Warning system for warning driver of vehicle and method for warning driver of vehicle

Abstract

A warning system (100) for warning a driver of a vehicle comprises a sensor for capturing environmental information; a processing unit (4) for processing information captured by the sensor; and an output unit (5) for outputting a warning signal to the vehicle driver (1); wherein the sensor is used for detecting information related to other road users; and the processing unit (4) is used for analyzing whether information related to one or more specific characteristics of other road users exists or not and outputting a signal to the output unit (5) to output a warning signal when the specific characteristics of the other road users are analyzed and detected.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications This application claims the priority of the German patent application with application number DE 102023136726.9, filed on December 27, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical field

[0002] The present invention relates to a warning system for warning vehicle drivers and a method for warning vehicle drivers, especially when there are other road users / road participants near the vehicle, because they have special rights in certain traffic situations and should be given priority. Background art

[0003] For vehicles, the vehicle environment is usually visually monitored by providing rear - view mirrors for the driver, or increasingly by providing camera monitoring systems to replace or supplement the rear - view mirror system, so that the driver can see the vehicle environment that cannot be directly seen during normal driving.

[0004] Emergency vehicles, such as police cars or rescue vehicles, are equipped with devices for emitting signal lights (e.g., in Germany, usually flashing blue lights), which are turned on and used when the emergency vehicle is in use, so they must have the right of way in road traffic, that is, vehicles have special rights in specific traffic situations. The flashing frequency and sequence of these lights can be seen and recognized from a long distance. In addition, emergency rescue vehicles are usually also equipped with sirens / horns (such as the so - called Martinshorn in Germany), and at least in particularly critical traffic situations, the sirens / horns emit sound signals so that drivers near the emergency rescue vehicle can reliably hear the sirens and give the right of way. In addition to visual warnings, sound warnings are also issued. By installing these devices on emergency vehicles, it is ensured that emergency vehicles have the right of way, so that tasks can be carried out quickly without affecting overall traffic safety. In order to ensure that vehicle drivers can at least clearly assign sounds, sound sequences, lights, light sequences, etc. to these emergency vehicles as much as possible, road traffic regulations usually prohibit the use of corresponding lights or sounds, at least for other road users. For example, in Germany, road users are restricted to using blue, yellow or red flashing lights only for emergency vehicles.

[0005] In order for vehicle drivers to be able to identify another road user with special rights early, the vehicle driver must always reliably observe the situation around the vehicle, for example, through the rear - view mirror or the corresponding camera monitoring system, in order to identify the vehicle approaching from behind early. Only in this way can it be ensured that the driver reliably takes useful and / or necessary measures adapted to the traffic situation to give the emergency vehicle the right of way, such as forming a rescue lane or parking by the roadside.

[0006] In a camera monitor system, it is well known to provide additional information to a vehicle driver via a monitor. This additional information can be additional information related to the vehicle, as described in DE 10 2023 106 451; or it can be additional information related to the surrounding environment, as described in DE 10 2015 002923.

[0007] The term road user refers to all vehicles and persons participating in road traffic. Emergency vehicles, vans, cars, trucks, bicycles, scooters, pedestrians, etc. are all road users. A driver is a natural person who drives a vehicle. Therefore, a driver himself is not understood as a road user; on the contrary, his vehicle (as he is a driver) is the road user.

[0008] Object of the Invention It is usually difficult for a vehicle driver to obtain information in a timely manner that an emergency vehicle is near his vehicle, especially when the driver is very focused on the current traffic situation.

[0009] Therefore, it is necessary to issue an additional warning to the driver when an emergency vehicle approaches the vehicle, and to provide a corresponding warning system and warning method. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The present invention solves this problem by means of a warning system for warning a vehicle driver and a method for warning a vehicle driver.

[0011] The idea underlying the present invention is that not only should environmental / surrounding information be captured and possibly classified into certain categories, such as other road users, obstacles, etc., but also the captured environmental information should be analyzed according to further criteria for certain categories of road users, and then measures should be taken or initiated based on the analysis results. The system according to the present invention does not necessarily have to assign road users to certain groups or categories; for example, this can be done through image recognition and artificial intelligence. If certain criteria can be determined in advance, so as to arrive at a clear or substantially clear conclusion that certain road users are involved, and that certain situations with these special characteristics exist, then classification can be implicitly carried out by specifically detecting these special characteristics, thus arriving at a conclusion regarding a certain group of road users, and a conclusion that the road users have certain characteristics. Examples of such clear criteria include signals emitted by halogen lamps, the housings of which are blue and which have a distinct infrared component. Another example is LED blue light and xenon light sources ("xenon flashers"), which emit very short light pulses. From these examples, it can be concluded that this is an emergency vehicle in motion with its signal lights on. In particular, when conducting such an analysis, it can be carried out based on one characteristic or a combination of multiple characteristics, which can clearly indicate a road user with a certain characteristic, such as an emergency vehicle with its signal lights on.

[0012] Subsequently, if the presence of such a characteristic is detected, a warning can be specifically issued to the driver and / or a corresponding signal can be output to the driver assistance system.

[0013] One possibility is to first detect and analyze whether there are other road users in the vehicle environment, and if other road users are detected, then analyze this environmental information, in particular whether the other road users have one or more specific characteristics. By checking for the presence of other road users through the warning system and analyzing their characteristics in more detail, false alarms, such as those triggered by corresponding light sources or sound sources far from road traffic, can be minimized.

[0014] In particular, a warning system for warning a vehicle driver includes a sensor that can capture environmental information. Such a sensor can be of any suitable type, such as a camera for capturing visual signals, a microphone for receiving audio signals, a radio receiver for capturing radio signals, or similar devices. In principle, any number of sensors of the same or different structures and / or types can be provided, and they can capture environmental information in a complementary or redundant manner. The information captured by the sensors will be provided to a processing unit, that is, a processing unit is provided to process and analyze the information captured by the sensors. In addition, the warning system also includes an output unit for outputting a warning signal to the vehicle driver. The processing unit can also output signals to the vehicle's driver assistance system additionally or alternatively, and the driver assistance system then takes appropriate measures, such as indirectly warning the driver or influencing the vehicle. In addition, the driver assistance system can also issue a warning directly. The driver assistance system can also act as a processing unit, that is, the driver assistance system constitutes a processing unit. The signals are preferably transmitted to at least one output unit. The output unit can be of different types, such as a speaker for outputting sound signals, a display for displaying visual warning information, or similar devices. Existing output units in the vehicle can also be used, such as the monitor of the rearview mirror supplementary camera monitoring system. In addition, a combination of different types of output units can also be used, and these units are either provided specifically for the warning system or are preferably components of a rearview mirror replacement system, a vehicle assistance system, or a vehicle entertainment system.

[0015] The sensor can record information about other road users. This means that the sensor is suitable for capturing environmental information containing information about other road users. Environmental or ambient information refers to any information that the human organs and / or devices can perceive or obtain from the environment / surroundings. The warning system converts the environmental information into processable data and feeds back the information recorded by the sensor to the processing unit, and the processing unit analyzes and classifies whether the environmental information contains information about specific or certain characteristics of other road users. For example, if there is information indicating that other road users are present in the vehicle environment, the processing unit will further analyze whether the information contains one or more specific characteristics of other road users. Another example is that only the environmental information is analyzed to determine whether there is a certain characteristic that can only be attributed to a specific other road user. In this case, the analysis can be successfully carried out even if the sensor does not see the vehicle itself.

[0016] In particular, these features or characteristics for analyzing environmental information can be used to detect special signals, namely, the light signals and sound signals emitted by emergency vehicles to warn other road users, to warn of danger and / or indicate that the emergency vehicle needs to use special rights and right-of-ways for the remaining vehicles. For example, depending on the country, these special signals include flashing lights and sirens of blue, red, and / or yellow (such as "Yelp" or "Wail" signals) and / or subsequent horns ("Martinshorn"). Therefore, the features to be determined can be light waves of a specific wavelength (corresponding to the spectral color of light, i.e., the color recognized by human color vision), the infrared or ultraviolet component of light, the RGB values of the captured image in image analysis, the time-determined sequence of light waves of different wavelengths, the time series of the RGB values of light and their intensities in image analysis, a specific tone (sound frequency), the time-predetermined sequence of sound frequencies, the Doppler effect or shift, or special radio signals. If the audio frequency shift caused by the Doppler effect is detected and determined, these shifts can also be used to draw conclusions about the relative movement of the sound source with respect to the vehicle. For example, this can also be used to determine whether the sound source itself is moving. A similar function can also be achieved by analyzing the volume of the sound signal.

[0017] If the analysis by the processing unit indicates that there are other road users or one or more specific characteristics of other road users in the vehicle environment observed by the sensor, the processing unit outputs a signal to the output unit so that the output unit can output a warning signal, such as in the form of a warning sound, reducing the volume of the entertainment system (radio), a possibly flashing frame around the output unit, highlighting the road user on the output unit (such as in the form of a graphic overlay), etc. Or, and / or additionally, the processing unit can also transmit the signal to the driver assistance system of the vehicle so that it can take appropriate measures, such as driving slowly, stopping, etc.

[0018] In addition to directly perceiving the signals emitted by emergency vehicles (for example, in addition to the driver seeing the flashing blue lights or hearing the siren), the driver can also learn early and reliably through this additional warning whether an emergency vehicle is near their vehicle. In this way, the driver and / or the driver assistance system can take appropriate measures to ensure the smooth progress of the emergency vehicle. This also improves road safety because the driver can take such measures in a deliberate manner at an early stage.

[0019] If the sensor is an optical sensor, it is preferably analyzed whether there are road users with specific characteristics in the vehicle environment based on a combination of different image parameters, and object recognition of the image is preferably not performed. For example, blue light can be detected as a temporal change in the brightness of the image color value. In particular, the brightness of a single RGB pixel before or after conversion to the image color value can be used, where the brightness value after conversion represents an average value. For example, in order to recognize blue light, a temporal brightness curve can be used as a relevant feature, and the frequency of brightness change can be determined by observing the brightness curve / profile of multiple frames (individual images). If this frequency coincides with the (known) frequency of normal (conventional) blue light, a specific characteristic of another road user can be detected according to the example. In addition, blue light can be recognized as blue light with the correct (actual) blue color, for example, by a color angle range. This is particularly important if the light shines directly into the camera. If only the light reflected by an object (such as a house wall) shines into the camera, a color perception that is very different from the actual color of the signal light must be considered (especially if it is not a reflective surface, such as the window of another vehicle, because this will depend on the color of the object). In this case, the analysis can be mainly based on the detected brightness change. In addition or alternatively, the number of pixels with a detected periodic change in brightness can also be included in the analysis. This is because the beam angle of blue light is very large, or its design / construction makes it visible over a large spatial range. Therefore, for the respective images of the image sensor, blue lights are more likely to be visible and recognizable in a larger pixel area where the sensor extends over a large area, rather than in a single pixel, which is different from, for example, the indicator lights on the roadside.

[0020] The warning system is preferably connected to a rearview mirror replacement system of the vehicle. The output unit of the warning system is or includes a display screen for displaying rearview mirror replacement information to the vehicle driver. The rearview mirror replacement system can be any camera monitoring system that can replace the vehicle's rearview mirror, that is, a device that provides indirect vision for the vehicle driver, enabling the driver to see areas around the vehicle that were previously impossible or difficult to see. Then, the warning information will be visually displayed to the driver on the display screen. This means that no additional components are required, and the driver is already accustomed to receiving information about the surrounding environment through such a display screen, so he will notice this information very early.

[0021] Particularly preferably, the warning signal includes a graphical representation on a display screen, for example in the form of a graphical overlay, which can be a highlighting of other road users or a frame around them, etc. This also provides the driver with information about the position of the observed road users relative to their vehicle. This is particularly advantageous if the display screen shows an image of a rear-view mirror replacement system, for example, according to the legal field of vision of UN / ECE-R46, such as the second and fourth fields of vision, and the warning information as well as the position information of other road users are displayed in the area of the display screen with legal field of vision.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the warning signal is output as long as a certain or certain characteristics of other road users are detected or until the driver turns off the warning signal. This ensures that the driver does not miss the warning signal. For example, at the start of the warning signal, the driver is focused on the traffic and thus does not look at the display screen. In addition, the driver's perception of the warning signal can also be determined by a driver monitoring system, for example, the driver has perceived the warning signal. In this case, the driver monitoring system can turn off the warning signal.

[0023] Alternatively, the warning signal can be output for a specific predetermined period of time (duration).

[0024] Preferably, the warning signal is output after a period of time (duration) during which the presence of a certain characteristic / attribute or characteristics / attributes is continuously detected. This means that the sensor continuously captures environmental information repeatedly and it is analyzed by the processing unit. The warning signal is output only after the presence of a certain characteristic of another road user has been continuously detected for a period of time (such as 1 to 3 seconds). This can avoid unnecessary warning signals caused by an emergency vehicle passing through behind the vehicle. On the other hand, situations such as an emergency vehicle approaching from behind the vehicle can also ensure the output of the warning signal because in this case, a specific characteristic persists for a period of time. Continuous does not necessarily mean completely uninterrupted. Therefore, certain patterns of frequency or wavelength, i.e., the observed characteristics recurring repeatedly in a short period of time, also fall within the category of "continuous".

[0025] The output time of the warning signal depends in particular on the technical specifications of one or more sensors used for continuously capturing environmental information. For example, when using a camera with an optical sensor as the device for capturing environmental information, the time may depend on the refresh rate (frame rate) of the camera. If several sensors / cameras with different technical specifications are used, the time basically depends on the sensor or camera with the slowest sampling rate / frame rate. However, the length of time is also affected by other components involved in processing the captured environmental information. For example, the time may depend on the speed at which the processing unit analyzes the information. The various signal propagation times and possible delays in the entire system also affect the duration.

[0026] Sensors for capturing environmental information can be provided separately or as part of the above-mentioned rearview mirror replacement system or camera monitoring system. Taking a camera as an example, a warning signal can be output after being repeated in at least two to several frames of images (for example, 3 to 5 frames). Depending on the camera used, the duration after the warning signal is output is 30 milliseconds to 175 milliseconds (for a system generally at 30 - 60 frames per second). Thus, false warning signals can be avoided from being output to the driver.

[0027] According to the present invention, the time period (duration) before the warning signal is actually output can also depend on a combination of several seconds and frame rates. For example, this can occur if several different sensors are used, such as optical sensors and acoustic sensors. The optical sensor and the acoustic sensor can detect a feature with different "confidences" (i.e., different degrees of certainty). The feature does not necessarily have to be detected by all sensors. Instead, as long as one or more sensors detect the feature with sufficient certainty. For example, if the confidence of the optical sensor is 90%, that is, there is a 90% chance of detecting the feature, then a warning signal can be output without waiting for confirmation from the acoustic sensor. If the confidence is lower, for example, less than 90%, then it may be necessary to wait for the result of the acoustic sensor before outputting the warning signal.

[0028] In addition or alternatively, the output time of the warning signal can depend on the detected feature. Compared with a continuous feature that only needs to be detected once to determine whether it still exists in the next frame, for a frequency sequence (such as a typical feature of a siren), the camera as a sensor may take longer to determine the feature of the siren to avoid false alarms. Therefore, for a frequency sequence, the time length must be at least two cycle lengths of the frequency sequence, preferably four to five cycle lengths, or even longer, to ensure error-free output of the warning signal. The time length must also be considered in combination with the available sampling rate, which is at least the frame rate (fps) or the possible exposure time (recording time) of the camera image sensor used. In particular, the duration of an audio frequency sequence (if it is assumed that the frequency sequence is a typical feature of a siren) usually has to be much longer than that of an optical signal, so the duration until the warning signal is output usually depends on the type of the signal.

[0029] Finally, the duration of the warning signal output and / or the start and / or end times of the output can depend on other information obtained by the vehicle, for example, depending on the detection of specific traffic conditions and / or environmental conditions. For example, such traffic and / or environmental information can be determined by evaluating or analyzing the current characteristics of the vehicle (e.g., information obtained via the CAN bus). For example, depending on the traffic conditions, the time to issue a warning may be as long as, longer than, or shorter than the time when the feature is detected, that is, the warning is not issued throughout the entire process of detecting a specific feature. For example, if the traffic conditions or environmental information indicate that a certain feature can only be intermittently identified, for example, the vehicle is driving on a winding road with opaque boundaries (such as trees, hillsides), so, for example, the blue light can only be seen for a short time and then blocked, and may be blocked several times, a longer warning may be useful. In this way, the driver can continuously be aware that a road user with right of way is approaching through a warning with a duration longer than the signal detection time. On the other hand, in the case of a traffic jam on a highway (the vehicle is stationary or moving very slowly and is on the highway), for example, the driver of the vehicle has anticipated the possible appearance of a blue light and has thus strengthened their attention. At this time, a temporary and rather short warning can be given to the vehicle driver, so that the vehicle driver will not bear the additional and greater pressure that a continuous warning may cause during any necessary maneuver to avoid an emergency vehicle subsequently.

[0030] The warning signal is preferably an audible signal and / or a visual signal. This means that the driver can receive a reliable warning through devices that are usually already available on the vehicle, that is, no additional equipment is required.

[0031] Examples of visual graphic warning signals can be specially provided lighting or flashing signal lights, graphic symbols or similar symbols illuminated or flashing on an existing in-vehicle display screen (such as a head-up display). Another example of a visual warning signal is to light or flash a frame on the entire display screen, or to highlight individual road users on the display screen of a camera monitoring system for a rearview mirror replacement system.

[0032] For example, the audible warning signal can be a warning tone output by the vehicle's speaker, reducing the volume of the entertainment system, etc.

[0033] In addition, more warning signals can be designed, such as tactile signals like steering wheel vibration.

[0034] The sensor preferably includes a camera and / or a microphone and / or a radio receiver. The sensor, especially when using a camera, can be part of a rearview mirror replacement system. If the sensor is a camera, the processing unit can analyze road users / traffic participants in the image and certain features of theirs. For example, the processing unit can analyze whether certain colors or certain time sequences of colors, intensities, and / or brightness exist in the image. In particular, the time sequence or the spatial distribution of intensities and / or brightness in the signal can be analyzed.

[0035] The radio receiver is a particularly reliable and simple method. If emergency vehicles or those road users observed to have certain characteristics are equipped with transmitters, they can emit specific radio signals as certain characteristics. Compared with the visual signals detected by the sensor, the advantage of using radio signals is that, like sound signals, it is not necessary to directly see other road users, while for visual signals, features must be identified from the image to detect the signals.

[0036] In a particularly preferred embodiment, there are at least two independent and different sensors. Independent and different sensors refer to sensors that are not composed of the same device (such as the same camera) and can operate independently of each other. The multiple sensors can be of the same type or different types. For example, two cameras can be provided as two sensors. If the sensors are of the same type, such as multiple cameras or multiple microphones, the sensors can be used as redundant sensors to verify the detection results of one of the sensors, or as complementary sensors, for example, for different areas of the vehicle environment. In addition, using multiple independent redundant sensors can reduce the probability of failure. If the sensors are of the same type, such as several cameras, they can still be different cameras or sensors structurally, such as several cameras with different resolutions.

[0037] Preferably, the types of the sensors are different, i.e., the sensor is a first sensor, and the warning system includes a second sensor, which is a sensor different from and independent of the first sensor. Different sensors refer to different types of sensors, especially in terms of the type of information detected, such as visual information and sound information. Both sensors transmit the detected information to the processing unit. For example, the first sensor is a camera, and the second sensor is a radio receiver or a microphone. If the processing unit detects the presence of another road user with a certain characteristic using the first sensor, independent verification can be performed by analyzing the information of the second sensor. In this case, the multiple sensors are redundant, i.e., the information detected and analyzed by one sensor is checked and verified by the information detected and analyzed by another sensor. The data from the two sensors do not have to be processed sequentially and can also be processed in parallel. If the sensors are provided as redundant sensors, it is preferably to output a warning signal only when both sensors can independently detect a certain characteristic of other road users. This improves the reliability and redundancy of the system.

[0038] In addition, different types of sensors can also be provided as complementary sensors. For example, a camera is provided for the side area of the vehicle, and a camera is provided for the rear area of the vehicle.

[0039] In principle, the first sensor and the second sensor can be of the same type of sensor, such as two cameras. This is especially useful if different areas around the vehicle are observed by different sensors. If two or more sensors observe the same area around the vehicle, it is preferably to use different types of sensors.

[0040] If multiple redundant sensors are provided, a fault of one sensor can be detected by comparing the analysis results of two or more redundant sensors. For example, if one of the sensors fails, it will cause the two redundant sensors to repeatedly produce different analysis results. This can indicate to the vehicle driver a possible fault at an early stage so that he can take appropriate measures (such as repair) and know that he can only rely on the system within a limited range. This ensures the functional safety of the system, such as compliance with the ISO 26262 standard, i.e., in case of a fault, the system will switch to a safe state, which requires the driver to be aware of the existence of the fault or that he cannot rely on the faulty system.

[0041] If multiple sensors are used to monitor features, it may be meaningful to differently weight the trust or weight of the sensors and make the output of a warning signal dependent on whether there is a sufficient probability (depending on the weight of the sensor) that another road user with a certain feature is in the vehicle's environment. The weights can be fixed or the confidence of an individual sensor can be calculated when a warning is issued and the multiple sensors weighted accordingly. If no warning is issued based on the result of one sensor, but another sensor clearly perceives the feature of another road user, a warning should be issued, for example, because the sensors are located at different mounting positions on the vehicle. Additionally, it is helpful to have different degrees of trust in different sensors in different situations or based on different data. For example, in the case of two different types of optical sensors, it may be known that one sensor has a higher quantum efficiency in the infrared band. For example, when detecting halogen blue light, a higher reliability can be attributed to the infrared component detected by such a sensor, and a warning can be issued if another sensor does not detect an infrared component.

[0042] Particularly preferably, the processing unit is adapted to analyze information on the existence of certain patterns in the time course of other road user features. For example, the pattern can be a predefined audio frequency sequence in time or a predefined light wavelength sequence in time. For example, if the sensor is a camera, the pattern corresponding to a specific feature can be a specific detected color sequence associated with blink pulses and flash pulses. In addition or alternatively, it can also be associated with certain temporal color gradients (light wavelength gradients). In image analysis, in addition to the color itself, temporal intensity gradients, brightness gradients or similar gradients can also be used. When making a temporal observation and analysis, the time course of the feature can be analyzed and evaluated based on how the position of the light source changes relative to the vehicle.

[0043] A method for warning a motor vehicle driver comprises the following steps: capturing environmental information with sensors, wherein the environmental information can include information on certain features of other road users; processing the captured environmental information by a processing unit, wherein the processing includes analyzing the captured environmental information to determine whether the environmental information includes information on other road users; if the environmental information includes information on other road users, analyzing whether there is one or more features of other road users in the environmental information; if there is one or more features of other road users, outputting a warning signal to the vehicle driver via an output unit.

[0044] The step of analyzing the environmental information to determine whether the environmental information includes information on other road users does not have to be carried out as a separate and independent step, but can be carried out together with the step of analyzing a certain characteristic of the road user, provided that the characteristic also necessarily allows a conclusion to be drawn that attributes it to other road users. In this case, detecting a certain characteristic also means that the road user has that characteristic.

[0045] Preferably, the method further includes the following steps: when certain characteristics of other road users are determined to exist, verify the analysis by capturing environmental information through a second sensor different from the first sensor, analyze the environmental information captured by the second sensor to determine whether the environmental information includes information on other road users, and whether one or more specific characteristics of other road users exist.

[0046] Preferably, a warning signal is issued to the driver only when the verification step shows that one or more specific characteristics of other road users exist.

[0047] According to a preferred embodiment, as described above, when one or more specific characteristics exist for a certain period of time, a warning signal is output. Description of the Drawings

[0048] Hereinafter, the present invention will be illustrated purely based on the drawings.

[0049] FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of a warning system designed according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2a shows a side view of a vehicle equipped with a warning system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2b is a top view of the vehicle in FIG. 2a; FIG. 3a shows a side view of the vehicle in FIGS. 2a and 2b in a driving environment; FIG. 3b shows a top view of the vehicle in FIG. 3a in a driving environment; FIG. 4 schematically shows the cab of an automobile equipped with the warning system of the present invention; FIG. 5 schematically shows a warning signal output on an output unit according to an embodiment; FIG. 6 schematically shows a warning signal output on an output unit according to another embodiment; and FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the present invention.

[0050] In the figure, 1 is the vehicle driver, 2 is the vehicle, 3a and 3b are the first sensors, 4 is the processing unit, 5 is the output unit, 51 is the display screen, 6a is the radio wave environment information, 6b is the light wave environment information, 6c is the sound wave environment information, 7 is the speaker, 8 is the multimedia device, 9 is the head-up display, 10a is the warning signal (visible), 11 is the driver assistance system, and 100 is the warning system. Detailed implementation

[0051] The preferred implementation will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 1 Schematically shows a warning system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The warning system 100 includes a first sensor 3a and a second sensor 3b independent of the first sensor 3a. The first sensor 3a and the second sensor 3b independently capture / acquire the environmental information around the vehicle 2.

[0053] The first sensor 3a and the second sensor 3b can be cameras, radio receivers or microphones. If there are two sensors, it is preferably different types of sensors. For example, one sensor 3a is a camera and the other sensor 3b is a microphone. In principle, any number of sensors can be provided, that is, more than two sensors, or even only one sensor. For example, different sensors can be directed at different areas around the vehicle. The arrangement of the sensors on the vehicle is arbitrary, especially at one or more positions on the vehicle.

[0054] The first sensor 3a and the second sensor 3b are connected to the processing unit 4, and the first sensor 3a and the second sensor 3b transmit the captured information to the processing unit 4 for further processing, especially analysis.

[0055] The processing unit 4 is used to analyze the environmental information received from the first sensor 3a and the second sensor 3b to determine whether there are road users with one or more specific characteristics in the captured vehicle environment.

[0056] In order for the warning system 100 to output a warning signal to the vehicle driver 1, the warning system 100 further includes one or more output units 5. The output unit 5 can be a display 51, a speaker 7, a head-up display 8, an in-vehicle multimedia system 9, etc.

[0057] In addition, in the shown embodiment, the processing unit 4 is connected to the driver assistance system 11 and can also output a signal to it so that the driver assistance system 11 takes or recommends taking appropriate measures, such as slowing down the driving speed.

[0058] Figures 2a and 2b respectively show a side view and a top view of a vehicle 2 equipped with a warning system 100 according to another embodiment. In this case, a first sensor 3a is mounted on both sides of the vehicle, for example, a camera in each case, so that different areas around the vehicle can be detected by each sensor 3a, and each sensor 3a can analyze whether there are the same features, such as light wavelengths.

[0059] Figures 3a and 3b show exemplary side views of the vehicle 2 corresponding to the vehicle shown in Figures 2a and 2b, with an emergency vehicle, such as a rescue vehicle, in the rear area of the vehicle, which emits certain signals during operation, and these signals can be captured by the sensors 3a connected to the vehicle 2. Figures 3a and 3b show the acoustic wave environmental information 6c, the light wave environmental information 6b, and the radio wave 6a environmental information emitted by the rescue vehicle. Of course, the rescue vehicle can emit all different types of environmental information simultaneously, or only emit a part of them, for example, only emit blue light (light wave environmental information 6b) and siren signals (acoustic wave environmental information 6c).

[0060] Figure 7 Schematically shows Figure 1 A flowchart of the illustrated embodiment to illustrate how the warning system 100 operates, that is, how the method of warning the vehicle driver is executed according to an embodiment. The steps shown in Figure 7 are continuously repeated.

[0061] When the first sensor 3a and the second sensor 3b capture environmental information, the processing unit 4 will analyze this information separately. In this process, it is necessary to determine whether the environmental information contains information indicating that there are other road users near the vehicle. If this is the case, or while or together with the analysis, the information is analyzed to determine whether the environmental information includes one or more specific features, which indicate, for example, an emergency vehicle or a rescue vehicle that is in use / operation. If the environmental information is collected by an optical sensor, it can be analyzed whether the road user has turned on the warning light (blue light). This can be achieved, for example, by analyzing the detected light wavelength and / or its pattern, and performing image analysis on the time series of colors or color patterns. If the environmental information (acoustic) is detected, for example, through a microphone and provided as acoustic information, frequency analysis can determine the tone or tone sequence representing the emergency vehicle siren (Martin number).

[0062] If the processing unit 4 determines that there are one or more specific features, it will output a signal to the output unit (as shown in Figures 4 to Figure 6 shown) so that the latter outputs a warning signal to the vehicle driver.

[0063] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the signal is not output immediately upon its appearance, but rather after a certain period of time has elapsed since the signal appeared. The described procedures and steps are repeated during this period. Only when one or several specific features have been present for a certain period of time is a signal output to the vehicle driver, in order to prevent the output of unwanted warning signals to the vehicle driver, such as when an emergency vehicle passes through behind the vehicle.

[0064] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the environmental information is also redundantly acquired by two different sensors and independently analyzed by the processing unit 4. A warning signal is only output when the environmental information from both sensors indicates the presence of certain features of other road users. This also ensures that no unnecessary warnings are issued to the vehicle driver.

[0065] FIGS. 4 to 6 schematically show various embodiments of the output device and the warning signal.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows a cab with left and right displays 51, on each of which, for example, rearview mirror replacement information is shown. If a warning signal is to be issued, for example, a corresponding graphical overlay 10a can be shown on the display 51 as a visual warning signal (FIG. 5), or for example, the border of the display 51 blinks or is otherwise highlighted and / or a symbol is shown as a visual signal 10a (FIG. 6).

[0067] In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, an acoustic warning can also be issued via the vehicle's multimedia device 8, for example by outputting a special sound, such as a buzzer, or by reducing the volume of the sound output of the multimedia device 8. A separate dedicated speaker 7 can also be used as the output device for alarm sounds (such as various alarm sounds).

[0068] Another option shown in FIG. 4 is to display visual warning information 9 in a head-up display.

[0069] With the described warning system 100 and the method of alerting the vehicle driver, even in very busy road traffic, the vehicle driver can be reliably informed at an early stage whether there is an emergency vehicle near the vehicle.

[0070] It is expressly emphasized that, regardless of how the features in the embodiments and / or claims are combined, all features disclosed in the description and / or claims shall be considered mutually independent for the purposes of the original disclosure and for the purpose of delimiting the claimed invention. It is expressly stated that all range indicators or unit group indicators disclose any possible intermediate values or unit subgroups, both for the purposes of the original disclosure and for the purpose of delimiting the claimed invention, in particular also as range indicators limit.

Claims

1. A warning system (100) for warning a motor vehicle driver, characterized in that ,include: Sensors for capturing environmental information; A processing unit (4) for processing information captured by the sensor; as well as An output unit (5) for outputting a warning signal to a vehicle driver (1); Among them, sensors are used to capture information about other road users; The processing unit (4) is used to analyze information related to one or more specific features of other road users, and output a signal to the output unit (5) when the specific features of other road users are detected through analysis, so as to output a warning signal.

2. The warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The warning system (100) is connected to a rearview mirror replacement system of a vehicle, the rearview mirror replacement system comprising a display (51) for displaying vehicle environment information to a vehicle driver, wherein the vehicle environment information comprises rearview mirror replacement information, and the output unit (5) comprises the display (51).

3. The warning system (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The warning signal includes a graphic representation on the display.

4. The warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: As long as certain characteristics or features are detected in other road users, a warning signal will be output.

5. The warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The warning signal is output only after a period of time has passed since the presence of a certain feature or features has been detected.

6. The warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The warning signal is an acoustic signal and / or a visual signal.

7. The warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor comprises a camera and / or a microphone and / or a radio receiver.

8. The warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor is a first sensor (3a), and the warning system comprises a second sensor (3b), which is a sensor different from the first sensor and outputs information to the processing unit.

9. The warning system (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first sensor (3a) and the second sensor (3b) are sensors of different types and / or structures.

10. The warning system (100) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The processing unit (4) is used to analyze the information about the presence of certain characteristics of other road users from the first sensor (3a) and the second sensor (3b), and when the analysis of the information from the first sensor (3a) and / or the analysis of the information from the second sensor (3b) determines that certain characteristics of other road users exist, output a signal to the output unit (5) to output a warning signal.

11. The warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processing unit (4) is used to analyze whether there is information related to a specific pattern in the time course of the characteristics or properties of other road users.

12. The warning system (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that: A pattern is a sequence of tones or frequencies in a sound signal.

13. The warning system (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that: A pattern is a specific spatial and / or temporal sequence of brightness values ​​and / or wavelengths in a visual signal.

14. The warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention further comprises a driver assistance system (11), wherein the processing unit (4) is used to output a signal to the driver assistance system (11) when analyzing and detecting that other road users have certain characteristics.

15. A method for warning a motor vehicle driver, characterized in that , including the following steps: Use sensors to capture environmental information, where the environmental information may include certain characteristic information of other road users; The captured environmental information is processed by a processing unit, wherein the processing includes analyzing the captured environmental information to determine whether the environmental information includes information of other road users; if the environmental information includes information of other road users, Analyzing environmental information to determine if one or more specific characteristics of other road users are present; as well as If one or more specific features of the other road user occur, a warning signal is output to the vehicle driver via the output unit.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that , further comprising the steps of, when it is determined that one or more specific characteristics of other road users are present, verifying the analysis results by: capturing environmental information using a second sensor different from the first sensor; The environmental information captured by the second sensor is analyzed to determine whether the environmental information contains information of other road users and whether one or more specific features of other road users exist.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that: Only if the result of the verification step indicates the presence of one or more specific characteristics of the other road user is a warning signal output to the driver.

18. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that: A warning signal is output when one or more specific features appear within a certain time period.

19. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The warning signal is output until the driver monitoring system determines that the driver has noticed the warning signal.

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