Threat Assessment State Processing for Collision Warning, Mitigation and/or Avoidance in Ground-Based Vehicles

A method for detecting and avoiding an obstacle using a system of a vehicle, the vehicle including brakes and a powertrain, and the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle;
• reducing power from the powertrain when the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle is less than a first threshold;
• applying the brakes when the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle is less than a second threshold;
• determining whether an override of the system has been initiated;
• and
• at least performing one of restoring power from the powertrain and disabling the application of the brakes if it is determined that the override has been initiated.

A system of a vehicle for detecting and avoiding an obstacle, the system comprising:

• an obstacle detector coupled to the vehicle and configured to detect a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle;
• an action generator configured to generate an action;
• an override mechanism configured to at least facilitate determining whether an override of the system has been initiated;
• and
• a processor coupled to the obstacle detector, the action generator, and the override mechanism, the processor configured to (i) command the action generator to generate the action when the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle detected by the obstacle detector is less than a threshold;
• and (ii) disable the generated action if it is determined that the override has been initiated.