Method and system for outputting feedback inquiry for feedback situation of vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for outputting a feedback inquiry for a feedback situation of a vehicle (102), in which at least one piece of vehicle information is ascertained; in accordance with a feedback situation of the vehicle (102) and on the basis of the at least one piece of vehicle information, a point in time at which a feedback query should be output is ascertained. The invention also relates to a system for outputting a feedback inquiry for a feedback situation of a vehicle (102), comprising means adapted to carry out the steps of said method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for outputting a feedback query for a feedback situation of a vehicle. The present invention also relates to a system for outputting a feedback query for a feedback situation of a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Inquiries for user feedback on products or services are generally used, for example, to collect information in order to improve these products or services during development or to prioritize these improvements. These inquiries are regularly controlled by a rigid timer, for example after the end of an online purchase process. These rigid inquiries are usually ineffective and lead to inadequate feedback, because the inquiries are either not answered at all or are only processed superficially in terms of content. This also applies to vehicles in which the inquiries for user feedback must not also restrict driving safety.

[0003] Document US Pat. No. 10,532,749 B2 discloses asking an occupant of an autonomous vehicle for feedback following an event while driving in the autonomous vehicle.

[0004] Document US2019 / 0225232A1 discloses asking for feedback from the occupants of an autonomous vehicle. The inquiry can be performed periodically at preset intervals, especially after an event.

[0005] Document US2019 / 0391581A1 discloses asking about the health status of vehicle occupants. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to specify a method and a system for outputting a feedback request for a feedback situation of a vehicle, wherein the output of the feedback request is effected reliably and efficiently.

[0007] This object is achieved by a method for outputting a feedback request for a feedback situation of a vehicle having the features of claim 1 and by a system having the features of the independent system claim. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0008] In the proposed method for outputting a feedback request for a feedback situation of a vehicle, at least one piece of vehicle information is ascertained. Depending on the feedback situation of the vehicle and based on the at least one piece of vehicle information, a time is ascertained at which the feedback request should be output.

[0009] The vehicle information can be found out before, during and / or after the feedback situation in particular. The time for the feedback inquiry is found out after the feedback situation in time, so in particular the vehicle information found out after the feedback situation can also be considered. Therefore, the output of the feedback inquiry is not only rigidly carried out after the preset time interval following the feedback situation, but the feedback inquiry is dynamically or flexibly found out from the feedback situation and the vehicle information. Therefore, it is achieved that the feedback inquiry is carried out at a suitable time after the feedback event. Due to the consideration of the vehicle information, it is possible, for example, that the feedback inquiry is output at the following time, at which the driver or passenger of the vehicle is prevented from being disturbed or distracted. In addition, for example, it is possible that the activity of the driver or passenger of the vehicle is avoided from being interrupted by the feedback inquiry due to the consideration of the vehicle information. Therefore, the time for the feedback inquiry can be found out by means of the method, at which the person being asked the feedback inquiry can be committed to the feedback inquiry and can give feedback. Therefore, by adapting the time of the feedback inquiry, it can be achieved that the feedback inquiry is particularly effective and is also answered. In addition, the damage to the safety of the vehicle occupants can also be minimized or prevented. Preferably, a feedback query is output at the time determined by the method, for example as an effective invitation to give feedback.

[0010] The vehicle information may include, for example, information that can be ascertained by means of the vehicle, for example, by means of sensors or control units of the vehicle. Thus, the vehicle information may include, in particular, inputs or instructions of a driver or user of the vehicle, information generated locally by sensors of the vehicle, or information transmitted to the vehicle by an external device or called up by the vehicle. A feedback situation may, for example, be a situation or event that occurs during or by the use of the vehicle. For this feedback situation, a feedback query should then be made. The feedback query is therefore implemented in particular with respect to a feedback event.

[0011] Preferably, the feedback situation is ascertained based on the at least one vehicle information. Therefore, in particular based on the ascertained vehicle information, the feedback situation is first ascertained, and then starting from the feedback event and based on the ascertained vehicle information, the time for outputting the feedback query is ascertained. Therefore, the feedback situation can be ascertained particularly accurately. Therefore, the time of the feedback query is at least partially ascertained based on the same vehicle information, based on which the feedback situation was also ascertained. Therefore, the ascertainment of the time of the feedback query can also be realized particularly accurately.

[0012] It is also advantageous if the at least one vehicle information item comprises at least one information item ascertained by means of a sensor or a control unit of the vehicle. This allows a particularly precise and relevant ascertainment of the time of the feedback request. Thus, for example, the speed of the vehicle can be ascertained as vehicle information. In addition, information about the driver or passengers can be ascertained.

[0013] Preferably, the at least one vehicle information comprises at least one information transmitted to the vehicle from an external device. The external device can be, for example, a gate control device or a payment terminal. This makes it possible to precisely determine the time of a feedback request for many different feedback situations. In particular, the external device is located in the vicinity of the vehicle and is connected to the vehicle, in particular via a cable or wirelessly. Thus, for example, the time of a feedback request for a parking process or a payment process in a parking garage can be determined.

[0014] It is particularly preferred that the at least one vehicle information item includes at least one information item of a charging station or a refueling station. This allows the time for a feedback query for a charging process or a refueling process to be determined. For example, the charging station may be an electrical charging station, which can be used to charge a battery of the vehicle. The charging station is usually located outside the vehicle.

[0015] In addition, the charging station is connected to the vehicle in particular via a charging cable for charging the battery. Therefore, the vehicle information may in particular include information about the charging station, for example information about the charging current, the connectors or charging cables available at the charging station or the charging power.

[0016] Preferably, the at least one vehicle information includes at least one charging state or tank state of the vehicle. The charging state may be, for example, the degree of charge of the battery of the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle information may include the battery capacity. Thus, the time for a feedback query on the charging process or refueling process of the vehicle can be ascertained.

[0017] In addition, the vehicle information may include, in particular, at least one of the following information: driver or occupant input, such as input of a navigation destination into a navigation device of the vehicle; the position or location of the vehicle; navigation maneuvers that may be directly encountered based on the vehicle location and the navigation destination; traffic density, in particular in the form of the number of traffic participants around the vehicle; the speed of the vehicle; weather, in particular at the vehicle location; time of day or season, in particular at the vehicle location; or the number of vehicle occupants.

[0018] Preferably, the feedback query is output at a time when the vehicle is in an urban environment and is stationary. The position of the vehicle can be determined for this purpose. An urban environment is, for example, a residential area or a densely populated area, in particular a city. Since in an urban environment, the attention of the vehicle occupants, in particular the driver, is often required to be increased, in this case the feedback query can be output at a time when the vehicle is stationary. This allows the vehicle occupants to focus on the feedback query and then answer it.

[0019] Preferably, the feedback request is output at a time when the vehicle is on a long-distance road or in a rural environment and is in motion. Long-distance travel usually does not require the continuous attention of the vehicle occupants, so that the feedback request can then also be effectively output when the vehicle is in motion.

[0020] Preferably, the content of the feedback query is ascertained based on the at least one vehicle information item. This allows for content-relevant feedback queries.

[0021] It is also particularly preferred that the content of the feedback query is determined based on the determined vehicle information and the feedback event. Due to the consistency of the feedback query and the feedback event in terms of content, it is possible to output a particularly effective feedback query.

[0022] Preferably, the at least one vehicle information item includes driver attentiveness, and the time of the feedback query is determined based on the driver attentiveness. In particular, the feedback query is output at a time at which a high driver attentiveness is determined for answering the feedback query and thus also for answering the feedback query. The driver attentiveness can be determined, for example, by means of sensors of the vehicle, in particular a camera. In addition, the driver attentiveness can be determined based on further vehicle information, for example based on the time until the next navigation maneuver. If a navigation maneuver is directly approached based on the navigation destination, a reduced driver's attentiveness for other tasks can be taken into account compared to a longer continuous journey on a long highway.

[0023] Preferably, the feedback query is output to a vehicle occupant, in particular to at least one driver of the vehicle. The output can be realized via an output unit of the vehicle. This allows a particularly relevant answer to the feedback query.

[0024] Preferably, the feedback information is ascertained based on the answer to the feedback query. This allows the feedback information to be collected and processed. Likewise, not answering the feedback query within a certain time interval can be ascertained as feedback information.

[0025] It is particularly preferred that the feedback information is transmitted to another vehicle or an analysis unit. The analysis unit can be located in particular outside the vehicle, for example a central server. The feedback information can thus be processed further in a simple manner.

[0026] Preferably, the at least one vehicle information includes feedback information of a first feedback query; and the time of the further feedback query, in particular together with the content of the further feedback query, is determined at least based on the feedback information. Thus, the time of the feedback query can be personalized for the driver or occupant of the vehicle. In addition, the identity of the driver can be used as vehicle information in order to personalize for multiple drivers.

[0027] The invention also relates to a system for outputting a feedback query for a feedback situation of a vehicle, the system comprising means adapted to implement the steps of the method according to any one of the above claims. The system may in particular comprise a control unit adapted to implement the steps of the method according to any one of the above claims.

[0028] The system has the same advantages as the claimed method. In particular, the system can be expanded by the features of the dependent claims directed to the method and by the other features mentioned in this text in conjunction with the method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] An exemplary embodiment is explained in more detail below with the aid of the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are as follows:

[0030] Figure 1 a schematic diagram showing a perspective view of a vehicle's cabin; and

[0031] Figure 2 A flow chart of a method for outputting a feedback query for a feedback situation of a vehicle is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of a perspective view of a cockpit 100 of a vehicle 102 is shown. A driver or chauffeur 104 sits on a vehicle seat 106 of the vehicle 102. Furthermore, cockpit 100 comprises a central information system (CID) 108, a head-up display 110 and a graphic instrument cluster 112, which are arranged in a dashboard 114 of the vehicle 102. The aforementioned display elements 108, 110, 112 each form a functional unit of an output unit of the vehicle 102, which is designed to output information to the driver 104 and / or other occupants.

[0033] The cockpit 100 further comprises a steering wheel with a plurality of operating elements 120, a gear selector switch 122, pedals 124 and an input unit 126, which comprises a rotary wheel and key functions and / or a touch input area. The input unit 126 is also referred to as an "Ergo Commander".

[0034] An interior rearview mirror 132 and an interior camera 134 integrated into the interior rearview mirror 132 are arranged in the upper region of the windshield 128 of the vehicle 102. The camera 134 is designed and integrated into the rearview mirror 132 so that the camera captures images having images of at least one region of the interior of the vehicle 102. Specifically, the field of view of the camera 134 is in the direction of the driver's seat 106 and the front passenger seat 202 of the vehicle 102. The camera 134 is designed in particular to: capture a plurality of temporally successive images, in particular in the form of a video stream; generate corresponding image data; and transmit these image data to a control unit 138 serving as a processing unit.

[0035] The control unit 138 has a data outlet 140 and a data inlet 142, which are used to connect to other units of the vehicle 102, such as other cameras, sensors, input and output units of auxiliary systems and control units. Thus, the vehicle has at least one collision detection unit for detecting the risk of collision of the vehicle 102 with other objects. The collision detection unit may include a front camera for acquiring a picture of the area in front of the vehicle 102, a radar sensor, a lidar and / or other sensors suitable for monitoring the environment of the vehicle 102.

[0036] The control unit 138 also includes a communication module 144, which is configured to establish a connection with a telecommunication network, in particular a mobile communication network. Through this communication module 144, vehicle-to-vehicle communication and infrastructure-to-vehicle communication are also easily possible.

[0037] Control unit 138 may be, in particular, a system for outputting a feedback request for feedback conditions of vehicle 102 . Control unit 138 is then designed to carry out a method for a feedback request for feedback conditions of vehicle 102 .

[0038] Vehicle 102 may include, in particular, an internal combustion engine and / or an electric motor for propulsion. The electric motor may be operated by means of a battery of vehicle 102. The battery may be connected to a charging station 146 in order to charge the battery.

[0039] Figure 2A flow chart of a method for outputting a feedback query for a feedback situation of a vehicle is shown. The method starts in step S200. In step S202, at least one vehicle information is ascertained. Preferably, in step S204, a plurality of different vehicle information is ascertained. The vehicle information can be ascertained, in particular, by sensors and / or control units of the vehicle 102. For example, the vehicle information can be the attention of the driver 104 ascertained by means of the interior camera 134. For this purpose, in particular the observation activity of the driver 104 can be monitored by means of the interior camera 134. As another example, the vehicle information can include the interaction of the driver 104 or the passenger of the vehicle 102 with the operating elements of the vehicle 102, in particular with the input unit 126 or the operating element 120. These vehicle information can be ascertained, in particular, by the control unit 138.

[0040] In addition, further vehicle information can be ascertained by means of the control unit 138, in particular by communicating with external devices via the communication interface 144. For example, the position of the vehicle 102 can be ascertained by means of a global navigation satellite system. It is also possible that the weather or a weather forecast can be ascertained for this position as vehicle information. In addition, it can be ascertained by means of the ascertained position of the vehicle 102 and by means of the map data in the control unit 138 whether the vehicle 102 is in an urban environment or a rural environment. In addition, the control unit 138 can process navigation data and, in the case of active destination guidance, can ascertain the time interval or spatial interval to the next driving maneuver, for example a turning maneuver, by means of the position of the vehicle 102.

[0041] In addition, the control unit 138 can communicate with the charging station 146, for example, when the vehicle 102 is in the vicinity of the charging station 146. The communication can be realized wirelessly via the communication interface 144 and / or via a charging cable connected to the vehicle 102. Thus, for example, the charging power available at the charging station 146 or the interface or charging cable available at the charging station 146 can be transmitted and thus can be ascertained as vehicle information. In addition, the battery capacity of the battery of the vehicle 102 or the charging state of the battery can be ascertained as vehicle information. In addition, vehicle information, such as the charging time, can be ascertained during the charging process of the vehicle 102.

[0042] In step S204, according to the feedback situation of the vehicle 102 and based on the at least one vehicle information, the following time is determined, at which the feedback query should be output. In order to determine this time, it is preferred to use multiple vehicle information. For example, the time for the feedback query can be determined based on the current attention of the driver 104 and the driving maneuver that is facing. In particular, the time for the feedback query is only determined when there is no driving maneuver and the driver 104 is not distracted by other tasks or interactions and the driver's attention will therefore be used for the feedback query. Preferably, the feedback query is output at the determined time in step S204. For example, the feedback query can be output to the driver 104 or the vehicle occupants via the information display 108.

[0043] Additionally, in step S204, the feedback query can be adapted in content based on the vehicle information. For example, the charge state of the battery after the charging process can be used to query whether the charging process was successful from the perspective of the driver 102, especially when the charge state did not change or only changed slightly during the charging process.

[0044] Furthermore, in addition, in step S204, a feedback situation can first be ascertained based on the vehicle information, in particular the following feedback situation can be ascertained for which a feedback query should be made. For example, the feedback situation can be ascertained with the help of the charging state of the battery of the vehicle 102. This is the case, for example, when the charging state does not change or only changes slightly during the charging process. The ascertainment of the vehicle information can also continue after the ascertainment of the feedback situation. Therefore, the vehicle information ascertained after the ascertainment of the feedback situation can be used to ascertain the time of outputting the feedback query.

[0045] Furthermore, in addition, the answer to the output feedback query can be transmitted as feedback information, in particular via the communication interface 144, for example to a central server. The feedback information can be used to identify recurring problems. The method ends in step S206.

[0046] The method is explained further below with the aid of an example. First, vehicle information is ascertained, for example, vehicle information about the interaction of the driver 104 or the vehicle occupant with the operating element 120 and the input unit 126 and about the navigation destination resulting from the interaction, for example, the charging station 146. The arrival of the charging station 146 can be acquired as vehicle information, for example, based on the position of the vehicle 102, as can the charging process at the charging station 146. There, for example, the charging duration, charging power and charging state change of the battery of the vehicle 102 can be ascertained as vehicle information. First, the charging process is ascertained as a feedback situation based on this vehicle information. Now, starting from this, the time for the feedback query after the charging process can be ascertained. For this purpose, other vehicle information can be ascertained. For example, the driver's attention and the upcoming driving maneuver can be ascertained. In addition, with the aid of the position of the vehicle 102, it can be ascertained whether the vehicle 102 is in an urban environment. With the aid of this vehicle information, the time of the feedback query can be ascertained so that the driver 104 or the vehicle occupant is not distracted by other tasks or driving maneuvers, and the feedback query can be output at the corresponding time. Thus, for example, the time for the feedback query can only be determined when the vehicle 102 has left the charging station 146 again, is not facing a driving maneuver, the vehicle 102 is moving at a suitably adapted speed, and the driver 104 is not interacting with the operating elements 120, 126. In addition, the content of the feedback situation can be adapted based on the vehicle information. For example, based on the charging duration and the charging state, it can be determined that the charging process may have been interrupted. In this case, the feedback query can include whether the charging process was successful, whether a technical problem occurred, such as the lack of a charging cable or the absence of a suitable charging cable, or whether the payment process at the charging station 146 was unsuccessful. The feedback information based on the answer to the feedback query can be transmitted to a central server, to which the other vehicles 102 in the fleet also transmit vehicle information. Thus, for example, a faulty charging station 146 can be identified. Reference numerals list

[0047] 100 Cockpit

[0048] 102 vehicles

[0049] 104 Driver

[0050] 106 Vehicle seats

[0051] 108 Central Information Display

[0052] 110 Head-up display

[0053] 112 Graphic instrument cluster

[0054] 114 Dashboard

[0055] 118 Steering Wheel

[0056] 120 operating elements

[0057] 122 gear selector switch

[0058] 124 pedals

[0059] 126 input units

[0060] 128 front glass

[0061] 132 Interior rearview mirror

[0062] 134 Interior Camera

[0063] 138 Control Unit

[0064] 140 Data export

[0065] 142 data entry

[0066] 144 Communication interface

[0067] 146 Charging Stations

Claims

1. A method for outputting a feedback query for a feedback situation of a vehicle (102), wherein: Finding out at least one vehicle information; According to a feedback situation of the vehicle (102) and based on the at least one vehicle information, a time is determined at which a feedback query should be output.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The feedback situation is ascertained based on the at least one vehicle information.

3. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The at least one vehicle information comprises at least one information ascertained by means of a sensor of the vehicle (102); and / or The at least one vehicle information includes at least one information transmitted from an external device to the vehicle (102); and / or The at least one vehicle information includes at least one information of a charging station (146) or a gas station; and / or The at least one vehicle information includes at least one charging state or tank state.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The feedback query is output at a time at which the vehicle (102) is in an urban environment and is stationary; and / or The feedback query is output at a time at which the vehicle (102) is on a long-distance highway or in a rural environment and is in motion.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The content of the feedback inquiry is ascertained based on the at least one vehicle information.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The at least one vehicle information item includes driver attentiveness, and the time of the feedback query is ascertained based on the driver attentiveness.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The feedback request is output to the vehicle occupant.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Based on the answer to the feedback query, feedback information is determined, wherein the feedback information can be transmitted to other vehicles or to an evaluation unit.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The at least one piece of vehicle information includes at least feedback information of a first feedback request, and based on the feedback information, a time of a further feedback request is ascertained. 10 . A system for outputting a feedback request for a feedback situation of a vehicle ( 102 ), the system comprising means adapted to carry out the steps of the method according to claim 1 .

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