Device for preventing stepping error of brake and accelerator of automobile

Abstract

To mechanically discriminate between intentional sudden acceleration, and stepping errors of the brake and the accelerator by mistake in driving an automobile, in order to prevent accidents due to stepping errors, or to decrease the intensity of accidents.SOLUTION: A pressure sensor for detecting pressing force is provided in a steering shaft. Accordingly, when a controlling unit detects strong pressing force against the handle, and simultaneously detects quick and deep stepping on the accelerator pedal, an acceleration signal is cancelled and automatic braking is actuated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for preventing accidents caused by a driver of an automobile mistaking the accelerator for the brake. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there have been many accidents caused by drivers, especially elderly drivers, mistaking the accelerator for the brake.

[0003] Mistaking the accelerator for the brake in an automatic vehicle is a rare occurrence, regardless of the driver's age, but in most cases the driver will quickly realize the mistake and be able to press the brake again and avoid an accident.

[0004] However, in the case of elderly people, due to factors such as a decline in reflexes and cognitive function, the car suddenly accelerates even though they think they are stepping on the brake, causing them to panic, and in an attempt to stop the car, they press even harder on the accelerator, which they think is the brake, causing accidents.

[0005] To prevent such accidents caused by mistaking the accelerator for the brake, automakers are developing accident prevention mechanisms that automatically close the engine throttle and apply the brakes when various sensors detect an obstacle ahead, even if the driver steps on the accelerator. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A pressure sensor that detects pressure is provided on the steering wheel or steering shaft of the automobile.

[0007] The brake of the automobile is provided with a servo mechanism that can automatically operate the brake even if the brake pedal is not depressed.

[0008] A program is added to the existing engine control CPU of the automobile, or a dedicated control circuit is installed on the exterior to serve as a control unit, which is constantly monitored by a pressure sensor that detects pressure installed on the steering wheel or steering shaft, and the amount and speed of depression of the accelerator pedal.

[0009] When the control unit detects a strong pressure on the steering wheel and simultaneously detects a quick and deep depression of the brake pedal, the control unit cancels the control signal from the accelerator pedal, closes the engine throttle, and simultaneously activates the brake.

[0010] In addition, in claim 2, when the control that leads to the above-mentioned automatic brake operation is initiated, an alarm sound or an alarm sound and voice is used to notify the driver of the possibility of accidentally stepping on the brake instead of the accelerator.

[0011] In addition, in claim 3, a control pattern is set that takes into account the speed range as a requirement for automatic brake activation.

[0012] In other words, when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed, if the vehicle brake / accelerator misapplication prevention device of claims 1 and 2 detects strong pressure on the steering wheel and deep pressure on the accelerator pedal at the same time, it will close the engine throttle and automatically apply the brakes; and when it detects strong pressure on the steering wheel and deep pressure on the accelerator pedal at the same time while the vehicle is traveling at a medium to high speed, it will only close the engine throttle without automatically applying the brakes, and will only notify the driver of the possibility of misapplication of the brake and accelerator pedal with an alarm sound and voice. [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] In accidents caused by mistaking the brake for the accelerator, the driver steps on the brake with the intention of slowing down or stopping the vehicle, but accidentally steps on the accelerator instead. This causes the vehicle to suddenly accelerate unintentionally, which causes the driver to panic and continue to press the accelerator even harder, even though the driver thinks it is the brake, which leads to an accident.

[0014] However, even during everyday driving, sudden acceleration may occur, such as when merging onto a highway, and it is difficult to distinguish between such intentional sudden acceleration and panicked sudden acceleration caused by mistaking the brake for the accelerator using mechanical means.

[0015] To address these issues, automakers have already implemented safety mechanisms in some commercially available vehicles that use sensors to monitor the road ahead and cancel the accelerator signal and activate automatic braking when an obstacle is detected ahead.

[0016] However, when there is no obstacle ahead, for example, when you notice a red light ahead and try to stop suddenly by accidentally stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake, it may be difficult to operate properly.

[0017] For these reasons, measures are needed to selectively prevent unintended sudden acceleration caused by mistaking the brake for the accelerator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] When a driver intends to slow down or stop the vehicle and shifts their right foot from the accelerator to the brake, if they mistakenly believe the accelerator to be the brake and step on it, the car will suddenly accelerate instead of slowing down, causing a panic reaction in which they push hard on the steering wheel and lean their body back against the seat, triggering a physical reaction in which they continue to press harder on the accelerator, which they believe to be the brake.

[0019] The physical reaction at this time involves pushing hard on the steering wheel, so by simultaneously detecting the pressure on the steering wheel and the quick, deep depression of the accelerator, it can be determined with a high degree of certainty that the driver has mistakenly pressed the brake for the accelerator.

[0020] In this patent, the control unit detects strong pressure from a signal from a pressure sensor installed on the steering shaft, and at the same time detects a quick, deep depression of the accelerator from the accelerator signal, determining that the accelerator has been mistaken for the brake, cancels the accelerator signal, closes the engine throttle, and simultaneously activates the automatic brake.

[0021] At this time, the driver is notified that a safety device has intervened because there is a possibility that the driver may have mistakenly stepped on the brake instead of the accelerator, and in order to draw attention, an alarm sound and voice are sounded to notify the driver that the vehicle's brake / accelerator mistake prevention device has been activated.

[0022] Furthermore, if the driver confuses the brake and accelerator pedals when entering or exiting a parking lot at low speeds, there is a high possibility that pedestrians may be nearby, so the automatic brakes must be activated to bring the vehicle to a sudden halt. However, at medium to high speeds where there is a high probability that the vehicle will be traveling on the road, sudden braking poses the risk of rear-end collisions and other accidents. Therefore, when the brake-accelerator misapplication prevention device is activated, it simply cancels the accelerator signal and closes the engine throttle, and at the same time notifies the driver of the possibility of misapplication of the brake and accelerator pedal with an audible alarm and voice message. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] When a driver intends to slow down or stop the vehicle by switching their right foot from the accelerator to the brake, if they mistakenly believe the accelerator to be the brake and press it down, the car will suddenly accelerate unintentionally, causing the driver to panic and push hard on the steering wheel, leaning back as if pressing their body against the seat, triggering a physical reaction in which they continue to press down even harder on the accelerator, which they believe to be the brake.

[0024] The present invention determines that the strong pressure on the steering wheel and the rapid, deep depression of the accelerator resulting from this physical reaction are not an intended sudden acceleration but a mistaken misapplication of the brake and accelerator pedal, and cancels the accelerator signal, closes the engine throttle, and simultaneously applies the brakes automatically, preventing or reducing the severity of an accident.

[0025] In addition, if the driver accidentally steps on the accelerator instead of the brake at low speeds, such as when entering or exiting a parking lot, there is a high possibility that pedestrians may be nearby, so the automatic brakes are activated to immediately bring the vehicle to a halt, preventing an accident or reducing the severity of the accident.

[0026] Furthermore, at medium to high speeds, there is a high probability that the vehicle will be traveling on the road, and if the vehicle were to suddenly brake automatically in that case, it could cause the vehicle to slip or be rear-ended by a following vehicle. Therefore, when the brake-accelerator misapplication prevention device is activated at medium to high speeds, it will not activate the automatic brakes but will only intervene by closing the engine throttle, and at the same time will notify the driver with an alarm and voice that there is a possibility of misapplication of the brake and accelerator, thereby preventing an accident while avoiding a secondary accident or reducing the severity of the accident. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the physical reaction when a panic reaction occurs due to accidentally stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake. The arrows in the figure indicate the direction of movement.

[0028] [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of signals from the steering shaft pressure sensor and accelerator pedal, and the flow of control signals to the automatic brake. The arrows in the figure indicate the direction of signal transmission. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] A pressure sensor that detects pressure is provided on the steering wheel or steering shaft of the automobile.

[0030] The brake of the automobile is provided with a servo mechanism that can automatically operate the brake even if the brake pedal is not depressed.

[0031] A program is added to the existing engine control CPU of the automobile, or a dedicated control circuit is installed on the exterior to serve as a control unit, which is constantly monitored by a pressure sensor that detects pressure installed on the steering wheel or steering shaft, and the amount and speed of depression of the accelerator pedal.

[0032] When the control unit detects a strong pressure on the steering wheel and simultaneously detects a quick and deep depression of the brake pedal, if the vehicle is traveling at low speed, the control unit cancels the control signal from the accelerator pedal, closes the engine throttle, and activates the automatic brake, and if the vehicle is traveling at medium to high speed, the control unit only closes the engine throttle without activating the automatic brake.

[0033] When the device for preventing mistakenly stepping on the brake and accelerator of an automobile of the present invention is activated at low speeds or in the medium to high speed range, an alarm sound and voice are simultaneously emitted to notify the driver that the safety device has intervened due to the possibility of mistakenly stepping on the brake and accelerator. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1. Driver 2 handles 3. Steering column 4 steering shaft 5. Pressure Sensor 6. Accelerator pedal 7 seats 8 Control Unit 9 Automatic braking device 10 Signal Cable 11 Brake pipe 12 Brake

Claims

1. This device prevents mistaken depression of the brake and accelerator pedal of an automobile by providing a pressure sensor for detecting pressure on the steering wheel or steering shaft of the automobile, whereby a control unit detects strong pressure on the steering wheel and simultaneously detects deep depression of the accelerator pedal, and controls the control unit to close the engine throttle and automatically apply the brake.

2. 2. The device for preventing misapplication of the brake and accelerator pedals of an automobile according to claim 1, wherein when the device for preventing misapplication of the brake and accelerator pedals of an automobile according to claim 1 is activated, the driver is notified of the possibility of misapplication of the brake and accelerator pedals by an alarm sound or an alarm sound and voice.

3. 3. The brake-accelerator misapplication prevention device of claim 1, wherein when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed and the brake-accelerator misapplication prevention device of claim 1 detects strong pressure on the steering wheel and deep pressure on the accelerator pedal simultaneously, the device closes the engine throttle and automatically applies the brakes; and when the vehicle is traveling at a medium to high speed and the device detects strong pressure on the steering wheel and deep pressure on the accelerator pedal simultaneously, the device closes the engine throttle without automatically applying the brakes and notifies the driver of the possibility of misapplication of the brake and accelerator pedal with an alarm sound and voice.

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