Vehicle Control System for Small Overlap Collision Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle designs face challenges in minimizing accident severity during small overlap collisions, particularly due to wheel intrusion into the occupant compartment, which is difficult to design for as the safety cage is not equipped to handle crashes affecting the outer edge of the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that uses forward-looking sensors to detect impending collisions, deactivates the anti-lock braking system, locks up the wheels, and steers them either towards or away from the impact point to minimize damage by deflecting the impact force and preventing wheel intrusion into the passenger cabin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle uses conventional braking systems with ABS during a collision, then the braking control is maintained, but the wheels cannot be locked-up sufficiently to prevent intrusion into the occupant compartment
Solution Approach 1:
The system deactivates the ABS system before the collision to prevent it from interfering with wheel lock-up. By disabling the anti-lock braking function in advance, the system ensures that the brakes can fully lock the wheels without automatic modulation, thereby preventing wheel intrusion into the occupant compartment during the collision event.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system locks up the wheels in advance of the actual collision impact by detecting the collision event and activating the braking system. This preliminary wheel lock-up action occurs just before impact, ensuring the wheels are firmly positioned and cannot intrude into the passenger cabin during the collision forces.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the vehicle steers the wheels towards the impact point, then the impact force is deflected away from the occupant compartment, but the steering system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system rotates the vehicle's wheels to a predetermined angle corresponding to the impact point before the collision occurs. By pre-positioning the wheels at the correct steering angle, the impact force is directed along the intended path away from the occupant compartment, eliminating the need for complex real-time steering adjustments during the collision.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system changes the steering angle parameter of the wheels to a specific value that corresponds to the detected impact point. This parameter adjustment optimizes the wheel orientation to deflect impact forces away from the passenger cabin, simplifying the control logic by using a predetermined angle rather than continuous dynamic adjustment.
3Measurement precision
If the vehicle uses forward-looking sensors to detect objects, then collision detection accuracy improves, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The forward-looking sensor system is integrated with the existing collision warning and avoidance systems in modern vehicles. The same sensors serve multiple functions including object detection, collision risk assessment, and triggering the wheel lock-up and steering control sequences, thereby reducing the need for separate dedicated sensor systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the object detection function with the collision response control system. The forward-looking sensors are merged with the braking and steering control systems, allowing a single integrated system to perform detection, decision-making, and actuation, thereby reducing overall system complexity compared to separate independent systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique is provided in which detection of an impending collision results in the vehicle's control system taking steps to minimize damage to the passenger cabin, thereby increasing passenger safety. In particular, once an object is detected in the vehicle's pathway, the on-board controller determines whether or not a collision with the object (e.g., an on-coming car or a stationary object) is imminent. Once the system determines that a collision is imminent, the controller (i) deactivates the car's anti-lock braking system, (ii) locks-up the wheels, and (iii) rotates the front wheels to minimize intrusion of the wheels into the passenger cabin. The system may be configured to tailor the response to an imminent collision based on (i) vehicle speed, and (ii) probable impact area.