Patent ID: 7673950

Claim:
A method for assisting driving of a vehicle having a plurality of wheels comprising the steps of: measuring a distance between the vehicle and an obstacle using at least one distance sensor; determining a distance remaining to be traveled by subtracting a predetermined target stopping distance from the distance measured by the distance sensor; determining an overall velocity of the vehicle; determining a predictable stopping distance as a function of the overall velocity and of a predetermined target deceleration; determining a term of retroactive effect as a function of the velocity and of the difference between the predictable stopping distance and the distance remaining to be traveled; wherein the term of retroactive effect is calculated by forming the sum of a term proportional to the difference between the predictable stopping distance and the distance remaining to be traveled, of a term proportional to the temporal derivative of the difference, and of a term proportional to a temporal integral of the difference; forming the product of the sum and a gain, the gain being a function of the direction of displacement of the vehicle; adding a distance term to the product when the distance remaining to be traveled is less than a proximity threshold or when the difference between the predictable stopping distance and the distance remaining to be traveled is greater than a threshold difference; adding a gradient term to the product, the gradient term being a function of the gradient of a surface on which the vehicle is located measured using a gradient sensor; determining a rate of temporal variation as a function of the term of retroactive effect; applying a braking force to at least one wheel of the vehicle using a braking device; and modifying the braking force applied by the braking device according to the rate of temporal variation.