Control of a highly or fully automatic driving function

Abstract

Method for controlling a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function of a motor vehicle in motion, characterized by the steps: Determining (1) the position, speed and direction of travel of the motor vehicle, Receiving (2) driving data from other vehicles in the vicinity of the motor vehicle by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, wherein the driving data of the other vehicles include at least their respective vehicle speed, position and direction of travel, Evaluating (4) the received driving data with regard to position and direction of travel to determine vehicles ahead, Comparing (6) the vehicle speeds of the preceding vehicles with a predetermined speed interval based on the speed of the motor vehicle, (7) allowing activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function when the speeds of the vehicles ahead are within the specified speed interval, and Preventing (8) activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function if the speed of at least one of the vehicles ahead is outside, in particular below, the specified speed interval.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for controlling a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function of a motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 and a corresponding device according to the preamble of claim 7.

[0002] Highly automated or fully automated driving functions, in which the driver is permitted to perform secondary tasks, are the subject of current research projects. In a highly automated driving function, the driver acts as a supervisory authority. While the highly automated driving function is activated, the driver may perform secondary tasks, but must potentially be able to take over control of the vehicle again. Therefore, the term "piloted driving" appears to be gaining ground for highly automated driving. In contrast, in fully automated driving, the vehicle drives independently and without driver intervention.

[0003] At least three different approaches are pursued: The vehicles travel at high speed and are arranged in a convoy of vehicles with short following distances, also known as a platoon. This was demonstrated, for example, in the EU-funded Sartre project (http: / / www.sartre-project.eu / en / Sidor / default.aspx), in which the possibility of carrying out secondary activities in the following vehicles was explicitly highlighted. One of the basic assumptions of this procedure is that the vehicle in front ensures that the route is passable. The disadvantage of this procedure is that the following vehicles follow the vehicle in front at a very short distance, which is at least uncomfortable and takes some getting used to, especially at high speeds. The automatic following must be aborted if the vehicle in front leaves the motorway, for example at an exit.Furthermore, the legal framework for driving with an “electronic drawbar” will not be in place in the foreseeable future.

[0004] The second approach involves automatic following in a traffic jam, commonly referred to as traffic jam pilot. A traffic jam situation results in a vehicle ahead, and the ego vehicle follows the vehicle ahead at a low speed. The automatic following is inevitably aborted when the traffic jam clears, since this automatic driving function is not available outside of a traffic jam situation.

[0005] The third approach concerns automated driving, particularly on the motorway, at high speeds of, for example, 130 km / h and more. The route forecast to answer the question of whether the route is passable is carried out using on-board sensors such as radar, cameras or lasers. Additional environmental information can be provided via communication between vehicles (V2V - Vehicle to Vehicle) or communication between vehicles and an infrastructure such as a traffic information service (V2I - Vehicle to Infrastructure). However, the range of the on-board sensors is limited to a few hundred meters, which makes comfortable braking, for example in front of stationary obstacles, difficult, especially at high speeds. Furthermore, the still limited penetration of V2V or V2I across the entire vehicle fleet is still a problem.V2I technology must be taken into account, so that in the worst case scenario, no driving data from a vehicle ahead is available. In other words, it is not possible to react comfortably to vehicles traveling at low speeds or even stationary vehicles, such as those at the end of a traffic jam.

[0006] For example, DE 10 2012 212 681 A1 discloses a method for autonomously guiding vehicles traveling along a route, wherein a lead vehicle communicates with at least one follower vehicle. Communication takes place between the lead vehicle and the follower vehicle with respect to the target offset position and route data. Furthermore, tracking data is generated by on-board detection devices of the at least one follower vehicle, which contain the path traveled by the lead vehicle as detected by the at least one follower vehicle, and the route data is compared with the tracking data for consistency. A set target offset position and a set of trajectory endpoints, which provide a trajectory path from a current position of the at least one follower vehicle to the set target offset position, are determined based on the consistency between the route data and the tracking data.

[0007] Document DE 100 20 742 A1 describes a convoy travel control device that enables convoy travel with a lead vehicle driven by a driver and a plurality of follower vehicles automatically following the lead vehicle. Each of the vehicles comprises an input device for inputting the total number of vehicles in a convoy and the current number of each vehicle in the convoy; a vehicle setting device for setting each vehicle either as a lead vehicle or as a follower vehicle according to the current number of each vehicle in the convoy as inputted by the input device; and a vehicle travel control device for instructing each vehicle to travel in convoy according to the set current number in the convoy. This allows a convoy or the like to be formed even outside of stations.

[0008] Document DE 10 2007 024 877 A1 describes a method for controlling vehicles in a convoy or for forming a convoy. The convoy can be accepted via a two-stage acceptance process, planned future movements can be coordinated, and surrounding vehicles can also be informed about the existing convoy and / or the convoy's planned movements.

[0009] The publication DE 10 2011 080 922 A1 discloses a predictive determination of an expected trajectory for conveying a dynamic state of the host vehicle to surrounding vehicles and its standardized transmission via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. The trajectory is made available, particularly in the form of a clearly parameterized path curve, to neighboring vehicles, which must also be equipped with a corresponding vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. From a mathematical perspective, only the parameters of the expected trajectories are preferably transmitted to optimize bandwidth. It is advantageous to also transmit the absolute positions for both lane-related and distance-related relevance checks.

[0010] From WO 2012 / 050 486 A1 a method and an arrangement for setting an autonomous driving mode of a vehicle is known, by means of which the vehicle follows a vehicle driving ahead.

[0011] From DE 10 2012 208 256 A1 a method and a system for autonomously tracking a following vehicle in the lane of a leading vehicle is known.

[0012] From DE 10 2010 021 591 A1 a method for controlling the operation of a fully automatic driver assistance system of a motor vehicle designed for independent vehicle guidance is known.

[0013] The invention is therefore based on the object of ensuring road safety when a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function is activated at high speed.

[0014] This object is achieved by a method for controlling a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function of a motor vehicle having the features of claim 1 and by a corresponding device having the features of claim 7. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the subclaims.

[0015] The method according to the invention for controlling a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function of a motor vehicle in motion comprises the following steps: - Determining the position, speed and direction of travel of the motor vehicle, - Receiving driving data from other vehicles in the vicinity of the motor vehicle by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, wherein the driving data of the other vehicles include at least their respective vehicle speed, position and direction of travel, - Evaluation of the received driving data of the other vehicles with regard to position and direction of travel to determine vehicles ahead, - comparing the vehicle speeds of the detected vehicles ahead with a predetermined speed interval based on the speed of the motor vehicle, - Allowing activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function when the speeds of the vehicles ahead are within the specified speed interval, and - Preventing activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function if the speed of at least one of the vehicles ahead is outside, in particular below, the specified speed interval.

[0016] In order to activate a highly or fully automatic driving function for high-speed travel, for example, on a highway, it must be ensured that the road ahead is drivable and free of obstacles. For this purpose, driving data such as position, speed, and direction of travel are transmitted from the preceding vehicles to the own vehicle. If the preceding vehicles are traveling at approximately the desired speed of the ego vehicle for the intended automatic driving mode, the automatic driving mode can be activated. If the preceding vehicles are significantly slower than the desired speed of the ego vehicle for the automatic driving mode at high speed, activation is not possible.The driving data of the preceding vehicles are transmitted to the ego vehicle either via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, also known as V2V communication, and / or via vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, also known as V2I communication.

[0017] Preferably, the preceding vehicles should be within a specified distance from the motor vehicle. In other words, if the detected preceding vehicles are far enough away from the ego vehicle, their information is ignored. The distance at which preceding vehicles are no longer considered is a function of the current speed or the desired speed of the ego vehicle. For example, all preceding vehicles that are more than 5 minutes apart can be ignored.

[0018] Further preferably, activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function is prevented if no vehicle ahead is detected within a predefined period of time. If no vehicles ahead are present, this means, for example, clear travel on a motorway. However, since not all vehicles currently have the option of vehicle-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, it is possible that there is at least one other vehicle in the section ahead that cannot be detected. Therefore, if no vehicle ahead is detected in a section ahead for a predefined period of time, activation of the automatic driving function is blocked.In contrast, when vehicles ahead are detected, it is assumed that even undetectable vehicles are moving at the speed of the detected vehicles ahead and that activation of the automatic driving function is possible under the conditions described above.

[0019] Furthermore, in multi-lane roadways, the position information is used to determine whether the preceding vehicles are in the lane of the motor vehicle, and to allow activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function, only the preceding vehicles in the lane of the motor vehicle are taken into account. In this way, the automatic driving function can be limited to the vehicle's own lane. This seems sensible, for example, if trucks are driving on the right side of a motorway and an automatic driving function is possible in the left lane(s).

[0020] Further preferably, the motor vehicle must have a minimum speed so that a check of the route ahead can be carried out using vehicle-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The minimum speed is preferably 60 km / h, so that for all speeds of the ego vehicle greater than or equal to 60 km / h, the automatic driving function can be activated after checking the procedural steps, or its activation can be prevented. However, if the speed of the motor vehicle is lower than the minimum speed, the driver can easily activate the corresponding automatic driving function, since in this case the section of road ahead can be monitored using the vehicle's own environmental sensors, and a check of the traffic further ahead using external information is not necessary.

[0021] The device according to the invention for controlling a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function of a motor vehicle in motion, which is set up and designed to carry out the method explained above, comprises - a device for determining the position, speed and direction of travel of the motor vehicle, - a device for receiving driving data from other vehicles in the vicinity of the motor vehicle by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, wherein the driving data of the other vehicles include at least their respective vehicle speed, position and direction of travel, - a device for evaluating the received driving data with regard to position and direction of travel in order to determine vehicles ahead, - a device for comparing the vehicle speeds of the preceding vehicles with a predetermined speed interval based on the speed of the motor vehicle, - a device for activating the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function, wherein the corresponding driving function is activated when the speeds of the vehicles ahead are within the predetermined speed interval, and the activation of the corresponding driving function is prevented when the speed of at least one of the vehicles ahead is outside, in particular below, the predetermined speed interval.

[0022] The device further preferably comprises a device for determining whether preceding vehicles are detected within a predetermined period of time. If this is not the case, activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function is prevented.

[0023] An advantage over existing solutions is that, unlike platooning, the automatic driving function can be maintained when one of the vehicles ahead leaves the motorway and no close following distance is required. Furthermore, highly automated and fully automated driving at high speeds is also possible outside of traffic jams, which is not possible with Traffic Jam Pilot. Finally, the method described above always ensures that the road ahead is passable without obstacles such as significantly slower vehicles.

[0024] While the equipping of vehicles with V2V technology is just beginning, and penetration in the field is therefore currently very low, driving data via V2I communication is already widely available in the field. Sources for this V2I driving data include navigation systems equipped with SIM cards for updating map data, mobile phones carried in the vehicle, and stationary sensors for traffic flow monitoring, such as induction loops, radar, or cameras on bridges. Furthermore, V2I or V2V route data can be transmitted by multiple vehicles ahead.

[0025] A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained below with reference to the single drawing. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the device according to the invention, from which the process sequence can also be seen.

[0026] Fig.1 shows in the form of a schematic diagram the sequence of the method or the function of the device for controlling a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function of a motor vehicle in motion.

[0027] After the driver of a motor vehicle, which is referred to below as the ego vehicle, has initiated the activation of an automatic driving function (not shown), for example by selecting a corresponding menu, the position, speed and direction of travel of the ego vehicle are determined in a first step 1.

[0028] Furthermore, the first step can be to check whether the vehicle is moving at a minimum speed. If the speed is lower than the minimum speed, the automatic driving function can be activated without the subsequent check if the on-board environmental sensors permit this (not shown).

[0029] Subsequently, in a second step 2, the driving data of other vehicles in the vicinity of the motor vehicle are received by the ego vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The driving data of the other vehicles includes at least their respective vehicle speed, position, and direction of travel.

[0030] In a third step 3, those vehicles located outside a specified spatial area around the current position of the ego vehicle are eliminated, as these vehicles are not of interest for the further process due to their distance from the ego vehicle. The spatial area is a function of the desired speed of the ego vehicle with regard to the automatic driving function or the current speed if this corresponds to the desired speed for the automatic driving function. This area can be expressed as a time interval, which can be, for example, 5 minutes.

[0031] In a fourth step 4, the received driving data of the other vehicles in the vicinity of the ego vehicle are evaluated with regard to position and direction of travel to determine the vehicles ahead. In other words, a subset of the other vehicles ahead of the ego vehicle is formed from the multitude of transmitted positions of the other vehicles.

[0032] In a fifth step 5, it is determined whether any data has been received from preceding vehicles within a specified period of time. In other words, it is examined whether there are any preceding vehicles in the upcoming section of the route with respect to the position of the ego vehicle that are communicating with the ego vehicle. If this is not the case, the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function is blocked in a blocking step 8. This is necessary because it cannot be ruled out that a non-communicating vehicle traveling at a speed lower than the desired speed is located in the upcoming section of the route that exceeds the range of the on-board sensors.

[0033] In a comparison step 6, the vehicle speeds of the preceding vehicles are compared with a predefined speed interval based on the speed of the motor vehicle, taking into account the vehicle's own environmental sensors. The speed interval can be formed in the usual way by a predefined speed environment around the current speed of the ego vehicle or the desired driving speed of the ego vehicle in automatic driving mode. In other words, if the desired speed is 130 km / h, for example, the speed interval within which the preceding vehicles must move can be the interval from 80 km / h to 180 km / h.

[0034] If all speeds of the vehicles ahead are within the speed interval described above, the desired highly automatic or fully automatic driving function is activated in the next step 7.

[0035] If this is not the case and at least one speed of a vehicle ahead is below the speed interval, the corresponding automatic driving function is blocked by blocking step 8. List of reference symbols 1 Determination of specified parameters of the ego vehicle 2 Reception of specified parameters from other vehicles 3 Selecting the vehicle position of the other vehicles 4 Selecting vehicles ahead 5 Query “Are there any vehicles ahead?” 6 Query “Speed check of vehicles ahead” 7 Activating the automatic driving function 8 Blocking the automatic driving function

Claims

[1] Method for controlling a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function of a motor vehicle in motion, characterized by the steps: Determining (1) the position, speed and direction of travel of the motor vehicle, Receiving (2) driving data from other vehicles in the vicinity of the motor vehicle by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, wherein the driving data of the other vehicles include at least their respective vehicle speed, position and direction of travel, Evaluating (4) the received driving data with regard to position and direction of travel to determine vehicles ahead, Comparing (6) the vehicle speeds of the preceding vehicles with a predetermined speed interval based on the speed of the motor vehicle, (7) allowing activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function when the speeds of the vehicles ahead are within the specified speed interval, and Preventing (8) activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function if the speed of at least one of the vehicles ahead is outside, in particular below, the specified speed interval. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that a selection (3) is made of those vehicles ahead which are within a predetermined distance from the motor vehicle. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat a check (5) is carried out to determine whether no vehicle driving ahead is detected within a predetermined period of time and that activation of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function is prevented (8) if no vehicle driving ahead is detected within the predetermined period of time. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that in the case of multi-lane carriageways, the position information is used to determine whether the vehicles ahead are in the lane of the motor vehicle, and that only the vehicles ahead in the lane of the motor vehicle are taken into account for the admissibility of the activation (7) of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the motor vehicle has a minimum speed. [6] Method according to claim 5, characterized bythat the minimum speed is 60 km / h. [7] Device for controlling a highly automatic or fully automatic driving function of a motor vehicle in motion, which is set up and designed to carry out the method according to one of the preceding claims, with a device for determining (1) the position, speed and direction of travel of the motor vehicle, a device for receiving (2) driving data from other vehicles in the vicinity of the motor vehicle by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, wherein the driving data of the other vehicles comprise at least their respective vehicle speed, position and direction of travel, a device for evaluating (4) the received driving data with regard to position and direction of travel in order to determine vehicles ahead, a device for comparing (6) the vehicle speeds of the preceding vehicles with a predetermined speed interval based on the speed of the motor vehicle, a device for activating (7) the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function, wherein the corresponding driving function is activated when the speeds of the vehicles driving ahead are within the predetermined speed interval, and for blocking (8) the corresponding driving function when the speeds of at least one of the vehicles driving ahead are outside, in particular below, the predetermined speed interval. [8] Device according to claim 7, characterized bythat the device has a device for detecting (5) preceding vehicles within a predetermined period of time, wherein a blocking (8) of the highly automatic or fully automatic driving function takes place if no preceding vehicle is detected within the predetermined period of time. [9] Device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized by that the device has a device for selecting (3) those vehicles ahead which are within a predetermined distance from the motor vehicle.

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