Systems and methods for controlling the parking or door opening functions of a vehicle.

Abstract

One aspect of the invention relates to a system (10) for controlling a parking function or a door opening function of a vehicle (1), comprising: an operating element (100) designed to generate an operating signal based on an operation by a vehicle occupant; and control devices (101, 1011, 1012, 1013) configured to: receive the operating signal, and in response to the reception of the operating signal and to selectively trigger the parking function or the door opening function based on the travel speed of the vehicle (1). Another aspect of the invention relates to a corresponding method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to systems and methods for controlling the parking or door opening functions of a vehicle. In particular, it relates to vehicles configured for autonomous driving or even driverless operation. Background Technology

[0002] In the context of this article, the term "autonomous driving" can be understood as: driving with automatic longitudinal or lateral guidance, or autonomous driving with automatic longitudinal and lateral guidance. The term "autonomous driving" includes autonomous driving with any degree of automation. Exemplary degrees of automation are driver assistance, partial automation, high automation, or full automation. The degree of automation is defined by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) (see BASt Publication "Forschungkompakt", Issue 11 / 2012). In driver assistance, the driver continuously performs longitudinal or lateral guidance, while the system takes over other functions within a certain range. In partial automation (TAF), the system takes over longitudinal and lateral guidance for a certain period of time and / or under specific circumstances, where the driver must continuously monitor the system as in driver assistance. In high automation (HAF), the system takes over longitudinal and lateral guidance for a certain period of time, and the driver does not need to continuously monitor the system; however, the driver must be able to take over the vehicle for a certain period of time. In full automation (VAF), the system can automatically manage driving in all situations for specific application scenarios; for these application scenarios, a driver is no longer required. The four levels of automation mentioned above, as defined by BASt, correspond to SAE Levels 1 through 4 of the SAE J3016 standard. For example, according to BASt, Highly Automated Driving (HAF) corresponds to Level 3 of the SAE J3016 standard. Furthermore, SAE J3016 also includes SAE Level 5 as the highest level of automation, which is not included in the BASt definition. SAE Level 5 corresponds to fully automated driving, where the system can automatically manage all situations throughout the driving process like a human driver; typically, a driver is no longer required.

[0003] In the field of motor vehicles, solutions for electrically opening car doors are increasingly emerging, namely solutions for electrically operating door locks. This has the particular advantage of eliminating the need for a mechanical connection between the operating element and the actual vehicle door lock. By omitting mechanical components such as Bowden cables, greater freedom is gained in door design.

[0004] In this solution, there are typically electrically operated elements, such as buttons, on both the inside and outside of each door, which can be operated by a person to trigger the electric door opening function.

[0005] In some autonomous vehicles, touchscreens are incorporated to provide operating options for passengers. The touchscreen allows users to input, for example, the destination, to initiate a journey, or to request other vehicle functions, such as adjusting the air conditioning. It is also suggested that any immediate stop request be input via the touchscreen, and that the vehicle's automatic parking functions, particularly the automatic emergency stop function, be triggered.

[0006] For functional and safety reasons, the stop request button that triggers these functions should be additionally located in each door, specifically on the inside of each door. This has the advantage of allowing the stop request to be executed even if the touchscreen fails.

[0007] In this scenario, the following problem arises: at least two buttons must be installed in each door—one to open the door and the other to indicate a stop request or emergency stop request from the occupants of the autonomous vehicle. These two safety-related switches must also be double-evaluated by the corresponding electronic devices and must relay the appropriate signals, necessitating additional hardware.

[0008] This also poses a risk of confusion, especially for vehicle occupants. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of this invention is to provide a system and method for controlling the parking or door opening functions of a vehicle, which at least partially overcomes the shortcomings of known solutions in the prior art.

[0010] This objective is achieved through the features of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims. It should be noted that additional features of a claim dependent on an independent claim can form an independent invention, independent of all combinations of features of the independent patent claim, even without the features of the independent claim or only in combination with a subset of the features of the independent claim. These inventions can be the subject of the independent claim, divisional application, or subsequent application. This also applies to the technical teachings described in the specification, which can form inventions independent of the features of the independent patent claims.

[0011] The first aspect of the present invention relates to a system for controlling the parking function or door opening function of a vehicle.

[0012] This particularly applies to vehicles configured for autonomous driving.

[0013] Here, "parking function" can be understood as an automatically executed parking process, such as emergency parking, which takes the form of a so-called "minimum risk operation".

[0014] The system includes operating elements designed to generate operating signals based on operations performed by vehicle occupants.

[0015] For example, the operating element can be designed in the form of an electric switch or button in the door area. For example, it can be arranged on the inside of the vehicle door.

[0016] Operating signals can be, for example, electrical operating signals generated when operating an operating element.

[0017] The system also includes a control device configured to: receive an operation signal, and in response to the receipt of the operation signal, selectively trigger a parking function or a door opening function based on the vehicle's speed.

[0018] Here, "driving speed" can be understood as the vehicle's current driving speed.

[0019] For example, after receiving an operation signal from the operating element, the control device can generate a corresponding control signal based on the driving speed, and trigger or control the automatic parking function through the control signal.

[0020] This invention is based on the idea of ​​integrating the operational functions for parking and door opening into a single operating element. For example, the stop request button for the wheels of an autonomous vehicle can be integrated with an existing door opening switch. Therefore, only one button is needed, and if necessary, only one evaluation logic is required for the operational signal generated by the button.

[0021] In this way, the risk of vehicle occupants confusing multiple switches is eliminated.

[0022] Combining two functions (parking request and door opening request) into a single operation request requires the ability to distinguish between the two functions in order to identify the actual expected function.

[0023] Here, the present invention is based on the understanding that such a distinction can be made based on driving speed.

[0024] The basic idea in this regard is to define a corresponding driving speed range for the two functions, within which it is meaningful to trigger the relevant functions.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the control device can be configured to: trigger a parking function when the driving speed is within a first speed range, and trigger a door opening function when the driving speed is within a second speed range, wherein the triggering is performed in response to receiving an operation signal.

[0026] Here, according to a preferred embodiment, the control device is configured to: trigger the parking function after receiving an operation signal when the driving speed is greater than the parking request speed limit, and trigger the door opening function after receiving an operation signal when the driving speed is less than the door opening speed limit.

[0027] In other words, in this variant, the first speed range includes speeds greater than the speed limit for a parking request, and the second speed range includes speeds less than the speed limit for opening the door.

[0028] Here, according to one embodiment, the parking request speed limit and the door opening speed limit are respectively within a slow step speed range, for example, in the range of 2 km / h to 6 km / h, preferably in the range of 3 km / h to 5 km / h, for example, 4 km / h.

[0029] The parking request speed limit is preferably greater than or equal to the door opening speed limit. In other words, according to some embodiments, a certain gap can be provided between the parking request speed limit and the door opening speed limit. In other embodiments, the parking request speed limit and the door opening speed limit can be the same.

[0030] Based on the above, for example, it could be proposed that when the vehicle is stationary or moving at a slow speed (e.g., driving speed <4 km / h), the operating element is activated as a door opening button. In this case, a door opening request is also meaningful.

[0031] Conversely, if the vehicle is moving at a significant speed (e.g., >4 km / h), the function of the operating element can be enabled as a parking request button, making the parking request meaningful.

[0032] According to an advantageous implementation variant, the control device is configured to trigger the door opening function in response to an operation signal after the speed has decreased from a higher driving speed to below a first door opening speed limit (e.g., 3 km / h), and as long as it does not (again) exceed a first parking request speed limit (e.g., 4 km / h) higher than the first door opening speed limit.

[0033] It can also be proposed that the control device is configured to trigger the parking function in response to an operation signal after the speed drops from a higher driving speed to below the first door opening speed limit and then (again) exceeds the first parking request speed limit.

[0034] Additionally or alternatively, the control device may be configured to trigger the parking function in response to an operating signal after exceeding the second parking request speed limit (e.g., 5 km / h) from a lower driving speed, and provided that it does not then drop below the second door opening speed limit (e.g., 4 km / h), which is lower than the second parking request speed limit.

[0035] It can also be suggested that the control device is configured to trigger the door opening function in response to an operation signal after exceeding the second stop request speed limit from a lower driving speed and then (again) dropping below the second door opening speed limit.

[0036] Here, according to some implementation methods, the speed limit for the second parking request can be greater than the speed limit for the first parking request.

[0037] Alternatively or additionally, the speed limit for the second door opening may be greater than the speed limit for the first door opening.

[0038] In other implementations, the first stop request speed limit may be equal to the second stop request speed limit, and / or the first door opening speed limit may be equal to the second door opening speed limit.

[0039] With the aforementioned implementation variation, a lag can be set for the functional allocation of the operating element. This can be used to ensure functional stability, for example, by preventing repeated drops below and over of specific speed limits during operation of the operating element, and by preventing rapid switching of the operating element's functional allocation between parking requests and door opening. The lag prevents the functional allocation of the operating element from being temporarily undefined in the perception of the vehicle occupants.

[0040] The scope of the invention also includes the fact that the control device can be a distributed control device, which may include, for example, multiple controllers or may be functionally distributed across multiple controllers.

[0041] Here, it is preferable to use such a controller already present in the vehicle and possible other components (e.g., a data bus system). Therefore, in some cases, especially when an opening button is already present in the door, it is not necessary to add dedicated hardware components to implement the system according to the invention.

[0042] According to an advantageous embodiment, the control device particularly includes a door controller (hereinafter also referred to as "door SG") disposed in the vehicle door. Here, the door controller is configured to evaluate the operating state of the operating elements.

[0043] For example, a door controller can be configured to receive operating signals from operating elements and determine the operating state based on the operating signals. Then, if necessary, the operating state can be provided to other components of the control unit, such as the body controller and / or a controller for autonomous driving, for further processing.

[0044] In addition, the door controller can be configured, for example, to control the closing mechanisms for vehicle doors and / or for windows arranged in the doors.

[0045] In one embodiment, instead of a door controller, or in addition to a door controller, the control device may include a body controller (hereinafter also referred to as "Body SG"). Here, the body controller may, for example, be located in the driver's footwell area of ​​the vehicle. Such a body controller may typically be configured to control lighting functions, window regulator functions, central locking functions, etc.

[0046] The body controller is preferably configured to receive information relating to the operating status of the operating elements (e.g., from the door control unit).

[0047] According to one implementation variant, the body controller can also be configured to further process operational states, such as to determine whether a door opening or parking function should be performed. Alternatively, the body controller can be configured to forward operational states to other components of the control unit, such as to a controller for autonomous driving.

[0048] The scope of this invention also includes: the control device may include a controller for autonomous driving (hereinafter also referred to as "AF controller" or "AF-SG"). For example, such a controller may include a processor and storage devices configured to control the autonomous driving functions of the vehicle.

[0049] According to a preferred embodiment, the AF controller is configured to receive information relating to the operating status of the operating elements (e.g., from the door controller and / or from the body controller and / or via the vehicle's data bus system).

[0050] In one variant, the AF controller can also be designed to further process the received information to determine whether the door opening or parking function should be executed.

[0051] Alternatively, it could be suggested that the AF controller has, if necessary, received a trigger signal for the completion of the parking function from other components of the control unit, such as the body controller. In this case, information about the operating status can be evaluated accordingly, for example, by means of the body controller, taking into account the driving speed.

[0052] A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for controlling the parking or door opening functions of a vehicle using a system according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0053] One step of this method is to receive an operation signal by means of a control device.

[0054] Another step is to use a control device to determine whether the vehicle's speed is within a first speed range or a second speed range.

[0055] In another step, if the driving speed is within the first speed range, the parking function is triggered by means of a control device (in response to the receipt of an operation signal and, if necessary, according to other conditions, such as those relating to the duration of the operation, as detailed below).

[0056] Alternatively, if the driving speed is within the second speed range, the door opening function is triggered (in response to the receipt of the operation signal and, if necessary, according to other conditions).

[0057] Here, according to an improved scheme, it can also be proposed to trigger the parking function and / or the door opening function based on the duration of the operation of the operating element.

[0058] Therefore, additional triggering criteria can be set, especially for the parking function. For example, it can be proposed that the parking function be triggered only in the case of a so-called long press, that is, when the detected operation duration of the operating element exceeds a predetermined operation duration limit.

[0059] In a preferred embodiment, the method may include the following steps performed by means of a control device: determining whether the operation duration of the operation of the operating element is greater than an operation duration limit (optionally equal to the operation duration limit); and if the driving speed is within a first speed range and the operation duration is greater than the operation duration limit (optionally equal to the operation duration limit), triggering a parking function (in response to receiving an operation signal and optionally according to other conditions).

[0060] Here, the operation duration limit can be in the range of 600 to 900 ms, preferably in the range of 700 to 800 ms, and for example, it can be 750 ms. It can also be proposed that the operation duration limit can be set variably, for example, in the range of 0 to 3 seconds.

[0061] The foregoing description of the system according to the first aspect of the invention also applies in a corresponding manner to the method according to the second aspect of the invention. In this respect, advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention not expressly described in the claims correspond to the advantageous embodiments of the system according to the invention described above or in the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0062] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. In the drawings:

[0063] Figure 1 A system for controlling parking or door opening functions is illustrated schematically and exemplary;

[0064] Figure 2 A system for controlling parking or door opening functions is illustrated schematically and exemplary;

[0065] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a parking function or a door opening function; and

[0066] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart is shown for a method to control the parking function or the door opening function. Detailed Implementation

[0067] Figure 1 A system 10 for selectively controlling the parking or door opening functions of vehicle 1 is illustrated schematically and exemplary.

[0068] The system includes an operating element 100, which may be designed as an electric push button. The system also includes a control device 101 that is communicatively connected to the operating element 100.

[0069] For example, control device 101 may include one or more processors and storage devices that may be connected thereto. In principle, control device 101 can also be a distributed control device, including, for example, multiple controllers, as referred to below. Figure 1 explain.

[0070] Figure 2 Exemplary and schematic views of a system 10 according to the invention are shown, which is arranged in a vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 is shown in a top view. Here, the operating element 100 is arranged on the inside of the door. Here, only one operating element 100 is shown exemplarily. However, it should be understood that such an operating element can also be provided at other doors, in particular at each door.

[0071] Also according to Figure 2 In this embodiment, the operating element 100 is communicatively connected to the control device 101. Here, the control device 101 includes a door controller 1011, a body controller 1012, and an autopilot controller (AF controller) 1013. The proposed controllers 1011, 1012, 1013, and the operating element 100 are communicatively connected to each other, for example, via the vehicle 1's data bus system.

[0072] Below, the explanation is based on Figure 1 and Figure 2 The operating mode of System 10, which also references Figure 3 and Figure 4 The steps of the method are illustrated in 21, 22, 23, 24a, 24b, and 25.

[0073] Here, Figure 3 Exemplary and illustrative method flows according to one embodiment are shown, and Figure 4 Explanation based on Figure 3 An improved form of the method flow, which has optional additional method steps.

[0074] First of all, Figure 3 and Figure 4 In step 21 shown, the control device 101 receives an operation signal as a result of the vehicle occupants operating the operating element 100.

[0075] Regarding Figure 2 In one embodiment, the door controller 1011 may, for example, receive an operation signal. Here, the door controller is preferably configured to generate a logical operation state based on the operation signal (e.g., "1" represents operation, i.e., the door button 100 is pressed, or "0" represents no operation). Thus, a first logical evaluation of the operation signal can be performed directly in the door.

[0076] This is illustrated in the left columns of Tables 1 and 2 below, which exemplarily show two alternative processing flows of the logical state with the participation of the door controller (door SG) 1011, the body controller (body SG) 1012, and the controller for autonomous driving (AF-SG) 1013 within the scope of the method according to the invention.

[0077] Table 1: Status processing via door SG, body SG and AF-SG

[0078]

[0079] Table 2: State processing via gate SG and AF-SG

[0080]

[0081] The logical operating state of the operating element 100 generated by the door controller 1011 can then be provided to other components of the control device 101, such as the body controller 1012 (see Table 1) and / or directly to the AF controller 1013 (see Table 2) for further processing.

[0082] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4 In another step 22, which is illustrated schematically, the control device 101 determines whether the speed of the vehicle 1 is within a first speed range or a second speed range.

[0083] For example, the first speed range may include speeds greater than the predetermined parking request speed limit (in particular all speeds), and the second speed range may include speeds less than the predetermined door opening speed limit (in particular all speeds).

[0084] Here, the parking speed limit request and the door opening speed limit are preferably within the range of the stepping speed, especially the slow stepping speed.

[0085] In this embodiment, the parking request speed limit is equal to the door opening speed limit, and is 4 km / h.

[0086] In other implementations, the parking request speed limit can be greater than the door opening speed limit.

[0087] Alternatively, a lag may be implemented with respect to the significance of the relevant parking request speed limit or door opening speed limit in relation to the past, particularly to speed limits approaching from higher or lower driving speeds. The aforementioned variations have already been explained above.

[0088] However, in the current embodiment, the speed limit is based on a unique and fixed value of 4 km / h.

[0089] In Tables 1 and 2, the predetermined speed value of 4 km / h is referred to as the "V threshold". In the third column of the table, the evaluation results for the driving speed are shown (step 22): if the driving speed is greater than 4 km / h, a logic state "1" is generated by the vehicle body SG 1012 (see Table 1) or alternatively by AF-SG 1013 (see Table 2); otherwise, a logic state "0" is generated.

[0090] If the assessment in step 22 determines that the driving speed is no greater than 4 km / h, then the door opening function is triggered via control device 101 (see...). Figure 3 and Figure 4 (Step 24b in the text). Then, the door is electrically unlocked, allowing it to be opened by mechanical pressure.

[0091] Here, in order to notify vehicle occupants, the corresponding inspection control message (CCM) including a reed can be optionally triggered.

[0092] However, if the assessment in step 22 determines that the driving speed is greater than 4 km / h, the parking function is triggered via control device 101. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Step 24a).

[0093] Here, as Figure 4 The description states that, optionally, additional step 23 can be connected before triggering (step 24a) the parking function, in which the control device 101 determines whether the operation duration of the operation of the operating element 101 is greater than a predetermined operation duration limit (hereinafter also referred to as "long press time").

[0094] If the evaluation in step 23 determines that the operation duration is shorter than the long press time, the method terminates at that point (see [link]). Figure 4 In step 25), the parking function is not triggered in this case (step 24a).

[0095] Such an intermediate step 23 is also provided in the exemplary logical state processing according to Tables 1 and 2 (see columns 1 and 2).

[0096] The maximum duration of a long press operation can be defined as, for example, 750ms. This indicates that a long press exists when the operating element is pressed until a switching point, such as holding the press for at least 750ms (long press) and then releasing it or continuing to hold it.

[0097] Here, the triggering of the parking function according to step 24a preferably occurs after a long press period and is not triggered by releasing the operating element 101.

[0098] Here, according to a variant implementation, it can also be proposed that the operation duration limit can be variably set through the corresponding system configuration, for example, in the range of 0 to 3 seconds.

[0099] Alternatively, it can be proposed that, when the button is pressed and held, an additional display be made via a display mechanism present in the vehicle, such as a touchscreen (tablet computer), to check the operation process and the reasonableness of its effect on the vehicle occupants. Here, it is preferable to display only when the driving speed is greater than 4 km / h, that is, when the conditions related to the driving speed that trigger the parking function are also met.

[0100] In Tables 1 and 2, the maximum value for operation duration is exemplarily described as "x seconds". Information regarding whether the operation duration is greater than (or may be greater than or equal to) or less than (or may be less than or equal to) the value of "x seconds" may be included, i.e., information about whether a long press was performed, for example as additional information in a logical state passed from door SG1011 to body SG 1012 or to AF-SG 1013.

[0101] The vehicle body SG 1012 or AF-SG 1013 then receives or generates the corresponding logic state ("1" if long press, and "0" if no long press), which is shown in the second column of Table 1 and Table 2, respectively.

[0102] To trigger the parking function, the vehicle body SG 1012 or AF-SG 1013 generates a corresponding logic state "1" (e.g., emergency stop state). This is shown in the fourth column of Table 1 and Table 2 respectively. If the conditions of long press and driving speed are met, "1" is entered; otherwise, "0" is entered.

[0103] In the embodiment according to Table 1, the vehicle body SG 1012 performs the other method steps 22, 23 and 24a or 24b described above based on the logical operation state provided by the door SG 1011.

[0104] Here, step 24a includes, for example, generating an emergency stop state (state "1" in the fourth column of Table 1), which is then received by AF-SG1013. AF-SG then implements the stop function, as indicated in the fifth column ("Emergency Stop") of Table 1.

[0105] In contrast, in an alternative embodiment according to Table 2, AF-SG 1013 is configured to: perform steps 22, 23 and 24a based on the operating state provided by the door SG1011 (optionally via the body SG 1012), and then control the automatic emergency stop of vehicle 1 if necessary.

Claims

1. A system (10) for controlling the parking or door opening function of a vehicle (1), comprising: • An operating element (100) is located inside the door of the vehicle (1), and the operating element is designed to generate an operating signal based on the operation of a vehicle occupant located inside the vehicle (1). • Control devices (101, 1011, 1012, 1013), said control devices being configured to: Receive the operation signal, In response to receiving the operation signal, the operation duration of the operation of the operating element (100) is detected, and the travel speed of the vehicle (1) is detected. When the driving speed is within the first speed range and the operation duration is greater than the operation duration limit, the parking function is triggered, and The door opening function is triggered when the driving speed is within the second speed range, wherein the speed within the second speed range is less than the speed within the first speed range.

2. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the control device (101, 1011, 1012, 1013) is configured to: trigger the parking function when the driving speed is greater than the parking request speed limit, and trigger the door opening function when the driving speed is less than the door opening speed limit, wherein the parking request speed limit is greater than or equal to the door opening speed limit.

3. The system (10) according to any one of claims 1, wherein the control device (101, 1011, 1012, 1013) is configured to: trigger the door opening function in response to the operation signal after the speed drops from a higher driving speed to below the first door opening speed limit, and as long as the speed does not then exceed the first stop request speed limit which is higher than the first door opening speed limit.

4. The system (10) according to claim 3, wherein the control device (101, 1011, 1012, 1013) is configured to: trigger the parking function in response to the operation signal after first reducing from a higher driving speed to below the first door opening speed limit and then exceeding the first parking request speed limit.

5. The system (10) of claim 1, wherein the control device (101, 1011, 1012, 1013) is configured to: trigger the parking function in response to the operation signal after exceeding the second parking request speed limit from a lower driving speed, and as long as it does not then drop below the second door opening speed limit which is lower than the second parking request speed limit.

6. The system (10) of claim 5, wherein the control device (101, 1011, 1012, 1013) is configured to: trigger the door opening function in response to the operation signal after first exceeding the second stop request speed limit from a lower driving speed and then decreasing to below the second door opening speed limit.

7. A method for controlling the parking or door opening function of a vehicle (1) using a system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprising the following steps performed by means of the control device (101, 1011, 1012, 1013): • Receive (21) an operation signal from the operating element (100); • Determine whether the driving speed of the vehicle (1) is within a first speed range or a second speed range, wherein the speed in the second speed range is less than the speed in the first speed range; • Determine whether the operation duration of the operation of the operating element (100) (23) is greater than the operation duration limit; • If the driving speed is within the first speed range and the operation duration is greater than the operation duration limit, then the parking function (24a) is triggered; • If the driving speed is within the second speed range, then the door opening function (24b) is triggered.

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