Vehicle and method for detecting pidentification

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle, comprising: at least one UWB transmitting antenna unit (22, 32, 42, 52), which is designed to emit radio signal pulses (SI) in a defined transmission frequency range; at least one UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54) arranged to receive a radio signal (S) in the transmission frequency range; the UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54) is configured to receive a radio signal (S), and a calculation unit (62) which is configured to evaluate a signal strength curve of the radio signal (S) received by the UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54), the calculation unit (62) having a precipitation detection module (64) which is configured to determine precipitation on the basis of the signal strength curve of the radio signal (S) received by the UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54). The invention also relates to a method for detecting precipitation by means of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle and a method for precipitation recognition. Background Art

[0002] The detection of precipitation by the vehicle itself is already known from the prior art. In particular, so-called rain sensors and visibility sensors are known. The water layer or snow layer caused by raindrops or snowflakes falling on the windshield is detected by the rain sensor and rainfall or snowfall is inferred based on this. Aerosols and small dust particles such as those present in fog or smoke and smog are detected by the visibility sensor and fog, smoke or smog and limited vision are inferred based on this. Both variants are usually designed in the form of optical sensors and arranged on the inner side of the windshield. When the rain sensor or visibility sensor designed as an optical sensor is in operation, a light beam is emitted in a targeted manner and it is determined based on the reflection of the emitted light beam whether there is limited vision due to rain, snowfall, fog and / or smoke. The disadvantage of such rain sensors and visibility sensors designed as optical sensors is that they are easily disturbed, especially when the sensors are contaminated. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle with which precipitation detection can be performed in a simple, cost-effective and reliable manner.

[0004] This object is achieved by the features of claim 1 and claim 9 .

[0005] The vehicle according to the invention comprises: at least one UWB transmitting antenna unit, which is configured to emit radio signal pulses within a defined transmission frequency range; and at least one UWB receiving antenna unit, which is configured to receive radio signals within the transmission frequency range. The transmission frequency range is preferably 6.5 GHz to 8.0 GHz.

[0006] UWB transmitting antenna units and UWB receiving antenna units are based on ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, which is known in principle and allows data transmission at relatively high data rates over short distances. Such UWB transmitting antenna units and UWB receiving antenna units based on ultra-wideband technology are often used in vehicle technology. UWB transmitting antenna units and UWB receiving antenna units are in particular components of a radio remote control system, which is used for access control of vehicles. In this case, in particular, a person who is authorized to unlock the vehicle is identified by signal transmission between the vehicle and a mobile device located in the vehicle environment, and based on this, the vehicle door is unlocked or opened automatically.

[0007] Due to environmental influences, radio signals are usually affected during transmission, so the radio signal received by the UWB receiving antenna unit is different from the radio signal emitted by the UWB transmitting antenna unit. In particular, the radio signal received by the UWB receiving antenna unit may include different multiple reflections of the emitted radio signal depending on the environment. Since the transmission path between the UWB transmitting antenna unit and the UWB receiving antenna unit is also called a radio channel, the radio signal received by the UWB receiving antenna unit is also called a channel impulse response (CIR in English). Preferably, the UWB transmitting antenna unit is configured to emit a defined sequence of radio signal pulses. The radio signal pulses emitted by the UWB transmitting antenna unit typically have a pulse duration in the nanosecond range.

[0008] The vehicle also includes a computing unit, which is configured to evaluate the signal strength curve of the radio signal received by the UWB receiving antenna unit. The computing unit generally includes a microcontroller or other type of programmable computing mechanism, and the functions of the computing unit can be implemented in hardware and / or software. The computing unit can be implemented as a separate component to be installed on the vehicle or alternatively can also be implemented in a common device with the UWB transmitting antenna unit and / or the UWB receiving antenna unit. It is also conceivable that the computing unit is formed by a controller or other existing programmable computing mechanism already present in the vehicle, which is coupled to at least the UWB receiving antenna unit and is programmed accordingly, for example by importing a software component.

[0009] Since the UWB transmitting antenna unit is usually configured to transmit radio signal pulses into a relatively large solid angle, and the UWB receiving antenna unit is usually configured to receive incoming radio signals from a relatively large solid angle, the received radio signal usually includes one or more reflections of the emitted radio signal pulses, which, due to the longer transmission path, reach the UWB receiving antenna unit with a time delay from the unreflected radio signal pulses. The number of reflections contained in the received radio signal depends on the effective reflectivity of the environment, which depends in particular on the number, size and surface properties of the objects present in the environment. In addition, the maximum signal strength also usually depends on the effective reflectivity of the environment.

[0010] The calculation unit comprises a precipitation recognition module or a weather recognition module which is designed to determine precipitation based on a signal strength curve of a radio signal received by the UWB receiving antenna unit.

[0011] In particular, the precipitation recognition module is configured to evaluate the entire so-called CIR of the UWB receiving antenna unit with respect to the current precipitation. The precipitation recognition module can, for example, be configured to determine the number of jumps, i.e. peaks, within a defined interval of the CIR and to recognize the current precipitation based on the determined number or type of jumps. In principle, the calculation unit can be configured to evaluate any characteristic of the CIR curve that varies depending on the number of reflections in order to recognize precipitation based thereon.

[0012] In particular, the precipitation recognition module is designed to recognize a specific signal strength curve and to infer precipitation based thereon. In this case, the signal strength curve has relatively many peaks in rain, snow or fog, which are caused by individual droplets or snowflakes present in the ambient air. If such a signal strength curve is detected, the presence of rain, snow or fog is determined. The determined precipitation can then be used for other systems of the vehicle.

[0013] Thus, precipitation detection can be performed in a simple and reliable manner. In particular, technologies and components required for this purpose that are already present on a plurality of vehicles for other purposes and in a completely different manner can be used for precipitation detection.

[0014] Preferably, the precipitation recognition module is designed to determine precipitation based on a plurality of jumps with different signal propagation paths caused by droplets and / or snowflakes. Raindrops, snowflakes and water droplets causing fog present in the vehicle environment or in the ambient air cause a specific reflection of electromagnetic radiation and thus characterize a signal strength curve for rain, snowfall and fog, which has a relatively large number of similar jumps, i.e. peaks, with different signal strengths. If the precipitation recognition module detects such a signal strength curve, precipitation is present.

[0015] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the precipitation recognition module is designed to determine reflections caused by raindrops, liquid droplets and / or snowflakes with different signal propagation paths by using the Doppler effect and the driving speed. The Doppler effect is understood to be a significant change in the frequency of sound waves, light waves or radio waves caused by the relative movement between source and observer. If the source and observer move towards each other, the frequency increases. If the source and observer move away from each other, the frequency decreases.

[0016] When a vehicle is driven in the presence of precipitation, the vehicle moves towards raindrops, snowflakes and water droplets that cause fog substantially at the driving speed. In addition, by determining the frequency shift changes of individual regions of the signal strength curve, in particular the peaks, the relative speed between the vehicle and the reflecting element can be determined. By comparing the determined relative speed with the known driving speed of the vehicle, the reflections or peaks associated with raindrops, snowflakes or water droplets can be determined. The relative speed determined here corresponds substantially to the driving speed. In this way, the regions of the signal strength curve that are critical for determining precipitation can be reliably determined.

[0017] Preferably, the vehicle comprises: a plurality of UWB receiving antenna units spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction of the vehicle and / or in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the plurality of UWB receiving antenna units being respectively arranged to receive radio signals in a transmission frequency range, the signal strength curves of the radio signals received by the plurality of UWB receiving antenna units being capable of being evaluated by a computing unit; and / or a plurality of UWB transmitting antenna units spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction of the vehicle and / or in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the plurality of UWB transmitting antenna units being respectively arranged to emit radio signal pulses in a defined transmission frequency range; and a control unit, the control unit being arranged to control the plurality of UWB transmitting antenna units so that the radio signal pulses can be selectively emitted by each UWB transmitting antenna unit. By providing a plurality of UWB receiving antenna units and / or a plurality of UWB transmitting antenna units, precipitation recognition can be performed based on a plurality of signal strength curves, which the precipitation recognition module respectively analyzes with respect to the current precipitation. In this way, precipitation can be determined particularly reliably.

[0018] Preferably, at least one transceiver device is provided, which includes both a UWB transmitting antenna unit and a UWB receiving antenna unit, and which is configured to operate the UWB transmitting antenna unit and the UWB receiving antenna unit simultaneously. In this way, the UWB transmitting antenna unit and the UWB receiving antenna unit can be compactly integrated in the transceiver device, thereby reducing the number of components to be installed. By operating the UWB transmitting antenna unit and the UWB receiving antenna unit simultaneously, the radio signal pulses emitted by the UWB transmitting antenna unit of the transceiver device can be reliably received by the UWB receiving antenna unit of the same transceiver device.

[0019] Preferably, the vehicle includes a fog light function, an automatic driving speed function, an automatic wiper function and / or a warning function, which can be activated based on the precipitation value output by the precipitation recognition module. Thus, when the precipitation module determines precipitation, driving safety can be improved by automatically activating at least one of the functions.

[0020] Furthermore, the object is achieved by a method for detecting precipitation with a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8. With regard to the advantages of the method, reference is made to the preceding paragraphs.

[0021] Thus, precipitation detection can be performed in a simple and reliable manner. In particular, technologies and components required for this purpose that are already present on a plurality of vehicles for other purposes and in a completely different manner can be used for precipitation detection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are as follows:

[0023] Figure 1 A vehicle according to the invention is shown schematically with a computing unit and four transceiver devices, each of which comprises a transmitting antenna unit and a receiving antenna unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Figure 1 A vehicle 10 according to the invention is shown purely schematically and comprises four transceiver devices 20 , 30 , 40 , 50 and a control device 60 .

[0025] All transceiver devices 20, 30, 40, 50 of the vehicle 10 are of identical construction and are each mounted in the region of a bumper or a fender of the vehicle 10. Specifically, two transceiver devices 20, 30 are mounted in the front region of the vehicle 10 and two transceiver devices 40, 50 are mounted in the rear region of the vehicle, the transceiver devices 20, 40 being mounted on the passenger side 12 and the transceiver devices 30, 50 being mounted on the driver side 14.

[0026] The four transceiver devices 20, 30, 40, 50 are based on the known ultra-wideband technology and each include a UWB transmitting antenna unit 22, 32, 42, 52 and a UWB receiving antenna unit 24, 34, 44, 54. The UWB transmitting antenna unit 22, 32, 42, 52 is configured in a known manner to emit broadband radio signal pulses SI in a defined transmission frequency range, and the UWB receiving antenna unit 24, 34, 44, 54 is configured in a known manner to receive radio signals S in the transmission frequency range used by the UWB transmitting antenna unit 22, 32, 42, 52. The four transceiver devices 20, 30, 40, 50 are respectively configured to simultaneously operate the corresponding UWB transmitting antenna units 22, 32, 42, 52 and the corresponding UWB receiving antenna units 24, 34, 44, 54, that is, they are operated so that the corresponding UWB receiving antenna units 24, 34, 44, 54 receive the radio signal S, while the corresponding UWB transmitting antenna units 22, 32, 42, 52 send out the radio signal pulses SI.

[0027] The control device 60 is arranged here by way of example in the engine compartment of the vehicle 10, but can in principle be installed at any location in the vehicle 10. The control device 60 comprises a computing unit 62 and a control unit 68 and is usually coupled to the four transceiver devices 20, 30, 40, 50 via a cable connection.

[0028] The control unit 68 is configured to control the four transceiver devices 20, 30, 40, 50. In particular, the control unit 68 is configured to control the transceiver devices 20, 30, 40, 50 in such a way that the radio signal pulses SI can be selectively emitted by the UWB transmission antenna unit 22, 32, 42, 52 of each of the four transceiver devices 20, 30, 40, 50.

[0029] The calculation unit 62 is provided for evaluating the signal strength curves of the radio signals S received by the UWB receiving antenna units 22, 32, 42, 52 of the four transceiver devices 20, 30, 40, 50, specifically the curves of the so-called CIR values ​​of the respective UWB receiving antenna units 22, 32, 42, 52. For this purpose, the calculation unit 62 has, according to the invention, a precipitation detection module 64, which is designed to detect precipitation in the vehicle environment based on the signal strength curves of the UWB receiving antenna units 24, 34, 44, 54.

[0030] In particular, the precipitation recognition module 64 is designed to recognize a specific signal strength curve of the radio signal S of the UWB receiving antenna unit 22, 32, 42, 52 and to infer precipitation based on this. In this case, the signal strength curve has relatively many peaks in rain, snow or fog, which are caused by individual droplets or snowflakes present in the ambient air. If such a signal strength curve is detected, it is determined that rain, snow or fog is present.

[0031] In order to be able to detect precipitation particularly reliably, the precipitation recognition module 64 is designed to determine reflections caused by droplets and / or snowflakes with different signal propagation paths by using the Doppler effect and the driving speed. The Doppler effect is understood to be a significant change in the frequency of sound waves, light waves or radio waves caused by the relative movement between source and observer. In this case, if source and observer move towards each other, the frequency increases. If source and observer move away from each other, the frequency decreases.

[0032] When the vehicle 10 is traveling in the presence of precipitation, the vehicle 10 moves toward raindrops, snowflakes, and water droplets that cause fog at a specific driving speed. By determining the frequency shift changes of various regions of the signal strength curve, especially the peaks, the relative speed between the vehicle 10 and the element that reflects and causes the jump can be determined, and the reflection or peak associated with raindrops, snowflakes, or water droplets can be determined by comparing the determined relative speed with the driving speed of the vehicle 10. In this way, the jump of the signal strength curve can be relatively accurately associated with raindrops, water droplets, or snowflakes.

[0033] In addition, the control unit 60 or the computing unit 62 includes a communication interface 66 for coupling with a system that influences driving operation, the system being used to operate a fog light function, an automatic driving speed function, an automatic wiper function, and / or an output warning function. If the precipitation recognition module 64 detects precipitation, a precipitation signal is transmitted to the system via the communication interface 66, thereby activating the fog light function, the automatic driving speed function, the automatic wiper function, and / or the output warning function based on the precipitation signal.

[0034] Thus, a vehicle 10 is provided by which precipitation detection can be performed in a simple and reliable manner. In particular, technologies and components required for precipitation detection that are already present on a plurality of vehicles for other purposes and in a completely different manner can be used for precipitation detection. Reference numerals list

[0035] 10 Vehicles

[0036] 20 transceiver devices

[0037] 22UWB transmitting antenna unit

[0038] 24UWB receiving antenna units

[0039] 30 transceiver device

[0040] 32UWB transmitting antenna unit

[0041] 34UWB receiving antenna unit

[0042] 40 transceiver device

[0043] 42UWB transmitting antenna unit

[0044] 44UWB receiving antenna unit

[0045] 50 transceiver device

[0046] 52UWB transmitting antenna unit

[0047] 54UWB receiving antenna unit

[0048] 60 Control Device

[0049] 62 computing units

[0050] 64 precipitation recognition module

[0051] 66 communication module

[0052] 68 Control Unit

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: at least one UWB transmitting antenna unit (22, 32, 42, 52), wherein the UWB transmitting antenna unit is configured to emit a radio signal pulse (SI) within a defined transmission frequency range; at least one UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54), said UWB receiving antenna unit being configured to receive a radio signal (S) within said transmission frequency range; as well as A calculation unit (62) is configured to evaluate a signal strength curve of a radio signal (S) received by the UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54), wherein the calculation unit (62) has a precipitation recognition module (64) configured to determine precipitation based on the signal strength curve of the radio signal (S) received by the UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54).

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The precipitation recognition module (64) is designed to recognize a signal strength curve affected by liquid droplets and / or snowflakes present in the environment and determine precipitation based on the signal strength curve affected by liquid droplets and / or snowflakes present in the environment.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: The precipitation identification module (64) is designed to determine a plurality of reflections with different signal propagation paths caused by droplets and / or snowflakes from the signal strength curve and to determine precipitation based on the reflections.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein: The precipitation identification module (64) is designed to determine the reflections with different signal propagation paths caused by droplets and / or snowflakes by using the Doppler effect and the driving speed.

5. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: a plurality of UWB receiving antenna units (24, 34, 44, 54) spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction of the vehicle and / or in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the plurality of UWB receiving antenna units being respectively configured to receive radio signals (S) within the transmission frequency range, wherein signal strength curves of the radio signals (S) received by the UWB receiving antenna units (24, 34, 44, 54) are capable of being evaluated by the computing unit (62); and / or A plurality of UWB transmitting antenna units (22, 32, 42, 52) spaced apart from each other in a vehicle transverse direction and / or in a vehicle longitudinal direction, wherein the plurality of UWB transmitting antenna units are respectively configured to emit radio signal pulses (SI) within a defined transmission frequency range; and A control unit (68) is configured to control the plurality of UWB transmitting antenna units (22, 32, 42, 52) so that the radio signal pulse (SI) can be selectively emitted by each of the UWB transmitting antenna units (22, 32, 42, 52).

6. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, comprising: At least one transceiver device (20, 30, 40, 50) includes both a UWB transmitting antenna unit (22, 32, 42, 52) and a UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54), and the transceiver device (20, 30, 40, 50) is configured to operate the UWB transmitting antenna unit (22, 32, 42, 52) and the UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54) simultaneously.

7. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The UWB transmitting antenna unit (22, 32, 42, 52) and the UWB receiving antenna unit (24, 34, 44, 54) are assigned to a radio remote control system.

8. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, comprising: A fog light function, an automatic driving speed function, an automatic wiper function and / or a warning function, wherein the fog light function, the automatic driving speed function, the automatic wiper function and / or the warning function can be activated based on a precipitation signal output by the precipitation recognition module (64).

9. Method for precipitation detection using a vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images