Attention assistance for dynamic blind spots that follow the driver's state while driving

Abstract

The present invention relates to an attention assistance for dynamic blind spots accompanying a driver's state during driving, and more particularly to a method for realizing driver assistance in a driver assistance system of a vehicle (100), the method comprising: performing an environmental analysis around the vehicle (100); identifying potential risks around the vehicle (100) based on the performed environmental analysis; identifying the field of vision of a driver (101); determining whether the identified potential risk is located in the field of vision of the driver (101) and is hidden in a blind spot area (1, 2, 3, 4) of the vehicle (100); when the identified potential risk is located in the field of vision of the driver (101) and the identified potential risk is hidden in the blind spot area (1, 2, 3, 4) of the vehicle (100), notifying the driver (101) to change the driver's position so that the identified potential risk can be seen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of safe driving of vehicles. Such a system may be used, for example, in a vehicle such as a car. Background Art

[0002] Nowadays, the use of motorized vehicles is constantly expanding. In urban areas, more and more road users are mixed on the road (vehicles such as cars, trucks or pedestrians and other users...).

[0003] An increase in the number of road users leads to an increase in the risk of accidents among them.

[0004] Drivers are required to pay increasing attention, and vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can help limit and anticipate hazardous or dangerous situations.

[0005] One of the risks in the event of a dangerous situation is the fact that the driver is not aware of the action that the driver assistance system will or will take with the vehicle in order to avoid the danger (braking, steering, honking...). This can lead to unexpected reactions on the part of the driver, since it is still he who is responsible for the vehicle movement and not the driver assistance system.

[0006] Due to the conventional construction of vehicles, this risk is magnified by the fact that there are blind spot zones (or areas). In addition to the two known blind spot zones behind the vehicle (car), there are two other blind spot zones for the driver in the driver's line of sight or field of vision. These are due to the two front pillars. Since the two front pillar blind zones mainly depend on where the driver's line of sight is directed (or where the driver's gaze or field of vision is directed), they can be defined as dynamic blind zones.

[0007] As soon as a road user is in one of the blind spot zones, the driver cannot see him because he is not within the driver's field of vision. Therefore, the driver is not informed of his presence, which increases the risk of an accident.

[0008] With the development of driver assistance systems, the risk of accidents has been reduced, but it still exists. These systems include radars, cameras or lidar (frontal and lateral) that allow 360-degree recognition of road users. However, driver assistance systems require the driver's attention in certain specific scenarios.

[0009] Document US 10604073B2 discloses a pillar display system for vehicle blind spots. However, the display system of the prior art does not correctly inform the driver of potential risks and next future events.

[0010] The present disclosure improves upon the state of the art. In particular, the present disclosure aims to give the driver a sense of responsibility and to help him during driving, while giving a relevant level of information without transferring the entire responsibility to the driver assistance system. Summary of the invention

[0011] The present disclosure relates to a method for implementing driver assistance in a driver assistance system of a vehicle, the method comprising the following steps:

[0012] -Perform environmental analysis of the vehicle's surroundings;

[0013] - identifying potential risks around the vehicle based on the environmental analysis performed;

[0014] - Identify the driver's field of vision;

[0015] - Dynamically determine whether the identified potential risk is located in the driver's field of view and hidden in the vehicle's blind spot while the vehicle is in motion;

[0016] i. When the identified potential risk is in the driver's field of vision and the identified potential risk is hidden in the blind spot area of ​​the vehicle, the driver is notified to change the driver's position so as to be able to see the identified potential risk.

[0017] This allows the driver to be informed of his responsibility to change his position so that he can identify the danger himself. The change in the driver's position can be to change the head position, change his field of vision, move his body, etc. The improvement in safety is made with an increased responsibility of the driver, without always giving him warnings or unnecessary information and without giving him the impression that the driver assistance system drives alone without driver supervision. This enables the anticipation of risks (or targets) and dangers and increases the driver's acceptability of information.

[0018] The steps of performing an environmental analysis around the vehicle, identifying potential risks or targets around the vehicle based on the environmental analysis performed, and identifying the driver's field of view (that is, based on the data retrieved by the sensors) are well known to those skilled in the art and are routine. Non-limiting examples of potential risks or targets are pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, animals, trucks, trains, etc.

[0019] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0020] - determining whether the driver has changed the driver's position to be able to see the identified potential risk;

[0021] - When the driver has changed the driver's position so as to be able to see the identified potential risk, repeating said steps.

[0022] This allows the steps to be repeated as needed to allow continued safe driving.It should be noted that all steps of the present disclosure can be repeated as long as it does not contradict other steps.

[0023] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0024] - when the driver has not yet changed the driver's position in order to be able to see the identified potential risk, notifying the driver to immediately change the driver's position in order to be able to see the identified potential risk.

[0025] This further increases the driver's information level so that he still believes that he is responsible for driving. This shows the driver that driving is still his responsibility.

[0026] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0027] -Determine if the critical point of the identified potential risk will be reached within the double check period:

[0028] - informing the driver of an impending takeover of a driver assistance system if the critical point of the identified risk potential will be reached within the double-check period and then allowing the impending takeover of the driver assistance system.

[0029] This allows the driver to be informed of upcoming actions of the driver assistance system, such as braking, steering, changing direction, drifting, honking, blinking, or any other driver assistance action.

[0030] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0031] -Determine whether the critical point of the identified potential risk will be reached within the general safety period:

[0032] i. When the critical point of the identified potential risk will be reached within a generally safe period, the driver is informed of an impending takeover of the driver assistance system and then the impending takeover of the driver assistance system is allowed.

[0033] This allows a general safety period to take over control of the vehicle in all cases, resulting in increased safety without further checks. This allows a minimum general safety level to be achieved.

[0034] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0035] - When the identified potential risk is not located in the driver's field of view and the identified potential risk is not obscured by a blind spot of the vehicle, informing the driver that the identified potential risk does not pose an immediate danger.

[0036] This gives contextual information about the driver's danger.

[0037] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0038] - Notification to the driver Changing the driver's position in order to be able to see the identified potential risk is performed through an orange continuous warning in the vehicle's human-machine interface.

[0039] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0040] - Notification to the driver Immediate change of the driver's position in order to be able to see the identified potential risk is performed by an orange flashing warning in the vehicle's human-machine interface and / or a repetitive sound.

[0041] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0042] - Notification to the driver of the impending takeover of the driver assistance system is performed by a red continuous warning in the vehicle's human-machine interface and / or a continuous warning sound.

[0043] Advantageously, the vehicle's human-machine interface is a display unit for visual information, a sound device for acoustic information, so as to inform the driver. Specifically, the display unit can emit or generate text, color, pictogram, light and any combination thereof.

[0044] This allows the driver to be informed with a relevant level of information while increasing his responsibility without giving him excessive information that would distract him or give him the impression that the driver assistance system would be driving on his behalf.

[0045] In particular, reference is made to "Human Factors for Connected Vehicles: Effective Warning Interface Research Findings" published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in September 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference. This document explains that relevant levels of information are important to the driver.

[0046] Advantageously, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0047] - Determining whether the identified potential risk is located in the driver's field of view and is hidden in a blind spot area of ​​the vehicle is performed dynamically while the vehicle is traveling or moving;

[0048] This increases safety while driving, rather than just when the vehicle is parked or stopped (e.g. at traffic lights).

[0049] The present disclosure further relates to a driver assistance system having a processor which is arranged to implement the method for driver assistance according to the present disclosure.

[0050] In other words, the present disclosure also relates to a data processing driver assistance system comprising a processor configured to perform the steps of the method for driver assistance.

[0051] This provides a driver assistance system with an improved level of safety, while not disturbing the driver with an unnecessary amount of information and confirming to him that driving responsibility remains his.

[0052] The present disclosure also relates to a vehicle in which the driver assistance system according to the present disclosure is integrated.

[0053] Advantageously, the vehicle further comprises at least one external sensor, at least one internal sensor and a human-machine interface.

[0054] This provides a vehicle with an improved level of safety, while not disturbing the driver with an unnecessary amount of information and confirming to him that driving responsibility remains his.

[0055] The present disclosure also relates to a computer program comprising instructions which, when said program is executed by a processor, cause said processor to control the execution of the steps of the method according to the present disclosure.

[0056] In other words, the present disclosure also relates to a computer program comprising instructions which, when said program is executed by a processor, cause said computer to perform the steps of the method according to the present disclosure.

[0057] This provides the computer program with an improved level of safety, while not disturbing the driver with an unnecessary amount of information and confirming to him that driving responsibility remains his. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] Other features, objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent upon reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] Figure 1 A vehicle according to the present disclosure is shown,

[0060] Figure 2 The steps of the method for driver assistance according to the present disclosure are shown.

[0061] Figure 3 shows a display unit of a vehicle in different situations,

[0062] Figure 4 A driving scenario is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] Figure 1 A vehicle 100 with a driver assistance system according to the present disclosure is shown. According to the present disclosure, the driver assistance system has a processing unit arranged to implement a method for driving assistance. The vehicle 100 also has an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).

[0064] The vehicle 100 has a left pillar 13 and a right pillar 14. The vehicle 100 also has a left rearview mirror 11 and a right rearview mirror 12. When the driver 101 is located in the vehicle 100 to drive the vehicle 100, the vehicle presents some blind spot areas 1, 2, 3, 4 in which the driver 101 cannot correctly see (or cannot see) objects.

[0065] More specifically:

[0066] -Due to the left front pillar 13, there is a left front blind spot area 1,

[0067] - Due to the right front pillar 14, there is a right front blind spot area 2,

[0068] - due to the fact that the left rearview mirror 11 cannot show all of the left rear side, there is a left rear blind spot area 3, and

[0069] Due to the fact that the right rear view mirror 12 cannot show all of the right rear side, there is a right rear blind spot area 4 .

[0070] Therefore, there is a need to inform or alert the driver of the presence of any dangerous object in the blind spot area.

[0071] The vehicle 100 further comprises a set of external sensors 16 (or set of outside sensors 16 ) arranged to perform an environmental analysis 200 around the vehicle 100 , such as cameras, radars, lidars.

[0072] The driver assistance has storage means such as RAM and ROM, and recognition means such as a neural network, in order to recognize potential risks around the vehicle 100 based on the environmental analysis performed. The driver assistance is capable of detecting and recognizing obstacles around the vehicle 100.

[0073] The vehicle 100 also includes a set of interior sensors 15 (or a set of inside sensors 15), such as an interior camera (single or multi-focal) or an eye tracking device, to identify the field of view 102 of the driver 101. This may also involve identification of the driver's line of sight, the position of the eyes of the driver 101, or the position or orientation of the head, and the position of the driver 101 in his seat.

[0074] The driver's line of sight can be checked by the direction of the face and eye gaze.

[0075] In particular, the driver's field of view 102 may be tracked to define where the driver 101 is looking. Some examples of areas of interest or attention are: radio, steering wheel, interior rearview mirror, windshield, side windows, left rearview mirror 11, right rearview mirror 12, passenger seat.

[0076] The vehicle 100 further includes a man-machine interface 17 , such as a display unit and an audible device, in order to inform the driver 101 .

[0077] Figure 2 The steps of a method for driver assistance are shown.

[0078] Perform environmental analysis 200. Use a collection of external sensors 16 to capture images, videos or perform detections. Images or videos are captured by cameras of the vehicle 100, while detections are performed by radars and / or lidars of the vehicle 100 and / or retrieved in captured images or captured videos.

[0079] The identification of potential risks 700 is performed and this step is marked as 201, preferably performed over 360 degrees around the vehicle 100. This allows the detection of potential risks 700, as shown below Figure 4 As illustrated in more detail in the driving scenario.

[0080] If a potential risk is identified, a first warning or level 1 warning 300 (or low level warning) is issued by the human machine interface 17 of the vehicle 100. The level 1 warning 300 may be, for example, a green label in a display unit or a low level sound at a speaker of the vehicle 100.

[0081] Then, an analysis and identification 202 of the field of view is performed by the set 15 of internal sensors and the processing unit, and the results of the analysis and identification are further processed as described below.

[0082] A step is performed comprising determining, ie checking, whether the identified potential risk 700 is located in the field of vision 102 of the driver 101 and is hidden in a blind spot zone 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 of the vehicle, which step is referenced 203 .

[0083] If the response to the above determination 203 is "yes", information is sent to the driver 101 to change the driver's position so that the identified potential risk 700 can be seen. The information may include a level 1A warning 301 (or intermediate warning) issued on the display unit, such as an orange continuous warning.

[0084] If the response to the above determination 203 is "no", information 206 that there is a risk without immediate danger is sent to the driver 101. This information may include a level 1B warning 302 (or a low-level warning, which may also be set to a medium-level warning) issued on the display unit (e.g., an orange flashing warning) and a low-level sound or low-speed sound (e.g., one beep per second).

[0085] Then, a step is performed including determining (ie checking) whether the driver 101 has changed the driver's position so as to be able to see the identified potential risk 700 , which step is referenced 205 .

[0086] If the response to the above determination 205 is yes, the step marked as 202 is repeated, which includes analyzing and identifying the field of view. In other words, this means that the driver 101 correctly changes its position in the vehicle or its seat or correctly changes its field of view so as to correctly confirm the potential risk 700.

[0087] If the response to the above determination 205 is no, then steps including the following are performed: the driver 101 is notified to immediately change the driver's position so that the identified potential risk can be seen 700. This information may include a level 1C warning 305 (or medium warning) issued on the display unit (e.g., an orange flashing type warning) and a medium level sound or medium speed sound (e.g., two beeps per second).

[0088] Then, a step is performed including determining (ie, checking) whether a critical point of the identified potential risk 700 will be reached within a predetermined period of time, which step is marked as 207 .

[0089] If the critical point of the identified potential risk 700 will be reached within a predetermined period, the steps of notifying the driver 101 of the impending takeover of the driver assistance system and then allowing the impending takeover of the driver assistance system are performed, which step is marked 208. This information may include a level 2 warning 304 (or high-level warning) issued on the display unit (e.g., a red continuous warning) and a high-level sound or continuous sound 305.

[0090] The predetermined period can be set to, for example, 3 seconds or less. It should be noted that if the driver changes his position in the above step 205, the predetermined period can be set differently. In fact, in this case, the predetermined period is set to a double check period, preferably lower than the predetermined period of step 206 marked, where the risk is no immediate danger. The goal is to encourage the driver to drive responsibly. The double check period can be set to 2 seconds or less.

[0091] Furthermore, this enables a clear distinction between the following two modes:

[0092] - a first mode 400 , in which the driver 101 is looking in the direction of a potential risk 700 , so that attention assistance is performed, and

[0093] - A second mode 401 , in contrast, in which the driver assistance features will take over control of the vehicle.

[0094] If after a short period of time (e.g., a few seconds), the risk of no immediate danger defined at step marked as 206 still exists, a message is sent to the driver 101. This message may include a level 1D warning 303 (or medium warning) issued on the display unit (e.g., an orange flashing type warning) and a medium level sound or medium speed sound (e.g., two beeps per second). It should be noted that levels 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D are all warning levels 1.

[0095] In all cases, if the critical point of the identified potential risk 700 will be reached within a general safety period (e.g., 0.5 seconds), a step including the following is performed: the driver 101 is notified of the upcoming takeover of the driver assistance system and then the upcoming takeover of the driver assistance system is allowed, which step is marked as 208. The collision time may be different between the two modes 400, 401, but the general safety period is set to be safe. That is, the initial predetermined period can be set with a higher value than the double check period, and the double check period can be set with a higher value than the general safety period. In addition, this set of values ​​can be changed according to the driving mode (safe, comfortable, sporty, car baby, city driving (wherein the speed is limited to 50km / h or 60km / h), highway driving (wherein the speed is generally between 80km / h and 140km / h), rural driving (wherein the speed is between 60km / h and 80km / h), etc.).

[0096] In other words, the collision time is monitored and these steps are continuously cycled. If, during the cycle step, the collision time (due to any reason, such as target / vehicle direction or speed change) increases to a specific time above the collision limit (above the collision limit, there is no risk of collision), then there is no need to allow the upcoming takeover of the driver assistance system. When the vehicle is traveling (due to any reason, such as target / vehicle direction or speed change), the collision time can be adjusted thereby and continuously. In other words, this means that if the driver 101 correctly changes his position in the vehicle or in his seat or correctly changes his field of vision, so as to correctly confirm the potential risk 700 and take action to avoid the risk, or if there is no longer a risk due to the collision time being higher than the specific collision time (target change), there is no longer a need to alert the driver of the upcoming takeover of the driver assistance system and then allow the upcoming takeover of the driver assistance system, because the risk has been safely identified and avoided.

[0097] Figure 3 A display unit of a vehicle is shown in different situations, the display unit being an example of a human-machine interface 17 .

[0098] As discussed above, the principle of the present disclosure is to assist the driver by warning him in case of risky situations and checking his field of view to inform and alert him if a hazard is in the blind spot area. This will capture his attention and make him anticipate upcoming driver assistance system features or actions (braking, steering...).

[0099] The assistance should check when the risk is estimated to become very critical soon (e.g., the calculated collision time) and trigger a warning once the defined threshold is reached. For example, in the case where the collision time is less than 3 seconds, the system will trigger the first warning level 1 (e.g., visual) and maintain it until the critical point is reached (that is, when the driver assistance will take action on the vehicle movement), warning level 2 (e.g., visual + sound). Before reaching this critical point, it can be considered that the collision can be avoided by driver manipulation. Therefore, the driver should be aware of the approaching danger. In the case where the driver does not see the danger due to the blind spot area inside the car, a specific warning of the danger in the blind spot should be triggered (e.g., tactile + sound in the column, different from level 1 and 2 HMI, and capture the driver's attention in the direction of the risk). This should capture the driver's attention and focus his attention on driving the vehicle. This will help the driver anticipate the risk and the associated warning level 2 when the driver assistance system feature will take action.

[0100] To this end, calculations should be performed to measure the position of the driver's eyes and determine, for example by measuring eye gaze, whether his field of view (or line of sight) is blocked by one of the pillars. This will allow the blind spot to be determined dynamically.

[0101] For warning logic used to capture driver attention, reference is made to document DOT HS 812068 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Human Factors for Connected Vehicles: Effective Warning Interface Research Findings,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0102] This document summarizes the research of the effectiveness of warning drivers illustrating dangerous situations.Some factors in these researches will be used in the present invention to have effective alarm scheme, i.e. vision (color and fixed / flash) and sound (sequential / continuous).Those factors combined in the alarm scheme allow effective alarm for different stages of the present invention.Effectiveness is defined by the combination of importance, urgency, annoyance and acceptability of rating by the research participant under the different situations experienced.

[0103] The driver assistance system reactions are defined by the steps described in this disclosure.

[0104] Potential risks may be characterized by targets (ie road users identified by conventional driver assistance systems) that present a risk of collision with the vehicle. Driver assistance systems allow the risk to be characterized and its trajectory to be predicted.

[0105] Using all this data, the algorithm assesses whether the driver is looking in the direction of the risk and whether the risk is hidden by a blind spot. This can be a direct view of the risk or a view of the risk through an outside mirror when the risk is in the rear field of view.

[0106] Figure 3 The display on the dashboard for the warning signal is illustrated. Except for the warning 2 level which will sound on both sides, the warning signal will be directional according to the dangerous side.

[0107] The display unit is arranged into different areas 401 to 406 with left display areas 401 , 403 , 405 and right display areas 402 , 404 , 406 .

[0108] When a low-level hazard is detected, display areas 405 and 406 are highlighted in green and can be adjusted based on the risk side (left or right) (in Figure 3 The green highlighting may be continuous.

[0109] When a medium-level hazard is detected, display areas 403 and 404 are highlighted in orange and can be adjusted based on the risk side (left or right) (in Figure 3 The orange highlight may be flashing and accompanied by a medium level sound (or medium frequency sound alarm).

[0110] When a high-level hazard is detected, display areas 401 and 402 are highlighted in red ( Figure 3 The red highlight may be continuous and accompanied by an important audible alarm.

[0111] It should be noted that the step of notifying the driver 101 of the change in the driver's position in order to be able to see the identified potential risk can be adjusted according to the driving mode mentioned above. In particular, the sound level can be set higher when the driving mode is set to highway driving compared to the sound level when the driving mode is city driving. Moreover, the color setting can be adjusted, with higher levels of color alerts depending on the speed. In addition, the text message can be adjusted according to the speed of the vehicle.

[0112] Figure 4 A driving scenario is shown.

[0113] A driver 101 is in a vehicle 100 and is driving the vehicle 100 in a street 1000. The driver 101 wants to turn left and has a view 102 in that direction. The view 102 is hidden by the left front pillar 13 of the vehicle 101.

[0114] Meanwhile, a pedestrian 700 wants to cross the street 1000 on the sidewalk 1001. However, the pedestrian 700 is hidden in the left front blind spot area 1.

[0115] The driver is informed by a text message (such as "Change position to see the hazard in the blind spot" or "Blind spot hazard"), the above-mentioned color indication and sound indication or any combination thereof that there is a potential risk that has been identified and that he must change his position (or head position or viewing direction) in order to see the potential risk. If the driver does not change his position, the driver assistance system will take over control and brake. In addition, the driver assistance can issue an external warning using the horn (or electric horn (Klaxon)) of the vehicle 100 in order to alert the pedestrian 700.

[0116] In other words, the driver's view is blocked by the left pillar (blind spot area), so the system should trigger warning level 1. After warning level 1, the system monitors the driver's attention to the risk. If the risk is in the driver's blind spot line of sight, a specific warning (warning about the hazard in the blind spot) is triggered to capture the driver's attention. If no action from the driver is performed to have the risk in his direct line of sight or even avoid the risk, warning level 2 is triggered and the driver assistance system features can take control and brake to avoid a collision with the pedestrian, but at least the driver is aware of the hazard in the blind spot and the upcoming action of the driver assistance system on the vehicle movement.

[0117] Of course, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art may implement obvious improvements and / or modifications while still remaining within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0118] In particular, reference is made to using another warning signal external to the vehicle 100 .

Claims

1. A method for driver assistance implemented in a driver assistance system of a vehicle (100), the method comprising the following steps: - performing an environmental analysis of the vehicle (100); - identifying potential risks (700) around the vehicle (100) based on the performed environmental analysis; - identifying the field of vision (102) of the driver (101); - identifying dynamic blind spots (1, 2, 3, 4) caused by a front pillar of the vehicle (100) based on the field of vision (102) of the driver (101); - determining whether the identified potential risk (700) is hidden in the dynamic blind spot area (1, 2, 3, 4) of the vehicle (100); - in response to determining that the identified potential risk (700) is hidden in the dynamic blind spot zone (1, 2, 3, 4) of the vehicle (100), notifying the driver (101) of the identified potential risk (700) and instructing the driver (101) to change the driver's position; - after notifying the driver (101) of the identified potential risk (700) and instructing the driver (101) to change the driver's position, determining whether the driver (101) has changed the driver's position, and determining an updated field of view of the driver (101) after the driver (101) has changed the driver's position; -updating the dynamic blind spot areas (1, 2, 3, 4) based on the updated field of view of the driver (101), and determining whether the identified potential risk (700) is hidden in the updated dynamic blind spot areas; - in response to determining that the driver (101) has changed the driver's position and the identified potential risk (700) is not hidden in the updated dynamic blind spot area, performing all the above steps again; as well as - In response to determining that the driver (101) has not changed the driver's position or the identified potential risk (700) is hidden in the updated dynamic blind spot area, using the human-machine interface (17) of the vehicle (100) to issue a warning to the driver (101) about the identified potential risk (700).

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: -Determine if the critical point of the identified potential risk (700) will be reached within the double check period: When the critical point of the identified risk potential (700) is to be reached within the double-check period, the driver (101) is informed of an impending takeover of a driver assistance system and the impending takeover of the driver assistance system is then permitted.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the following steps: - determine whether the critical point of the identified potential risk (700) will be reached within the general safety period, When the critical point of the identified potential risk (700) will be reached within the general safety period, The driver (101) is informed of an impending takeover of the driver assistance system and then the impending takeover of the driver assistance system is permitted.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: -When the identified potential risk (700) is not located in the field of vision (102) of the driver (101) and the identified potential risk (700) is not blocked by the blind spot area (1, 2, 3, 4) of the vehicle, the driver (101) is notified that the identified potential risk (700) does not pose an immediate danger.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of notifying the driver (101) of a change in the driver's position is performed by an orange flashing warning and / or a repeated sound in a human-machine interface (17) of the vehicle (100).

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The step of informing the driver (101) of the impending takeover of the driver assistance system is performed by a red continuous warning and / or a continuous warning sound in the human-machine interface (17) of the vehicle (100). 7 . A driver assistance system having a processor, the processor being arranged to implement the driver assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A vehicle (100) in which the driver assistance system according to claim 7 is integrated.

9. The vehicle (100) of claim 8, further comprising at least one external sensor (16), at least one internal sensor (15) and a human-machine interface (17).

10. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to control the execution of the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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