartment near the driver's seat and the rear driver's side seat when a passenger is present in the seat behind the driver's seat. Once the passenger zone has been defined, the side impact control system may generate a control signal that may redirect the host vehicle to move the impact zone away from the passenger zone.Rerouting the host vehicle may involve accelerating or decelerating the host vehicle. Although the side impact control system may not be able to cause the impact vehicle to completely avoid colliding with the host vehicle, the side impact control system can cause the impact to occur as far away as possible from the host vehicle's occupants.

[0005] The elements shown may take many different forms and may include multiple and / or alternating components and features. The exemplary components shown are not intended to be limiting. Indeed, additional or alternative components and / or implementations may be utilized.

[0006] As in Fig. 1, the host vehicle 100 includes a side impact control system 105 that detects an imminent impact with another vehicle (referred to as the "impact vehicle"). The term "imminent" may include impacts that are predicted to occur within, for example, a few seconds. The side impact control system 105 may define an impact zone 110 (see the Fig. 3A-3B) with respect to the host vehicle 100. The impact zone 110 may refer to the location where the impact with the impact vehicle is most likely to occur. The impact zone 110 may be predicted based on, for example, the speeds and trajectories of the host vehicle 100 and the impact vehicle.

[0007] The side impact control system 105 may further define a passenger zone 115. The passenger zone 115 may include all or portions of the passenger compartment of the host vehicle 100. Portions of the passenger compartment may include, for example, a driver seating area 120 corresponding to a location of a driver seat in the host vehicle 100, a passenger seating area 125 (see the Fig. 3A-3B) corresponding to a location of a passenger seat in the host vehicle 100, a first rear seat area 130 corresponding to a location of a first rear seat (e.g., behind the driver's seat) in the host vehicle 100, and a second rear seat area 135 (see the Fig. 3A-3B) corresponding to a location of a second rear seat (e.g., behind the front passenger seat) in the host vehicle 100. The passenger zone 115 may be defined to include any areas of the passenger compartment where an occupant is present. For example, if the only occupant of the host vehicle 100 is in the driver's seat, the passenger zone 115 may be limited to the driver's seating area 120. If occupants are identified in both the driver's seat and the front passenger seat, the passenger zone 115 may include the driver's seating area 120 and the passenger's seating area 125. If an occupant is identified in the rear seat behind the driver's seat, the passenger zone 115 may include the first rear seat area 130. If an occupant is identified in the rear seat behind the front passenger seat, the passenger zone 115 may include the second rear seat area 135.

[0008] With the passenger zone 115 defined, the side impact control system 105 may generate a control signal that redirects the host vehicle 100 to move the impact zone 110 away from the passenger zone 115. Redirecting the host vehicle 100 may involve accelerating or decelerating the host vehicle 100. Although the side impact control system 105 may not be able to cause the impact vehicle to completely avoid colliding with the host vehicle 100, the side impact control system 105 may cause the impact to occur as far away as possible from passengers of the host vehicle 100.

[0009] The host vehicle 100 may include any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as a car, a truck, an SUV, a crossover vehicle, a delivery van, a minibus, a taxi, a bus, etc. In some possible approaches, the host vehicle 100 is an autonomous vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous (e.g., driverless) mode or a semi-autonomous mode.

[0010] Now with reference to Fig. 2, the side impact control system 105 may include an impact sensor 140, an occupant detection system 145, and a processing device 150.

[0011] The impact sensor 140 may include an electronic device capable of detecting the impact vehicle relative to the host vehicle 100. That is, the impact sensor 140 may be configured to detect an impact vehicle having a trajectory likely to collide with the host vehicle 100. Examples of such sensors 140 may include a radar sensor, a lidar sensor, a vision sensor, or the like. The impact sensor 140 may be configured to output a signal representing the presence of the impact vehicle, the trajectory of the impact vehicle, or both.

[0012] Occupant detection system 145 may include any number of devices configured to determine which seats of host vehicle 100 are occupied. Occupant detection system 145 may thus include seat sensors, such as proximity sensors, associated with each set in the passenger compartment. Each seat sensor may output a signal representing that an occupant has been detected. The absence of the signal may indicate that no occupant has been detected in the corresponding seat.

[0013] The processing device 150 may receive and process the signals generated by the impact sensor 140 and the occupant detection system 145. Thus, the processing device 150 may be programmed to predict the impact zone 110, define the passenger zone 115, and generate a control signal. The control signal may be used to move the host vehicle 100 such that the impact zone 110 is moved away from the passenger zone 115, since the passenger zone 115, as discussed above, includes the occupant seats in the host vehicle 100. The control signal generated by the processing device 150 may thus cause the host vehicle 100 to accelerate or decelerate, as this would change the impact zone 110.In some possible implementations, such as when a collision in the passenger zone 115 is imminent and unavoidable, another control signal may be generated to prepare or pre-tension certain passive safety systems, such as airbags, seat belt pretensioners, or the like.

[0014] When determining whether to accelerate or decelerate the host vehicle 100, the processing device 150 may be programmed to evaluate certain powertrain and braking characteristics of the host vehicle 100. That is, the processing device 150 may be programmed to determine whether the powertrain of the host vehicle 100 can accelerate the host vehicle 100 quickly enough to move the impact zone 110. Alternatively, the processing device 150 may be programmed to determine whether the braking system of the host vehicle 100 can decelerate the host vehicle 100 quickly enough to move the impact zone 110.

[0015] In some implementations, processing device 150 may be programmed to receive a driver input signal related to the driver's intent in operating host vehicle 100. The driver input signal may be generated in response to, for example, the driver of host vehicle 100 pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal, or the driver turning the steering wheel. If a collision is imminent, processing device 150 may be programmed to ignore or override certain driver input signals. For example, processing device 150 may ignore driver input signals that would keep impact zone 110 within passenger zone 115 or move impact zone 110 into the passenger zone.

[0016] The Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B illustrate exemplary scenarios of how the side impact control system 105 may move the impact zone 110 out of the passenger zone 115. As in Fig. 3A, the host vehicle 100 has two passengers—one in the driver's seat and one in the rear seat behind the driver's seat. Accordingly, the passenger zone 115 may be defined as including the driver's seat area 120 and the first rear seat area 130. The impact zone 110 is initially predicted to occur near both the driver's seat area 120 and the first rear seat area 130. The side impact control system 105 may further predict where the impact zone 110 will be if the host vehicle 100 were to accelerate or decelerate. In the example of Fig. 3A, acceleration will place the impact zone 110 near the rear seat passenger. In other words, acceleration will not move the impact zone 110 away from the passenger zone 115. Instead, acceleration would move the impact zone 110 toward one of the passengers. Braking, on the other hand, will place the impact zone 110 in front of the passenger zone 115. Thus, between acceleration and braking, the side impact control system 105 can control the host vehicle 100 to brake so that the impact can occur away from the passenger zone 115. Now, the example of Fig. Turning to Figure 3B, in which no rear seat passenger is present, both braking and acceleration will move the impact zone 110 away from the passenger zone 115. However, acceleration will move the impact zone 110 farther away from the sole passenger. The side impact control system 105 may thus control the host vehicle 100 to accelerate.

[0017] Fig. 4 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary process 400 that may be implemented by the side impact control system 105. The process 400 may begin when the host vehicle 100 is powered on and continue execution until the host vehicle 100 is powered off.

[0018] At block 405, the processing device 150 may define a passenger zone 115. The passenger zone 115 may be based on the location of occupants in the passenger compartment of the host vehicle 100. The locations of passengers may be determined from the signals output by the occupant detection system 145. As discussed above, the passenger zone 115 may include all or portions of the passenger compartment of the host vehicle 100. Portions of the passenger compartment may include the driver seating area 120, the passenger seating area 125, the first rear seat area 130, and the second rear seat area 135. If the sole occupant of the host vehicle 100 is seated in the driver seat, the passenger zone 115 may be limited to the driver seating area 120. If occupants are identified in both the driver seat and the passenger seat, the passenger zone 115 may include the driver seating area 120 and the passenger seating area 125.If an occupant is identified in the rear seat behind the driver's seat, the passenger zone 115 may include the first rear seat area 130. If an occupant is identified in the rear seat behind the front passenger seat, the passenger zone 115 may include the second rear seat area 135.

[0019] At block 410, the processing device 150 may detect the impact vehicle. The impact vehicle may be detected from the impact signal output by the impact sensor 140, such as a radar sensor, a lidar sensor, a vision sensor, or the like. The impact signal may represent the presence of the impact vehicle, the trajectory of the impact vehicle, or both.

[0020] In block 415, the processing device 150 may determine the impact zone 110 relative to the host vehicle 100. The impact zone 110 may be determined from the speed of the host vehicle 100 and the speed and trajectory of the impact vehicle relative to the host vehicle 100.

[0021] At decision block 420, processing device 150 may compare impact zone 110 to passenger zone 115. If impact zone 110 is predicted to occur in passenger zone 115, process 400 may proceed to block 425. Otherwise, process 400 may proceed to block 435.

[0022] At block 425, the processing device 150 may select a countermeasure. Examples of countermeasures may include accelerating or decelerating the host vehicle 100. The processing device 150 may determine whether accelerating or decelerating the host vehicle 100 will cause the impact zone 110 to move away from the passenger zone 115. The processing device 150 may consider powertrain characteristics—e.g., how quickly the host vehicle 100 can accelerate—and braking characteristics—e.g., how quickly the host vehicle 100 can decelerate—when selecting the countermeasure. If both countermeasures are sufficient to move the impact zone 110 away from the passenger zone 115, or if moving the impact zone 110 out of the passenger zone 115 is impossible, the processing device 150 may select the countermeasure that places the impact zone 110 as far away from the occupants as possible.

[0023] At block 430, the processing device 150 may generate a control signal. The control signal may be output to a vehicle control system, which may cause the host vehicle 100 to implement the countermeasure. That is, the control signal may maneuver the host vehicle 100 in a manner that moves the impact zone 110 as far away from the passenger zone 115 as possible. Thus, the control signal may cause the host vehicle 100 to accelerate or decelerate, among other countermeasures.

[0024] At decision block 435, processing device 150 may determine whether a driver input signal has been received. The driver input signal may be generated by a driver input device, such as the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, or steering wheel. If it has been received, process 400 may proceed to block 440. Otherwise, process 400 may continue executing block 435 until a driver input signal is received.

[0025] At decision block 440, processing device 150 may determine whether the driver input signal will cause impact zone 110 to move into or remain within passenger zone 115. If the driver input signal will maneuver host vehicle 100 in a manner contrary to the selected countermeasure or cause impact zone 110 to enter passenger zone 115, process 400 may proceed to block 445. Otherwise, process 400 may proceed to block 450.

[0026] At block 445, the processing device 150 may override the driver input signal. For example, the processing device 150 may prevent the host vehicle 100 from responding according to the driver input signal. Accordingly, if the driver input signal would cause the host vehicle 100 to accelerate, but accelerating would move the impact zone 110 into the passenger zone 115, the processing device 150 may override the driver input signal to prevent the host vehicle 100 from accelerating. Alternatively, if the driver input signal would cause the host vehicle 100 to decelerate, but decelerating would move the impact zone 110 into the passenger zone 115, the processing device 150 may override the driver input signal to prevent the host vehicle 100 from decelerating.

[0027] In block 450, the processing device 150 may generate a control signal to operate the host vehicle 100 according to the driver input signal.

[0028] The process 400 may end after block 445 or 450. However, if the collision with the impact vehicle is avoided, the process 400 may return to block 410, and the process 400 may continue to execute until the host vehicle 100 is shut down.

[0029] In general, the described data processing systems and / or devices may employ any of a variety of computer operating systems, including, but not limited to, versions and / or variants of the Ford Sync® operating system, the Microsoft Windows® operating system, the Unix operating system (e.g., the Solaris® operating system distributed by Oracle Corporation of Redwood Shores, California, USA), the AIX UNIX operating system distributed by International Business Machines of Armonk, New York, USA, the Linux operating system, the MAC OSX and iOS operating systems distributed by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, USA, the Blackberry OS distributed by Blackberry, Ltd. of Waterloo, Canada, and the Android operating system developed by Google, Inc. and the Open Handset Alliance.Examples of data processing devices include, without limitation, a vehicle on-board computer, a workstation, a server, a desktop computer, a notebook, a laptop or portable computer, or any other data processing system and / or device.

[0030] Data processing devices generally include computer-executable instructions, where the instructions are executable by one or more data processing devices, such as those listed above. Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted by computer programs created using a variety of programming languages ​​and / or technologies, including, without limitation, and either alone or in combination, Java™, C, C++, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, etc. In general, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions from, e.g., memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes those instructions, thereby performing one or more operations, including one or more of the operations described herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer-readable media.

[0031] A computer-readable medium (also referred to as a processor-readable medium) includes any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a computer's processor). Such a medium can take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile and volatile media. Non-volatile media can include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other permanent storage. Volatile media can include, for example, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typically forms main memory.Such instructions may be transmitted by one or more transmission media, including coaxial cable, copper wire, and optical fiber, including the wires comprising a system bus coupled to a computer processor. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a diskette, a hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, a DVD, any other optical medium, punched cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with hole patterns, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

[0032] Databases, data repositories, or other data stores described herein may include various types of mechanisms for storing, retrieving, and accessing various types of data, including a hierarchical database, a set of files in a file system, an application database in a proprietary format, a relational database management system (RDMBS), etc. Each such data store is generally embodied in a computing device employing a computer operating system, such as one of those mentioned above, and is accessed via a network using any one or more of a variety of methods. A file system may be accessed by a computer operating system and may contain files stored in various formats.An RDBMS generally uses the Structured Query Language (SQL) in addition to a language for creating, storing, editing, and executing stored operations, such as the PL / SQL language mentioned above.

[0033] In some examples, system elements may be implemented as computer-readable instructions (e.g., software) on one or more computing devices (e.g., servers, personal computers, etc.) stored on associated computer-readable media (e.g., disks, memories, etc.). A computer program product may include such instructions stored on computer-readable media for performing the functions described herein.

[0034] With respect to the operations, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it is understood that although the steps of such operations, etc., have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such operations could be performed with the described steps performed in an order different from the order described herein. It is further understood that certain steps could be performed concurrently, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described herein could be omitted.

Claims

[1] Vehicle system comprising: a sensor configured to detect an impact vehicle; and a processing device (150) programmed to predict an impact zone (110), define a passenger zone (115) with respect to a host vehicle (100), and generate a control signal to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115), wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to receive a driver input signal and to determine whether the driver input signal controls the host vehicle (100) to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115), wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to cancel the driver input signal with the control signal if the driver input signal controls the host vehicle (100) to leave the impact zone (110) in the passenger zone (115), wherein the passenger zone (115) is defined at least in part by a location of at least one occupant within the host vehicle (100). [2] The vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising an occupant detection system (145) configured to determine the location of the at least one occupant. [3] The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to generate the control signal to accelerate the host vehicle (100) to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115). [4] The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to generate the control signal to decelerate the host vehicle (100) to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115). [5] The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the passenger zone (115) includes a driver seat area corresponding to a location of a driver seat in the host vehicle (100). [6] The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the passenger zone (115) includes at least one of a passenger seating area (125) corresponding to a location of a passenger seat in the host vehicle (100), a first rear seat area corresponding to a location of a first rear seat in the host vehicle (100), and a second rear seat area corresponding to a location of a second rear seat in the host vehicle (100). [7] The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to generate the control signal according to a powertrain characteristic of the host vehicle (100). [8] The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to generate the control signal according to a braking characteristic of the host vehicle (100). [9] Procedure comprising: Detecting an impact vehicle; Determining an impact zone (110) with respect to a host vehicle (100); Defining a passenger zone (115) based at least in part on a location of at least one occupant within the host vehicle (100); receiving a driver input signal and determining whether the driver input signal controls the host vehicle (100) to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115), and canceling the driver input signal with the control signal if the driver input signal controls the host vehicle (100) to maintain the impact zone (110) in the passenger zone (115); and Generating a control signal to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115). [10] The method of claim 9, further comprising determining the location of the at least one occupant inside the host vehicle (100). [11] The method of claim 9, wherein the control signal is generated to accelerate the host vehicle (100). [12] The method of claim 9, wherein the control signal is generated to decelerate the host vehicle (100). [13] The method of claim 9, wherein the control signal is generated according to at least one of a powertrain characteristic and a braking characteristic of the host vehicle (100). [14] Vehicle system comprising: an occupant detection system (145) configured to determine the location of the at least one occupant in a host vehicle (100); a sensor configured to detect an impact vehicle; and a processing device (150) programmed to predict an impact zone (110), define a passenger zone (115) with respect to the host vehicle (100), and generate a control signal to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115), wherein when an impact is imminent, the processing device (150) ignores or overrides certain driver input signals, wherein the passenger zone (115) is defined at least in part by a location of at least one occupant within the host vehicle (100), and wherein the control signal is generated in accordance with at least one of a powertrain characteristic and a braking characteristic of the host vehicle (100). [15] The vehicle system of claim 14, wherein the processing device (150) is programmed to generate the control signal to accelerate or decelerate the host vehicle (100) to move the impact zone (110) away from the passenger zone (115). [16] The vehicle system of claim 14, wherein the passenger zone (115) includes at least one of a driver seat area corresponding to a location of a driver seat in the host vehicle (100), a passenger seat area (125) corresponding to a location of a passenger seat in the host vehicle (100), a first rear seat area corresponding to a location of a first rear seat in the host vehicle (100), and a second rear seat area corresponding to a location of a second rear seat in the host vehicle (100).

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