Method for Controlling the Initiation Sensitivity of an Automatic Braking Procedure

The invention relates to a method for controlling the initiation sensitivity of a vehicle automatic braking procedure based on actuation speed of the vehicle brake pedal otherwise known as panic braking.

For example, German patent application DE 43 25 940 C1, which is not a prior publication, discloses a process which reduces the threshold value for the initiation of automatic braking as a function of the distance traversed by the brake pedal. For this purpose, a fixed specified initiation threshold value S is multiplied by a factor which is determined from a characteristic diagram.

German patent document DE 40 28 290 C1 discloses a basic automatic braking procedure in which a brake pressure greater than that corresponding to the position of the brake pedal is generated.

In emergency situations, the driver may react correctly at first and actuate the brake energetically, initiating the basic automatic braking procedure. It often happens, however, due to shock at the energetic reaction of the vehicle or due to an erroneous estimate of the situation, that the correct initial reaction is followed briefly by an at least partial release of the brake or by a partial braking position being retained, which can lead to the satisfaction of an interruption criterion for the automatic braking procedure according to the prior art. Under certain circumstances, renewed brake pedal actuation after automatic braking is thus terminated does not then reliably lead to renewed initiation of the automatic braking procedure.

The object of the present invention is to ensure, in such situations, that the automatic braking process is initiated rapidly and reliably upon renewed actuation of the brake pedal.

The object is achieved according to the invention by reducing the initiation threshold value for the automatic braking process during a time period after the satisfaction of the interruption criterion.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The single figure of the drawing shows a flow diagram of a method according to the present invention.

In step 100 a check is made whether the actuation speed vB of the brake pedal exceeds an initiation threshold value S for the initiation of the automatic braking procedure, and if not, the check of this criterion in step 100 is repeated. As soon as the actuation speed vB exceeds the initiation threshold value S, however, a time counter for the time tl is reset to zero and restarted in step 101, and automatic braking is carried out in accordance with step 102. During the automatic braking process, full operation of the brake servo-unit is selected by means of an electrical value and a corresponding brake pressure is generated. The detailed course of the braking procedure is well known and is described, for example, in German patent document DE 40 28 290 C1.

Step 103 checks whether an interruption criterion A is satisfied. If not, the process returns to step 102 and the automatic braking procedure is continued. For this purpose, for example, a suitable interruption criterion A may be a withdrawal of the brake pedal toward its unactuated rest position; alternatively, the attainment of the unactuated rest position of the brake pedal may be used.

If it is found in step 103, however, that the interruption criterion A is satisfied, automatic braking is terminated at step 109, and a time counter t2 is reset to zero and restarted in step 104. Step 105 then checks whether the time t1 measured since the beginning of the braking procedure is greater than the time period T1. If so, the process returns to step 100. In this case, the initiation threshold value S remains unaltered for the subsequent initiation of the automatic braking procedure. The time period T1 is, for example, specified as a fixed quantity and can assume values up to 5 seconds. Preferably, T1=3seconds.

If it is found in step 105 that the time period T1 has not elapsed since the beginning of the automatic braking procedure, step 106 checks whether the time interval T2 has elapsed since the interruption criterion A was satisfied. The time interval T2 is, for example, specified as a fixed quantity. It can be between 0 and 5 seconds, and is preferably approximately 2 seconds.

If the time interval T2 has elapsed in step 106, the process returns to step 100. Otherwise, the initiation threshold value S is multiplied by the factor F in step 107, so that a reduced threshold value S', which is only temporarily valid, is obtained. The factor F can be a fixed specified value, between 0.4 and 0.8, for example, or it can be defined as a function of the time t1 which has elapsed since the beginning of the automatic braking procedure or of the time t2 which has elapsed since the satisfaction of the interruption criterion A. In the latter cases, the factor F becomes greater as more time elapses, so that the temporarily valid initiation value S' is slowly matched to the specified threshold value S. (The threshold value S itself may be either specified as a fixed quantity, or it may be determined from characteristic diagrams as a function of a driving condition or a vehicle condition.)

Step 108 checks whether the actuation speed of the brake pedal vB is greater than the temporarily valid threshold value S'. If so, processing returns to step 102. A new automatic braking procedure is thus carried out, but the time t1 is not reset. If, however, renewed brake pressure has not been reapplied in excess of S', processing returns to step 106, and steps 106, 107 and 108 are repeated.

The fact that the initiation of two sequential but independent braking maneuvers are reliably dealt with by the same initiation criterion associated with the recognition of an emergency braking operation is relevant to the duration of the time period T1 and the time interval T2. On the other hand, a further automatic braking procedure, which depends on a first automatic braking procedure which has been terminated in the meantime, should be carried out rapidly and reliably. For this reason, the optimum duration of the time period T1 and of the time interval T2 must be determined as a function of the vehicle and its behavior.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example, and is not to be taken by way of limitation. The spirit and scope of the present invention are to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.