Daimler Chrysler Ag

Mercedes-benz Aktiengesellschaft

Alexander Fuchs

Manfred Steiner

Bernd Knoff

Wolfgang Kiesewetter

Lorenz Maack

Eberhard Pfeifle

Carsten Lauer

Siegfried Rump

In a method for carrying out an automatic braking operation in a vehicle, a stte variable for describing driver's reactions and/or events outside the vehicle is sensed by means of a sensor, compared with a reference value and, when the reference value is exceeded, a higher braking pressure than the braking pressure corresponding to the brake pedal position is generated. In order to increase reliability, the automatic generation of braking pressure is suspended for a specific holding time if the state variable which is sensed by sensor means lies outside an acceptable tolerance range.

Method for automatic braking of a vehicle

A method for determining an initiation threshold value for an automatic braking process, in which an automatic braking process is used and a brake pressure is produced which is greater than the brake pressure which corresponds to the operation of the brake pedal by the driver. Short distances between vehicles increase the risk of accidents. If a driver operates the brakes when there is a short distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, in the vast majority of cases, the driver of the following vehicle is often required to perform an emergency braking due to the short distance between the vehicles. To improve the safety of vehicles, an emergency braking is performed, as quickly as possible, when the distance between vehicles is short. This emergency braking, within what is physically possible, ensures rapid deceleration of the vehicle and thus helps to avoid rear-impact accidents. While performing the automatic braking process, the method incorporates a reduction of the initiation threshold value if it is determined that the distance to a preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined limit.

Method for determining an initiation threshold value for an automatic braking process

A process and device are disclosed for preventing a vehicle from colliding with an obstacle during parking. The object of the invention is therefore to ensure that a collision can be reliably avoided without any additional intervention of the drive. In a device with at least one sensor for generating signals which represent the distance between the vehicle and an obstacle, the signals are processed in an evaluation unit. When at least one distance-representing signal falls below a limit value, a warning signal is generated. This warning signal drives a control valve which generates a pressure difference between the working chamber and the vacuum chamber in a brake booster when the warning signal is generated. This pressure difference causes the braking pressure to rise in the wheel brake cylinder and therefore slows the vehicle down to a standstill.

Preventing the collision of a vehicle with an obstacle

A procedure is provided to end an automatic braking operation such that unwanted ending of the automatic braking operation is prevented. If a switching operation of the switching element takes place within a predetermined time interval after the triggering of the automatic braking operation, the automatic braking operation is not automatically ended. The system monitors whether another switching operation takes place within the time interval. The other switching operation is the reverse of the first switching operation. If another switching operation takes place during the time interval, a second relative motion between the push rod and the component which can be moved within a defined motional play has taken place in this time period. Since the brake pedal is continuing to be actuated, the automatic braking operation is not then ended.

Process for ending an automatic braking operation

The invention relates to a method for determining the start of an automatic braking process. In those instances where the brake pedal is actuated starting from an initially unactuated position, triggering of automatic braking occurs when the actuation speed of the brake pedal remains above a threshold trigger value for automatic braking, and a prescribed pedal travel is exceeded in a specific time interval after the start of the actuation of the brake pedal. Light depression of the brake pedal which takes place only briefly at a high pedal actuation speed does not lead to the automatic braking process being triggered.

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Esslingen, Germany

Alexander Fuchs