Method for verifying a lane assignment of at least one lane of a roadway and assistance system

Abstract

Method for verifying a lane assignment (11) of at least one lane (F1, F2, F3, F4) of a roadway (8) with at least two lanes (F1, F2, F3, F4) by means of an assistance system (2) of an at least partially assisted motor vehicle (1), wherein an environment (9) of the motor vehicle (1) with the roadway (8) is detected by means of a detection device (3, 4) of the assistance system (2), and the lane assignment (11) of the lane (F1, F2, F3, F4) is carried out by means of an electronic computing device (10) of the assistance system (2) as a function of the detected environment (9), wherein swarm data (6) generated externally of the motor vehicle relating to a plurality of further motor vehicles (12) are received by means of a swarm data receiving device (5) of the assistance system (2) and evaluated by means of the electronic computing device (10), wherein the lane assignment (11) is compared with the evaluated swarm data (6) and is verified,If the lane assignment (11) based on the detection with the detection device (3, 4) should not be verified by the swarm data (6), the swarm data (6) are used for the lane assignment (11).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for verifying a lane assignment of at least one lane of a roadway with at least two lanes by means of an assistance system of an at least partially assisted motor vehicle. A detection device of the assistance system detects the surroundings of the motor vehicle including the roadway, and an electronic computing device of the assistance system performs the lane assignment of the lane depending on the detected surroundings. Furthermore, the invention relates to an assistance system.

[0002] Assistance systems that assist a motor vehicle user, in particular a driver, in driving the vehicle are already known from the prior art. Such assistance systems can, for example, be designed as so-called travel assistance. This requires, in particular, environmental detection, which in turn can be presented to the motor vehicle user as a so-called environmental model or surroundings model. This environmental model shows, for example, motorcyclists, passenger cars, trucks, lanes or hard shoulders as well as other markings. This information comes, for example, from radar sensors at the front or rear. However, the corresponding sensors have technical limitations that become apparent, for example, on winding roads.In today's environment models, in the event of incorrect detection, it can happen, for example, that objects in the environment model are displayed on the hard shoulder, whereby they can briefly jump into the wrong lane and then be displayed again in the correct lane.

[0003] US 2020 / 0108869 A1 discloses a lane change control device and method using V2V communication information, and a device for calculating tendency information for lane change. It is possible to improve lane change safety by receiving driving information from drivers of other vehicles from communication modules of the other vehicles, generating tendency information from the drivers of the other vehicles based on the driving information, and performing lane change control using the tendency information.

[0004] US 2018 / 0259640 A1 discloses a method and a system for environmental detection, in which a first vehicle detects its vehicle surroundings with at least one sensor, wherein the first vehicle transmits sensor data from the sensor relating to its vehicle surroundings to an off-board server device. At least one second vehicle with at least one sensor and corresponding sensor data relating to its vehicle surroundings is transmitted to the off-board server device. The off-board server device combines the transmitted sensor data from the vehicles, and on this basis, an environmental model of the vehicle surroundings of the first vehicle is generated. The generated environmental model is then transmitted from the off-board server device to the first motor vehicle.

[0005] DE 10 2019 217 428 A1 relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system for the automated execution of a driving maneuver, wherein before the execution of the driving maneuver, an approval of the driving maneuver and / or during the execution of the driving maneuver, the need to abort the driving maneuver is checked, wherein the approval of the driving maneuver and / or the need to abort the driving maneuver is checked as a function of swarm data.

[0006] DE 10 2018 220 844 A1 relates to a method for controlling a driver assistance system of a first motor vehicle, wherein the driver assistance system is provided with position information about at least one area with a specific target traffic behavior and information about a type of the at least one area, and the driver assistance system executes a driver assistance function depending on the position information and the type of the at least one area. The invention provides that the position information and the type of the at least one area are determined depending on aggregated movement data of several different second motor vehicles in at least one predetermined environmental area.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a method and an assistance system by means of which an improved lane assignment of a lane of a roadway with at least two lanes can be realized.

[0008] This object is achieved by a method and an assistance system according to the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the subclaims.

[0009] One aspect of the invention relates to a method for verifying a lane assignment of at least one lane of a roadway with at least two lanes by means of an assistance system of an at least partially assisted motor vehicle, wherein an environment of the motor vehicle with the roadway is detected by means of a detection device of the assistance system and the lane assignment of the lane to the roadway is carried out by means of an electronic computing device of the assistance system depending on the detected environment.

[0010] It is intended that swarm data generated externally of the vehicle relating to a large number of other motor vehicles is received by means of a swarm data receiving device of the assistance system and evaluated by means of the electronic computing device, whereby the lane assignment is compared with the evaluated swarm data and verified.

[0011] This allows an improved model of the environment to be generated for a user of the motor vehicle, in particular for a driver of the motor vehicle. In particular, the environment is detected by the detection device and evaluated accordingly by the electronic computing device. Lane assignment then takes place.

[0012] This lane assignment includes, for example, whether the lane currently being used by the motor vehicle is a left lane, a right lane, or a shoulder of the road. In this respect, a lane assignment is made to the roadway. In particular, it is evaluated that the roadway can have a left lane, a right lane, and a shoulder. Thus, all lanes of the roadway are evaluated accordingly. The list of two lanes is purely exemplary. If, for example, a motorway has three or more lanes, a corresponding evaluation of these lanes can also be performed.

[0013] In particular, it is now provided that the swarm data receiving device receives the swarm data relating to a plurality of additional motor vehicles from an electronic computing device external to the vehicle. The swarm data can refer to directly surrounding motor vehicles and be current swarm data; however, it is also possible and preferably provided that the swarm data relates to historical data from motor vehicles that have traveled on the roadway in the past. These motor vehicles have transmitted this acquired data, preferably via communication means, to the electronic computing device external to the vehicle.

[0014] Based on this swarm data, the lane assignment of the electronic computing device is then verified. This allows for improved lane assignment. In particular, for example, with a lane change assistant, this allows for improved assignment of the vehicle to a lane and of other vehicles to the lane or other lanes.

[0015] In particular, it can preferably be provided that if the lane assignment based on the detection with the detection device cannot be verified by the swarm data, the swarm data is preferably used for lane assignment. In other words, if a discrepancy between the lane assignment based on the detection device and the swarm data does not match, a correction is made so that the lane assignment from the swarm data is adopted.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment, the surroundings are detected by means of a detection device configured as a radar sensor device and / or a camera and / or a lidar sensor device and / or an ultrasonic sensor device. It can be provided that the motor vehicle can have a corresponding detection device both at the front of the motor vehicle and at the rear of the motor vehicle. Furthermore, a detection device can also be configured on the respective sides of the motor vehicle.

[0017] The detection devices can be configured identically or differently. For example, a camera can be installed at the front of the vehicle and a radar sensor at the rear. This is purely exemplary and by no means exhaustive. Any combination of the detection devices listed is possible. This allows for improved environmental detection.

[0018] It is also advantageous if left-hand and / or right-hand traffic in the lane is taken into account. This allows country-specific traffic situations to be taken into account. This makes the procedure highly flexible and applicable in different countries.

[0019] It is also advantageous if the lane assignment is displayed on a display device of the assistance system. The display device can be, for example, a head-up display device, also known as a head-up display, or a display device of a head unit, which is, for example, located on a center console of the vehicle. This makes it possible to conveniently display the corresponding lane assignment for the driver.

[0020] It has also proven advantageous if an environmental model of the surroundings, including the roadway and lanes, is generated by means of the electronic computing device, and the environmental model is displayed on the display device with the lane assignment. In particular, the lane assignment can be numerical, for example. For example, on a two-lane motorway, a left lane can be designated as lane 2, a right lane as lane 1, and, for example, an emergency lane as lane 0. In particular, this is then displayed on the display device with the environmental model, which can also display other objects in the surroundings, such as other motor vehicles or motorcycles. This makes it easy for a driver of the motor vehicle to obtain an overview of the surroundings.

[0021] In a further advantageous embodiment, a hard shoulder of the roadway is determined by the electronic computing device, and the hard shoulder is taken into account when assigning lanes. For example, a solid line separating a right-hand lane from the hard shoulder can be used to take into account a corresponding evaluation of the hard shoulder. In particular, if, for example, the driver intends to change lanes in the future, the corresponding hard shoulder can also be taken into account. For example, an evaluation of the hard shoulder for object occupancy can then be omitted, allowing the lane change to be carried out highly efficiently.

[0022] According to a further advantageous embodiment, an object on the roadway is detected by the detection device, and the object is assigned to a lane by the electronic computing device based on the verified lane assignment. For example, the detection device can monitor the rear area of the motor vehicle. If another object, such as another motor vehicle, then approaches from behind, a corresponding assignment to a lane can be made. For example, it can be checked whether the motor vehicle is in the same lane as the motor vehicle or in an adjacent lane. This allows a comprehensive model of the environment to be generated for the user of the motor vehicle.

[0023] It is also advantageous if, based on the object assignment to a lane, the electronic computing device generates a lane change authorization. If, for example, the driver indicates an intention to change lanes, for example by activating a turn signal, it can be checked whether there is an object in the adjacent lane in which the lane change is desired that may be relevant to the lane change. Object assignment can be advantageously implemented, particularly through the corresponding verified lane assignment.

[0024] According to a further advantageous embodiment, after the lane change has been authorized, the lane change is performed at least partially assisted by the assistance system. In particular, an at least partially assisted lane change can thus be realized. This makes it possible to perform a safe lane change based on the verified lane assignment.

[0025] The method according to the invention is, in particular, a computer-implemented method. In particular, a further aspect of the invention provides for a computer program product with program code means which, when executed on an electronic computing device, causes the electronic computing device to perform the method according to the invention. The computer program product according to the invention can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium, which also relates to an aspect of the invention.

[0026] A further aspect of the invention relates to an assistance system for verifying a lane assignment of at least one lane of a roadway with at least two lanes for an at least partially assisted motor vehicle, comprising at least one detection device, an electronic computing device, and a swarm data receiving device. The assistance system is designed to carry out a method according to the preceding aspect. In particular, the method is carried out by means of the assistance system.

[0027] Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a motor vehicle with an assistance system according to the preceding aspect. The motor vehicle is operated at least partially with assistance.

[0028] Advantageous embodiments of the method are considered to be advantageous embodiments of the assistance system and the motor vehicle. The assistance system and the motor vehicle have specific features that enable implementation of the method or an advantageous embodiment thereof.

[0029] The invention also includes further developments of the assistance system according to the invention and of the motor vehicle that have features already described in connection with the further developments of the method according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding further developments of the motor vehicle according to the invention and of the assistance system are not described again here.

[0030] The invention also includes combinations of the features of the described embodiments.

[0031] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. Shown are: Fig. 1 a schematic plan view of an embodiment of a motor vehicle with an embodiment of an assistance system; Fig. 2 a schematic view of an embodiment of a display device of an embodiment of the assistance system; and Fig. 3 a schematic flow diagram of an embodiment of the method.

[0032] The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components each represent individual, independently considered features of the invention, which also further develop the invention independently of one another and are thus also to be considered as components of the invention, either individually or in a combination other than that shown. Furthermore, the described exemplary embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0033] In the figures, functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0034] Fig. 1 shows a schematic plan view of an embodiment of a motor vehicle 1 with an embodiment of an assistance system 2. The assistance system 2 has at least one detection device 3, 4. In the following exemplary embodiment, the assistance system 2 has a first detection device 3, which is formed at a front of the motor vehicle 1, and a second detection device 4, which is formed at a rear of the motor vehicle 1. A respective detection device 3, 4 can be designed as a radar sensor device and / or as a camera and / or as a lidar sensor device and / or as an ultrasonic sensor device. For example, the first detection device 3 can be designed as a camera and the second detection device 4 can be designed as a radar sensor device. This is to be understood purely as an example. Any combination of the previously mentioned possibilities for the detection device 3, 4 is possible.The detection device 3, 4 can, for example, also be formed on the sides of the motor vehicle 1.

[0035] Furthermore, the assistance system 2 has a swarm data receiving device 5. The swarm data receiving device 5 is designed in particular to receive swarm data 6 from an electronic computing device 7 external to the motor vehicle. For example, the swarm data 6 can be transmitted to the swarm data receiving device 5 via a mobile radio network.

[0036] In the present case, motor vehicle 1 is located, in particular, in a first lane F1. A second lane F2 is located next to the first lane F1. Furthermore, a hard shoulder F3, which can also be referred to as a third lane, is located next to the first lane F1. The first lane F1, the second lane F2, and the hard shoulder F3 form, in particular, a carriageway 8. For example, in the present case, carriageway 8 can represent a motorway.

[0037] In particular, it is provided that the assistance system 2 can be used to assign a lane 11 ( Fig. 3) at least one lane F1, F2, F3, F4 ( Fig. 2) of the roadway 8 with at least two lanes F1, F2, F3, F4 is carried out by means of the assistance system 2. In particular, the motor vehicle 1 is operated at least partially assisted. By means of the detection device 3, 4 of the assistance system 2, an environment 9 of the motor vehicle 1 with the roadway 8 is detected. By means of an electronic computing device 10 of the assistance system 2, the lane assignment 11 of the lanes F1, F2, F3, F4 to the roadway 8 is carried out depending on the detected environment 9.

[0038] It is intended that swarm data 6 generated externally from a plurality of other motor vehicles 12 are received by the swarm data receiving device 5 and evaluated by the electronic computing device 10. The lane assignment 11 is compared with the evaluated swarm data 6 and verified.

[0039] In particular, it is provided that the hard shoulder F3 of the carriageway 8 is determined by means of the electronic computing device 10 and the hard shoulder F3 is taken into account in the lane allocation 11.

[0040] Furthermore, it is provided that an object, which in this case is represented by the further motor vehicle 12, is detected on the roadway 8 by means of the detection device 3, 4, and that the object is assigned to a lane F1, F2, F3, F4 by means of the electronic computing device 10 on the basis of the verified lane assignment 11. Based on the object assignment to a lane F1, F2, F3, F4, in particular, an authorization for a lane change can be generated by means of the electronic computing device 10. After the lane change has been authorized, the lane change can be carried out, in particular at least partially assisted, by means of the assistance system 2.

[0041] In the present exemplary embodiment, it can be provided, in particular, that the assistance system 2 verifies that the motor vehicle 1 is located in the first lane F1. The assistance system 2 can also verify that the additional motor vehicle 12 is located in the second lane F2. If, for example, the distance between the motor vehicle 1 and the additional motor vehicle 12 is insufficient to perform a safe lane change, this can be communicated to the driver of the motor vehicle 1, for example.

[0042] In particular, in order to be able to carry out an assisted lane change, the invention now ensures that there is no further motor vehicle 12 behind the motor vehicle 1 in, for example, an adjacent lane, in this case in the second lane F2, which is moving into the target lane at the same time. The assistance system 2 uses the second detection device 4, which can be designed, for example, as a radar sensor device, to check the environmental conditions for a lane change. Due to the large possible differences in speeds, for example on a motorway, a detection device 4 with the widest possible coverage is necessary. For this purpose, the swarm data 6 is now also used in order to be able to assign the further motor vehicle 12 to a corresponding lane F1, F2, F3, F4 in a more improved manner.In this way, it can be verified whether the other motor vehicle 12 is in the adjacent lane F1, F2, F3, F4, which could possibly be relevant for the lane change.

[0043] Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a display device 13 of the assistance system 2. The display device 13 can be displayed, for example, as a head-up display device, which is also referred to as a head-up display, or on a head unit of the motor vehicle 1, for example in a center console of the motor vehicle 1. In the following exemplary embodiment, a three-lane motorway is shown, for example. The additional motor vehicle 12 is in the first lane F1, the motor vehicle 1 is in the second lane F2, and the hard shoulder F3 is empty. Next to the second lane F2, in particular on a left side of the second lane F2, a fourth lane F4 is shown. This is also shown empty.

[0044] In the present case, it is shown in particular that the lane assignment 11 is displayed on the display device 13 of the assistance system 2. By means of the electronic computing device 10, in particular, an environmental model 14, which is displayed here, of the environment 9 with the roadway 8 and the lanes F1, F2, F3, F4 can be generated, and the environmental model 14 with the lane assignment 11 can be displayed on the display device 13.

[0045] Fig.3 shows a schematic flow diagram according to one embodiment of the method. The swarm data 6 and the information from the detection devices 3, 4 are transferred to the electronic computing device 10. Preferably, the surroundings 9 can be captured using a camera, for example. From the swarm data 6, for example, a route traveled by the plurality of additional motor vehicles 12 can be transferred to the electronic computing device 10. Using the camera, for example, an object type, for example whether it is a car, a motorcycle, or the like, including the corresponding lane assignment 11, can be transferred.

[0046] The lane assignment 11 is then checked, in particular, by comparing the swarm data 6 with the lane assignment according to the detection devices 3, 4. If a corresponding lane F1, F2, F3, F4 has a corresponding identification using the swarm data 6, no correction is necessary, which is indicated here in particular by the reference numeral 15. If no swarm data 6 is available, a correction of the lane identification can be carried out. In particular, the direction of travel as well as left-hand and right-hand traffic can be taken into account. This is indicated here in particular by the reference numeral 16. The correction is again indicated by the reference numeral 17. Starting from block 15, the object type, including the lane assignment 11, can then be transferred to the display device 13.Furthermore, starting from block 17, the object type and a corrected lane assignment 11 can be transferred to the display device 13. This can then be displayed accordingly, in particular as an environment model 14.

[0047] Overall, the invention shows a method for improving the lane assignment 11 using the swarm data 6.

Claims

[1] Method for verifying a lane assignment (11) of at least one lane (F1, F2, F3, F4) of a roadway (8) with at least two lanes (F1, F2, F3, F4) by means of an assistance system (2) of an at least partially assisted motor vehicle (1), wherein an environment (9) of the motor vehicle (1) with the roadway (8) is detected by means of a detection device (3, 4) of the assistance system (2), and the lane assignment (11) of the lane (F1, F2, F3, F4) is carried out by means of an electronic computing device (10) of the assistance system (2) as a function of the detected environment (9), wherein swarm data (6) generated externally from the motor vehicle relating to a plurality of further motor vehicles (12) are received by means of a swarm data receiving device (5) of the assistance system (2) and evaluated by means of the electronic computing device (10), wherein the lane assignment (11) is compared with the evaluated swarm data (6) is compared and verified,If the lane assignment (11) based on the detection with the detection device (3, 4) is not verified by the swarm data (6), the swarm data (6) are used for the lane assignment (11). [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the environment (9) is detected by means of a detection device (4, 5) designed as a radar sensor device and / or as a camera and / or as a lidar sensor device and / or as an ultrasonic sensor device. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that left-hand traffic and / or right-hand traffic (16) on the roadway (8) is taken into account. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the lane assignment (11) is displayed on a display device (13) of the assistance system (2). [5] Method according to claim 4, characterized bythat an environmental model (14) of the environment (9) with the roadway (8) and the lanes (F1, F2, F3, F4) is generated by means of the electronic computing device (10), and the environmental model (14) is displayed with the lane assignment (11) on the display device (13). [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a hard shoulder (F3) of the carriageway (8) is determined by means of the electronic computing device (10) and the hard shoulder (F3) is taken into account in the lane allocation (11). [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that an object on the roadway (8) is detected by means of the detection device (3, 4) and the object is assigned to a lane (F1, F2, F3, F4) by means of the electronic computing device (10) on the basis of the verified lane assignment (11). [8] Method according to claim 7, characterized bythat on the basis of the object assignment to a lane (F1, F2, F3, F4) a release for a lane change is generated by means of the electronic computing device (10). [9] Method according to claim 8, characterized by that after the lane change has been released, the lane change is carried out at least partially assisted by the assistance system (2). [10] Assistance system (2) for verifying a lane assignment (11) of at least one lane (F1, F2, F3, F4) of a roadway (8) with at least two lanes (F1, F2, F3, F4) for an at least partially assisted motor vehicle (1), with at least one detection device (4, 5), an electronic computing device (10) and a swarm data receiving device (5), wherein the assistance system (2) is designed to carry out a method according to one of claims 1 to 9.

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