The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 14, 2020
Filed:
Apr. 10, 2018
Valeo Schalter Und Sensoren Gmbh, Bietigheim-Bissingen, DE;
Xavier Marie Groult, Bietigheim-Bissingen, DE;
Alexandre Jacques Garnault, San Mateo, CA (US);
Thomas Heitzmann, Bietigheim-Bissingen, DE;
Charles-Henri Francois Quivy, Bietigheim-Bissingen, DE;
Abstract
An apparatus and corresponding methods for detecting a tailgating situation involving a second motor vehicle behind an automated vehicle, and performing an automated safety routine in response to the detected tailgating situation. The tailgating situation is detected based on a simultaneous occurrence of two or more conditions involving an estimated time to collision, lateral offsets of both vehicles with respect to a center of a lane, activation of a turn signal blinker of the second motor vehicle, or flashing of a headlamp of the second motor vehicle. The safety routine includes performing a lane change to an adjacent lane. When no adjacent lanes are available for a lane change, a maximum permissible deceleration rate is decreased while increasing a time gap between the automated vehicle and a third motor vehicle directly in front of the automated vehicle by automatically adjusting an amount of at least one of acceleration or braking.