Mazda Motor Corporation

Mazada Motor Corporation

Mazda Motor Coporaton

Yasunori Yamamoto

Tohru Yoshioka

Tetsuro Butsuen

Tomohiko Adachi

Ayumu Doi

Hiroki Uemura

Kenichi Okuda

Naotsugu Masuda

Ken-ichi Okuda

Satoshi Morioka

Hiroshi Uchida

Hiroshi Ohmura

Haruki Okazaki

Takahiro Tochioka

Tadayuki Niibe

Masanobu Fukushima

Yohei Iwashita

Toshihiro Ishikawa

Toshihiro Hara

Takashi Sugano

Yoshitaka Fujihara

Kazuki Fujise

Hideki Nishitake

Shinichiro Yamashita

Tooru Yoshioka

A millimeter-wave radar (obstacle detecting device) detects an obstacle in front of a traveling vehicle. A driving-state detecting device detects a specified driving state of the vehicle. An operation-timing changing device changes an operation timing of operational devices according to detection results of the driving-state detecting device. A control unit (operation control device) operates the operational devices (warning device, brake device, seatbelt pre-tensioner) at the above operation timing. Thus, the safe and smooth vehicle driving can be attained without an improper detection of the obstacle.

Obstacle detecting control device of vehicle

A traveling-path temporary-setting unit 21 sets a plurality of temporary traveling paths with different curvatures, and a calculation unit 22 calculates distances between the temporary traveling paths and preceding vehicles detected by a radar unit 1. In case of a properly-set temporary traveling path, the path and running loci of the preceding vehicles are on a concentric circle. In this case, the preceding vehicles are running along this temporary traveling path, and a time change amount of calculated distances is approximately '0'. A traveling-path determination unit 23 determines, one temporary traveling path having the minimum time change amount in the distances, as a traveling path of the vehicle.

Traveling-path deduction apparatus and method for vehicles

A distance monitoring system of a vehicle monitors a distance to a preceding vehicle traveling directly ahead of the vehicle to determines whether the preceding vehicle is decelerating by comparing a change in the vehicle speed with a reference value which is varied according to various driving condition in relation in particular to dangers such as collisions against the preceding vehicle.

Method of and system for monitoring preceding vehicles

A vehicle traveling-path prediction apparatus that detects a stationary object in front of the vehicle by utilizing an obstacle detection device instead of a yaw rate sensor, and predicts a traveling path based on the detected stationary object. The apparatus comprises control unit having an obstacle detection device which receives a detection signal from a radar head unit to detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle, stationary object detection device which receives an output signal from the obstacle detection device to detect the obstacle as a stationary object, a first traveling-path prediction device which receives an output signal from the stationary object detection device, and if there is a stationary object in front of the vehicle, calculates a radius of curvature R1 of a first traveling path, based on data indicative of running conditions of the vehicle, a second traveling-path prediction device which calculates a radius of curvature R2 of a second traveling path, based on a velocity V0 and a steering angle .theta.H, and a selection device which receives a detection signal from the radar head unit and if there is no stationary object in front of the vehicle, selects the second traveling path R2 calculated by the second traveling-path prediction device.

Traveling-path prediction apparatus and method for vehicles

In a vehicle running mode detecting system, a relative speed of a vehicle, equipped with the vehicle running mode detecting system, to a forward object is calculated on the basis of a time elapsed from a reference time based on which the time elapsed is measured and a change in the distance between the vehicle and the forward object during the time elapsed. Whether the vehicle is running in a constant distance mode where the distance between the vehicle and the forward object is kept substantially constant or in a varying distance mode where the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating relative to the forward object and the distance between the vehicle and the forward object is varying is determined on the basis of the change in the distance between the vehicle and the forward object. The reference time is updated less frequently when the vehicle is running in the constant distance mode than when the vehicle is running in the varying distance mode.

Vehicle running mode detecting system

An obstacle detection system for vehicles detects kinetic attributes relative to a vehicle equipped with the system of an object present in a forward path of travel of the vehicle, sets a presumed zone into which the object is expected to have entered at a lapse of a specified period based on the kinetic attributes, and proves an object detected at a lapse of the specified period as the object previously detected if the object of second detection is determined as one having moved into the presumed zone and an obstacle precarious to the vehicle.

Obstacle detecting system for vehicles

When information of an obstacle is not outputted from a radar device, a presumption device presumes at least a present value of a distance between a vehicle and the obstacle based on information in a memory part obtained until the time, and a contact-possibility judgment device judges a possibility of contact of the vehicle with the obstacle based on the information from the presumption device. A detection device is provided for detecting conditions at the time when the information of the obstacle is not outputted from the radar device, for example, a relation of relative position of the obstacle to the vehicle. Further, a restriction device is provided for restricting the presumption by the presumption device according to the relation of relative position. Thus, a possibility of contact of the vehicle with the obstacle running forward of the vehicle is appropriately judged and mis-operations of an alarm, an automatic braking and the like are prevented, while ensuring running safety.

Vehicle run safety apparatus

A suspension control system for feedback-controlling the sprung mass acceleration signal y.sub.m and a method for introducing the unsprung mass acceleration signal y.sub.L into a tuning circuit to tune gain of an FIR filter. In this system, tuning is performed so as to cancel the road surface input y.sub.m close to a reference frequency (around 10-12 Hz). As a result, the sprung mass acts as a dynamic damper upon the road surface input y.sub.m close to the reference frequency (around 10-12 Hz), however, frequency bands other than the reference frequency band do not receive the contribution of the second term in the equation (6). That is, output from the tuning circuit to an adder becomes almost zero, and normal sky-hook control is performed. Though the sprung mass system acts as a dynamic damper, the unsprung mass system exceeds the sprung mass system in mass, and excessive resonance does not occur.

Suspension apparatus with driving state feedback for vehicles

An obstacle detection system for an automotive vehicle detects obstacles ahead of the vehicle and finds the dynamic relativity between the vehicle and each of the obstacles. Based on the dynamic relativity, information relating to a danger level between the vehicle and each obstacle is operated on so as to make a danger judgement. A frequency, at which the operations on the information relating to danger level are made, is increasingly or decreasingly varied according to the danger levels of the obstacles.

Obstacle detection system for automotive vehicle

An integrated controller for a vehicle comprises a contact preventive device for detecting a distance between a vehicle and an obstacle and a relative speed, and deciding whether the vehicle may come in contact with the obstacle based on the results of detection so as to perform automatic braking or automatic steering, and a characteristic changing device for causing the suspension or steering characteristic of the vehicle to be changed. The control part of the characteristic changing device changes the suspension or steering characteristic based on information from the control part of the contact preventive device when operating the contact preventive device. In case the characteristic changing device is an active suspension device, the control part changes the suspension characteristic so as to increase a control gain when performing automatic braking and to inhibit the vehicle from being rolled when performing automatic steering. Consequently, it is possible to early change the suspension characteristic when operating the contact preventive device. Thus, the running stability of the vehicle can be enhanced.

Integrated controller for vehicle

The vehicle is provided with a radar unit for detecting an obstacle existing ahead in the course of the running way along which the vehicle is running. When the radar unit detects a variation in its detectable region, such as a detectable distance or a detectable area range in left and right directions, from the detectable region to be detectable during ordinary running, a safety unit such as an alarm unit or an automatic brake unit is operated. A control logic for operating a collision-avoiding system for avoiding a collision with the obstacle existing ahead, such as an alarm unit or an automatic brake unit, is altered to a safe side on which safety in driving the vehicle is improved, when the detectable region is varied.

Running-safety system for an automotive vehicle

A method to determine a horizontal error of a radar device mounted on a vehicle along with the mounting error or imbalance in the diameters of wheels based on an echo signal from a reflector provided on a road. A vehicle's traveling locus is stored in advance as a reference locus obtained from the distance L between the vehicle and reflector and the direction .theta..sub.R. A traveling locus when the vehicle is actually traveling in a straight line where the steering handle is kept in a neutral position is compared with the previously stored reference locus. A horizontal error is obtained from the traveling locus on the coordinate axis .theta..sub.R and the shift from the reference locus.

Detection and calibration of horizontal error in a scanning type radar

When the vehicle has deviated or is deviating from a lane on which the vehicle has been or is running, the deviation of the vehicle from the lane can be suppressed, for example, by allowing the steering wheel to be operatively rotated prior to an intention of the operator. The timing of suppressing the deviation of the vehicle can be altered in accordance with conditions including, for example, the existence of a lane in the direction of deviation of the vehicle on which another vehicle is running in the same direction, the existence of an obstacle in the direction of deviation of the vehicle, the existence of an adjacent lane in the direction of deviation of the vehicle on which another vehicle is running in the opposite direction, a state of the lane on which the vehicle is running, such as a curved lane or a straight lane, a direction of deviation is outside or inside the curved lane or a lane width, a vehicle speed, a steering angle of a steering wheel, an extent of vision, and so on.

Navigation control system with adaptive characteristics

An obstacle sensing apparatus for vehicles which enables efficient obstacle sensing and improves sensing precision. The apparatus comprises a section for predicting a deduced traveling-passage on which the vehicle will travel, based on a steering angle, a yaw rate and a velocity of the vehicle, a section having a CCD camera, for detecting a current traveling-passage on which the vehicle is currently moving, a scanning-type radar unit for sensing obstacles within a predetermined area, and a danger level judging section for judging danger levels of the sensed obstacles, based on the deduced traveling-passage and the current traveling-passage. The danger level judging section sets the danger level of the obstacle sensed within an area, where the deduced traveling-passage and the current traveling-passage overlap with each other, to the highest danger level; the obstacle sensed in an area within the current traveling-passage and without the deduced traveling-passage, to an intermediate danger level; the obstacle sensed in an area within the deduced traveling-passage and without the current traveling-passage, to a lower danger level; and the obstacle sensed in an area without the current and deduced traveling-passages, to the lowest danger level.

Obstacle sensing apparatus for vehicles

An obstacle detection apparatus for a motor vehicle detects another vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle as an obstacle. The apparatus has a first unit, providing a course on which the vehicle is supposed to travel, a second unit, providing a reserve course located outside of the course, an obstacle detector detecting the other vehicle traveling in the course or the reserve course as an obstacle, and an obstacle detection continuation unit continuously detecting the other vehicle until a predetermined condition has been satisfied when the other vehicle moves from the course to the reserve course.

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Hiroshima, Japan

Yasunori Yamamoto