Procedure for informing a vehicle occupant

Abstract

Method for informing at least one vehicle occupant during automated longitudinal and lateral control of a motor vehicle (1), comprising the steps: - Specifying a route (20) for the motor vehicle (1) which follows the course of a road (8) currently being traveled on by the motor vehicle and / or turns into a road branching off from the road (8) being traveled on, - Acquisition of environmental data describing the surroundings of the motor vehicle (1) by at least one acquisition device (3) of the motor vehicle, - Determining a trajectory that specifies the longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle (1) for a preceding section of the route (20), depending on the environmental data and the route (20), determining whether another motor vehicle (9) is being overtaken or whether the motor vehicle (1) is following the other motor vehicle (9), - Automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle (1) according to the determined trajectory, - Determining an information graphic relating to the future longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the motor vehicle (1) within the framework of the driving route (20), depending on the trajectory and / or the driving route (20), wherein the information graphic shows, if the motor vehicle (1) is following the other motor vehicle (9), why no overtaking maneuver is initiated, - Displaying an overlay of the information graphic with an environment representation, which is determined from the and / or specified further environment data, by at least one display device (4, 5, 6, 7) during automated longitudinal and lateral guidance.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for informing a vehicle occupant during automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of a motor vehicle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle with a driver assistance system for automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle.

[0002] Automated and assisted driving functions are becoming increasingly important in motor vehicles. In particular, it is desirable to guide vehicles along the entire route or at least sections of the route in a piloted manner, i.e., without driver intervention and, in particular, without continuous monitoring by the driver. To enable this, a future trajectory for the vehicle is calculated from various sensor data in the vehicle, along which the vehicle is to be guided. In addition, the vehicle is guided longitudinally, i.e., a speed is specified for the vehicle by accelerating or braking accordingly.

[0003] Such extensive automation can lead to uncertainty among drivers and passengers of the vehicle who are not used to piloted driving, as they cannot recognize in all driving situations why the vehicle performs certain driving actions.

[0004] DE 10 2014 006 559 A1 discloses a method for operating a motor vehicle having at least one display device, at least one device configured to control or regulate at least one vehicle system, and a navigation device which, when a user has entered a destination, is operated in a first operating mode in which at least one route to the destination is calculated, and, when the user has not entered a destination, is operated in a second operating mode, wherein, when operating in the second operating mode, the following steps are performed: - Recording of driving situation data, which includes ego data concerning the motor vehicle and / or environmental data concerning the motor vehicle environment, - Determination of predictive route data describing a section of the route likely to be travelled by the motor vehicle, depending on the driving situation data, - Determining at least one predicted control or regulation intervention of the device depending on the predictive route data, and - Displaying at least one item of information relating to the control or regulating intervention on the display device.

[0005] DE 10 2013 208 206 A1 discloses a display device for indicating future automatically performed steering interventions in a vehicle, comprising: a vehicle steering wheel; a light band comprising a plurality of light elements positioned next to one another; wherein the light band is in the vehicle steering wheel and is visible; a control device which is coupled to the light band and is configured to: receive information on future automatically performed steering interventions, in particular from a unit for automatically determining future driving maneuvers; activate light elements of the light band depending on the received information on future steering interventions.

[0006] DE 10 2010 028 300 A1 describes a motor vehicle with a system for automatic lateral guidance, by means of which a target trajectory related to the motor vehicle can be generated or is generated, and with a display device by means of which a driving path graphic object can be displayed or is displayed which is based on the target trajectory.

[0007] DE 10 2013 019 374 A1 shows a method for operating a vehicle system designed for the fully automated guidance of a motor vehicle, which vehicle system, under the supervision of a driver, completely takes over the longitudinal guidance and the lateral guidance of the motor vehicle along a target trajectory, which is determined on the basis of sensor data from at least one environmental sensor evaluated to form an environmental model, wherein a representation of vehicle guidance information describing the course of the target trajectory and / or an assessment of at least one environmental area covered in the environmental model with regard to its drivability is generated and displayed in relation to the environment of the motor vehicle, said representation supporting the driver during supervision.

[0008] The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a method which increases the comfort for vehicle occupants at high levels of automation.

[0009] The object is achieved according to the invention by a method for informing at least one vehicle occupant during automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle, which method comprises the following steps: - Specifying a route for the motor vehicle that follows the course of a road currently being travelled by the motor vehicle and / or turns into a road branching off from the road being travelled, - Recording of environmental data describing the surroundings of the motor vehicle by at least one recording device of the motor vehicle, - Determination of a trajectory that specifies the longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle for a section of the route ahead, depending on the environmental data and the route, - Automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the vehicle according to the determined trajectory, - Determination of an information graphic relating to future longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the motor vehicle within the driving route, depending on the trajectory and / or the driving route, - Displaying an overlay of the information graphic with an environment representation, which is determined from the and / or predetermined further environment data, by at least one display device during the automated longitudinal guidance and lateral guidance.

[0010] According to the invention, it is proposed to generate an information graphic relating to the future longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the motor vehicle and to overlay this information on a representation of the surroundings. This makes it possible, for example, to visualize information relating to future acceleration or braking processes or lane changes for a vehicle occupant before these driving interventions are carried out. By overlaying the representation with surrounding data, a context can also be easily recognized, whereby the vehicle occupant can recognize why certain driving actions are being carried out. The reasons for a planned longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle are thus easily recognizable for the vehicle occupant, which can lead to more comprehensible behavior of the motor vehicle and thus greater trust in the assisted or automated guidance.This can increase the comfort of using the vehicle, particularly for vehicle occupants who are not used to high levels of automation in motor vehicles.

[0011] The method according to the invention can preferably be used in piloted driving, which is also referred to as highly automated driving, in which the driver does not have to constantly monitor the driving operation. In this case, guidance can be provided in such a way that a driver only has to resume driving tasks after a predetermined time interval of, for example, several seconds after a warning from the system. However, it is also possible for the motor vehicle to be put into a safe operating state without intervention by the driver during piloted driving, for example, to be parked on a shoulder or in a parking lot if further travel is not possible due to certain boundary conditions. The determination of the trajectory in the method according to the invention corresponds to path planning for the motor vehicle, i.e. the motor vehicle is located locally and its further driving style is determined.

[0012] The display device can be a display device of the motor vehicle or a display device designed separately from the motor vehicle, for example the display of a smartphone.

[0013] If display devices designed separately from the motor vehicle are used, the overlaid representation of the information graphic with the surroundings display can be transmitted to the display device, for example, by the driver assistance system. However, it is also possible for parts of the processing steps for providing the overlay to be performed by a device external to the motor vehicle. For example, the determination of the information graphic and / or the overlay of the information graphic with the surroundings display can be performed by a processor of the display device, for example, the smartphone.

[0014] The surroundings data and / or the additional surroundings data can comprise image data from at least one camera of the motor vehicle, with the surroundings representation representing the image data or a portion of the image data. In particular, image data from a front camera can be used. Overlaying the information graphic with the image data enables the information to be presented in a natural environment, for example, in the form of an augmented reality representation. The surroundings representation can, in particular, be in the form of a video image.

[0015] In an alternative embodiment of the method, it is possible for the environment representation to be a map representation of map data of the vehicle's surroundings provided as additional environmental data. Such a representation is particularly advantageous when information is to be provided about sections of the route that cannot be directly detected by the vehicle's detection device, for example, about a construction site or speed limit ahead.

[0016] At least one moving object can be detected in the surrounding data, with the trajectories being determined depending on at least one property of the detected object determined from the surrounding data. The additional object can, in particular, be another vehicle. Trajectory planning is preferably carried out in such a way that the motor vehicle can be guided in flowing traffic. For example, an overtaking maneuver to overtake another motor vehicle can be planned as part of the trajectory.

[0017] If the trajectories are determined based on the object properties, the information graphic can preferably also be determined based on the object properties. For example, information about other motor vehicles, such as their speed and / or their distance from the vehicle itself, can be displayed as part of the information graphic. It is also possible for adjustments to the trajectory due to moving objects in the vehicle's surroundings to be visualized as part of the information graphic. For example, if an overtaking maneuver is planned, as explained above, the information graphic can, on the one hand, indicate the lane change for this overtaking maneuver and, on the other hand, show that this lane change is due to the vehicle in front.

[0018] The information graphics can be used to display virtual objects that represent the trajectory and / or a driving path determined based on the trajectory. A coordinate system that matches the coordinate system used to display the surroundings can be selected to display the virtual objects. This is possible, for example, if the detection range of the detection device is known. The detection range can be determined through a factory calibration or calibration performed by the vehicle itself. However, it is also possible for the detection device to map specific sections of the vehicle itself, allowing the relative position of other objects to the vehicle to be determined directly from the surroundings data.The environmental data is thus recorded in a known coordinate system, which allows the information graphics to be determined in such a way that the virtual objects are displayed in the same coordinate system.

[0019] The information graphic can be used to display a future speed of the motor vehicle specified by the trajectory and / or a limit value for a speed of the motor vehicle specified based on the route data. For example, upcoming speed limits can be visualized in order to make any subsequent braking of the motor vehicle as part of automated or assisted guidance of the motor vehicle understandable for the vehicle occupants. Speed ​​limits can, for example, be displayed in the form of corresponding traffic signs, as this allows the vehicle occupants to understand the information particularly intuitively. Particularly when the surrounding data is displayed in map form, the specified speed or the specified limit value can be displayed at the point from which this specification applies.

[0020] Depending on the route and the surrounding data and / or other surrounding data, a special section of the route can be identified in which the driving options are restricted compared to the adjacent sections of the route. The information graphic displays at least one marker object that marks the special section after overlaying it with the surrounding display. Such special sections can be, for example, construction sites or other hazardous locations, such as bottlenecks or intersections. Appropriate visualization of these special sections informs the vehicle occupant why, for example, a speed reduction is taking place or why overtaking a road user ahead is not taking place.

[0021] In the method according to the invention, a display device can be used that is arranged in the rear of the motor vehicle or in the area of ​​a passenger seat of the motor vehicle. In particular, a display device can be used that is located opposite a passenger seat or a seat on the rear bench of the motor vehicle. This makes it possible to visualize the planned driving behavior of the motor vehicle even to vehicle occupants who are not the driver. With fully piloted driving, it is possible for the motor vehicle to drive without a driver.

[0022] The route can be specified by a navigation system in the motor vehicle. It is possible for a vehicle occupant to simply enter a destination into a corresponding navigation system, which then, as is known from the prior art, determines a route to this destination that specifies the roads along which the motor vehicle will be guided to the destination. The specific guidance of the motor vehicle along the respective roads or the change of road by turning is specified by the respectively determined trajectory. If highly automated guidance of the motor vehicle is to take place only on partial sections of a route, for example during a motorway journey, the route can also be specified in such a way that it continues to follow the road currently being traveled.It is possible for the driver of the motor vehicle to take over control of the motor vehicle for turning maneuvers, but it can also be provided that a vehicle occupant instructs the driver assistance system, which carries out the longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle, to carry out the corresponding road changes using the vehicle's control elements.

[0023] In addition to the method according to the invention, the invention relates to a motor vehicle with a driver assistance system for automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle along a predetermined route and at least one detection device, wherein the detection device and the driver assistance system are designed to carry out the method according to the invention. In this case, the detection device can detect the environmental data. The driver assistance system can determine the trajectory, control actuators of the motor vehicle to carry out driving interventions for the longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle, determine the information graphic and / or control the display device to display the overlay of the information graphic with the environmental representation. The route can be specified by a separate device of the motor vehicle, for example a navigation system.However, it is also possible that the driver assistance system is set up to determine the driving route, in particular depending on the operating inputs of a vehicle occupant.

[0024] The motor vehicle according to the invention can be further developed with the features explained for the method according to the invention with the advantages mentioned there.

[0025] Further advantages and details of the invention will become apparent from the following exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings. These schematically show: Fig. 1 an embodiment of a motor vehicle according to the invention, Fig. 2 a driving situation in which an embodiment of the method according to the invention is carried out, and Fig. 3 to 5 possible representations on the display device in the Fig. 2 shows the traffic situation when carrying out an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0026] Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a motor vehicle 1 with a driver assistance system 2 for automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle 1 along a predetermined route and a detection device 3. A route for the motor vehicle can be specified directly by the driver assistance system 2. For example, the route can be selected such that the motor vehicle is guided along the road currently being traveled unless a vehicle occupant specifies otherwise. Alternatively, it would be possible for a vehicle occupant to specify a destination via a navigation device (not shown), after which the navigation device calculates a route to the destination and provides it to the driver assistance system 2. The route can consist solely of the information that the course of the road should be followed.However, it is also possible that the route includes several other streets that you have to turn into during the route.

[0027] To guide the motor vehicle along the route, the driver assistance system 2 records environmental data describing the surroundings of the motor vehicle via the recording device 3, a front camera of the motor vehicle, and other recording devices (not shown). Depending on the environmental data and optionally further information, for example information received via car-to-car communication, the driver assistance system 2 determines a trajectory for the motor vehicle 1, which specifies the longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle for a forthcoming section of the route. The trajectory thus describes, on the one hand, a path along which the motor vehicle is guided and, on the other hand, a respective speed at which the motor vehicle is to be guided along this path.The trajectory can be explicitly specified, for example, as a chain of points, each describing a position and a target speed. However, it is also possible to define the trajectory as a sequence of planned driving interventions.

[0028] The driver assistance system 2 controls several actuators (not shown) of the motor vehicle 1 in order to automatically carry out longitudinal and lateral driving interventions in order to guide the motor vehicle along the determined trajectory. For example, steering and braking interventions can be carried out and engine control can be influenced by appropriate actuators. The driver assistance system 2 and the associated sensors and actuators are preferably designed such that the motor vehicle 1 can be guided for a predetermined period of time, for example several seconds, without monitoring by a driver. It is also possible for the motor vehicle 1 to be guided into a stable state, for example a standstill on a shoulder or in a parking lot, without any driving intervention by the driver if a piloted journey to a destination is not possible.

[0029] Since such a high degree of automation can lead to uncertainty for the driver or other vehicle occupants, the driver assistance system 2 controls the display devices 4, 5, 6, 7 in order to provide the driver and other vehicle occupants with information about the automated guidance of the motor vehicle. For this purpose, the driver assistance system 2 determines an information graphic relating to future longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the motor vehicle within the scope of the route. This information graphic is overlaid with a representation of the surroundings, which is captured via the capture device 3. This provides an augmented reality representation which overlays a real image of the surroundings with additional information. In addition or alternatively, it would be possible to display a map representation as the environment representation in order to, for example, highlight surrounding areas that influence the longitudinal and / or lateral guidance.The overlay of the information graphic with the surroundings representation serves to visualize previously planned driving interventions for executing the trajectory to the vehicle occupant, or to inform them in advance that future trajectory planning will be influenced by certain circumstances. Furthermore, this overlay can inform the vehicle occupant why certain driving interventions were planned or why driving interventions they might expect, for example, to overtake another vehicle, were not carried out.

[0030] An embodiment for carrying out a method for informing a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle 1 during the automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle 1 is described below with reference to the Fig. 2 to 4 explained. Fig. Figure 4 shows a traffic situation in which motor vehicle 1 is traveling along a route that runs along road 8. Road 8, for example, is a country road. In front of motor vehicle 1, motor vehicle 9 is traveling at a lower speed than motor vehicle 1. In a section ahead, the maximum permitted speed is reduced to 30 km / h, which is signaled by sign 10. Furthermore, one of the lanes of road 8 is impassable in a special section 11 ahead because of construction work there.

[0031] As part of the automated guidance of the motor vehicle, environmental data relating to the further course of the route are recorded via the recording device 3 and other recording devices of the motor vehicle 1. This can be supplemented by further environmental information, which is received, for example, via a traffic report, taken from map material of a navigation system, or similar. The driver assistance system 2 evaluates this environmental information and determines whether there is a Fig. 2, it is appropriate to overtake motor vehicle 9 or whether motor vehicle 1 should initially follow motor vehicle 9. In this case, the display devices 4 to 7 are intended to visualize for the vehicle occupants which actions motor vehicle 1 will perform and how these actions are motivated.

[0032] Fig. 3 shows a representation for the case where a trajectory for overtaking the motor vehicle 9 is determined, and Fig. 4 a representation for the case where a trajectory is determined in which overtaking is omitted.

[0033] To provide the display, image data captured by the capture device 3, which depicts the road 8 and the motor vehicle 9, are overlaid with an information graphic. This includes Fig. 3 shows the frame 12, the arrow 13, and the virtual objects 14. The frame 12 highlights the motor vehicle 9 and thus visualizes that a driving intervention is being carried out due to the motor vehicle 9, namely an overtaking maneuver. This overtaking maneuver includes a lane change, which is represented on the one hand by the arrow 13. On the other hand, the lane change in progress can also be recognized by the course of the driving path, which is visualized by the virtual objects 14.

[0034] However, if the driver assistance system 2 determines that overtaking the motor vehicle 9 is not possible or desired for safety or comfort reasons, the Fig. 4 to clarify to the driver why no overtaking maneuver is initiated. The surroundings display corresponds to the surroundings display in Fig. 3. However, the lane path visualized by the virtual objects 14 runs behind the motor vehicle 9. The crossed-out arrow 15 indicates that a lane change is not possible. Symbol 16 indicates that this is the case due to roadworks. A predefined speed limit 17, based on sign 10, is represented in the form of a road sign. Furthermore, arrow 18 indicates that the motor vehicle will brake due to the speed limit and the motor vehicle 9 traveling ahead.

[0035] From the Fig. 3 and Fig. The representations shown in Figure 4 make it easy for the driver to see how the vehicle will be driven in the immediate future. They also visualize the reasons behind this driving. This can increase the vehicle occupant's sense of safety and comfort, and they realize that they can trust the piloted driving system.

[0036] Fig. Figure 5 shows an alternative form of displaying an overlay of an information graphic and a representation of the surroundings. The representation of the surroundings in this case is a map representation 22, which is taken from a map stored in the driver assistance system 2. On this map representation, the positions 19 of the own motor vehicle and the course of the route 20 are highlighted. In order to provide the vehicle occupants with information about further driving, the specified limit value 17 is displayed at the position on the route 20 where the corresponding speed limit begins. In addition, a marking object 21 is superimposed on the route 20 in the area of ​​the construction site 11 to indicate that this section is the special section 11, in which the driving options are restricted due to the construction site. This is also visualized by the symbol 16. Fig. The map display shown in Figure 5 can be used in the motor vehicle 1 in addition to or as an alternative to the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 shown representations can be used.

Claims

[1] Method for informing at least one vehicle occupant during automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of a motor vehicle (1), comprising the steps: - specification of a driving route (20) for the motor vehicle (1) which follows the course of a road (8) currently being travelled by the motor vehicle and / or turns into a road branching off from the road (8) being travelled, - detecting environmental data describing the environment of the motor vehicle (1) by at least one detection device (3) of the motor vehicle, - determining a trajectory which specifies the longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle (1) for a section of the route (20) ahead, depending on the environmental data and the route (20), wherein it is determined whether another motor vehicle (9) is being overtaken or whether the motor vehicle (1) is following the other motor vehicle (9), - Automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle (1) according to the determined trajectory, - determining an information graphic relating to a future longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the motor vehicle (1) within the scope of the driving route (20), depending on the trajectory and / or the driving route (20), wherein the information graphic, when the motor vehicle (1) follows the other motor vehicle (9), shows why no overtaking maneuver is initiated, - Displaying an overlay of the information graphic with an environment representation, which is determined from the and / or predetermined further environment data, by at least one display device (4, 5, 6, 7) during the automated longitudinal guidance and lateral guidance. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized bythat the environmental data and / or the further environmental data comprise image data from at least one camera of the motor vehicle (1), wherein the environmental representation represents the image data or a part of the image data. [3] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the environment representation is a map representation (22) of map data of the motor vehicle environment provided as further environment data. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least one moving object is detected in the environmental data, wherein the trajectory is determined as a function of at least one object property of the detected object determined from the environmental data. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the information graphics represent virtual objects (14) which represent the trajectory and / or a travel path determined as a function of the trajectory. [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the information graphic displays a future speed of the motor vehicle (1) predetermined by the trajectory and / or a limit value (17) for a speed of the motor vehicle (1) predetermined as a function of the driving route (20). [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that, depending on the driving route (20) and the environmental data and / or the further environmental data, a special section (11) of the driving route (20) is recognized, in which the driving options are restricted compared to the adjacent sections of the driving route (20), wherein the information graphic represents at least one marking object (21) marking the special section after the overlay in the environmental representation. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat a display device (5, 6, 7) is used which is arranged in the rear of the motor vehicle (1) or in the area of a passenger seat of the motor vehicle (1). [9] Motor vehicle with a driver assistance system (2) for automated longitudinal and lateral guidance of the motor vehicle (1) along a predetermined route (20) and at least one detection device (3), characterized by that the detection device (3) and the driver assistance system (2) are designed to carry out the method according to one of the preceding claims.

Images