Driver assistance system of a vehicle, especially a commercial vehicle

Abstract

Driver assistance system of a vehicle, with at least one environment sensor (5) which detects obstacles (3) in the vicinity of the vehicle (2) within a sensor-specific range (6) and a sensor-specific field of view, and with a control system that evaluates the sensor signals and issues a warning to the driver in the event of a possible and / or imminent collision, wherein the driver assistance system has a wireless communication unit (4) for wireless data acquisition of transmitted data sent by appropriately compatible (8) surrounding vehicles (3) within a defined communication range (7) regarding their position and / or speed and / or direction of movement and / or acceleration and / or dimensions, and in a tiered warning strategy, the communication data is evaluated in the control system, and in the event of a calculated possible and / or imminent collision, a first-stage warning is issued to the driver, and where, in the event of a possible and / or imminent collision detected via the environmental sensors (5), a second-stage warning is issued to the driver as an acute warning, characterized by that the system can be activated manually or automatically during a shunting operation, and that the communication unit (4) of the ego vehicle (2) sends ego vehicle data of its position and / or its speed and / or its direction of movement and / or its acceleration and / or its dimensions to compatiblely equipped surrounding vehicles (4).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a driver assistance system of a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Vehicles are increasingly being equipped with environmental sensors that detect obstacles in the vehicle's vicinity within a sensor-specific range and field of view. These commonly known environmental sensors include radar sensors, lidar sensors, ultrasonic sensors, monocular camera systems, stereo camera systems, and photoelectric detector systems (PMD sensors), whose signals are evaluated for driver assistance and safety functions. In particular, they detect moving obstacles, such as other vehicles, and stationary obstacles, and issue a warning to the driver in the event of a potential, especially imminent, collision. Such warnings can take the form of visual signals, such as flashing lights, and / or audible signals, such as beeping tones, and / or haptic signals, such as steering wheel vibrations.

[0003] Furthermore, it is already known (DE 10 2005 011 241 A1) to activate a first and, if necessary, a second warning level in a tiered warning strategy depending on determined criteria. For this purpose, sensors are used to determine the risk of a collision between a vehicle and a located object in front of the ego-vehicle. Two different criteria are used to activate the warning levels: firstly, a deceleration criterion, which refers to the vehicle deceleration that would be necessary to avoid a collision, and secondly, an evasive maneuver criterion, in which an evasive maneuver is simulated and the time required for it is estimated. If either the deceleration criterion or the evasive maneuver criterion is met, a first, relatively mild warning level is activated for the driver; if both criteria are met, the second warning level is activated, in which the driver receives a more urgent warning.

[0004] Furthermore, a driver assistance system with three warning levels is also known (DE 10 2007 060 862 A1), in which, in the event of an impending collision, a first driver warning is issued if a lane change time is undershot, a second driver warning is issued if a circular track avoidance time is undershot, and a third warning is issued if an emergency braking time is undershot.

[0005] All the driver assistance and warning systems described above evaluate sensor signals from environmental sensors mounted on the vehicle to generate driver warnings. A significant disadvantage of such environmental sensors, for example, radar, lidar, ultrasound, and cameras, is that their range for obstacle detection is relatively short, meaning only the immediate surroundings of the vehicle can be detected. Furthermore, only objects within the sensor's field of view can be detected. As a result, critical traffic situations can still occur despite the use of these sensor-based warning systems.

[0006] Maneuvering is a critical traffic situation that places a high burden on the driver of a vehicle or a vehicle combination consisting of a vehicle and trailer or semi-trailer. During maneuvering, other road users may be in the vicinity of the vehicle, which the driver may have difficulty seeing or cannot see at all, so collisions with other road users are a frequent occurrence. Current assistance systems, such as those based on a reversing camera, display a video image of the surroundings to the driver during the maneuvering process. However, the driver is still responsible for detecting potential collisions. Other systems with radar, lidar, or ultrasonic sensors can only warn of obstacles in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle, meaning that such warnings come late, possibly too late.Furthermore, these systems rely on the sensors having a clear line of sight, so that there may be areas, particularly during maneuvering, that are not visible to either the driver or the sensors and for which no collision warning is issued.

[0007] WO 2009 / 053 371 A1 discloses a method and a system for increasing safety in a motor vehicle. DE 10 2007 049 603 A1 discloses a collision avoidance system and a collision avoidance method for supporting a vehicle's reversing movement.

[0008] The object of the invention, in contrast, is to further develop a driver assistance system in such a way that it provides more effective warnings of potential, and in particular imminent, collisions. This object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0009] According to the invention, it is proposed that an environmental sensor system with at least one sensor detects obstacles in the vehicle's vicinity within a sensor-specific range and field of view. The driver assistance system also includes a wireless communication unit for wireless data acquisition of transmitted data from appropriately equipped vehicles within a communication range that is defined as large compared to the sensor range. This data contains information on the position, speed, direction of movement, acceleration, and / or actions of a transmitting vehicle.

[0010] In a tiered warning strategy, the control system evaluates the received communication data regarding the ego vehicle and, in the event of a possible, especially imminent, collision with the transmitter vehicle, a first-stage warning is issued to the driver. If a possible, especially imminent, collision is also detected via the environmental sensors, a second-stage warning is issued to the driver as an acute warning, which differs from the first-stage warning.

[0011] Wireless communication is particularly advantageous for a maneuvering ego vehicle and all nearby vehicles equipped with a compatible communication unit within range. Wireless communication offers the advantage of a significantly greater range than conventional sensors and is unaffected by line-of-sight, meaning data can be received from vehicles with which there is no direct line of sight. This extended range allows for early initial warnings, even when there is no direct line of sight to the transmitting vehicle.The advantage of this first-stage warning is that the driver is also warned of a collision even if, during a maneuvering operation, neither he nor the installed environmental sensors have visual contact with a surrounding vehicle in the collision area.

[0012] If both the communication-based collision detection and the sensor-based collision detection are activated simultaneously, a reliably detected, immediate collision hazard can be assumed, and the driver is intensively warned with the two-stage warning as an acute warning.

[0013] The driver assistance system according to the invention can be used in normal driving operation, particularly for commercial vehicles and passenger cars. According to the invention, the system can be used during maneuvering operations, and can be activated manually or automatically. A maneuvering operation that triggers activation of the system can be detected, for example, by an engaged reverse gear and / or a very low speed.

[0014] In the driver assistance system according to the invention, radar sensors and / or lidar sensors and / or ultrasonic sensors and / or mono cameras and / or stereo cameras and / or photomixing detector systems (PMD sensors), which are known per se, can be used for the environmental sensors.

[0015] To warn the driver, visual, audible, and / or haptic signals are preferably emitted, with the signals for the second-stage warning or acute warning being more intense and / or using different signal combinations compared to the first-stage warning. This ensures that the driver is warned particularly urgently during the acute warning.

[0016] In supplementary training, if an imminent collision is detected, the system can automatically initiate emergency braking and / or an evasive maneuver in addition to warning the driver, particularly in the case of an acute warning. Further criteria may also be considered when initiating emergency braking and / or an evasive maneuver.

[0017] Furthermore, the system can optionally provide surrounding vehicles with data from the maneuvering ego-vehicle for calculating the vehicle trajectory during maneuvering via wireless communication, enabling the surrounding vehicles to react as early as possible and avoid collisions. According to the invention, the communication unit of the ego-vehicle transmits ego-vehicle data regarding its position, speed, direction of movement, acceleration, and / or dimensions to compatiblely equipped surrounding vehicles.

[0018] The invention is further explained with the aid of a drawing.

[0019] They show: Fig. 1. A schematic top view of a road on which a car and a truck are approaching each other. Fig. 2 the situation after Fig. 1 with vehicles already very close together, and Fig. 3 a general flowchart, and Fig. 4. A flowchart of an example control and warning routine.

[0020] In Fig. Figure 1 schematically depicts a traffic situation on a road 1, in which a truck 2 is reversing while maneuvering and approaching a car 3 that is standing in the direction of maneuvering.

[0021] The truck 2 is equipped with a communication unit 4 (schematically represented by an antenna) and with environmental sensors 5 (schematically represented by reversing and side area sensors) attached to the vehicle and / or trailer.

[0022] The range 6, or detection area, of the environmental sensors is indicated by the dashed ellipse. The significantly larger range 7, or detection area, of the wireless communication unit 4 is indicated by the dotted ellipse.

[0023] The car 3 is already within range 7 of the communication unit 4 of the truck 2.

[0024] Car 3 is also equipped with a communication unit 8 (schematically represented by an antenna), which is compatible with communication unit 4 in truck 2. Communication unit 8 in car 3 transmits communication data regarding its position, speed, direction of travel, acceleration, and dimensions to communication unit 4 in truck 2. Based on this data, a control unit in the truck determines that car 3 is in the direction of maneuvering of truck 2, whereupon an initial warning is sent to the driver of truck 2.

[0025] In Fig. 2 is the shunting operation from Fig. The situation has already progressed further, with truck 2 approaching car 3 (without collision) to such an extent that car 3 is within the range 6 of truck 2's environmental sensors 5. Therefore, in addition to the data evaluation from the communication unit, the control system also detects an impending collision via the environmental sensors 5 if the truck 2 continues to approach car 3. In this case, a second-stage warning is issued to the driver as an acute warning. This can be done, for example, by an additional signal to the first-stage warning or by intensifying the first-stage warning.

[0026] If necessary, an emergency braking maneuver or an evasive action can also be initiated automatically to prevent a collision.

[0027] In Fig. Figure 3 shows a general flowchart. At decision point I, it is checked whether the vehicle has started and is in shunting mode. If this condition is met, decision point II determines whether a collision is possible using the communication unit and / or the environmental sensors. If so, at node III a decision is made as to whether the driver will only be warned using warning strategy IV and / or whether additional braking intervention will take place or an evasive maneuver will be performed (decision point V).

[0028] In Fig. Figure 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary control and warning routine for the above two-stage warning strategy: First, it is checked whether the vehicle is started and in shunting mode (decision point 9).

[0029] If this is the case, the system determines whether a collision is possible via the communication unit (decision point 10). It then checks whether a collision is possible via the environmental sensors (decision point 11). If only a communication-based collision is possible, a first-level warning signal is sent to the driver. If, in addition to the communication-based collision, a sensor-based collision is also possible, a second-level warning signal is sent to the driver as an acute warning signal. Furthermore, there is then the option of (indicated by a dashed line) braking intervention and / or an evasive maneuver.

[0030] The right-hand column of the diagram, shown with dashed lines, depicts the warning situation (not part of the invention) that occurs when no communication signal from a nearby vehicle is present, for example, because it has no communication unit installed or no compatible communication unit installed. If this is detected (decision point 12), and a collision possibility is only detected by the sensors (decision point 13), a "sensor" warning signal is sent to the driver, which may correspond to the first-stage warning signal, the acute warning signal, or a third, different warning signal. Reference symbol list 1 Street 2 trucks 3 cars 4 Communication unit 5 Environmental sensors 6 Range (environmental sensors) 7 Range (environmental sensors) 8 Communication unit 9 Decision-making body 10 Decision-making body 11 Decision-making body 12 Decision-making body 13 Decision-making body

Claims

[1] Driver assistance system of a vehicle, with at least one environment sensor (5) which detects obstacles (3) in the vicinity of the vehicle (2) within a sensor-specific range (6) and a sensor-specific field of view, and with a control system that evaluates the sensor signals and issues a warning to the driver in the event of a possible and / or imminent collision, wherein the driver assistance system has a wireless communication unit (4) for wireless data acquisition of transmitted data sent by appropriately compatible (8) surrounding vehicles (3) within a defined communication range (7) regarding their position and / or speed and / or direction of movement and / or acceleration and / or dimensions, and in a tiered warning strategy, the communication data is evaluated in the control system, and in the event of a calculated possible and / or imminent collision, a first-stage warning is issued to the driver, and where, in the event of an additional possible and / or imminent collision detected via the environmental sensors (5), a second-stage warning is issued to the driver as an acute warning, characterized by , that the system can be activated manually or automatically during a shunting operation, and that the communication unit (4) of the ego vehicle (2) sends ego vehicle data of its position and / or its speed and / or its direction of movement and / or its acceleration and / or its dimensions to compatiblely equipped surrounding vehicles (4). [2] Driver assistance system according to claim 1, characterized by, that at least one environmental sensor (5) is one or more radar sensors and / or lidar sensors and / or ultrasonic sensors and / or cameras. [3] Driver assistance system according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by , that visual and / or acoustic and / or haptic signals are given to warn the driver, whereby the signals for the second-stage warning or acute warning are more intense and / or signal combinations and / or different signal combinations compared to the first-stage warning. [4] Driver assistance system according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by , that in the event of a detected imminent collision, in addition to the warning, especially in the case of an acute warning, an emergency braking maneuver and / or an evasive maneuver is automatically initiated. [5] Commercial vehicle with a driver assistance system according to one of claims 1 to 4.

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