DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MONITORING A VEHICLE

Abstract

Capture, by a capture device, at least one image selected from a group consisting of an image of the vehicle's interior and an image of the vehicle's surroundings; determine, by a detection device, whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool; if it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool, display, by a display device, a warning to the driver of the vehicle with information that the driver must perform a specific action to trigger an automated request for assistance; determine, based on the at least one image, by the detection device, whether the driver performs the specific action or not; capture, by a position detection device, a position of the vehicle;and transmitting, through a communication device, a help request signal to request assistance and a data signal containing data about the detected position of the vehicle, in particular to a remote receiver, when it is determined that the driver is performing the specified action.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device and a method for monitoring a vehicle. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for monitoring a vehicle with which a critical situation for the driver and / or one or more vehicle occupants can be detected due to a threat from a person using a dangerous tool, as well as to a correspondingly designed device.

[0002] Devices for monitoring a vehicle are known with which the driver of a vehicle can request assistance in the event of a critical situation, such as a threat from a (stranger) person, by performing a specific action, for example by pressing a predetermined emergency call button arranged in the vehicle and / or in the event of the critical situation, the ignition or starting of an engine of the vehicle is automatically blocked.

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to improve the safety and reaction options of a driver of a vehicle in the event of a threat.

[0004] This object is achieved by the features of the independent patent claims. Further preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent patent claims.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for monitoring a vehicle comprises: Capturing, by a capturing device, at least one image selected from a group consisting of an image of an interior of the vehicle and an image of a surrounding area of ​​the vehicle; determining, in some embodiments based on the at least one image, by a determining device whether the at least one image contains (or does not contain) an image of a dangerous tool; if it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool, displaying, by a display device, an indication to a driver of the vehicle with information that the driver must perform a specific action in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically; Determining, based on the at least one image, by the determining device whether the driver performs the specific action or not; Detecting, by a position detecting device, a position of the vehicle; and In some embodiments, transmitting, by a communication device, an assistance request signal to request assistance and a data signal including data about the detected position of the vehicle to a remote receiver when it is determined that the driver is performing the particular action.

[0006] As a result, in some embodiments, the transmission of the assistance request signal to request assistance and the data signal can be triggered by the driver of the vehicle in the event of a threat to the driver, without a person threatening the driver with a dangerous tool being able to take notice or notice of this, thereby improving the safety of the driver, particularly when attempting to request assistance.

[0007] In this case, the detection device can have one or more cameras which are configured to capture a (moving) image of the interior and / or the surrounding area, and / or the detection device can be connected to one or more such cameras and configured to capture or receive the image of the interior and / or the surrounding area from the one or more such cameras.

[0008] The determination by the determination device as to whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool (or not) can be carried out, for example, using a neural network and / or software for object recognition or localization and classification of objects, for example stored in a storage device (a device configured to carry out the method according to the invention).

[0009] The determination by the determination device as to whether the driver performs the specific action or not can be carried out, for example, using appropriate software that can be stored in the storage device, by detecting a direction of view of the driver and / or a body pose of the driver using landmarks and / or classifying a body pose of the driver using standard machine learning classifiers such as decision trees, naive Bayes classifiers, K-nearest neighbors, support vector machines, artificial neural networks and / or scene classification.

[0010] The position detection device may comprise a receiver for receiving signals from a (global) navigation satellite system or may be connected to such a receiver provided in the vehicle in order to detect or receive the position of the vehicle (determined by the receiver) from the receiver.

[0011] The remote recipient may, for example, be a (private) security service or a competent authority, such as the police.

[0012] The term "dangerous tool" used here refers specifically to a foreign object that, due to its objective nature and the nature of its specific use, is capable of causing significant physical injury. The "dangerous tool" could be, for example, a knife, a firearm, or another weapon.

[0013] The term "vehicle" as used herein refers in particular to a passenger car, including all types of motor vehicles, hybrid and battery-powered electric vehicles, as well as vehicles such as sedans, vans, buses, trucks, delivery vans, and the like. In particular, a vehicle may include a wireless communication device or communication apparatus for wireless communication with a mobile terminal.

[0014] The term "communication device" or "communication apparatus" used here refers in particular to a device or apparatus for wireless communication, for example, via a mobile radio network. This can be a single unit or multiple interacting units. In particular, a communication device or apparatus can comprise a control device or apparatus, a transmitter and receiver, and at least one corresponding antenna. In a vehicle, a communication device or apparatus can be distributed throughout the vehicle.

[0015] The terms "comprises," "includes," "includes," "has," "has," "with," or any other variation thereof, as used herein, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a method or apparatus that includes or has a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or that are inherent in such a method or apparatus.

[0016] Furthermore, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, "or" refers to an inclusive "or" and not an exclusive "or." For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by one of the following conditions: A is true (or present) and B is false (or absent), A is false (or absent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

[0017] The terms "a" or "an" as used herein are defined as "one or more." The terms "another" and "another," and any other variations thereof, are defined as "at least one other."

[0018] The term “plurality” as used here shall mean “two or more”.

[0019] The term “configured” or “set up” to fulfil a specific function (and respective variations thereof) is to be understood within the meaning of the invention that the corresponding device or apparatus is already in a design or setting in which it can carry out the function or is at least adjustable - i.e. configurable - so that it can carry out the function after being set accordingly. The configuration can be carried out, for example, by appropriately setting parameters of a process sequence or of switches or the like for activating or deactivating functionalities or settings. In particular, the device or apparatus can have a plurality of predetermined configurations or operating modes, so that the configuration can be carried out by selecting one of these configurations or operating modes.

[0020] Preferred embodiments of the invention and further developments thereof are described below, which, unless expressly excluded, can be combined with one another as desired and with the second aspect of the invention described below.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method further comprises, if the determination device determines that the driver performs the specific action, displaying, by the display device, a further indication to the driver of the vehicle with further information that a further specific action is to be performed by the driver in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically; and determining, based on the at least one image, by the determining device whether the driver performs the further determined action or not; wherein the transmission, by the communication device, of the assistance request signal to request assistance and the data signal is only carried out when it is determined that the driver performs the further specified action.

[0022] In some embodiments, the display device is configured such that the information and / or the additional information can only be viewed from the driver's perspective, optionally also from the perspective of a vehicle occupant located behind the driver during normal use of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the display device is designed as a head-up display for the driver or as augmented reality glasses for the driver. Furthermore, the display device can be configured such that the information and / or the additional information is concealed by screens and / or other vehicle components in such a way that it cannot be seen by a person holding the dangerous tool, or at least with a high probability cannot be seen.

[0023] In some versions, this can further improve the driver's safety, as the threatening person (with high probability) cannot see the warning and / or the additional warning.

[0024] In some embodiments, if, in determining by the determining device whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool, it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool, the method further comprises

[0025] Determining, based on the at least one image, by the determination device, in some embodiments by determining an image of a person holding the dangerous tool in the at least one image, and, based on the image of the person holding the dangerous tool, a viewing direction of the person holding the dangerous tool, whether the notice to be displayed is visible to the person holding the dangerous tool or not, wherein the display, by the display device, of the notice to the driver of the vehicle with the information that the driver must perform the specific action in order to request automated assistance is only carried out if it is determined that the notice to be displayed cannot be seen by the person holding the dangerous tool.

[0026] In some versions, this can further improve the driver's safety, as the warning is only displayed if it is (with a high degree of probability) ensured that the threatening person cannot see the warning to be displayed.

[0027] The determination, by the determination device, of the image of the person holding the dangerous tool in the at least one image can be carried out, for example, using the neural network and / or the software for object recognition or localization and classification of objects, which software is stored, for example, in the storage device (the device configured to carry out the method according to the invention).

[0028] The determination, by the determination device, of the viewing direction of the person holding the dangerous tool can be carried out, for example, using the corresponding software, which can be stored in the storage device, by detecting a viewing direction of the person holding the dangerous tool using landmarks and / or classifying a body pose of the person holding the dangerous tool using standard machine learning classifiers such as decision trees, naive Bayes classifiers, K-nearest neighbors, support vector machines, artificial neural networks and / or scene classification.

[0029] In some embodiments, the display, by the display device, of the indication to the driver of the vehicle further includes displaying an instruction to the driver to perform the specific action to be performed by the driver and / or the display, by the display device, of the further indication to the driver of the vehicle further includes a further display of a further instruction to the driver to perform the further specific action to be performed by the driver.

[0030] In some embodiments, the specific action is selected from a plurality of predetermined actions and / or the further specific action is selected from a plurality of further predetermined actions, in some embodiments randomly.

[0031] In some embodiments, the plurality of predetermined actions include an action in which the driver presses a specific button, the actuation of which in normal operation is assigned a different function from a function assigned to the specific action (initiating the transmission of the assistance request signal and the data signal), of buttons arranged in the vehicle, in some embodiments of an input device of the vehicle, an action in which the driver presses several of the buttons one after the other in a specific order, an action in which the driver looks in a specific direction, an action in which the driver looks in different specific directions one after the other, an action in which the driver performs a specific gesture with the hand, an action in which the driver presses a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts, in some embodiments at a specific location on the specific vehicle part,touched one after the other with the hand in a predetermined sequence, an action in which the driver makes a specific facial expression, in some embodiments a grimace, an action in which the driver makes different specific facial expressions one after the other, in some embodiments different grimaces, and / or the several further predetermined actions include a further action in which the driver presses the specific button, the actuation of which in normal operation is assigned a different function from a function assigned to the further specific action (initiating the transmission of the assistance request signal and the data signal), of buttons arranged in the vehicle, a further action in which the driver presses several of the buttons one after the other in a specific sequence, a further action in which the driver looks in a specific direction, a further action,in which the driver looks in different specific directions one after the other, a further action in which the driver performs a specific gesture with his hand, a further action in which the driver touches a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts, in some embodiments at a specific location on the specific vehicle part, one after the other in a predetermined order, a further action in which the driver makes a specific facial expression, in some embodiments a grimace, and / or a further action in which the driver makes different specific facial expressions one after the other, in some embodiments different grimaces.

[0032] Here, the action and / or the further action in which the driver looks in a certain direction can be an action / further action in which the driver looks at a right or left exterior mirror of the vehicle or at a steering wheel of the vehicle or at an interior mirror of the vehicle.

[0033] Furthermore, the action and / or the further action in which the driver performs a certain gesture with the hand can be an action / further action in which the driver rubs his earlobe.

[0034] In addition, the action and / or the further action in which the driver touches a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts, in some embodiments at a specific location on the specific vehicle part, one after the other with his hand in a predetermined order, can be an action / further action in which the driver touches the steering wheel once with two hands, then with one hand at three o'clock and once with one hand at 9 o'clock.

[0035] In addition, the action and / or further action in which the driver displays a particular facial expression may be an action in which the driver closes one or both eyes, yawns, or sticks out his or her tongue.

[0036] In some embodiments, if it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool, the method further comprises determining, by the determining device, based on the at least one image, whether the dangerous tool is aimed at the driver or the vehicle occupant, wherein the display, by the display device, of the indication to the driver of the vehicle with the information that the driver is to perform the specific action in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically is only carried out if it is determined that the dangerous tool is aimed at the driver or the vehicle occupant.

[0037] In some embodiments, the detection device captures an image of the interior of the vehicle, and the determination device determines a number of people in the interior of the vehicle based on the image of the interior of the vehicle, wherein the data signal further includes data about the determined number of people in the interior of the vehicle.

[0038] In some embodiments, the vehicle includes a navigation device, wherein, when route guidance is provided by the navigation device via a route to a route destination, the data signal further includes data about the route and the route destination.

[0039] In some embodiments, the data signal further includes image data of the at least one image.

[0040] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a device for monitoring a vehicle is configured to carry out a method for monitoring a vehicle as described above.

[0041] Further advantageous developments will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments. This is shown, partly schematically: Fig. 1 a device according to an embodiment of the invention for monitoring a vehicle, which is designed to carry out a method for monitoring a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the method for monitoring a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0042] Fig. 1 shows a device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention for monitoring a vehicle 10, which is configured to carry out a method for monitoring a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0043] The device 100 has an (image) capture device 110, a determination device 120, a display device 130, a position detection device 140, a communication device 150, an input device 160, a navigation device 170, a control device 180 and a storage device 190 in which software 191 for object recognition or localization and classification of objects and / or for recognizing a body pose and / or line of sight of a person is stored, which are interconnected, wherein data is exchangeable at least between the control device 180 and the capture device 110, the determination device 120, the display device 130, the position detection device 140, the communication device 150, the input device 160, the navigation device 170 and the storage device 190.The control device 180 is configured to control the detection device 110, the determination device 120, the display device 130, the position detection device 140, the communication device 150, the input device 160 and the storage device 190.

[0044] In this case, the detection device 110, the display device 130, the position detection device 140, the communication device 150, the input device 160 and the navigation device 170 can be elements installed in the vehicle 10 that are also used or can be used for other functions of the vehicle 10.

[0045] The capture device 110 is configured to capture at least one image selected from a group consisting of an image of an interior 11 of the vehicle 10 and an image of a surrounding area 12 of the vehicle 10. The capture device 110 may comprise one or more cameras for capturing a (moving) image of the interior 11 and / or the surrounding area 12, or may be connected to one or more such cameras and configured to receive or capture the image of the interior 11 and / or the surrounding area 12 from the one or more such cameras.

[0046] The determination device 120 is configured, for example using the software 191, to determine based on the at least one image whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200 arranged in the interior space 11 and / or a dangerous tool 200' arranged in the surrounding area 12 or not.

[0047] The display device 130 is configured, when it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200', to display a notice 131 for a driver 300 of the vehicle 10 with information that a specific action must be performed by the driver 300 in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically.

[0048] The determination device 120 is configured to determine, for example using the software 191, based on the at least one image, whether the driver 300 performs the specific action or not.

[0049] The position detection device 140 is configured to detect a position of the vehicle 10.

[0050] The communication device 150 is configured to transmit an assistance request signal to request assistance and a data signal including data about the detected position of the vehicle 10, in some embodiments, to a remote receiver 400 when it is determined that the driver 300 is performing the particular action.

[0051] In some embodiments, the display device 130 is configured, when the determination device 120 determines that the driver 300 performs the specific action, to display a further indication 131' for the driver 300 of the vehicle 10 with further information that a further specific action is to be performed by the driver 300 in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically.

[0052] In this case, the determination device 120 is configured to determine, based on the at least one image, whether the driver 300 performs the further specific action or not, wherein the communication device 150 is configured to transmit the assistance request signal to request assistance and the data signal only if it is determined that the driver 300 performs the further specific action.

[0053] In some embodiments, the display device 130 is configured such that the indication 131 and / or the further indication 131' is only visible from a viewing angle of the driver 300, optionally additionally from a viewing angle of a vehicle occupant 301 located behind the driver 300 during intended use of the vehicle 10. For this purpose, the display device 130 can be designed, for example, as a head-up display for the driver 300 or as augmented reality glasses for the driver 300. Furthermore, the display device 130 can be configured such that the indication 131 and / or the further indication 131' is concealed by screens and / or other vehicle components in such a way that it cannot be seen, or at least with a high probability cannot be seen, by a person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200'.

[0054] In some embodiments, the determination device 120 is further configured to, when determining by the determination device 120 whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200', determine that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200', based on the at least one image, in some embodiments by determining an image of a person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200' in the at least one image, and based on the image of the person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200', a viewing direction of the person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200', whether the indication 131 to be displayed is visible to the person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200' or not, wherein the display device 130 is configured to display the indication 131 for the driver 300 of vehicle 10 with the information aboutthat the driver 300 is to perform the specific action to cause automated assistance to be requested only if it is determined that the notice 131 to be displayed is not visible to the person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200'.,

[0055] In some embodiments, the display device 130 is configured to further display an instruction for the driver to perform the specific action to be performed by the driver 300 when displaying the indication 131 for the driver 300 of the vehicle 10 and / or to further display a further instruction for the driver 300 to perform the further specific action to be performed by the driver 300 when displaying the further indication 131' for the driver 300 of the vehicle 10.

[0056] In this case, the control device 180 can be configured to select the specific action from a plurality of predetermined actions and / or the further specific action from a plurality of further predetermined actions, in some embodiments randomly.

[0057] Furthermore, the plurality of predetermined actions can be an action in which the driver 300 presses a specific button 161, for example an input device 160 of the vehicle 10, the actuation of which in normal operation is assigned a different function from a function assigned to the specific action (initiating the transmission of the assistance request signal and the data signal), of buttons 161 arranged in the vehicle 10, an action in which the driver 300 presses several of the buttons 161 one after the other in a specific order, an action in which the driver 300 looks in a specific direction, an action in which the driver 300 looks in different specific directions one after the other, an action in which the driver 300 performs a specific gesture with the hand, an action in which the driver 300 presses a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts,in some embodiments, at a specific location on the specific vehicle part, touched one after the other with the hand in a predetermined sequence, an action in which the driver 300 makes a specific facial expression, in some embodiments a grimace, an action in which the driver 300 makes different specific facial expressions one after the other, in some embodiments different grimaces, and / or the several further predetermined actions, a further action in which the driver 300 presses the specific button 161, the actuation of which in normal operation is assigned a different function from a function assigned to the further specific action (initiating the transmission of the assistance request signal and the data signal), of buttons 161 arranged in the vehicle 10, a further action in which the driver 300 presses several of the buttons 161 one after the other in a specific sequence, a further action,in which the driver 300 looks in a specific direction, another action in which the driver 300 looks in different specific directions one after the other, another action in which the driver 300 performs a specific gesture with the hand, another action in which the driver 300 touches a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts, in some embodiments at a specific location on the specific vehicle part, one after the other in a predetermined order, another action in which the driver 300 makes a specific facial expression, in some embodiments a grimace, and / or another action in which the driver 300 makes different specific facial expressions, in some embodiments different grimaces, one after the other.

[0058] In some embodiments, the determination device 120 is configured, if it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200', to determine based on the at least one image whether the dangerous tool 200, 200' is aimed at the driver 300 or the vehicle occupant 301. In this case, the display device 130 is configured to display the notice 131 for the driver 300 of the vehicle 10 with the information that the driver 300 must perform the specific action to cause assistance to be requested automatically, only if it is determined that the dangerous tool 200, 200' is aimed at the driver 300 or the vehicle occupant 301.

[0059] If an image of the interior 11 of the vehicle 10 is captured by the capture device 110, the determination device 120 can be configured to determine a number of people located in the interior 11 of the vehicle 10 based on the image of the interior 11 of the vehicle 10, and the data signal can further contain data about the determined number of people located in the interior 11 of the vehicle 10.

[0060] In some embodiments where the vehicle 10 includes the navigation device 170, when route guidance is provided by the navigation device 170 via a route to a route destination, the data signal may further include data about the route and the route destination.

[0061] In some embodiments, the data signal may further include image data of the at least one image.

[0062] Fig. 2 shows a flow chart to illustrate the method for monitoring a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the invention, which can be implemented, for example, by the method described with reference to Fig. 1 described device 100 is feasible.

[0063] In a step S10 of the method, a detection device 110 captures at least one image selected from a group consisting of an image of an interior 11 of the vehicle 10 and an image of a surrounding area 12 of the vehicle 10.

[0064] In a step S20 of the method, a determination device 120 determines whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200'.

[0065] In a step S30 of the method, if it is determined in step S20 that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200', a display device 130 displays an indication 131 for a driver 300 of the vehicle 10 with information that a specific action must be carried out by the driver 300 in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically.

[0066] In a step S40 of the method, the determination device 120 determines, based on the at least one image, whether the driver 300 performs the specific action or not.

[0067] In a step S50 of the method, a position of the vehicle 10 is detected by a position detection device 140.

[0068] In a step S60 of the method, a communication device 150 transmits an assistance request signal to request assistance and a data signal containing data about the detected position of the vehicle 10, in some embodiments, to a remote receiver 400, such as a (private) security service or a competent authority, for example the police, when it is determined that the driver 300 performs the specific action.

[0069] In some embodiments, if the determination device 120 determines that the driver 300 is performing the specific action, in a step S70 of the method, a further indication 131' is displayed by the display device 130 for the driver 300 of the vehicle 10 with further information that a further specific action must be performed by the driver 300 in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically. Furthermore, in this case, in a step S80, the determination device 120 determines, based on the at least one image, whether or not the driver 300 is performing the further specific action, wherein the transmission of the assistance request signal to request assistance and the data signal by the communication device 150 in step S60 is only carried out if it is determined that the driver 300 is performing the further specific action.

[0070] In this case, the display device 130 can be configured such that the indication 131 and / or the further indication 131' can only be viewed from the perspective of the driver 300, optionally additionally from the perspective of a vehicle occupant 301 located behind the driver during normal use of the vehicle 10. The display device 130 can be configured as a head-up display for the driver 300 or as augmented reality glasses for the driver 300. Furthermore, the display device 130 can be configured such that the indication 131 and / or the further indication 131' is concealed by screens and / or other vehicle components in such a way that it cannot be seen, or at least with a high probability cannot be seen, by a person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200'.

[0071] In this case, if during the determination in step S20, by the determination device 120, whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200', it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200, the method may further comprise determining, based on the at least one image, by the determination device 120, in some embodiments by determining an image of a person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200' in the at least one image, and, based on the image of the person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200', a viewing direction of the person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200', whether the indication 131 to be displayed is visible to the person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200' or not, wherein the display in step S30, by the display device 130, of the indication 131 for the driver 300 of the vehicle 10 with the information aboutthat the specific action to be performed by the driver 300 to cause automated assistance to be requested is only carried out if it is determined that the notice 131 to be displayed is not visible to the person holding the dangerous tool 200, 200'.,

[0072] In some embodiments, the display, by the display device 130 in step S30, of the indication 131 to the driver 300 of the vehicle 10 further includes displaying an instruction to the driver to perform the specific action to be performed by the driver 300 and / or the display, by the display device 130, of the further indication 131' to the driver 300 of the vehicle 10 in step S70 further includes a further display of a further instruction to the driver 300 to perform the further specific action to be performed by the driver 300.

[0073] In some embodiments, the specific action is selected from a plurality of predetermined actions and / or the further specific action is selected from a plurality of further predetermined actions, in some embodiments randomly.

[0074] In some embodiments, the plurality of predetermined actions include an action in which the driver 300 presses a specific button 161, the actuation of which in normal operation is assigned a different function from a function assigned to the specific action (causing the transmission of the assistance request signal and the data signal), of buttons 161 arranged in the vehicle 10, an action in which the driver 300 presses several of the buttons 161 one after the other in a specific order, an action in which the driver 300 looks in a specific direction, an action in which the driver 300 looks in different specific directions one after the other, an action in which the driver 300 performs a specific gesture with the hand, an action in which the driver 300 presses a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts, in some embodiments at a specific location of the specific vehicle part,in a predetermined sequence one after the other with the hand, an action in which the driver 300 makes a specific facial expression, in some embodiments a grimace, an action in which the driver 300 makes different specific facial expressions one after the other, in some embodiments different grimaces, and / or the several further predetermined actions include a further action in which the driver 300 presses the specific button 161, the actuation of which in normal operation is assigned a different function from a function assigned to the further specific action (initiating the transmission of the assistance request signal and the data signal), of buttons 161 arranged in the vehicle 10, a further action in which the driver 300 presses several of the buttons 161 one after the other in a specific sequence, a further action in which the driver 300 looks in a specific direction, a further action,in which the driver 300 looks in different specific directions one after the other, a further action in which the driver 300 performs a specific gesture with the hand, a further action in which the driver 300 touches a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts, in some embodiments at a specific location on the specific vehicle part, one after the other in a predetermined order, a further action in which the driver 300 makes a specific facial expression, in particular a grimace, and / or a further action in which the driver 300 makes different specific facial expressions, in particular different grimaces, one after the other.

[0075] In some embodiments, if it is determined in step S20 that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool 200, 200', the method further comprises determining, by the determination device 120, based on the at least one image, whether the dangerous tool 200, 200' is directed at the driver 300 or the vehicle occupant 301, wherein the display, by the display device 130 in step S30, of the indication 131 for the driver 300 of the vehicle 10 with the information that the specific action is to be performed by the driver 300 in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically is only carried out if it is determined that the dangerous tool 200, 200' is directed at the driver 300 or the vehicle occupant 301.

[0076] In some embodiments in which an image of the interior 11 of the vehicle 10 is captured by the capture device 110, the determination device 120 can determine a number of people located in the interior 11 of the vehicle 10 based on the image of the interior 11 of the vehicle 10, wherein the data signal further includes data about the determined number of people located in the interior 11 of the vehicle 10.

[0077] In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 includes a navigation device 170, wherein, when route guidance is provided by the navigation device 170 via a route to a route destination, the data signal further includes data about the route and the route destination.

[0078] In some embodiments, the data signal further includes image data of the at least one image.

Claims

[1] Method for monitoring a vehicle (10), comprising: Capturing, by a capturing device (110), at least one image selected from a group consisting of an image of an interior (11) of the vehicle (10) and an image of a surrounding area (12) of the vehicle (10); Determining, by a determining device (120), whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool (200, 200'); if it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool (200, 200'), displaying, by a display device (130), an indication (131) for a driver (300) of the vehicle (10) with information that a specific action is to be carried out by the driver (300) in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically; Determining, based on the at least one image, by the determining device (120) whether the driver (300) performs the specific action or not; Detecting, by a position detecting device (140), a position of the vehicle (10); and Sending, by a communication device (150), an assistance request signal to request assistance and a data signal containing data about the detected position of the vehicle (10), in particular to a remote receiver (400), when it is determined that the driver (300) performs the specific action. [2] The method according to claim 1, further comprising, if the determination device (120) determines that the driver (300) is performing the specific action, displaying, by the display device (130), a further indication (131') for the driver (300) of the vehicle (10) with further information that a further specific action is to be performed by the driver (300) in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically; and determining, based on the at least one image, by the determination device (120), whether or not the driver (300) is performing the further specific action; wherein the transmission, by the communication device (150), of the assistance request signal to request assistance and the data signal is only carried out if it is determined that the driver (300) is performing the further specific action. [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (130) is configured such that the indication (131) and / or the further indication (131') can only be viewed from a viewing angle of the driver (300), optionally additionally from a viewing angle of a vehicle occupant (301) located behind the driver during normal use of the vehicle (10), and is designed in particular as a head-up display for the driver (300) or as augmented reality glasses for the driver (300). [4] Method according to the preceding claim, further comprising, if during the determination by the determination device (120) whether the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool (200, 200'), it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool (200, 200'), determining, based on the at least one image, by the determination device (120), in particular by determining an image of a person holding the dangerous tool (200, 200') in the at least one image, and, based on the image of the person holding the dangerous tool (200, 200'), a viewing direction of the person holding the dangerous tool (200, 200'), whether the notice (131) to be displayed is visible to the person holding the dangerous tool (200, 200') or not, wherein the displaying by the display device (130) of the notice (131) for the driver (300) of the vehicle (10) with the information thatthat the specific action to be carried out by the driver (300) in order to cause automated assistance to be requested is only carried out if it is determined that the notice (131) to be displayed is not visible to the person holding the dangerous tool (200, 200'). [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display, by the display device (130), of the indication (131) for the driver (300) of the vehicle (10) further includes displaying an instruction for the driver to carry out the specific action to be carried out by the driver (300) and / or the display, by the display device (130), of the further indication (131') for the driver (300) of the vehicle (10) further includes a further display of a further instruction for the driver (300) to carry out the further specific action to be carried out by the driver (300). [6] Method according to the preceding claim, in which the specific action is selected from a plurality of predetermined actions and / or the further specific action is selected from a plurality of further predetermined actions, in particular randomly. [7] Method according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of predetermined actions comprise an action in which the driver (300) presses a specific button (161), the actuation of which in normal operation is assigned a different function from a function assigned to the specific action, of buttons (161) arranged in the vehicle (10), an action in which the driver (300) presses several of the buttons (161) one after the other in a specific order, an action in which the driver (300) looks in a specific direction, an action in which the driver (300) looks one after the other in different specific directions, an action in which the driver (300) performs a specific gesture with the hand, an action in which the driver (300) touches a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts, in particular at a specific location of the specific vehicle part, one after the other in a predetermined order, an action,in which the driver (300) adopts a specific facial expression, in particular a grimace, an action in which the driver (300) successively adopts different specific facial expressions, in particular different grimaces, and / or the several further predetermined actions, a further action in which the driver (300) presses the specific button (161), the actuation of which in normal operation is assigned a different function from a function assigned to the further specific action, of buttons (161) arranged in the vehicle (10), a further action in which the driver (300) successively presses several of the buttons (161) in a specific order, a further action in which the driver (300) looks in a specific direction, a further action in which the driver (300) looks in different specific directions one after the other, a further action in which the driver (300) performs a specific gesture with the hand,a further action in which the driver (300) touches a specific vehicle part or several specific vehicle parts, in some embodiments at a specific location on the specific vehicle part, one after the other with his hand in a predetermined sequence, a further action in which the driver (300) makes a specific facial expression, in particular a grimace, and / or a further action in which the driver (300) makes different specific facial expressions, in particular different grimaces, one after the other. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, if it is determined that the at least one image contains an image of a dangerous tool (200, 200'), the method further comprises determining, by the determination device (120), based on the at least one image, whether the dangerous tool (200, 200') is aimed at the driver (300) or the vehicle occupant (301), and displaying, by the display device (130), the indication (131) for the driver (300) of the vehicle (10) with the information that the specific action is to be carried out by the driver (300) in order to cause assistance to be requested automatically, is only carried out if it is determined that the dangerous tool (200, 200') is aimed at the driver (300) or the vehicle occupant (301). [9] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which an image of the interior (11) of the vehicle (10) is captured by the detection device (110), a number of persons located in the interior (11) of the vehicle (10) is determined by the determination device (120) on the basis of the image of the interior (11) of the vehicle (10), and the data signal further contains data about the determined number of persons located in the interior (11) of the vehicle (10). [10] Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the vehicle (10) has a navigation device (170), and, when route guidance is provided by the navigation device (170) via a route to a route destination, the data signal further includes data about the route and the route destination. [11] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the data signal further includes image data of the at least one image. [12] Device (100) for monitoring a vehicle (10), which is designed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims.

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