Multi-target threat assessment for automotive applications

Auto-brake systems have been on the market for a few years, but in order to continue improving their performance, multi-target threat assessment is a key component. The goal is to early be able to say that a collision can no longer be avoided by a steering maneuver, and thus braking can be started earlier. This is done by looking at all objects in the road scene, including other vehicles and barriers, and then looking for escape paths. The paper presents a computationally efficient way of determining whether an escape path can be found in a scenario with generally positioned objects, given the limited dynamics of the vehicle.