Method for providing a current local environment state map for a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle for implementing the method

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for providing a current local environment state map (50) for a motor vehicle (10), a motor vehicle (10) and a system (60) for implementing the method. According to the method, own driving situation data (18) describing current location-dependent vehicle parameters of the motor vehicle (10) and environmental situation data (28) are generated, the environmental situation data describing at least one current relative arrangement of at least one other motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) arranged in a predetermined surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10) relative to the motor vehicle (10), and a vehicle environment map (40) is generated based on the data. The vehicle environment map (40) describes the current local traffic situation in the predetermined surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10). Furthermore, a further vehicle surroundings map (41, 42, 43) is received from at least one further vehicle (34, 35, 36) in the surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10) and combined with the generated vehicle surroundings map (40) by applying a map data evaluation criterion (46) in order to generate an improved current local surroundings state map (50) for the motor vehicle (10). This is provided to the motor vehicle (10).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for providing a motor vehicle with a current local / local environment state map and a system designed to implement the method. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle and a system by means of which such a current local environment state map is provided. Background Art

[0002] In road traffic today, a large number of motor vehicles are already connected to one another by means of corresponding vehicle-to-vehicle communication connections, via which electronic communication between the individual motor vehicles can be achieved. This type of communication between the individual motor vehicles is generally referred to as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and provides a form of traffic network, which is also generally referred to as vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication.

[0003] By means of a corresponding vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection, for example, a motor vehicle receives a status message from at least one other motor vehicle in the surroundings of the motor vehicle, wherein the status message includes data describing the current position, speed, driving direction and possibly other parameters relevant to driving of the other motor vehicle. With the aid of the status message received in this way from at least one other motor vehicle, the motor vehicle can generate a vehicle surroundings map in conjunction with its own status message including data describing the own driving situation of the motor vehicle, in which the own position and the current position of at least one other motor vehicle, the status message of which is also received, are recorded. Based on the generated vehicle surroundings map, for example, a driving function for at least partially autonomous driving of the motor vehicle can be supported in terms of the functionality of the motor vehicle. In this case, the vehicle surroundings map is typically updated periodically and is adapted to the current traffic situation in the surroundings of the motor vehicle based on at least one currently existing status message transmitted by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0004] In this context, DE 10 2008 036 131 A1 discloses a method and a device for identifying a traffic situation in the vehicle surroundings of a vehicle. In order to obtain information about other vehicles in the vehicle surroundings in a simple manner, it is provided that the vehicle receives driving dynamics data of other vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. These data are then combined into a traffic situation map of driving dynamics.

[0005] A method for avoiding collisions during a parking exit operation is shown in DE 10 2017 210 037 A1. In this case, in particular, a vehicle-to-vehicle data exchange is performed, which is used to check the position of the detected vehicle on an electronic map.

[0006] DE 100 37 572 A1 shows a method for transmitting the route and position of an emergency vehicle to a motor vehicle. The driver of one of the motor vehicles should be informed of the passing of the emergency vehicle at an early stage. The location and route of the emergency vehicle are transmitted to the motor vehicle by means of digital radio signals.

[0007] DE 10 2009 017 731 A1 describes a device for generating and storing digital maps for a vehicle based on environmental sensors, vehicle-to-X communication and a satellite navigation system, without using navigation map data for this purpose.

[0008] DE 10 2016 205 543 A1 describes the exchange of digital map data between a plurality of vehicles. Summary of the invention

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a solution by means of which an improved vehicle surroundings image can be provided for a motor vehicle.

[0010] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention with expedient and non-trivial developments are given in the dependent claims, the following description and the drawings.

[0011] The present invention is based on the following recognition, that is, nowadays, typically a motor vehicle is provided with sensor data of a sensor device of the motor vehicle, which sensor data may contain information about at least one other motor vehicle in the surroundings of the motor vehicle. The sensor data is generated, for example, by means of a camera device, a radar device, a laser radar device (a laser radar for light detection and ranging) or other external sensors of the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle can obtain the traffic situation in its surroundings by analyzing the sensor data and, for example, generate a vehicle environment map by combining with data describing the driving condition of the motor vehicle itself. In addition, the motor vehicle is usually provided with corresponding status messages of other motor vehicles in its surroundings received by the motor vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. These corresponding status messages contain information about the current position, speed, driving direction of the corresponding other motor vehicle itself and, if necessary, also contain information about other parameters related to driving. Each individual motor vehicle can then generate a vehicle environment map based on its own vehicle data, the own sensor data of the sensor device of the motor vehicle and, if necessary, also taking into account the status messages of other motor vehicles received.

[0012] The generated vehicle environment map is then used in the motor vehicle itself, for example, to perform at least partially autonomous driving functions. However, the generated vehicle environment map is not shared with other motor vehicles in the surroundings of the motor vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. However, the generated vehicle environment map and in particular the reliability and quality of the generated vehicle environment map vary from motor vehicle to motor vehicle. Since each other motor vehicle in the surroundings of the motor vehicle typically has different sensor devices, for example, the vehicle environment maps generated in each motor vehicle may also differ significantly from each other. Therefore, in order to generate an improved vehicle environment map, it makes sense to share the generated vehicle environment map with other motor vehicles so that the motor vehicle can generate an improved vehicle environment map based on the vehicle environment map generated by itself and the received vehicle environment map.

[0013] The method for providing a current local environment state map of a motor vehicle according to the present invention is designed to provide an improved vehicle environment map. In the sense of the present invention, the improved vehicle environment map is referred to as the current local environment state map. The method according to the present invention comprises the following steps, which are respectively performed in a determined motor vehicle: First, the own driving condition data describing the current vehicle parameters related to the position of the motor vehicle are generated. This is done by analyzing the motor vehicle data of the motor vehicle. As the vehicle data of the motor vehicle, for example, the current position, speed, driving direction, acceleration, yaw rate, steering angle and other parameters describing the current driving behavior of the motor vehicle are provided. However, only the vehicle data describing the current vehicle parameters related to the position of the motor vehicle are considered here, that is, the vehicle data related to the current driving behavior and the stop location of the motor vehicle. These data are typically detected by means of a detection device designed for this purpose of the motor vehicle and are provided, for example, in a central control unit of the motor vehicle. As a detection device, for example, a tachometer for detecting the current speed and / or a positioning unit of a navigation system can be set in the motor vehicle, and the positioning unit is used to determine the coordinates of the current position of the motor vehicle based on data of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS, global navigation satellite system), for example, a global positioning system GPS. By evaluating the vehicle data, the vehicle's own driving state data can also be generated, which ultimately describe the current location-dependent driving state of the vehicle. The own driving state data thus at least partially correspond to data of typical status messages that conventional motor vehicles transmit to other motor vehicles by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication and / or data of at least a part of a typical status message.

[0014] In a further method step, environmental situation data are generated by evaluating sensor data of a sensor device of the motor vehicle. As a sensor device of the motor vehicle, preferably at least one external sensor that detects the surroundings of the motor vehicle can be used. Such an external sensor is, for example, a camera device, such as a front camera, a rear camera and / or corresponding side cameras of the motor vehicle, a radar device and / or a lidar device. The sensor device can also be designed to provide the above-mentioned vehicle data of the motor vehicle, i.e., for example, also using GNSS data.

[0015] Environmental condition data describes at least one current relative arrangement of at least one other motor vehicle arranged in the predetermined surroundings of the motor vehicle relative to the motor vehicle. Therefore, the environmental condition data ultimately includes the position data of other traffic participants traveling and / or stationary in the surroundings of the motor vehicle. At least the current position of the other motor vehicle relative to the motor vehicle is given in the form of the current relative arrangement. The sensor device of the motor vehicle is therefore designed to monitor the surroundings of the motor vehicle and detect other traffic participants currently arranged in the surroundings, and determine the relative arrangement of these other traffic participants relative to the motor vehicle and provide them in the form of environmental condition data. In addition, the environmental condition data can include information about the surroundings of the motor vehicle itself, that is to say, for example, including information about the direction of the road, objects in the surroundings of the motor vehicle, people in the surroundings of the motor vehicle, currently existing light conditions, currently existing weather conditions and / or traffic flow information. For this purpose, the sensor data of the sensor device is evaluated into corresponding environmental condition data, for example, by means of an evaluation device designed for this purpose of the motor vehicle, using a corresponding evaluation algorithm.

[0016] In another method step, the own driving condition data and the environmental condition data are evaluated to generate a vehicle environment map. The vehicle environment map describes the current local traffic situation in the predetermined surroundings of the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle itself is therefore designed to describe the current local traffic situation in the form of a vehicle environment map based on its own vehicle data and the sensor data of its sensor device. Here, the vehicle environment map at least includes the relative arrangement of at least one other motor vehicle arranged in the surroundings of the motor vehicle relative to the motor vehicle and the current vehicle parameters of the motor vehicle related to the position. If the motor vehicle is located on a two-lane road in the city, three other motor vehicles in the surroundings of the motor vehicle may be detected by means of the sensor device of the motor vehicle. The corresponding arrangement of these other motor vehicles relative to the motor vehicle is then recorded in the vehicle environment map, so that it can be known from the vehicle environment map where the motor vehicle is currently located relative to the three other motor vehicles detected in the environment of the motor vehicle. With the help of precise position data as vehicle data (which are determined, for example, with the help of GNSS data), it is even possible to achieve the actual positioning of the motor vehicle and the three other motor vehicles on a geographical map of the surroundings. For this purpose, the geographical map is provided, for example, by the navigation system of the motor vehicle. In this case, the vehicle surroundings map includes, for example, the precise coordinates of the motor vehicle and of each of the three further motor vehicles.

[0017] Another method step includes receiving at least one other vehicle environment map from at least one other motor vehicle in the surroundings of the motor vehicle. Each motor vehicle is therefore designed to transmit the respective vehicle environment map generated by it to the motor vehicles in the surroundings. Here, this transmission is achieved by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The corresponding communication connection between the individual motor vehicles is, for example, via a mobile data network, for example, by means of a mobile radio standard of long-term evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G), a wireless local area network (WLAN-Wireless Local Area Network) or a short-range communication network (DSRC-Dedicated Short Range Communication), for example, based on a transponder installed in the motor vehicle with a small communication area. Thus, the motor vehicle can, for example, receive vehicle environment maps from three other motor vehicles traveling in its own surroundings.

[0018] Subsequently, at least one received vehicle environment map is combined with the generated vehicle environment map under the application of the image data evaluation criteria. This is implemented to generate a current local environment state map for the motor vehicle. That is, all received vehicle environment maps are compared with the generated vehicle environment map, so that, for example, the motor vehicle can obtain additional information about additional additional motor vehicles, which are not detected by itself and therefore not recorded on the generated vehicle environment map, such as other motor vehicles traveling in front, based on the corresponding received vehicle environment map. Thus, for example, an additional fourth motor vehicle that is not detected in detail by the sensor device of the motor vehicle but detected by the sensor device of one of the other motor vehicles can be recorded in the current local environment state map. Here, the image data evaluation criteria are used to predetermine: under which conditions and rules, the information of the received vehicle environment map - in addition to or instead of the data of the generated vehicle environment map - is added / merged into the current local environment state map. Therefore, the image data evaluation criteria, for example, contain rules for prioritizing the individual data packets of the received vehicle environment map and / or the generated vehicle environment map, according to which it is determined which data is ultimately considered for generating the current local traffic guidance map and which is not considered.

[0019] Finally, the generated current local environment state map is provided in the motor vehicle. The generated current local environment state map is therefore present at least in the motor vehicle itself and can be taken into account by the motor vehicle, for example, when executing a driver assistance function for at least partially autonomous driving, such as lane keeping assistance. By not only exchanging the respective own driving condition data between motor vehicles as is usually the case now, but also by sharing the vehicle environment map generated by the corresponding motor vehicle with another motor vehicle, it is possible to provide the motor vehicle with an improved current local environment state map. This has a great advantage that the motor vehicle can access a larger amount of data, thereby providing the motor vehicle with a larger perception environment, for example, with the help of the current local environment state map. In addition, the combination of information provided by multiple motor vehicles is advantageously achieved. Because by sharing the various vehicle environment maps with each other, the motor vehicle, in addition to its own information and therefore in addition to the information existing internally, also receives a large amount of external information by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, which is not detected by the motor vehicle itself, but provided by other motor vehicles. Therefore, the motor vehicles finally no longer only exchange information about themselves with each other, but exchange the vehicle environment map generated by the motor vehicle. As a result, each receiving motor vehicle is placed in a situation in which it can, for example, benefit from the modern equipment of the motor vehicles in its surroundings, since, for example, particularly reliable sensor data measured for generating a vehicle surroundings map of the motor vehicle itself are also made available, for example, to other motor vehicles with relatively inferior sensor equipment, by exchanging the vehicle surroundings map. As a result, the motor vehicle can therefore provide an improved vehicle surroundings map in the form of a map of the current local environment state.

[0020] According to the present invention, it is proposed to check whether the corresponding motor vehicle described by the received vehicle environment map is also described by the generated vehicle environment map under the application of the map data evaluation criteria. That is, it is checked whether all three other motor vehicles detected by the motor vehicle are also present in the received vehicle environment map. It is checked whether, for example, a motor vehicle that has not been described in the generated vehicle environment map is recorded in the received vehicle environment map. Therefore, the difference between the corresponding received vehicle environment map and the vehicle environment map generated by itself is finally found and determined. Now, if at least one additional motor vehicle that is missing in the own vehicle environment map is described in the corresponding received vehicle environment map, the at least one additional motor vehicle is added to the generated current local environment state map. Therefore, it is determined, for example, that one of the three received vehicle environment maps describes at least one additional motor vehicle, and the motor vehicle itself does not locate the at least one additional motor vehicle in its environment with the help of its environmental status data. Then the additional motor vehicle is recorded in the current local environment state map.

[0021] As a result, the motor vehicle improves its perceived environment and ultimately improves the current local environment state map. In addition, motor vehicles located outside the coverage area of ​​the vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be perceived. Since both the detection range of the sensor device of the motor vehicle and the surrounding radius for receiving the own driving status data from, for example, another motor vehicle are limited, the motor vehicle itself may not be able to detect all other motor vehicles in the surroundings of the motor vehicle that are potentially relevant to the driving behavior of the motor vehicle. However, another motor vehicle traveling at a predetermined distance in front of the motor vehicle, for example, can record another traffic participant, i.e., the additional motor vehicle, for example, because the other motor vehicle detects the additional motor vehicle with the help of its own sensor device and / or receives the corresponding own driving status data from the additional motor vehicle. In particular, it is advantageous to provide the motor vehicle with an increased perception environment compared to the perception environment that the motor vehicle itself can generate with the help of the generated vehicle environment map, so that, for example, potential future traffic situations can be reacted to in a predictable manner.

[0022] The invention also includes embodiments that may achieve additional advantages.

[0023] In an advantageous embodiment, it is proposed that, in order to generate environmental condition data, the own driving condition data of at least one other motor vehicle received from the surroundings of the motor vehicle and of the other motor vehicle are evaluated. Therefore, the environmental condition data are not only based on the sensor data of the sensor device of the motor vehicle itself, but also on the own driving condition data, which respectively describe the current vehicle parameters related to the position of the corresponding motor vehicle and are generated based on the vehicle data of the corresponding motor vehicle. The individual motor vehicles in the surroundings of the motor vehicle therefore not only exchange their own generated vehicle environment maps with each other, but also exchange their own status messages, that is, their own driving condition data with each other. Based on this sensor fusion, that is, based on the combination of the own driving condition data of the other motor vehicle received in each case with the own sensor data of the motor vehicle, the accuracy of the environmental condition data and thus ultimately the accuracy of the generated vehicle environment map can be improved. Therefore, the vehicle environment map generated by each motor vehicle itself becomes particularly reliable and accurate.

[0024] An additional extension of the present invention proposes that the own driving condition data and / or the environmental condition data each include a plurality of data packets. Each of the plurality of data packets is assigned a reliability value, which describes the reliability of the data of the data packet. The data generated by the motor vehicle, namely the own driving condition data and / or the environmental condition data, each have an accuracy description given in the form of a reliability value. However, preferably, the reliability value is not assigned to the own driving condition data or the environmental condition data as a whole, but is determined for the corresponding data packet. This should be understood as, for example, a sensor unit of a sensor device (for example, a front camera of a motor vehicle) is assigned a certain reliability value, while the current position of the motor vehicle considered for determining the own driving condition data by evaluating the vehicle data is assigned, for example, a different, own reliability value. Similarly, for example, the current speed value, the determination of the current driving direction, the radar device of the motor vehicle, the rear camera and / or the acceleration value provided by the acceleration sensor of the motor vehicle each have their own reliability values. That is, the accuracy of the value obtained from the data packet or the accuracy of the multiple values ​​that may be included in the corresponding data packet is specifically and numerically described with the help of the reliability value. This makes it possible in a simple manner to evaluate the data packets on which the own driving situation data and / or the surrounding situation data are based, based on which the reliability of the individual information elements of the own vehicle surroundings map can be determined. The motor vehicle itself can thus estimate how reliable and thus how accurate the individual data stored in its vehicle surroundings map are about the surroundings of the motor vehicle.

[0025] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, it is provided that, when applying the map data evaluation criterion, a check is performed for each received vehicle surroundings map to determine whether at least one data packet on which the received vehicle surroundings map is based is assigned a higher reliability value than a corresponding data packet of own driving situation data and / or surrounding situation data on which the own vehicle surroundings map is based. Figure 1 The corresponding reliability values ​​of the data packets on which the received vehicle surroundings map is based are also received by the motor vehicle. It can then be determined, for example, whether the current position of one of the other motor vehicles in the surroundings of the own motor vehicle is described in more detail in the received vehicle surroundings map of another motor vehicle than in the vehicle surroundings map generated by the own vehicle.

[0026] Thus, it is finally possible to determine the data packet with the highest reliability value for each individual sub-element of the information on which the current local environment state map is ultimately based. When generating the current local environment state map for a motor vehicle, only the corresponding data packets assigned with the highest reliability value in the data packets that are respectively compared with each other are considered. Therefore, the current local environment state map that is finally generated is based on the following data packets, which have the highest and therefore the largest reliability values ​​compared to all other correspondingly provided data packets. Thus, for example, a motor vehicle with a relatively low configuration and an older sensor device can benefit from the sensor device of a relatively high configuration and a modernly equipped motor vehicle, because the corresponding data of the sensor device of the modernly equipped motor vehicle have a higher reliability value, and by means of the described comparison between the individual reliability values, even the data from the data packet with the highest reliability value is finally used by the motor vehicle with the lower configuration to generate the current local environment state map. Thus, for each motor vehicle, an improved current local environment state map can be generated compared to its vehicle environment map.

[0027] An additional embodiment of the invention provides that if the data packets compared with each other have respective reliability values ​​within a predetermined reliability value range and the data of the data packets compared with each other are respectively provided at least indirectly by a predetermined sensor device of a respective sensor device of the respective motor vehicle, a check is made to see whether the data of the respective data packets match within a predetermined deviation range. Thus, a mutual comparison is always performed if all sensor data have at least similar reliability values, which are therefore within a predetermined reliability value range. That is, if a motor vehicle has a front camera as a predetermined sensor device in its sensor device, wherein the front camera has a certain reliability value, and one of the other motor vehicles also has a front camera as a predetermined sensor device in its sensor device, which front camera also has approximately the same reliability value, so that both reliability values ​​are within a predetermined reliability value range, the sensor data provided by the front camera of the motor vehicle are compared with the sensor data of the front camera of the other motor vehicle. Thus, the data of the respective data packets respectively provided by the respective sensor devices of the respective sensor devices are directly checked for possible deviations from each other. If the data of the respective data packets do not match within a predetermined deviation range, a measurement accuracy check for the predetermined sensor device of the motor vehicle is activated. Thus, if, for example, the sensor data of the front camera of the own motor vehicle correspond to the sensor data of the front camera of the other motor vehicle within a predefined deviation range, which stipulates, for example, that the sensor data of the other motor vehicle differ by a maximum of five percent relative to the sensor data of the own motor vehicle, this is noted and the corresponding sensor device is classified as having sufficiently accurate measurements. However, if there is a greater deviation, i.e., a deviation that is not within the deviation range, this indicates that at least one of the sensor devices is measuring inaccurately. Therefore, a measurement accuracy check program is activated for the predetermined sensor device, i.e., the front camera, of the motor vehicle.

[0028] Then, for example, according to the measurement accuracy check program, it is checked whether the measurement area of ​​the predetermined sensor device is moved, for example, due to external forces on the sensor device and / or due to contamination, such as contamination of the camera lens of the front camera of the motor vehicle. The measurement accuracy check program is pre-given separately for the predetermined sensor device. Therefore, the measurement accuracy check program takes into account the positioning of the sensor device in the motor vehicle, for example. The measurement accuracy check program can only include determining potential measurement errors and outputting corresponding warning messages. As an alternative or supplement to this, the measurement accuracy check program can include methods for cleaning, recalibration and / or other processing rules for checking and correcting the measurement characteristics of the sensor device if necessary. Therefore, it is ultimately possible to achieve that based on the comparison of the individual data packets provided by the motor vehicle itself and the data packets provided by at least one other motor vehicle to the motor vehicle, the functionality of the sensor device of the motor vehicle can be checked and even corrected if necessary. Thus, the reliability of the vehicle's own driving condition data and environmental condition data can be improved by executing the measurement accuracy check program.

[0029] In addition, another embodiment proposes that at least one sub-graph of the generated vehicle environment map is transmitted to at least one other motor vehicle in the surroundings of the motor vehicle. The sub-graph is based only on data packet data whose corresponding reliability value is greater than a predetermined minimum reliability value. In particular, when there is a large amount of channel load, that is, when a large number of vehicle-to-vehicle communication connections are established and maintained between multiple motor vehicles in the surroundings, it may be meaningful not to transmit the vehicle environment map generated by the motor vehicle in its entirety to the other motor vehicles, but to transmit only the sub-graph to the other motor vehicles. The sub-graph, for example, only describes each motor vehicle in the immediate surroundings of the motor vehicle, such as the motor vehicle itself and two other motor vehicles that are driving in the direction of travel immediately in front of or beside the motor vehicle itself, while the third motor vehicle that is driving farther away, for example, driving at a distance of 100 meters behind the motor vehicle, is no longer described by the sub-graph. It is assumed that other motor vehicles that are closer to the motor vehicle are recorded in the vehicle environment map with greater reliability than other motor vehicles that are farther away from the motor vehicle. The method is therefore based on the recognition that, as a rule, only for other motor vehicles in a sub-area of ​​the surroundings, data packets with a high reliability value are transmitted, which data packets are potentially interesting for the other motor vehicles due to their corresponding high reliability value. It is determined whether the information of the vehicle surroundings map is potentially interesting for at least one other motor vehicle by means of a predetermined minimum reliability value, which is selected, for example, in such a way that all data of data packets detected at a certain distance with a sensor device of a certain type and / or determined, for example, by other motor vehicles of low configuration do not fall within the scope of the transmitted sub-map. The sub-map can be selected in a load-dependent manner, that is, it can be provided that in the case of a high channel load above a predetermined load value, only the sub-map is always transmitted, while in the case of a lower channel load, the entire vehicle surroundings map is transmitted.

[0030] This makes it possible to determine a subset of the current local environment state map, if necessary, and to provide only this subset, referred to herein as a submap, to another motor vehicle. The submap is preferably determined for this purpose in a load-controlled manner, that is, as a function of the degree of load on the communication connection channel of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication. However, in order to always transmit a meaningful submap to another motor vehicle, the reliability values ​​assigned to the data extracted from the individual data packets used to generate the submap are taken into account. Thus, only particularly trustworthy submaps of a motor vehicle are always transmitted to another motor vehicle. This ensures that, by receiving the current local environment state map, value is always added to the receiving motor vehicle with a high probability.

[0031] Furthermore, another embodiment includes transmitting at least one sub-environmental state map of the current environment state map to at least one other motor vehicle in the surroundings of the motor vehicle. After each motor vehicle has determined, generated and provided an optimal local environment state map, the local environment state map or at least one of its sub-maps, i.e., the so-called sub-environmental state map of the current environment state map, can be provided to the corresponding at least one other motor vehicle. In this case, the sub-environmental state map is determined similarly to the above-mentioned sub-map of the generated vehicle environment map based on the reliability value of the data packet data on which the sub-environmental state map is based. The channel load of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication can also be taken into account.

[0032] Therefore, a further possibility is particularly advantageously provided for a motor vehicle with a low configuration in terms of the sensor device of the sensor device, namely, to enable the motor vehicle to benefit from another motor vehicle with a higher configuration by transmitting at least a sub-environmental state map of the generated current local environmental state map to the motor vehicle. Any motor vehicle having at least a vehicle-to-vehicle communication interface can thus be provided with a precise and, as described above, optimized current local environmental state map and, for example, take it into account when implementing corresponding vehicle functions.

[0033] In an additional embodiment, it is proposed that the generated vehicle environment map and / or the generated current local environment state map are provided as at least one image data packet in a predetermined data format and / or as serialized image data. Therefore, for example, a data format of its own can be set, in which the vehicle environment map and / or the current local environment state map are stored, for example, it can be provided to at least one other motor vehicle. Alternatively or additionally to this, the individual data packets based on the vehicle environment map and / or the current local environment state map can be structurally converted into a sequence expression form and stored in this form. Therefore, the vehicle environment map and / or the current local environment state map, for example, first include data items describing the motor vehicle itself, and then include corresponding data items for other motor vehicles determined in the environment of the motor vehicle in sequence. Therefore, the individual data describing each motor vehicle in the vehicle environment map and / or the current local environment state map are finally provided as listed data packets. In particular, when a modern communication channel, such as a 5G vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection, can be transmitted between motor vehicles to describe the entire vehicle environment map and / or the current local environment state map. Such a large data packet can be transmitted. Thus, by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the individual motor vehicles, the vehicle environment maps of the respective motor vehicles and / or the generated current local environment state maps can be exchanged and transmitted particularly reliably. This enables the corresponding image data to be disseminated advantageously and easily. Furthermore, the transmitted image data can be transmitted encrypted, wherein conventional encryption techniques can be used.

[0034] The motor vehicle according to the invention is designed to implement the above method. That is, the motor vehicle is designed to generate own driving condition data describing current position-related vehicle parameters of the motor vehicle by evaluating vehicle data of the motor vehicle; to generate environmental condition data describing at least one current relative arrangement of at least one other motor vehicle arranged in a predetermined surrounding of the motor vehicle relative to the own motor vehicle by evaluating sensor data of a sensor device of the motor vehicle; to evaluate the own driving condition data and the environmental condition data to generate a vehicle environment map describing the current local traffic situation in the predetermined surrounding of the motor vehicle; to receive at least one other vehicle environment map from at least one other motor vehicle in the surrounding of the motor vehicle; to combine the received at least one vehicle environment map with the generated vehicle environment map to generate a current local environment state map for the motor vehicle under application of a map data evaluation criterion; and to provide the generated current local environment state map to the motor vehicle. The preferred embodiments and their advantages proposed in conjunction with the method according to the invention apply accordingly—as far as applicable—to the motor vehicle according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention will not be described here.

[0035] The motor vehicle is preferably a motor vehicle, in particular designed as a passenger car or truck or as a bus or motorcycle.

[0036] The system according to the invention comprises a motor vehicle as described above and at least one further motor vehicle from the surroundings of the motor vehicle. The further motor vehicle is preferably also a motor vehicle as described above. The preferred embodiments and their advantages proposed in conjunction with the method according to the invention apply accordingly - as far as applicable - to the system according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding embodiments of the system according to the invention will not be described here.

[0037] The invention also includes a control unit for a motor vehicle. The control unit has a processor device, which is configured to execute an embodiment of the method according to the invention. For this purpose, the processor device can have at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). In addition, the processor device can have a program code, which is configured to execute an embodiment of the method according to the invention when executed by the processor device. The program code can be stored in a memory of the processor device.

[0038] The invention also includes combinations of features of the described embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The following describes embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 A schematic diagram shows an information flow diagram of a method for providing a motor vehicle with a current local environment status map. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The embodiment set forth below is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the described various parts of the embodiment are respectively the features of the present invention that can be considered independently of each other, and these features also improve the present invention independently of each other. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to include the combination of the features of the embodiment except the combination shown. In addition, the embodiment can also be supplemented by other features in the already described features of the present invention.

[0041] In the figures, the same reference numerals respectively denote elements with the same function.

[0042] exist Figure 1 1 shows a motor vehicle 10 which is designed to carry out a method for providing a current local environment state map 50 for the motor vehicle 10 by means of a control unit 12 in cooperation with other vehicle components. Vehicle data 14 of the motor vehicle 10 are stored in the motor vehicle 10. The vehicle data 14 can be stored in a storage unit or in the control unit 12 of the motor vehicle 10. In addition, the motor vehicle 10 has a communication interface 16. The motor vehicle 10 is currently traveling on a road 11.

[0043] In a first method step S1, own driving situation data 18 are generated, which describe the current vehicle parameters of the motor vehicle 10 that are relevant to the position. The own driving situation data 18 are generated by evaluating the vehicle data 14 of the motor vehicle 10. This evaluation can be performed by means of the control unit 12. The own driving situation data 18 include the current position of the motor vehicle 10, the current speed, the current driving direction on the road 11, the current acceleration and the current yaw rate. The own driving situation data 18 therefore include a large number of driving-related parameters of the motor vehicle 10.

[0044] Furthermore, at least one further motor vehicle 34 is also located on the road 11. Here, the further motor vehicle 34 is located in the predetermined surroundings 30 of the motor vehicle 10. The motor vehicle 10 has a front camera 22, which is included as a sensor device by a sensor device 24 of the motor vehicle 10. In addition, the sensor device 24 can include a radar device, a lidar device and other camera devices, such as a rear camera and / or a side camera. In step S2, sensor data 26 of the front camera 22 as a component of the sensor device 24 are transmitted to the control unit 12, so that environmental situation data 28 are generated by evaluating the sensor data 26. The environmental situation data 28 describe at least one current relative arrangement 32 of the at least one further motor vehicle 34 relative to the motor vehicle 10, that is, at least one distance.

[0045] The own driving situation data 18 and the environmental situation data 28 each have a reliability value 20. Strictly speaking, the own driving situation data 18 and the environmental situation data 28 typically each include a plurality of data packets, each of which is assigned a reliability value 20 that describes the reliability of the data of the data packet. In the case of the environmental situation data 28, for example, the reliability of the front camera 22 as a component of the sensor device 24 is evaluated in terms of reliability. Similarly, within the scope of the own driving situation data 18, for example, the reliability of the vehicle data 14 is taken into account, which, for example, has a particularly high reliability value 20 for determining the position of the motor vehicle 10, but in comparison has a low reliability value 20 for determining the current speed of the motor vehicle 10.

[0046] In order to generate the environmental situation data 28, the own driving situation data 18 of the other motor vehicle 34 received from at least one other motor vehicle 34 are additionally evaluated by the own motor vehicle 10. In this case, the own driving situation data 18 of the other motor vehicle 34 are transmitted via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection 17 between the communication interface 16 of the other motor vehicle 34 and the communication interface 16 of the own motor vehicle 10.

[0047] In step S3, the own driving situation data 18 and the environmental situation data 28 are then evaluated to generate a vehicle environment map 40, which describes the current local traffic situation of the predetermined surroundings 30 of the motor vehicle 10. As shown here, there are a total of three other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36 in the surroundings 30 of the motor vehicle 10 on the road 11. The motor vehicle 10 is marked with an asterisk on the vehicle environment map 40, while the other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36 are marked with a cross. The three other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36 can be determined by the sensor device 24, which includes a front camera 22, and are located in the surroundings 30 of the motor vehicle 10 at least based on their relative arrangement 32 relative to the motor vehicle 10. In the illustrated, generated vehicle environment map 40, the boundary lines of the surroundings 30 are shown with the help of dashed lines.

[0048] In a next step S4, at least one further vehicle surroundings map 41, 42, 43 is received from at least one further motor vehicle 34, 35, 36 in surroundings 30 of motor vehicle 10. Three further vehicle surroundings maps 41, 42, 43 are received, specifically a vehicle surroundings map 41 of a further motor vehicle 35, a vehicle surroundings map 42 of a further motor vehicle 34, and a vehicle surroundings map 43 of a further motor vehicle 36. In each received vehicle surroundings map 41, 42, 43, the motor vehicle 34, 35, 36 that provided the respective vehicle surroundings map 41, 42, 43 is marked with an asterisk.

[0049] It is clear here that in total three additional motor vehicles 37, 38, 39 are marked in total three further vehicle surroundings images 41, 42, 43, which additional motor vehicles are not marked in the vehicle surroundings image 40 generated by the motor vehicle 10. The reason for this is that these additional motor vehicles 37, 38, 39 are detected, for example, by means of the corresponding environmental situation data 28 of the further motor vehicles 34, 35, 36, but are not detected by the sensor device 24 of the motor vehicle 10, and are not present in the form of the received own driving situation data 18. These three additional motor vehicles 37, 38, 39 are respectively circled in the respectively received vehicle surroundings images 41, 42, 43 and are thus particularly highlighted. In addition, in the three received vehicle surroundings images 41, 42, 43, the further motor vehicles 35, 34, 36 that provided the respective vehicle surroundings images 41, 42, 43 are respectively marked by means of boxes. This means that the data of the respective data packets on which these positions are based within the respective vehicle surroundings maps 41, 42, 43 have a particularly high reliability value 20. As surroundings 30, the surroundings 30 of the other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36 for which the respective vehicle surroundings maps 41, 42, 43 are provided are respectively plotted in the further vehicle surroundings maps 41, 42, 43.

[0050] In step S5, at least one received vehicle surroundings map 41, 42, 43 is combined with the generated vehicle surroundings map 40. This is done using a map data evaluation criterion 46, which can be provided in the control unit 12. By this combination, a current local environment state map 50 is generated for the motor vehicle 10. In this case, three further vehicle surroundings maps 41, 42, 43 are combined with the own vehicle surroundings map 40. In this case, by applying the map data evaluation criterion 46, it is checked on the one hand whether the motor vehicle 10, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 described by the received vehicle surroundings map 41, 42, 43 is also described by the generated vehicle surroundings map 40. If at least one additional motor vehicle 37, 38, 39 is described in the respective received vehicle surroundings map 41, 42, 43, which is missing in the own generated vehicle surroundings map 40, then this additional motor vehicle 37, 38, 39 is added to the generated current local environment state map 50. The three newly added additional motor vehicles 37, 38, 39 are highlighted by means of triangles in the generated current local environment state map 50. Based on the received vehicle environment map 41, 42, 43, data or information about the three additional motor vehicles 37, 38, 39 are now available for motor vehicle 10.

[0051] Furthermore, when applying the map data evaluation criteria 46, for each received vehicle surroundings map 41, 42, 43, a check is made whether the data packets on which at least one of the received vehicle surroundings maps 41, 42, 43 is based are assigned a higher reliability value 20 than the corresponding data packets of the own driving situation data 18 and / or the environmental situation data 28 on which the own vehicle surroundings map 40 is based. When generating the current local environmental status map 50 by the motor vehicle 10, of course, only the corresponding data packets of the respectively compared data packets are taken into account, which are assigned the highest reliability value 20. Thus, in this case, the current environmental status map 50 is always based on data about the other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36 that are evaluated to have a particularly high reliability value 20, rather than the corresponding data about the other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36 included in the environmental situation data 28. This is indicated in the current local environmental status map 50 shown by the boxes surrounding the positions of the three other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36.

[0052] In a next step S6, a current local environment state map 50 is provided to motor vehicle 10, ie, in this case, in control unit 12. Individual driver assistance systems of motor vehicle 10 can now access this current local environment state map 50, for example, during route planning or control command planning.

[0053] In particular, in an environment 30 with a large number of motor vehicles 10, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, in the case of a relatively high channel load of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection 17, a sub-image 48 of the generated vehicle surroundings map 40 is also generated, wherein the sub-image 48 is based only on data for which the corresponding reliability value 20 of the data packet is greater than a predetermined minimum reliability value, i.e., the data is evaluated as particularly reliable compared to the other data of the data packet. At least the sub-image 48, but depending on the channel load, possibly even the entire generated vehicle surroundings map 40 is subsequently transmitted in step S7 to the other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36 in the environment 30 of the own motor vehicle 10, more precisely via the corresponding vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection 17.

[0054] Similarly, at least one partial environmental state map 52 of the current local environmental state map 50 is generated and transmitted in step S8 via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection 17 to other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36 within the communication radius around the motor vehicle 10. However, the entire environmental state map 50 may also be transmitted here if necessary.

[0055] The generated vehicle environment map 40 and / or the current local environment state map 50 are provided as at least one environment state map package in a predetermined data format and / or as serialized map data.

[0056] Motor vehicle 10 and further motor vehicles 34 , 35 , 36 in surroundings 30 of motor vehicle 10 together form a system 60 , which is designed to carry out the method described above.

[0057] If the data packets compared with one another have respective reliability values ​​20 within a predetermined reliability value range, and the data of the data packets compared with one another are respectively provided at least indirectly by a predetermined sensor device of a respective sensor device 24 of a respective motor vehicle 10, 34, 35, 36, it is checked whether the data of the respective data packets match within a predetermined deviation range. If the data of the respective data packets do not match within the predetermined deviation range, a measuring accuracy check routine for the predetermined sensor device of motor vehicle 10 is activated, since this indicates that the sensor device cannot measure sufficiently accurately, for example due to dirt or contamination and / or a change in the position of the respective sensor device of sensor device 24.

[0058] In summary, these examples show a collaborative local dynamic map, that is, a vehicle surroundings map 40 that can be shared with one another and an improved current local environment state map 50 provided by a plurality of vehicle surroundings maps 40, 41, 42, 43. In this case, the concept of generating the vehicle surroundings map 40, which is known as the concept of basic safety messages, is expanded so that the motor vehicle 10 not only sends information about itself to the traffic participants in the surroundings 30, that is, the other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36, but also exchanges the complete vehicle surroundings map 40 with these other motor vehicles. This is done via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection 17.

[0059] To this end, this can be achieved by storing the individual vehicle environment maps 40 of the individual motor vehicles 10, 34, 35, 36 as new messages formatted in a specific data format, for example. As a result, the channel load of the car-to-car communication connection 17 increases at most by a linear factor, which depends on the number of car-to-car communication connections 17. This can be achieved in particular using modern communication possibilities, such as the 5G vehicle-to-infrastructure standard. It should be noted that the number of car-to-car communication connections 17 that are transmitted, that is, the data obtained via the car-to-car communication connection 17, can only be a subset of the data present in the vehicle environment map 40 and / or the current local environment state map 50, that is, only the sub-map 48 and / or the sub-environment state map 52 are transmitted. This can be implemented by each individual motor vehicle 10, 34, 35, 36 in a load-controlled manner. Therefore, depending on the load of the car-to-car communication channel, the entire vehicle environment map 40 or the sub-map 48, as well as the entire environment state map 50 or only the sub-environment state map 52 can be transmitted to other motor vehicles 34, 35, 36.

Claims

1. A method for providing a current local environment state map (50) for a motor vehicle (10), the method comprising the following steps in the motor vehicle (10): - generating own driving situation data (18) describing current location-dependent vehicle parameters of the motor vehicle (10) by evaluating vehicle data (14) of the motor vehicle (10); - generating environmental situation data (28) by evaluating sensor data (26) of a sensor device (24) of the motor vehicle (10), the environmental situation data (28) describing at least one current relative arrangement (32) of at least one other motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) arranged in a predetermined surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10) relative to the own motor vehicle (10); - evaluating the own driving situation data (18) and the surrounding situation data (28) to generate a vehicle surroundings map (40) which describes the current local traffic situation in the predetermined surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10); - receiving at least one further vehicle surroundings map (41, 42, 43) from at least one further motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) in the surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10); - combining the at least one received vehicle surroundings map (41, 42, 43) with the generated vehicle surroundings map (40) by applying a map data evaluation criterion (46) to produce a current local surroundings state map (50) for the motor vehicle (10); - providing the generated current local environment state map (50) in the motor vehicle (10), in, Under the application of the map data evaluation criteria (46), it is checked whether the corresponding motor vehicle (10, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39) described by the received vehicle environment map (41, 42, 43) is also described by the generated vehicle environment map (40), and if at least one additional motor vehicle (37, 38, 39) missing in the own vehicle environment map (40) is described in the corresponding received vehicle environment map (41, 42, 43), then the at least one additional motor vehicle (37, 38, 39) is added to the generated current local environment state map (50), wherein the own driving condition data (18) and / or the environment condition data (28) respectively include a plurality of data packets for the generated vehicle environment map (40). A reliability value (20) is assigned to each of the plurality of data packets, the reliability value describing the reliability of the data of the data packet, wherein, when applying a map data evaluation criterion (46), a check is performed for each received vehicle environment map (41, 42, 43) to determine whether at least one data packet on which the received vehicle environment map (41, 42, 43) is based has a higher reliability value (20) than a corresponding data packet of own driving condition data (18) and / or environmental condition data (28) on which the own vehicle environment map (40) is based, and when generating a current local environmental state map (50) of the motor vehicle (10), only the corresponding data packet assigned the highest reliability value (20) among the respectively compared data packets is taken into account.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that To generate environmental situation data (28), own driving situation data (18) of at least one other motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) in the surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10) are evaluated.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: If the data packets that are compared with each other have respective reliability values ​​(20) that are within a predetermined reliability value range, and the data of the data packets that are compared with each other are respectively provided at least indirectly by predetermined sensor devices of corresponding sensor devices (24) of the respective motor vehicles (10, 34, 35, 36), it is checked whether the data of the corresponding data packets match within a predetermined deviation range, and if the data of the data packets that are compared with each other do not match within the predetermined deviation range, a measurement accuracy check program for the predetermined sensor device of the motor vehicle (10) is activated.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one sub-image (48) of the generated vehicle surroundings image (40) is transmitted to at least one other motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) in the surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10), wherein the sub-image (48) is based only on data packet data whose respective reliability values ​​(20) are greater than a predetermined minimum reliability value.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one partial environment state map (52) of the provided current local environment state map (50) is transmitted to at least one other motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) in the environment (30) of the motor vehicle (10).

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The generated vehicle environment map (40) and / or the generated current local environment state map (50) are provided in the form of at least one map data packet in a predetermined data format and / or in the form of serialized map data.

7. A motor vehicle (10) designed to: - generating own driving situation data (18) describing current location-dependent vehicle parameters of the motor vehicle (10) by evaluating vehicle data (14) of the motor vehicle (10); - generating environmental situation data (28) by evaluating sensor data (26) of a sensor device (24) of the motor vehicle (10), the environmental situation data (28) describing at least one current relative arrangement (32) of at least one further motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) arranged in a predetermined surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10) relative to the own motor vehicle (10); - evaluating the own driving situation data (18) and the surrounding situation data (28) to generate a vehicle surroundings map (40) which describes the current local traffic situation in the predetermined surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10); - receiving at least one further vehicle surroundings map (41, 42, 43) from at least one further motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) in the surroundings (40) of the motor vehicle (10); - combining the received at least one vehicle surroundings map (41, 42, 43) with the generated vehicle surroundings map (40) using a map data evaluation criterion (46) to generate a current local surroundings state map (50) for the motor vehicle (10); and - providing the generated current local environment state map (50) in the motor vehicle (1), in, The motor vehicle (10) is designed to check, under application of a map data evaluation criterion (46), whether a corresponding motor vehicle (10, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39) described by a received vehicle environment map (41, 42, 43) is also described by a generated vehicle environment map (40), and if at least one additional motor vehicle (37, 38, 39) missing in the own vehicle environment map (40) is described in the corresponding received vehicle environment map (41, 42, 43), then the at least one additional motor vehicle (37, 38, 39) is added to the generated current local environment state map (50), wherein the own driving condition data (18) and / or the environment condition data (28) each include a plurality of data packets , assigning a reliability value (20) to each of the plurality of data packets, the reliability value describing the reliability of the data of the data packet, wherein, when applying a map data evaluation criterion (46), for each received vehicle environment map (41, 42, 43), a check is performed to determine whether at least one data packet on which the received vehicle environment map (41, 42, 43) is based has a higher reliability value (20) than a corresponding data packet of own driving condition data (18) and / or environmental condition data (28) on which the own vehicle environment map (40) is based, and when generating a current local environmental status map (50) of the motor vehicle (10), only the corresponding data packet assigned the highest reliability value (20) among the respectively compared data packets is considered.

8. A system (60) for providing a current local environment state map for a motor vehicle, comprising a motor vehicle (10) and at least one other motor vehicle (34, 35, 36) in the surroundings (30) of the motor vehicle (10), wherein: The motor vehicle (10) is designed according to claim 7.

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