Mercedes-benz Aktiengesellschaft

Daimler Ag

Frank-Werner Mohn

Walter Klinkner

Erich Schindler

Adam Zomotor

Thomas Wohland

Avshalom Suissa

Volker Oltmann

Uwe Franke

Ingo Dudeck

Bernd Woltermann

Zoltan Zomotor

Reinhold Schoeb

Uwe Regensburger

Carsten Knoeppel

Rainer Moebus

Axel Gern

Reinhard Janssen

Edgar Bihler

Helmut Schittenhelm

The opening of vehicle doors often leads to collisions with stationary obstacles that are not visible to the occupants or with moving obstacles that approach the vehicle without being noticed. Thus to avoid collisions when vehicle doors are opened, the aim of the invention is to take any modifications to the environmental situation of the vehicle as a result of a movement of the vehicle and the detected objects into consideration. This allows a collision of the vehicle doors with the objects to be reliably avoided. To achieve this, in a first step the probable trajectory of a vehicle is determined. In an additional step, the objects in the vicinity of the vehicle are detected and probable trajectories of said detected objects are determined. Respective probability ranges are then defined both for the vehicle and the pivoting zone of the vehicle doors and for the detected objects. The probability ranges of the pivoting zones of the vehicle doors are respectively compared with the individual probability ranges of the objects, in order to determine whether they overlap. If an overlap is identified, a response; signal that indicates the risk of a collision is generated.

Process and device for avoiding collision while opening vehicle doors

A method and apparatus for preventing vehicle handling instabilities, in which a vehicle yaw angular velocity required value (.mu..sub.soll) is formed from measured quantities (vehicle velocity, steering wheel angle). The vehicle yaw angular velocity actual value (.mu..sub.ist) is formed from at least one sensor signal, the difference between the yaw angular velocity required value (.mu..sub.soll) and the yaw angular velocity actual value (.mu..sub.ist) is determined by subtracting the yaw angular velocity actual value (.mu..sub.ist) from the yaw angular velocity required value (.mu..sub.soll), and the handling situation or the vehicle yaw behavior to be detected is determined from this difference. The time derivative of the difference is formed to determine whether the vehicle exhibits understeer or oversteer. The slip threshold value (.sigma..sub.soll) is varied in the direction of the value 0 when it is deduced from the detected handling situation that a changed lateral guidance force is required on the wheels of the vehicle driven axle.

Method and apparatus for preventing vehicle handling instabilities

A method detects the driving situation with respect to the yaw behavior of the vehicle, in which a desired value of the vehicle yaw angle rate .mu..sub.des is derived in a computer unit from measured values (such as vehicle speed, steering wheel angle), and at least one sensor signal is supplied to the computer unit from which the actual value of the vehicle yaw angle rate .mu..sub.act is derived. The difference between the desired value of the yaw angle rate .mu..sub.des and the actual value of the yaw angle rate .mu..sub.act is formed in the computer unit. The actual value of the yaw angle rate .mu..sub.act is subtracted from the desired value of the yaw angle rate .mu..sub.des, and at least one output signal is generated in and emitted by the computer unit from this difference. The output signal represents the detected driving situation with respect to the yaw behavior of the vehicle. The magnitude of the time derivative of the difference is used to derive whether there is a tendency towards an increasingly critical driving situation.

Method for detecting driving situation with respect to vehicle yaw

A method and apparatus prevents instabilities in vehicle handling by forming a desired value of the vehicle yaw angle rate .mu..sub.des from measured values (namely, vehicle speed, steering wheel angle), and forming the actual value of the vehicle yaw angle rate .mu..sub.act from at least one sensor signal. The difference between the desired value of the yaw angle rate .mu..sub.des and the actual value of the yaw angle rate .mu..sub.act is formed by subtracting the actual value of the yaw angle rate .mu..sub.act from the desired value of the yaw angle rate .mu..sub.des. At least one output signal is generated and emitted by the computer unit, from this difference. The output signal represents the detected driving situation with respect to the yaw behavior of the vehicle, with the brake pressure of individual wheels of the vehicle being varied as a function of this output signal, and the output signal being generated in the computer unit as a function of a time derivative of the difference. The output signal contains information on whether the vehicle has understeering or oversteering handling. In the case of oversteering handling, the brake pressure is increased for the vehicle front wheel on the outside of the turn; in the case of understeering handling, the brake pressure is increased for the vehicle rear wheel on the inside of the turn.

Apparatus and method for preventing instabilities in vehicle handling

Growing community of inventors

Esslingen, Germany

Frank-Werner Mohn