Patent US3527999A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5332057A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Contact preventive apparatus for vehicles
Assignee: Mazda Motor Corp
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Filing: 1993-09-14
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Granted: 1994-07-26
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Expires: 2013-09-14
Abstract
Abstract A contact preventive system for vehicles using an automatic braking device and an automatic steering device together. Contact forecasting mechanism forecasts the contact of a vehicle with an obstacle. When the contact of the obstacle is forecasted, automatic braking control mechanism operates the automatic braking device. Environment detecting mechanism detects the change of environment such as a friction coefficient of a road. Automatic steering control mechanism operates the automatic steering device to alter the advance direction of the vehicle when a possibility of contact is caused by the change of environment during automatic braking. Thus, contact can be avoided.
Inventors
- 👤 Tetsuro Butsuen
- 👤 Toshihiro Hara
- 👤 Kazuki Fujise
- 👤 Takeshi Takagi
- 👤 Satoshi Morioka
- 👤 Satoru Matsuoka
- 👤 Naoyuki Hikida
- 👤 Ayumu Doi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 20:04
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60K; B60K31/00; B60K31/0008; B60T; B60T7/00; B60T7/12; B60T7/22; B60T8/00; B60T8/32; B60T8/34; B60T8/343; B60T8/344; B60T8/48; B60T8/4809; B62; B62D; B62D6/00; G; G01; G01S; G01S15/00; G01S15/88; G01S15/93; G01S15/931; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/021; G05D1/0231; G05D1/0238; G05D1/024; G05D1/0255; B60W; B60W2540/00; B60W2540/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
136 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles, comprising: an automatic steering device for performing steering to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle; an automatic braking device for automatically braking wheels of the vehicle; contact forecasting means for forecasting the contact of the obstacle with the vehicle and generating an output signal; automatic braking control means for receiving the output signal of said contact forecasting means and operating the automatic braking device when the contact of the obstacle is forecasted; environment detecting means for detecting a change of environment acting on the vehicle and generating an output signal indicative of the change; and automatic steering control means for operating the automatic steering device to alter the advance direction of the vehicle when receiving the output signal of said environment detecting means during automatic braking.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
136 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles, comprising: an automatic steering device for performing steering to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle; an automatic braking device for automatically braking wheels of the vehicle; contact forecasting means for forecasting the contact of the obstacle with the vehicle and generating an output signal; automatic braking control means for receiving the output signal of said contact forecasting means and operating the automatic braking device when the contact of the obstacle is forecasted; environment detecting means for detecting a change of environment acting on the vehicle and generating an output signal indicative of the change; and automatic steering control means for operating the automatic steering device to alter the advance direction of the vehicle when receiving the output signal of said environment detecting means during automatic braking.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
56 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the contact forecasting means forecasts that the vehicle may come in contact with the obstacle when the relative speed of the vehicle to the obstacle is smaller than 0 and the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is not greater than a predetermined distance.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the automatic steering control means continues automatic steering until a time for passing the obstacle elapses.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 3, wherein the automatic steering control means performs corrective steering in which the advance direction after ending automatic steering is caused to correspond to that when starting steering after the passing time elapses.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
62 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the environment detecting means recognizes other vehicles around, and the automatic braking control means receives the output signal of the environment detecting means, and regulates the control of the automatic steering device performed by the automatic steering control means to operate the automatic braking device when other vehicles are recognized around.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the environment detecting means detects the presence of a turn signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the environment detecting means detects the presence of a friction coefficient of a road on which a vehicle runs.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the automatic steering control means removes braking performed by automatic braking device when receiving the output of said environment detecting means during automatic braking.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
73 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 8, further comprising speed detecting means for detecting the speed of a vehicle, wherein the automatic braking control means receives the output of said speed detecting means, and regulates the control of the automatic steering device performed by the automatic steering control means to operate the automatic braking device when the speed of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
77 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles according to claim 8, wherein the automatic braking control means performs automatic braking if the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is smaller than the sum of a distance necessary to reduce the speed of the vehicle to a constant speed and a distance at which the contact of the vehicle with the obstacle can be avoided by automatic steering when the speed of the vehicle is a predetermined speed.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
122 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles, having an automatic steering device for performing steering to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle and an automatic braking device for automatically braking wheels, comprising: contact forecasting means for forecasting the contact of the obstacle with the vehicle and generating an output signal; automatic braking control means for receiving the output signal of said contact forecasting means and operating the automatic braking device when forecasting the contact of the obstacle; automatic steering control means for operating the automatic steering device to alter the advance direction of the vehicle when deciding that it is impossible to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle only by automatic braking during automatic braking.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
122 words
A contact preventive apparatus for vehicles, having an automatic steering device for performing steering to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle and an automatic braking device for automatically braking wheels, comprising: contact forecasting means for forecasting the contact of the obstacle with the vehicle and generating an output signal; automatic braking control means for receiving the output signal of said contact forecasting means and operating the automatic braking device when forecasting the contact of the obstacle; automatic steering control means for operating the automatic steering device to alter the advance direction of the vehicle when deciding that it is impossible to prevent a vehicle from coming in contact with an obstacle only by automatic braking during automatic braking.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-07-25 | 1998-01-24 | 1998-07-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-07-25 | 2002-01-24 | 2002-07-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-07-25 | 2006-01-24 | 2006-07-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |