Patent application EP18177228A (EP), filed 2018-06-12
Publication number: EP3415384A1
Title: SLOW SPEED AUTOMATED VEHICLE BRAKE PRESSURE CONTROL SYSTEM
Abstract: [0001]    A brake control system (10) for operating brakes (18) of an automated vehicle at slow speed includes a motion-detector (22) and a controller (34). The motion-detector (22) detects relative-movement (24) of a host-vehicle (12) relative to a stationary-feature (26) located apart from the host-vehicle (12). The controller (34) is configured to operate brakes (18) of the host-vehicle (12). The controller (34) determines a vehicle-speed (36) of the host-vehicle (12) based on the relative-movement (24) when the vehicle-speed (36) is less than a speed-threshold (40), and regulates brake-pressure (36) of the brakes (18) based on the vehicle-speed (36).
IPC codes: B60T   8/   172            A I
B60W  30/    17            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: A brake control system for operating brakes of an automated vehicle, the brake control system comprising:
number: 2
text: The brake control system of claim 1, wherein the motion-detector includes a camera mounted on the host-vehicle, and the camera is oriented toward a road-surface proximate to the host-vehicle, and wherein the road-surface is the stationary-feature.
number: 3
text: The brake control system of claims 1 or 2, wherein the motion-detector includes a light-source that directs light toward a road-surface proximate to the host-vehicle, and an array of light-detectors that detect a pattern-of-light reflected by the road-surface, and wherein a road-surface is the stationary-feature.
number: 4
text: The brake control system of any of claims 1-3, wherein the motion-detector includes a radar mounted on the host-vehicle, and the radar is oriented to detect objects proximate to the host-vehicle, and wherein an object proximate to the host-vehicle is the stationary-feature.
number: 5
text: The brake control system of any of claims 1-4, wherein the brake-pressure is reduced when the vehicle-speed is less than a near-stop-speed threshold.
number: 6
text: The brake control system of any of claims 1-5, wherein the controller determines the vehicle-speed of the host-vehicle by using the wheel-speed-sensor when the vehicle-speed is at or above the speed-threshold, wherein an update-rate of the motion-detector is greater than an update-rate of the wheel-speed-sensor when the vehicle-speed is less than the speed-threshold.
number: 7
text: The brake control system of any of claims 1-6, wherein the stationary-feature includes at least one of a stationary roadway object proximate to the host-vehicle, a road-surface, and a lane-marking.
number: 8
text: The brake control system of claim 7, wherein the stationary roadway object includes a sign, a lamp-post, or a curb.
number: 9
text: The brake control system of any of claims 1-8, wherein the controller regulates the brake-pressure of the brakes by reducing the brake-pressure when the vehicle-speed is less than the speed-threshold.
number: 10
text: A method for operating brakes of an automated vehicle, the method comprising:
number: 11
text: The method of claim 10, wherein the motion-detector includes a camera mounted on the host-vehicle, and the camera is oriented toward a road-surface proximate to the host-vehicle, and wherein the road-surface is the stationary-feature.
number: 12
text: The method of claims 10 or 11, wherein the motion-detector includes a light-source that directs light toward a road-surface proximate to the host-vehicle, and an array of light-detectors that detect a pattern-of-light reflected by the road-surface, and wherein a road-surface is the stationary-feature.
number: 13
text: The method of any of claims 10-12, wherein the motion-detector includes a radar mounted on the host-vehicle, and the radar is oriented to detect objects proximate to the host-vehicle, and wherein an object proximate to the host-vehicle is the stationary-feature.
number: 14
text: The method of any of claims 10-13, wherein the brake-pressure is reduced when the vehicle-speed is less than a near-stop-speed threshold.
number: 15
text: The method of any of claims 10-14, further comprising determining, by the controller, the vehicle-speed of the host-vehicle by using the wheel-speed-sensor when the vehicle-speed is at or above the speed-threshold, wherein an update-rate of the motion-detector is greater than an update-rate of the wheel-speed-sensor when the vehicle-speed is less than the speed-threshold.
number: 16
text: The method of any of claims 10-15, wherein the stationary-feature includes at least one of a stationary roadway object proximate to the host-vehicle, a road-surface, and a lane-marking.
number: 17
text: The method of claim 16, wherein the stationary roadway object includes a sign, a lamp-post, or a curb.
number: 18
text: The method of any of claims 10-17, wherein regulating the brake-pressure of the brakes comprises reducing, by the controller, the brake-pressure when the vehicle-speed is less than the speed-threshold.
Office action: search_report, dated 2018-12-19
Rejection reasons: novelty_epc_54
inventive_step_epc_56
Prior art cited: ref_id: US2014184785A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: DE102007060858A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: WO2012000579A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: WO2005014350A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2012239266A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: WO2005014350
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: DE102007060858
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: WO2012000579
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: US2012239266
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: US2014184785
ref_type: patent
severity: novelty_destroying
Final disposition: pending (2018-12-19)