Controlling a vehicle using a control system

Abstract

Method for controlling a vehicle (801) using a control system (600; 700) having a viewing direction determination device (601), an environmental sensor (602), an evaluation device (603) and a control device (604), comprising the following method steps: Determining (101) a viewing direction of an occupant of the vehicle (801) using the viewing direction determining device (601), Selecting the environmental sensor (602) from a plurality of environmental sensors of the vehicle (801) taking into account the viewing direction and activating the environmental sensor (602), wherein the other environmental sensors remain inactive, detecting (102) an environmental area of the vehicle associated with the viewing direction using the environmental sensor (602) so that environmental data associated with the environmental area are provided, Evaluating (103) the environmental data using the evaluation device (603) so that an evaluation result is provided, and Controlling (104) the vehicle (801) using the control device (604), taking the evaluation result into account.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for controlling a vehicle using a control system and a control system for carrying out the method.

[0002] Driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicle control are becoming increasingly important in the automotive industry. These systems often involve collecting and evaluating a vehicle's environmental data, and controlling the vehicle based on this data.

[0003] A control system used for this purpose must decide which of the numerous environmental data available are relevant for assessing a driving situation and how the relevant environmental data should be interpreted. For example, it must decide whether another vehicle driving in front of the controlled vehicle, to which the distance is decreasing, is traveling in the same direction or is coming the other way. This decision is particularly important for the safety of the vehicle's occupants.

[0004] Furthermore, a dangerous situation involving a vehicle must be recognized quickly and reliably. Only then can an appropriate maneuver be executed in a timely manner to avoid damage. A dangerous situation arises, for example, when a vehicle approaches a section of road in the dark that a wild animal is attempting to cross.

[0005] In DE 10 2016 201 939 A1, a sudden increase in the driver's attention can be registered by suitable sensors. In addition, the driver's line of sight can be registered in such a situation, also by suitable sensors. This means that a hazard detected by the driver, including the driver's line of sight, can be detected by sensors. The information detected by the driver is then taken into account when determining the hazardous situation. This determination includes identifying objects in the vicinity of the vehicle and their position, as well as determining whether these objects are sufficiently certain to exist. Interventions in the vehicle's driving behavior or warning measures for the driver are only justified if the existence of the objects is sufficiently certain.

[0006] DE 10 2018 133 457 A1 describes a method for providing environmental data, in which first environmental data are acquired at a first point in time, objects being detected based on the acquired first environmental data and object parameters being determined for the objects, the object parameters being assigned to the objects. Furthermore, a traffic situation is determined based on the acquired first environmental data, and filter criteria are determined depending on the determined traffic situation. The filter criteria include prioritizations and forecasts for the objects and the object parameters assigned to them. At a second point in time, second, updated environmental data are acquired, and transmission data is generated based on the second, updated environmental data and the filter criteria. The transmission data is output.

[0007] DE 10 2017 203 037 A1 discloses a method for adapting driving dynamics of a vehicle, the method comprising: determining a visibility range of a passenger of the vehicle; and adapting the driving dynamics of the vehicle depending on the visibility range of the passenger of the vehicle.

[0008] The object of the invention is to steer a vehicle particularly quickly and safely in a dangerous situation so that damage is avoided. This object is achieved by a method according to claim 1 and a control system according to claim 10.

[0009] The invention accordingly provides a method and a control system for controlling a vehicle using a control system comprising a viewing direction determination device, an environmental sensor, an evaluation device and a control device, with the following method steps: Determining a viewing direction of an occupant of the vehicle using the viewing direction determining device, Selecting the environmental sensor from several environmental sensors of the vehicle taking into account the viewing direction and activating the environmental sensor, while the other environmental sensors remain inactive, Detecting an area of the vehicle's surroundings associated with the viewing direction using the environmental sensor so that environmental data associated with the area of the vehicle is provided, Evaluating the environmental data using the evaluation device so that an evaluation result is provided, and Controlling the vehicle using the control device, taking the evaluation result into account.

[0010] The idea underlying the invention is to use an occupant as an indicator of a dangerous situation in a vehicle. The occupant is a person, in particular the driver of the vehicle or a passenger. Alternatively, the occupant can be an animal.

[0011] In a dangerous situation, the occupant typically focuses their attention on an area surrounding the vehicle in which the source of danger is located. To do this, the occupant looks in the direction of the surrounding area so that the surrounding area can be identified based on the occupant's line of sight. This allows the surrounding area to be specifically detected by the environmental sensor, providing environmental data associated with the surrounding area that can be used to particularly accurately assess the dangerous situation. This allows an appropriate response to the dangerous situation to be generated quickly and safely, i.e. largely error-free. Such a response can, among other things, be a driving maneuver with which the vehicle is steered to avoid damage.

[0012] Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims and from the description with reference to the figures.

[0013] In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method is only executed if an occupant monitoring device of the control system determines that the occupant exhibits a predetermined physical reaction. This is based on the consideration that the occupant exhibits a typical physical reaction when perceived by them as a danger. Since the method is not executed if the occupant does not exhibit the predetermined physical reaction, wasting control system resources (e.g., computing capacity, computing time, storage space) is avoided as long as no dangerous situation exists.

[0014] Optionally, the physical reaction includes a change in the occupant's blood pressure, a change in the occupant's heart rate, a noise caused by the occupant, a movement of the occupant, a state of health of the occupant, an increased stress level of the occupant, and / or a specific facial expression of the occupant. Such physical reactions typically occur when a person perceives a dangerous situation and are therefore suitable as triggers for executing the method according to the invention.

[0015] In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the environmental sensor is selected from several environmental sensors, taking the viewing direction into account, and activated to detect the surrounding area. A vehicle typically has several environmental sensors, some of which are usually inactive because they are not required for regular vehicle operation. Such an environmental sensor is only activated when needed. Selecting the environmental sensor allows other such environmental sensors to remain inactive, thus conserving the resources of the control system.

[0016] In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the environmental sensor is aligned taking the viewing direction into account to detect the environmental area. The environmental sensor can be aligned mechanically, for example, by rotating or pivoting. This ensures that the relevant environmental area is detected, even with an environmental sensor with a limited detection range.

[0017] In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, a further environmental sensor is selected and activated to detect the surrounding area, taking the viewing direction into account, so that additional environmental data associated with the surrounding area is provided. This allows the environmental data detected by the first environmental sensor to be combined with the additional environmental data, thus increasing the quality of the evaluation result. This allows a dangerous situation to be more accurately detected.

[0018] Optionally, the additional environmental sensor can detect a different physical quantity than the first environmental sensor. For example, the first environmental sensor (in the form of a camera) can detect visible light, while the additional environmental sensor (in the form of an infrared camera) detects infrared light.

[0019] In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, a portion of the acquired environmental data is selected and evaluated taking the viewing direction into account, while another portion of the environmental data is not evaluated. This allows the environmental data to be evaluated to be limited to the most relevant portion of the acquired environmental data. This can lead to further savings in control system resources, while the quality of the evaluation result is largely maintained.

[0020] In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, for evaluating the environmental data, a portion of the environmental data is selected taking the viewing direction into account and subjected to a more intensive evaluation than another portion of the environmental data. This allows the evaluation to be focused in such a way that further savings in control system resources are achieved while largely maintaining the quality of the evaluation result.

[0021] In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, for controlling the vehicle, it is checked whether the evaluation result corresponds to a predefined hazardous situation. If this is the case, the vehicle executes a braking maneuver, an evasive maneuver, a braking preparation, the abort of an overtaking maneuver, and / or the issuance of a warning signal to the driver of the vehicle. By specifying the hazardous situation, the vehicle can be steered particularly quickly and safely when the hazardous situation occurs, preventing damage. For this purpose, a predefined driving maneuver can be assigned to the predefined hazardous situation.

[0022] The object is further achieved with a control system for controlling a vehicle, which has a viewing direction determination device configured to determine a viewing direction of an occupant of the vehicle, an environmental sensor configured to detect an environmental region of the vehicle associated with the viewing direction so that environmental data associated with the environmental region are provided, an evaluation device configured to evaluate the environmental data so that an evaluation result is provided, and a control device configured to control the vehicle taking into account the evaluation result.

[0023] The aforementioned embodiments of the invention can be combined with one another as desired, where appropriate. Further embodiments, refinements, and implementations of the invention also include combinations of features of the invention not explicitly mentioned above or described below. In particular, those skilled in the art will be able to add individual aspects as improvements or additions to the respective embodiment of the invention.

[0024] Embodiments of the method and control system according to the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the attached figures. Fig. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for controlling a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for controlling a vehicle according to a further embodiment of the invention, Fig. 3 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for controlling a vehicle according to a further embodiment of the invention, Fig. 4 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for controlling a vehicle according to a further embodiment of the invention, Fig. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for controlling a vehicle according to a further embodiment of the invention, Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a control system for controlling a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention, Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a control system for controlling a vehicle according to another embodiment of the invention, Fig. 8 a schematic representation of an exemplary application situation of a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0025] Fig. Figure 6 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system 600 for controlling a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention. The control system 600 can be located entirely within the vehicle. Alternatively, it is possible for the control system to be partially located outside the vehicle.

[0026] The control system 600 comprises a viewing direction determination device 601, an environmental sensor 602, an evaluation device 603, and a control device 604. The functional units 601 to 604 can, but do not have to, be physically separated from one another. The functional units 601 to 604 are further connected to one another via data connections, for example, via a bus system, so that they can exchange data with one another. In addition, the control system 600 can comprise further functional units that are Fig. 6 are not shown, for example a memory device or an interface device.

[0027] The viewing direction determination device 601 is configured to determine the viewing direction of a vehicle occupant. For this purpose, the viewing direction determination device 601 preferably has one or more cameras. Such a camera is, for example, an infrared camera or a 3D camera. In addition, the viewing direction determination device 601 can have a computing unit that can process image signals supplied by the camera(s), or can access such a computing unit. Methods for determining a person's viewing direction are known, among other things, from DE102014226185A.

[0028] In addition, the viewing direction determination device 601 is capable of forwarding information about the viewing direction to the environmental sensor 602. The viewing direction determination device 601 can thus cause the environmental sensor 602 to detect an area of the vehicle's surroundings associated with the viewing direction.

[0029] The environmental sensor 602 is configured to detect an environmental area of the vehicle associated with the viewing direction, so that environmental data associated with the environmental area is provided. For this purpose, the environmental sensor 602 can comprise, among other things, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, an infrared camera, a visible light camera, a radar sensor, a LIDAR sensor, a laser scanner, a microphone, or several of the aforementioned sensors.

[0030] In addition, the environmental sensor 602 can have a computing unit that can process environmental signals supplied by the aforementioned sensors, or can access such a computing unit. Additionally, the environmental sensor 602 can have an electromechanical device that enables the environmental sensor 602 to be aligned with the environmental area. Furthermore, the environmental sensor 602 is capable of forwarding the environmental data to the evaluation device 603. This can cause the evaluation device 603 to evaluate the environmental data.

[0031] The evaluation device 603 is configured to evaluate the environmental data to provide an evaluation result. For this purpose, the evaluation device 603 has a computing unit or can access a computing unit. Additionally, the evaluation device 603 is capable of forwarding the evaluation result to the control device 604. The evaluation device 603 can thus cause the control device 604 to control the vehicle taking the evaluation result into account.

[0032] The control device 604 is configured to control the vehicle taking the evaluation result into account. For this purpose, the control device 604 has a computing unit or can access a computing unit. In particular, the control device 604 is configured to control one or more vehicle actuators of the vehicle. The control causes the vehicle to execute a predetermined driving maneuver, in particular an evasive maneuver or a braking maneuver.

[0033] The aforementioned computing units of the viewing direction determination device 601, the environmental sensor 602, the evaluation device 603, and the control device 604 can each have a processor and a main memory. Furthermore, it is possible for several or all of the computing units to be combined into a common computing unit. In particular, the computing unit of the evaluation device 603 and the computing unit of the control device 604 can be combined.

[0034] Furthermore, it is possible for one or more of the computing units to be located outside the vehicle, for example, in a cloud service. In this case, data is transmitted from the respective functional units to the cloud service and received by the cloud service, for example, via a radio interface of the control system 600.

[0035] The following refers to Fig. 7, which shows a schematic block diagram of a control system 700 for controlling a vehicle according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0036] In addition to the Fig. 6, the control system 700 has an occupant monitoring device 701 connected to the control device 604. The occupant monitoring device 701 is configured to determine whether an occupant of the vehicle exhibits a predetermined physical reaction. For this purpose, the occupant monitoring device 701 can include, among other things, a microphone, a camera directed at the occupant, and / or a sensor arranged on the occupant's body, for example, a blood pressure sensor.

[0037] The physical reaction may include, but is not limited to, a change in the occupant's blood pressure, a change in the occupant's heart rate, a noise made by the occupant, a movement of the occupant, a health condition of the occupant, and / or a particular facial expression of the occupant.

[0038] If the occupant monitoring device 701 determines that the occupant exhibits the specified physical reaction, this results in the execution of the method described above, in which the occupant's gaze direction is determined, an environmental area associated with the gaze direction is detected, the environmental data provided is evaluated, and the vehicle is controlled based on the evaluation result. Thus, the physical reaction triggers the execution of the method for controlling the vehicle described above.

[0039] In the control system 700, the control device 604 plays a central role by regulating and monitoring the communication between the other functional units of the control system 700 shown. This has the advantage that the control device 604 can detect any errors in the other functional units 601 to 604 at an early stage and possibly correct them. Alternatively, this control and monitoring function can be performed by another functional unit of the control system 700.

[0040] Fig. 1 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 100 is implemented with the control system 600 of Fig. 6 or with the control system 700 Fig. 7 executed.

[0041] In a first method step 101, a viewing direction of an occupant of a vehicle in which the control system 600, 700 is located is determined using the viewing direction determination device 601. In a second method step 102, an environmental region of the vehicle associated with the viewing direction is detected using the environmental sensor 602, so that environmental data associated with the environmental region is provided. In a third method step 103, the environmental data are evaluated using the evaluation device 603, so that an evaluation result is provided. In a fourth method step 104, the vehicle is controlled using the control device 604, wherein the evaluation result is taken into account.

[0042] As a result, it is automatically detected when the occupant focuses on an event or object in the vehicle's surroundings that they consider important. This could be another vehicle that unexpectedly changes its position, direction of travel, and / or speed, an animal that unexpectedly enters the roadway, or another obstacle that was not previously the focus of automatic monitoring. This means that, instead of a vehicle's equipment, an occupant decides on the relevance of a change in the vehicle's surroundings, eliminating the hypothetical step of automatically determining a relevant environmental area. This allows for particularly fast provision and evaluation of environmental data.

[0043] The following refers to Fig. 2, which shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 200 according to another embodiment of the invention. The method 200 is carried out with the control system 700 of Fig. 7. The procedure 200 includes, among others, the Fig. 1 shown process steps 101 to 104.

[0044] In addition, a further method step 201 is executed, in which the occupant monitoring device 701 determines that an occupant of a vehicle in which the control system 700 is arranged exhibits a predetermined physical reaction. To this end, the occupant monitoring device 701 continuously monitors and evaluates one or more physical parameters of the occupant. As soon as the evaluation result corresponds to the physical reaction, this is signaled by the occupant monitoring device 701 to the control device 604, which triggers the execution of method steps 101 to 104. However, as long as the evaluation result does not correspond to the physical reaction, the execution of method steps 101 to 104 is omitted, thus conserving the resources of the control system 700.

[0045] It is to be expected that a vehicle occupant pays a certain amount of attention to their surroundings. However, during a long journey without any special incidents, this can also mean that the occupant frequently pays attention to events and objects that may seem interesting to the occupant but are not relevant to the vehicle's control. For example, the occupant may look after birds or aircraft visible in the sky, or observe a landmark located off-road. If the control system 700 were to repeatedly collect and evaluate environmental data from the corresponding surrounding area every time an occupant changes their direction of view, this would entail an unacceptable amount of computing power.

[0046] Therefore, it is advantageous to monitor the vehicle occupant for a predetermined physical reaction and to initiate the execution of method steps 101 to 104 only when the physical reaction occurs. This is because a dangerous situation, such as an unexpectedly appearing vehicle, animal, or obstacle, triggers a different physical reaction in the occupant than, for example, an interesting building. Furthermore, it is particularly desirable in such situations to quickly locate the source of the danger and respond appropriately. This is advantageously made possible by determining the occupant's line of sight.

[0047] Particularly suitable indicators of the presence of a dangerous situation include rapid and violent movements by the occupant, loud shouts from the occupant, an increase in the occupant's heart rate, or an increase in the occupant's blood pressure. Other indicators may also indicate the need to check the surrounding area associated with the line of sight.

[0048] The following refers to Fig. 3, which shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 300 according to another embodiment of the invention. The method 300 is carried out with the control system 600 of Fig. 6 or with the control system 700 Fig. 7. The method 300 includes, among other things, method steps 101 to 104.

[0049] The special feature of method 300 is that method step 102 for acquiring the environmental data comprises two substeps 301, 302. In substep 301, environmental sensor 602 is selected and activated taking the viewing direction into account. In the following substep 302, environmental sensor 602 is aligned taking the viewing direction into account.

[0050] A vehicle can be equipped with a multitude of different sensors, not all of which need to be active at all times to ensure safe control. For example, there may be sensors on the sides of the vehicle that are necessary for parking, but are less relevant when driving along a straight, clear stretch of road. Continuous operation of these sensors can therefore be disabled to save energy and computing power.

[0051] However, if a potential hazard, such as an animal, approaches from a direction to the side of the vehicle, an occupant will notice this, and a previously inactive sensor located at a suitable location in the vehicle will be activated and possibly aligned accordingly. This saves computing power without compromising the overall safety of the vehicle's controls.

[0052] The following refers to Fig. 4, which shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 400 according to another embodiment of the invention. The method 400 is carried out with the control system 600 of Fig. 6 or with the control system 700 Fig. 7. Method 400 includes method steps 101 to 104.

[0053] The special feature of method 400 is that method step 102 for acquiring the environmental data comprises two sub-steps 301, 401. In sub-step 301, environmental sensor 602 is selected and activated taking into account the viewing direction. In sub-step 401, which is executed in parallel, another environmental sensor is selected and activated taking into account the viewing direction, so that additional environmental data associated with the environmental area is provided.

[0054] It can be advantageous to collect and evaluate environmental data from various sensors. For example, to assess the extent to which another vehicle poses a threat, it is useful to collect both visual data and data regarding the distance or change in distance to the other vehicle. By combining various data from the same environmental area, the control system is able to correctly interpret the available data to control the vehicle appropriately.

[0055] The following refers to Fig. 5, which shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 500 according to another embodiment of the invention. The method 500 is carried out with the control system 600 of Fig. 6 or with the control system 700 Fig. 7. Method 500 includes method steps 101 to 104.

[0056] The special feature of method 500 is that method step 104 for controlling the vehicle comprises three substeps 501 to 503. In substep 501, a check is carried out to determine whether the evaluation result provided in method step 103 corresponds to a predefined hazardous situation. If so, a predefined reaction associated with the hazardous situation is carried out in substep 502. Otherwise, the method is terminated in substep 503.

[0057] The check performed in sub-step 501 to determine whether the evaluation result corresponds to a given hazardous situation can generally be performed more quickly than a complete calculation of the vehicle's subsequent driving behavior. Even if the check result is positive, selecting a response appropriate to the given hazardous situation can achieve a faster result than through explicit calculation. Such a short reaction time is particularly advantageous in a hazardous situation.

[0058] Depending on the hazardous situation, the reaction may include a braking maneuver by the vehicle, an evasive maneuver by the vehicle, the vehicle preparing to brake, the vehicle aborting an overtaking maneuver and / or issuing a warning signal to a driver of the vehicle.

[0059] As an alternative to terminating the method, in sub-step 503 the vehicle can be controlled taking into account the evaluation result without carrying out the reaction associated with the dangerous situation.

[0060] Fig. Figure 8 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary application situation of a method according to an embodiment of the invention. The method is implemented with the control system 700 of Fig. 7, which is arranged in a vehicle 801. The environmental sensor 602 of the control system 700 here has a thermal imaging camera that covers a coverage area 803 with an opening angle of approximately 60° in the direction of travel in front of the vehicle 801.

[0061] The vehicle 801 is moving in a direction x on a road 802. A wild animal 804 is moving in a direction y and is approaching the road 802 from the side. The wild animal 804 is initially outside the coverage area 803 of the thermal imaging camera.

[0062] An occupant of vehicle 801 notices the approaching wild animal 804. Due to the impending danger, the occupant exhibits a predetermined physical reaction by becoming startled. The startle is registered by the occupant monitoring device 701 on board the vehicle 801, which causes the occupant's gaze direction to be determined by the gaze direction determination device 601. Indicators of startle can include, among other things, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, a noise, movement, a state of health, and / or a facial expression of the occupant.

[0063] Based on the viewing direction, the environmental sensor 602 is aligned such that an environmental area associated with the viewing direction in which the wild animal 804 is located is detected. The wild animal 804 is thus detected by the coverage area 803 of the thermal imaging camera. Alternatively or additionally, another environmental sensor of the vehicle 801 can be activated to detect the environmental area, for example, a camera attached to a rearview mirror of the vehicle 801 associated with the viewing direction. Likewise, alternatively or additionally, a section of an image captured by another camera showing the environmental area can be subjected to more detailed analysis in order to detect the environmental area. When the environmental area is detected, environmental data associated with the environmental area, for example, image data, is provided.

[0064] Furthermore, the environmental data are evaluated by the evaluation device 603 of the control system 700, so that an evaluation result is provided and forwarded to the control device 604. The vehicle 801 is controlled by the evaluation device based on the evaluation result.

[0065] Although the invention has been described in detail using specific embodiments, these embodiments are not intended to be limiting. Further embodiments of the present invention are conceivable.

Claims

[1] Method for controlling a vehicle (801) using a control system (600; 700) having a viewing direction determination device (601), an environmental sensor (602), an evaluation device (603) and a control device (604), comprising the following method steps: Determining (101) a viewing direction of an occupant of the vehicle (801) using the viewing direction determining device (601), Selecting the environmental sensor (602) from a plurality of environmental sensors of the vehicle (801) taking into account the viewing direction and activating the environmental sensor (602), wherein the other environmental sensors remain inactive, detecting (102) an environmental area of the vehicle associated with the viewing direction using the environmental sensor (602) so that environmental data associated with the environmental area are provided, Evaluating (103) the environmental data using the evaluation device (603) so that an evaluation result is provided, and Controlling (104) the vehicle (801) using the control device (604), taking the evaluation result into account. [2] Method according to claim 1, which is only carried out if it is determined by means of an occupant monitoring device (701) of the control system (600; 700) that the occupant shows a predetermined physical reaction (201). [3] The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined physical response comprises a change in the occupant's blood pressure, a change in the occupant's heart rate, a noise made by the occupant, a movement of the occupant, a state of health of the occupant, and / or a particular facial expression of the occupant. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which, in order to detect (102) the surrounding area, the surrounding sensor (602) is aligned taking into account the viewing direction (302). [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which, for detecting (102) the surrounding area, a further environmental sensor is selected and activated (401) taking into account the viewing direction, so that further environmental data associated with the surrounding area are provided. [6] Method according to claim 5, wherein the further environmental sensor comprises a camera which is mounted on a rearview mirror of the vehicle (801) associated with the viewing direction. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which, for evaluating (103) the environmental data, a part of the environmental data is selected and evaluated taking into account the viewing direction, wherein another part of the environmental data is not evaluated. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which, for evaluating (103) the environmental data, a part of the environmental data is selected taking into account the viewing direction and is subjected to a more intensive evaluation than another part of the environmental data. [9] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which, for controlling (104) the vehicle (801), it is checked whether the evaluation result corresponds to a predetermined dangerous situation and a braking maneuver of the vehicle (801), an evasive maneuver of the vehicle (801), a braking preparation of the vehicle (801), the aborting of an overtaking maneuver of the vehicle (801) and / or the output of a warning signal to a driver of the vehicle (801) are carried out if the evaluation result corresponds to the dangerous situation. [10] Control system (600; 700) for controlling a vehicle (801), comprising: a viewing direction determination device (601) which is configured to determine a viewing direction of an occupant of the vehicle (801), an environmental sensor (602) which is selectable and activatable from a plurality of environmental sensors of the vehicle (801) taking into account the viewing direction, wherein the other environmental sensors remain inactive, and is configured to detect an environmental area of the vehicle associated with the viewing direction, so that environmental data associated with the environmental area are provided, an evaluation device (603) which is arranged to evaluate the environmental data so that an evaluation result is provided, and a control device (604) which is arranged to control the vehicle (801) taking into account the evaluation result.

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