Device and method for presetting a target distance for at least one driver assistance system of a vehicle

Abstract

In a device and a method for presetting a target distance for at least one driver assistance system of a vehicle, at least one environmental information relating to the vehicle's surroundings is acquired during a current driving segment, covering at least an area in front of the vehicle in the direction of travel, and corresponding environmental data is generated. This environmental data is processed, and based on this data, the distance of the vehicle to a vehicle traveling ahead in the same lane is determined. When an input from at least one driver is acquired to set a distance for a driver assistance system of the vehicle, the determined distance is stored as the target distance for the driver assistance system.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device and a method for presetting a target distance for at least one driver assistance system of a vehicle. In a current driving segment, at least one piece of environmental information relating to the surroundings of the vehicle is acquired, at least over an area in front of the vehicle in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and environmental data corresponding to the environmental information is generated. The environmental data is processed, and the distance of the vehicle from a vehicle traveling ahead in the same lane is determined based on the environmental data.

[0002] ISA refers to driver assistance systems that help drivers comply with the current speed limit on the road section they are currently traveling on. ISA is an abbreviation for Intelligent Speed ​​Adaptation or Intelligent Speed ​​Assistance. Drivers are alerted via feedback from the vehicle when they exceed the speed limit. Driving faster is still possible, for example, to avoid oncoming traffic in time when overtaking. ISA can be overridden or deactivated completely for this purpose. Furthermore, ISA technology does not provide for automatic brake application.

[0003] The speed limit determined by the ISA driver assistance system can then also be used as a target value for another driver assistance system, e.g., ACC - Adaptive Cruise Control, also known as Automatic Distance Control (ADR). The ACC driver assistance system detects a vehicle ahead and determines its speed. Targeted automatic braking and engine interventions maintain a desired distance from the vehicle ahead. ACC is based on the vehicle speed controller (cruise control). Unlike a simple vehicle speed controller, ACC automatically brakes if the vehicle is traveling faster than a vehicle ahead and maintains a distance specified by the driver.

[0004] A radar sensor, a lidar sensor, and / or a camera are often used as environmental sensors in ACC driver assistance systems. The ACC driver assistance system uses the environmental sensor to monitor the area in front of the vehicle. The environmental sensor emits electromagnetic pulses. When these pulses encounter a fixed obstacle, they are reflected and received again. From the received signals, a time-of-flight measurement can be used to calculate the direction, distance, and relative speed of vehicles ahead.

[0005] Document DE 11 2017 001 948 T5 discloses the determination of an acceleration coefficient for a driver assistance system at different speeds and distances.

[0006] Document WO 2023 / 072460 A1 discloses an ACC system with various additional functions.

[0007] Document DE 10 2015 202 796 A1 discloses the determination of the target acceleration in an ACC system.

[0008] Document DE 103 43 178 A1 discloses a learning module for determining the acceleration for an ACC system.

[0009] It is also known that in heavy rain, the distance to be controlled from the vehicle ahead can be increased during ACC operation. Furthermore, ACC systems are known in which the controlled distance (target distance) from a vehicle ahead (lead vehicle) can be set in several stages, e.g., short distance, medium distance, and long distance, with a speed-dependent distance characteristic curve preset for each stage. It is also possible for the distance to be adjusted automatically in certain situations. For example, the target distance can be increased in bad weather. However, the distance set by an ACC system often does not exactly match the driver's wishes.

[0010] The object of the invention is to provide a device and a method for presetting a target distance for at least one driver assistance system of a vehicle.

[0011] This object is achieved by a device having the features of claim 1 and by a method having the features of the independent method claim. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0012] The device with the features of claim 1 ensures that a preconfigured target distance can be manipulated by the driver and thus permanently changed. To do so, the change request must be entered via an operating device, whereby an adapted distance profile, a so-called desired distance profile, is preferably generated and stored, which is adapted to the driver's request.

[0013] If a driver frequently drives with the assistance of an ACC driver assistance system and the distance characteristic specified by the vehicle does not match their personal preferences, the target distance and / or a target distance characteristic can easily be adjusted to the driver's preferences. For example, it may happen that the distance characteristic specified by the vehicle specifies distances that are too small at low speeds and too large at high speeds.

[0014] The adjustment options for known vehicles are limited to step-by-step adjustments across the entire speed range. For known vehicles, for example, the steps provided are near, medium, and far. However, this does not allow the distance characteristic to be adjusted to the desired level of detail.

[0015] Using the device according to claim 1, the driver, in a situation in which they have set a suitable distance from the vehicle ahead by applying the brake or accelerator pedal, can make an input to save this distance as the target distance for the ACC driver assistance system or the ISA driver assistance system. In addition, the predefined distance characteristic can be automatically adjusted by the system. This allows the distance characteristic to be personalized more specifically. This distance characteristic can be defined as a second interval over speed and is then adjusted to the currently determined values ​​(distance and speed) at the moment of the input. Subsequently, the ACC driver assistance system no longer regulates according to the original distance characteristic, but rather according to the adjusted distance characteristic.

[0016] It is advantageous if the input for setting a distance for the driver assistance system is made via voice input, via at least one control button in the vehicle's cockpit (e.g., by long-pressing the control button), and / or via a graphical user interface provided in the vehicle's cockpit. This allows the activation of the target distance to be easily performed by the driver themselves.

[0017] The processing unit can also be configured to determine the speed of the vehicle, and the processing unit can be configured to store the target distance determined during the operator input in association with the speed of the vehicle determined during the operator input. This allows a speed-dependent distance characteristic curve to be easily modified or newly generated.

[0018] It is advantageous if a speed / distance characteristic curve or a function for determining a speed-dependent target distance is stored in a memory unit, and if the processing unit is configured to adapt the distance characteristic curve or the function based on the target distance determined during the operator input and the vehicle speed determined during the operator input. This allows a target distance adapted to the driver's needs to be set even at different vehicle speeds.

[0019] For this purpose, the target distance determined from the operator input and the speed determined from the operator input can be interpolated with additional values ​​from a stored distance characteristic curve. Additionally or alternatively, the target distance determined from the operator input and the speed determined from the operator input can serve as reference points for the distance characteristic curve and / or for the function. This allows the distance characteristic curve to be easily adapted to the needs of the driver.

[0020] Alternatively or additionally, a polynomial can be calculated based on the target distance determined from the operator input and the speed determined from the operator input, as well as additional target distances and speeds determined from further operator inputs. This also allows the distance characteristic curve to be easily adapted to the driver's needs.

[0021] It is further advantageous if the target distance is stored driver-related and / or vehicle-related in a storage unit arranged in the vehicle or outside the vehicle, wherein the storage unit is a cloud storage device assigned to the vehicle and / or the driver, a storage unit arranged in a vehicle key, and / or a storage unit of the processing unit. This makes it particularly easy for a target distance for the driver assistance system to be available and set for different drivers in different vehicles, individually adapted to the needs of each driver.

[0022] The vehicle's driver assistance system can be an ISA driver assistance system and / or an ACC driver assistance system. The driver assistance system is particularly designed to regulate the desired distance between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead. The environment detection unit can comprise a front camera and / or a radar sensor and / or a lidar sensor.

[0023] It is particularly advantageous if the target distance does not fall below a preset lower limit and / or if the target distance does not exceed a preset upper limit, wherein the preset limit values ​​are preferably dependent on the speed of the vehicle.

[0024] The speed of the vehicle ahead (V1) can be determined based on the surrounding data and / or using car-to-car communication and / or infrastructure-to-car communication. This speed can be used by the ACC driver assistance system to set the target distance between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead.

[0025] The method with the features of the independent method claim has the same advantages as the claimed device. In particular, the method can be further developed with the features of the dependent claims directed to the device and the aforementioned developments.

[0026] Examples of embodiments are explained in more detail below using the figures. They show: Fig. 1a perspective schematic representation of a cockpit of a vehicle; and Fig. 2a schematic plan view of a traffic situation.

[0027] Fig. 1 shows a perspective schematic representation of a cockpit 100 of a vehicle 102. A driver 104 sits in a driver's seat 106 of the vehicle 102. The cockpit 100 also includes a central information display (CID) 108, a head-up display 110, and a graphical instrument cluster 112, which are arranged in a dashboard 114 of the vehicle 102. The aforementioned display elements 108, 110, 112 each form a functional unit of an output unit of the vehicle 102, which is designed to output information to the driver 104. At least one loudspeaker 116 and one microphone 117 of the vehicle 102 are also arranged in the cockpit 100. The loudspeaker 116 forms a functional unit of the output unit, and the microphone 117 forms a functional unit of the input unit. The functional units of the output unit and the input unit also serve as a playback unit for audio and / or video playback.

[0028] The cockpit 100 further includes a steering wheel 118 with control elements 120, a gear selector 122, a pedal assembly 124, and an input unit 126 with a rotary dial and a push-button function and / or a touch input field. This input unit 126 is also referred to as the Ergo Commander.

[0029] An interior rearview mirror 132 and a front camera 134 mounted on the windshield 128 in the area of ​​this interior rearview mirror 132 are arranged in the upper region of the windshield 128. The camera 134 is configured to capture images depicting at least one area of ​​a current travel section of the vehicle 102. In other words, the front camera 134 captures at least one piece of environmental information related to the surroundings of the vehicle 102, at least over an area in front of the vehicle 102 in the direction of travel of the vehicle 102. The front camera 134 can be a mono camera or a stereo camera, preferably an IR-RGB camera.

[0030] A top view 200 of a traffic situation, of which the camera 134 takes an image from the perspective of the vehicle 102 or the driver 104, is shown in Fig. 2. The camera 134 is particularly designed to capture a plurality of temporally successive images, particularly in the form of a video stream, to generate image data corresponding to the images, and to transmit these to a control unit 138 serving as a processing unit.

[0031] The control unit 138 has data outputs 140 and data inputs 142, which serve to connect to other units of the vehicle 102, for example, to other cameras, sensors, input and output units, and control units of assistance systems. Thus, the vehicle 102 has at least one control unit for providing an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control System) driver assistance system and an ISA (Intelligent Speed ​​Assistance System) driver assistance system. The ISA driver assistance system serves to assist the driver 104 in adhering to the current speed limit on the road section currently being traveled.

[0032] The speed limit determined by the ISA driver assistance system can then also be used as a target value for the ACC driver assistance system. The ACC driver assistance system uses an environment detection unit (front camera, lidar sensor, radar sensor, and / or rain sensor) to detect a vehicle ahead and determine its speed. Through automatic braking and engine interventions, the ACC driver assistance system maintains a desired distance from the vehicle ahead.

[0033] The control unit 138 further comprises a communication module 144, which is designed to establish a connection to a telecommunications network, in particular a mobile radio network. This communication module 144, in particular, easily enables car-to-car communication and infrastructure-to-car communication.

[0034] Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic top view of a traffic situation 200 with the vehicle 102 and another vehicle V1. Identical elements or elements with the same structure or function have the same reference numerals.

[0035] The plan view shows a road with two opposing lanes 210, 220, each with two lanes S1, S2; S3, S4 for each direction of travel P. On the first lane 210, the vehicle 102 (ego vehicle) is located in the first lane S1. A second vehicle V1 is located in the same lane S1 in front of the ego vehicle 102 and is therefore a leading vehicle V1 for an ACC driver assistance system or an ISA driver assistance system of the vehicle 102. Such a vehicle is also referred to as a lead vehicle. The distance of the ego vehicle 102 to the leading vehicle V1 in the direction of travel P is Fig. 2 is designated by the reference symbol D.

[0036] The ego vehicle 102 has at least one environment detection unit 134, 146, 148, which is located in the Fig. 2, at least one piece of environmental information is acquired at least over an area in the direction of travel P in front of the ego vehicle 102 and environmental data corresponding to the environmental information is generated, which is then processed by the control unit 138. The environmental detection unit 134, 146, 148 can comprise at least one front camera 134 and / or at least one radar sensor 146 and / or at least one lidar sensor 148. Based on the environmental data, the control unit 138 continuously determines the distance of the ego vehicle 102 from the preceding vehicle V1.

[0037] Based on an operating input from the vehicle driver 104 to specify a distance for the driver assistance system of the ego vehicle 102, the processing unit 138 stores the determined distance as a target distance for the driver assistance system of the vehicle.

[0038] Thus, a preconfigured target distance in the ego vehicle 102 can be manipulated by the driver 104 and thus permanently changed. To do so, the change request only needs to be entered via the operator input, whereby an adapted distance profile, a so-called desired distance profile, adapted to the needs of the driver 104, can be generated and saved.

[0039] If a driver 104 frequently drives the ego vehicle 102 with the assistance of the ACC driver assistance system and the distance characteristic curve specified by the ego vehicle 102 does not match their personal preferences, the target distance and / or a target distance characteristic curve can be easily adapted to their needs. For example, it may happen that the distance characteristic curve specified by the ego vehicle 102 specifies target distances that are too small in the low speed range and too large in the high speed range, or vice versa.

[0040] In the ego vehicle 102, the driver 104, in a situation in which they have set a suitable distance from the preceding vehicle V1 by applying the brake or accelerator pedal, can make an operator input to save this distance as the target distance for the ACC driver assistance system and / or the ISA driver assistance system. In addition, the predefined distance characteristic curve can be automatically adjusted by the system. This allows the distance characteristic to be personalized more specifically. This distance characteristic curve can be defined as a second interval over speed and is then adjusted to the currently determined values ​​(distance and speed) at the moment of the operator input. Subsequently, the ACC driver assistance system of the ego vehicle no longer regulates to the original distance characteristic curve, but to the adjusted distance characteristic curve.

[0041] The operating input for setting a distance for the driver assistance system can be made by voice input, an input via at least one operating button in the cockpit of the vehicle (e.g. by long pressing the operating button) and / or an input via a graphical user interface provided in the cockpit of the vehicle. 100 cockpits 102 vehicles 104 drivers 106 Driver's seat 108 central information display 110 Head-Up Display 112 graphic instrument cluster 114 Dashboard 116 speakers 117 Microphone 118 Steering wheel 120 control element 122 gear selector switch 124 Pedals 126 input unit 128 Windscreen 132 interior rearview mirror 134 front camera 138 Control unit 140 Data output 142 Data input 144 Communication module 146 radar sensor 148 Lidar sensor 200 Traffic situation 210, 220 directional lane S1, S2, S3, S4 lane V1 vehicle ahead P Direction of travel D Distance QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 11 2017 001 948 T5

[0005] WO 2023 / 072460 A1

[0006] DE 10 2015 202 796 A1

[0007] DE 103 43 178 A1

[0008]

Claims

[1] Device for presetting a target distance for at least one driver assistance system of a vehicle, with at least one environment detection unit (134, 146, 148) which is designed to detect at least one item of environmental information relating to the environment of the vehicle (102) in a current driving section, at least over an area in the direction of travel (P) of the vehicle (102) in front of the vehicle (102) and to generate environmental data corresponding to the environmental information, with a processing unit (138) which is designed to process the environmental data, wherein the processing unit (138) is designed to determine the distance of the vehicle (102) to a vehicle (V1) traveling ahead in the same lane (S1) on the basis of the environmental data, wherein the processing unit (138) is designed to detect an operating input of at least one vehicle driver (104) for setting a distance for a driver assistance system of the vehicle (102), wherein the processing unit (138) is designed to store the determined distance as a target distance for the driver assistance system of the vehicle (102) in the case of a detected operating input for setting a distance for the driver assistance system of the vehicle (102). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the operating input for setting a distance for the driver assistance system is made by a voice input, an input via at least one operating button in the cockpit (100) of the vehicle (102) and / or an input via a graphical user interface provided in the cockpit (100) of the vehicle (102). [3] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the processing unit (138) is designed to determine the speed of the vehicle (102), and that the processing unit (138) is designed to store the target distance (D) determined during the operating input in association with the speed of the vehicle (102) determined during the operating input. [4] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a speed / distance characteristic curve or a function for determining a speed-dependent target distance (D) is stored in a memory unit, and that the processing unit (138) is designed to adapt the distance characteristic curve or the function based on the target distance (D) determined during the operating input and the speed of the vehicle (102) determined during the operating input. [5] Device according to claim 4, characterized bythat, based on the target distance (D) determined during the operator input and the speed determined during the operator input, an interpolation with further values ​​of a stored distance characteristic curve takes place. [6] Device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by that the target distance (D) determined during the operating input and the speed determined during the operating input serve as a support point for the distance characteristic curve and / or for the function. [7] Device according to one of the preceding claims 4 to 6, characterized by that, based on the target distance (D) determined during the operating input and the speed determined during the operating input and further target distances (D) and speeds determined during further operating inputs, a polynomial is determined for calculating a speed-dependent target distance. [8] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the target distance (D) is stored in a driver-related and / or vehicle-related manner in a storage unit arranged in the vehicle (102) or outside the vehicle (102), wherein the storage unit is a cloud storage unit assigned to the vehicle (102) and / or the driver (104), a storage unit arranged in a vehicle key and / or a storage unit of the processing unit (138). [9] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the driver assistance system of the vehicle (102) is an ISA driver assistance system and / or an ACC driver assistance system. [10] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the environment detection unit comprises a front camera (134) and / or a radar sensor (146) and / or a lidar sensor (148). [11] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the target distance (D) does not fall below a preset lower limit value and / or that the target distance (D) does not exceed a preset upper limit value, wherein the preset limit values ​​are preferably dependent on the speed of the vehicle (102). [12] Method for presetting a target distance for at least one driver assistance system of a vehicle, in which, in a current driving section, at least one piece of environmental information relating to the surroundings of the vehicle (102) is recorded at least over an area in the direction of travel (P) of the vehicle (102) in front of the vehicle (102) and environmental data corresponding to the environmental information is generated, in which the environmental data is processed, in which the distance of the vehicle (102) to a vehicle (V1) traveling ahead in the same lane (S1) is determined based on the environmental data, in which an operating input of at least one vehicle driver (104) is detected for setting a distance for a driver assistance system of the vehicle (102), and in which, when an operating input is detected for setting a distance for the driver assistance system of the vehicle (102), the determined distance is stored as a target distance for the driver assistance system of the vehicle (102).

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