Method and device for autonomously moving a vehicle into an evacuation position

Abstract

Method for autonomously moving a vehicle (1) from a first position to an evacuation position, comprising the steps: a) detection of a dangerous situation (20) by a vehicle-mounted danger detection device (G); b) determining an occupancy state (21) of the vehicle (1) by means of a vehicle-mounted occupant detection device; c) Determination of a current vehicle position by a vehicle-mounted position detection device; d) Determination of an evacuation possibility value which is characteristic of the evacuation possibility of at least one vehicle occupant; e) Checking (B1, C1) whether an evacuation possibility value for at least one vehicle occupant lies outside a (value) range classified as non-critical; f) determining (B2, C2) an evacuation position by means of an evacuation position calculation device (E), wherein the evacuation position is characterized by an evacuation possibility value for at least one vehicle occupant that is improved compared to the first position; and g) autonomously moving (33, 39, 54, 62) the vehicle to said improved evacuation position.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for autonomously moving a vehicle from a first position to an evacuation position during a dangerous situation and to a vehicle equipped with a system for moving a vehicle from a first position to an evacuation position during a dangerous situation.

[0002] Vehicles with autonomous driving functions are already known. In such vehicles, a control unit can assume both longitudinal control, i.e., accelerating and braking the vehicle, and lateral control, i.e., steering the vehicle. Vehicles with such autonomous driving functions can be semi-autonomous or fully autonomous. In semi-autonomous vehicles, the control unit only temporarily assumes control of the vehicle, for example, during certain driving situations. In both cases, such vehicles comprise a multitude of sensors that detect the surroundings and allow the determination of the vehicle's position relative to detected objects in the surroundings.

[0003] In connection with the planned mobility transition and the associated avoidance of the use of fossil fuels to power vehicles, electrically powered vehicles are increasingly being used. These vehicles usually include a rechargeable battery to store electrical energy, which is then made available to power the vehicle and other power consumers. Currently, lithium-ion batteries are used as batteries, for example. These often have a high storage capacity and / or energy density, enabling even longer journeys without intermediate recharging. However, such batteries carry the risk of serious damage to the vehicle if a technical defect occurs, such as a battery fire.A fire in the battery or its components is often the result of a process known as "thermal runaway" or, more commonly, "thermal propagation." This describes the overheating resulting from an exothermic chemical reaction or a technical device due to a self-reinforcing, heat-producing process.

[0004] Within the scope of the present invention, the terms accumulator (or its abbreviation "accumulator") and battery are used synonymously. Accordingly, all features and method steps disclosed in connection with an accumulator are also to be considered disclosed for a battery, and all features and method steps disclosed for a battery are also to be considered disclosed for an accumulator. Thus, all features mentioned in this regard are to be considered disclosed generally for (electrochemical) power storage devices and in particular also for traction batteries (for example, for PHEVs and BEVs).

[0005] In the event of such a "thermal runaway", the remaining time for evacuating the occupants may be very limited under certain circumstances. For the occupants, leaving the passenger compartment is the first priority for safety reasons. Remaining in the vehicle can lead to injury to life and limb. Leaving the vehicle may be restricted or even impossible due to local conditions. Such local conditions include, for example, structural elements (e.g. buildings, walls, pillars) and technical facilities (e.g. bridges, charging stations, light poles, garbage containers) in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. But also other obstacles or sources of danger such as moving traffic, other vehicles (e.g. by "blocking" them), natural features such as precipices, earthworks, rock faces, bodies of water, flora and / or fauna.Accessibility can be restricted either actively by the driver, in other words, by intentionally parking next to an obstacle, or passively, in other words, by "blocking" or parking an at least partially movable obstacle. This situation can also be brought about by at least partially automated parking of the vehicle.

[0006] Various systems are known that attempt to reduce the danger posed by a vehicle to its surroundings in such a situation. For example, DE 10 2020 109 971 A1 describes a method for ensuring the safety of a vehicle's surroundings. In this method, a vehicle that has caught fire automatically moves to a location that is safe for the surroundings. This is intended to prevent the risk of the vehicle fire spreading to the surroundings. The proposed method is for the vehicle that has caught fire to have appropriate devices to determine its position and, based on an analysis of its surroundings, to select the safe location to which it should move.

[0007] Likewise, patent application DE 10 2020 200 651 A1 discloses a method for operating a vehicle with an autonomous driving function in a hazardous situation in which the vehicle poses a hazard. A monitoring device of the vehicle monitors the vehicle for the presence of a hazardous situation. When a hazardous situation is detected, a check is carried out to determine whether a destination exists in the vicinity of the vehicle where the threat to the surroundings from the vehicle is less than at the vehicle's current location. If such a destination is detected, the vehicle is moved to this destination using the autonomous driving function.

[0008] However, a dangerous situation as described above can be life-threatening not only for those surrounding a vehicle but also for people who are inside the vehicle at that time. Other situations that pose a similar risk to vehicle occupants include a fire in the surrounding area, a collision with another road user or an object, an accident, a natural disaster and others. It is often essential for the survival of vehicle occupants that they can get out of the vehicle quickly or that emergency services can quickly and unhindered access the occupants still in the vehicle. In some of the cases mentioned above, however, neither the vehicle occupants can get out nor can they have free access to the vehicle occupants from the outside.Such an obstruction can be caused, for example, by a position of the vehicle, such as in an (underground) garage, a position of other vehicles, such as other people involved in the accident, or by objects such as snow, water or debris.

[0009] In such a case, the vehicle has previously had to be moved (away) from its position by an external force, for example by towing, pulling out, or pushing away. All of these techniques have the disadvantage that they require an external energy source to provide the power necessary to move the vehicle. This energy source, such as a tow truck, cable winch, or other recovery equipment, must first be brought to the scene of the danger. Furthermore, at least one person is required to operate the equipment. Procuring equipment and operating personnel often requires a considerable amount of time, which in the case of urgently necessary evacuations can be life-saving for the endangered vehicle occupants.

[0010] There is therefore a need for a method and system that enables vehicle occupants to quickly leave the vehicle in the event of danger or that enables rescue workers to quickly gain access to the vehicle occupants from the outside in order to rescue them.

[0011] To solve this problem, a system and method for changing the physical configuration of one or more interior components of a vehicle in response to detecting a vehicle crash condition has been proposed in the past, for example, US 2021 / 0323446 A1. Such a system includes one or more sensors for detecting a vehicle condition, a vehicle action, and / or an internal or external environment of the vehicle that indicates a hazardous situation.Furthermore, such a system comprises one or more actuators by means of which a physical configuration of a vehicle interior component can be changed, as well as one or more processors that determine a critical vehicle condition based on the received sensor data and, upon detection of such a critical vehicle condition, control at least one actuator such that the vehicle interior component is changed from a first physical configuration to a second physical configuration. In this second physical configuration, it is easier for occupants to exit the vehicle and / or easier for rescue personnel to rescue the occupants.

[0012] However, this system requires complex actuators, which increases the material and labor requirements for manufacturing such a vehicle. This makes such a system expensive and complex. Furthermore, key system components (e.g., at least one actuator) are located in the passenger compartment, reducing the available space. This can be detrimental to comfort, but also to the possible evacuation of vehicle occupants.

[0013] US 2018 / 0 201 138 A1 discloses methods and systems for an electric vehicle that detect a fault in the vehicle's power system and then drive the vehicle autonomously to a specific safe location to self-destruct. Upon reaching the location, the vehicle can evaluate the location using image sensors to determine whether the location is free of objects, animals, or people. If this is not the case, the vehicle can drive autonomously to another safe location. Before self-destruction, the vehicle sends messages, including information about the power grid fault, to at least one device or third party. The messages contain information about the vehicle's location or information about the power grid disruption.

[0014] DE 10 2020 109 971 A1 discloses a method for protecting the surroundings from a vehicle that has caught fire. In this method, the vehicle and the surroundings are monitored for fire, and if a vehicle fire is detected, measures are initiated to ensure the safety of the surroundings. In a method that enables early initiation of safety measures, the vehicle that has caught fire automatically drives to a location that is safe for the surroundings as a measure to ensure the safety of the surroundings.

[0015] There is therefore still a need to provide a simple and robust, fast and / or interactive method and system that enables vehicle occupants to quickly leave the vehicle in the event of danger or that enables rescue teams to quickly gain access to the vehicle occupants from the outside in order to rescue them.

[0016] The object is achieved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0017] A method according to the invention (preferably at least partially computer-implemented) for autonomously moving a vehicle from a first position to an evacuation position comprises the steps: a) detection of a dangerous situation by a vehicle-mounted danger detection device; b) Determination of the occupancy status of the vehicle by means of an on-board occupant detection device; c) Determination of a current vehicle position by a vehicle-mounted position detection device; d) Determination of an evacuation possibility value which is characteristic of the evacuation possibility of at least one vehicle occupant; e) Checking (B1, C1) whether an evacuation possibility value for at least one vehicle occupant lies outside a (value) range classified as non-critical; f) determining (B2, C2) an evacuation position by means of an evacuation position calculation device, wherein the evacuation position is characterized by an evacuation possibility value for at least one vehicle occupant that is improved compared to the first position; and g) Autonomous movement (33, 39, 54, 62) of the vehicle to this evacuation position.

[0018] The hazardous situation to be detected is, in particular, a thermally induced hazard, for example, a fire or heating above a critical temperature that could potentially result in a fire. Such heating, particularly of a vehicle's battery or parts thereof, is referred to below as "thermal runaway." All embodiments described in connection with a "thermal runaway" are intended to apply not only to this specific hazard source, but are generally considered to be disclosed for any hazard (especially thermally induced hazard).

[0019] The first position is the position in which the vehicle is when the (developing) danger is detected. Even in this position, it may be possible for some vehicle occupants to leave the vehicle or be rescued from the vehicle. The first position can therefore be a suitable evacuation position for some of the vehicle occupants. However, it is essential that for at least one vehicle occupant, evacuation or leaving the vehicle in the first position is not possible or only possible with difficulty. Therefore, in step g), the vehicle moves into the evacuation position to enable this vehicle occupant to get out as well or to enable or at least facilitate the rescue of this occupant.

[0020] In a preferred method variant, the vehicle-mounted hazard detection system uses at least one sensor. From this sensor, it can preferably receive data that can be used to determine a hazard potential or that can contribute to determining a hazard potential. Preferably, the hazard detection system receives data from multiple sensors. This allows a more accurate assessment of the hazard potential in many cases.

[0021] In particular, it is preferred that at least one sensor is a thermal sensor that measures the temperature of an energy storage device. The energy storage device, particularly of electrically powered vehicles, has been shown to be particularly vulnerable to thermal runaway. Therefore, thermal monitoring of such an energy storage device is a particularly effective means of determining the risk of a future fire.

[0022] The hazard detection device further comprises a hazard value calculation device. This hazard value calculation device makes it possible to calculate a hazard value from the temporal progression of the measured values of at least one sensor. The hazard value is preferably characteristic of the risk of a hazard developing for a vehicle occupant. The hazard value calculation device preferably uses the data or measured values of several sensors to calculate the hazard value. The hazard value is preferably selected such that even indications of a "thermal runaway" lead to the initiation of the subsequent steps in the method. This means that an indication of a potential hazardous situation is detected at an early stage. The hazardous situation is preferably detected before an actual trigger threshold for a "thermal runaway" is reached.

[0023] The hazard value calculation device can be a computer system. The calculation of the hazard value from the measured values or sensor data is thus preferably carried out in a computer-implemented method step by means of the (particularly processor-based) hazard value calculation device. This is preferably carried out using a machine learning model, in particular a trainable one. The model preferably comprises a set of parameters, in particular trainable ones, which are set to values learned as a result of a training process.

[0024] The hazard value calculation device is preferably connected, at least temporarily, to a data network. This makes it possible for the computer system to receive updates and thus, for example, to be trained to detect new hazards or to improve an algorithm for calculating a hazard risk, thus making it more accurate. The data network can comprise a computer device with an artificial intelligence system that receives data from a plurality of hazard detection devices and, based on this data and on hazard situations that actually occur and do not actually occur in individual vehicles, generates improved algorithms for calculating the hazard value.

[0025] Preferably, the machine learning model is suitable for executing a (computer-implemented) computer vision method and determines in which (computer-implemented) perception and / or detection tasks are executed, for example (computer-implemented) methods for semantic segmentation and / or (computer-implemented) object classification. During object classification, a signal detected and / or displayed in the measured values (or in the sensor data characteristic of the measured values) is assigned to a (previously learned and / or predefined) class. The classes can be (among other things) a meaning (particularly with regard to a hazard potential) of a detected signal and / or a notification variable characteristic of a meaning of the detected signal.For example, the classes can be the respective meaning of different types of signals such as temperature and / or power.

[0026] The machine learning model is preferably based on an (artificial) neural network (AI - Artificial Intelligence). Sensor data (or data derived therefrom) are preferably fed to the artificial neural network as input variables. The artificial neural network preferably maps the input variables to the output variables depending on a parameterizable or parameterized processing chain (using the trainable or trained parameters).

[0027] Such a neural network can, for example, be designed as a deep neural network (DNN), in which the parameterizable processing chain has a plurality of processing layers, and / or a so-called convolutional neural network (CNN) and / or a recurrent neural network (RNN). Other machine learning methods not listed here are also possible. The parameterizable processing chain is preferably parameterized through training. Datasets related to the (base) datasets and / or training datasets described above are preferably used as training data. Training is preferably carried out using supervised learning. However, it would also be possible to train the artificial neural network using unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, or stochastic learning.

[0028] In a preferred method variant, the hazard detection device transmits a signal upon detection of a hazard. This signal is preferably selected from a group comprising a visual signal to warn at least one vehicle occupant, an acoustic signal to warn at least one vehicle occupant, a visual signal to warn the surroundings, an acoustic signal to warn the surroundings, a (preferably telemetric) notification of at least one user and / or at least one control center and / or at least one security service, in particular the police and / or fire department, a signal to close and / or open the vehicle windows, a signal to release the door lock, a signal to open at least one of the doors, a signal to release and / or loosen at least one belt system, and a signal to electrically disconnect a battery or parts of a battery, preferably a high-voltage battery.

[0029] Of particular importance when determining a hazard value that correlates with a risk of a hazard is that it lies outside a critical threshold range so that the vehicle occupant(s) are warned of the danger immediately posed by the vehicle. If the occupants are warned in good time, they have the opportunity to avert the danger or move the vehicle into a position where they can leave the vehicle quickly and safely. Preferably, such information is provided to the vehicle occupants visually and / or acoustically, for example by a display on a screen or the illumination of a warning indicator and / or as a siren or voice announcement requesting them to leave the vehicle. Preferably, several warning indicators are arranged in the vehicle so that occupants can see at least one warning indicator from different positions in the vehicle.In order to be able to warn visually impaired or sleeping occupants, for example, an acoustic warning is preferred.

[0030] In many cases, it is beneficial to warn the surrounding area of the danger posed by the vehicle. For example, in densely populated areas, it is possible to alert passersby or residents of the impending danger so that they can take precautionary measures or call or provide assistance. For example, in parking areas, it would be conceivable for drivers of surrounding vehicles to be warned to move their vehicles away from the danger zone. This could be achieved, for example, through a car-to-car (C2C) warning followed by the driver's vehicle informing the driver.

[0031] In particular, it is preferable that a control center and / or a security service, in particular the police and / or fire department, be informed in the event of a major risk. The position of the vehicle and the type and / or extent of the expected danger are preferably transmitted. This makes it possible, for example, for the control center to organize which emergency services will be dispatched to the vehicle with which equipment. This allows early warning of particular hazards, such as those in hard-to-reach locations such as underground garages or near flammable materials such as fuel depots, and these (additional) hazards can be prevented.

[0032] Finally, the method can include variants in which a signal directly triggers a reaction on the vehicle that reduces the danger or facilitates the evacuation of the occupants. A reduction in the danger could, for example, be achieved by (electrically) disconnecting the battery from other vehicle components. The use of cooling and / or extinguishing agents is also conceivable. In variants, the windows are closed to prevent combustion gases from entering the passenger compartment. Closing the oxygen supply to the source of the fire can also be advantageous. In particular, it is preferred that at least one door lock is released. This also includes, for example, overriding any activated child safety lock. This enables the vehicle occupants to open and exit the vehicle.Releasing and / or loosening a seat belt system can also be beneficial to enable an occupant to exit the vehicle or to facilitate rescue. This is particularly useful for (small) children and occupants with limited mobility, as it allows or facilitates their exit from the vehicle.

[0033] In a preferred method variant, the evacuation position is determined taking into account the remaining energy reserve of an energy storage device and / or the time until the likely occurrence of the danger and / or a possible speed of the vehicle. By taking into account at least one of these values, preferably several of these values, more preferably all of these values, it can be ensured that the vehicle can reach the determined evacuation position, preferably before the occurrence of the danger.

[0034] As described above, the energy storage system is often the cause of a dangerous situation. If the energy storage system is defective, the (residual) power it can provide is often also limited. In some cases, only a reduced number of storage cells or a reserve energy storage system can be accessed. The vehicle's range under such adverse conditions is severely limited, making it impossible to reach distant evacuation positions. Therefore, when determining possible evacuation positions, preference is given to only those that the vehicle can still reach with the limited energy available.

[0035] In some cases, there is acute danger to vehicle occupants. In this case, it is necessary that an evacuation position can be reached as quickly as possible. This is the case, for example, if a fire has already broken out or if a fire is expected to break out soon. Therefore, when determining possible evacuation positions, only those that can be reached from the vehicle in a timely manner, preferably before a fire breaks out or before the occupants are immediately endangered, are considered suitable. If there is already an immediate danger to the occupants, an evacuation position that can be reached particularly quickly is preferred, even if this evacuation position poses a danger to the vehicle or surrounding objects.

[0036] When calculating a suitable evacuation position, it is also preferable to consider that the vehicle may only be able to reach it at a reduced speed. This reduced speed may, for example, result from the limited performance of a damaged energy storage unit.

[0037] Preferably, in one variant of the method, the vehicle sends the calculated evacuation position to a user and / or a control center and / or a security service, in particular the police and / or fire department. This enables any assistance required for evacuation and / or combating the danger to be provided or dispatched directly to the evacuation position.

[0038] Preferably, the vehicle will only approach the evacuation position after at least one recipient has confirmed an authorization request. This request contains the planned evacuation position. If the vehicle calculates an evacuation position and transmits it to emergency services such as the police or fire department, they can check whether the planned evacuation position is a suitable evacuation position. If so, they can confirm this evacuation position as suitable, whereupon the vehicle and the emergency services will approach this position. Such confirmation also confirms receipt of the message and thus the emergency call.

[0039] In some cases, confirmation from the emergency services cannot be provided in a timely manner. This may be because they are unable to check the calculated evacuation position to see whether it is suitable for evacuation. This may be due, for example, to the fact that the current traffic situation at the calculated evacuation position is unknown, or it is not known whether the calculated evacuation position can be reached quickly enough given the current traffic situation. In such circumstances, the vehicle should preferably head for the evacuation position without confirmation of an authorization request from a recipient of the authorization request, provided that the difference between a calculated arrival time of the vehicle at the evacuation position and a calculated time for the expected occurrence of the hazard falls below a predefined limit.If it is expected that an immediate danger to vehicle occupants will occur before the vehicle can reach an (evacuation) position at which - at least according to the vehicle's calculations - improved conditions for evacuating the occupants exist, this position will be approached, even if no clearance has been received from the vehicle to do so.

[0040] It has been shown that the method is particularly easy to implement if at least one sensor datum from at least one sensor is used to calculate the evacuation possibility value, the data of which is also used for the autonomous movement of a vehicle. The sensor datum used can, for example, be datum that is characteristic of the distance to an obstacle. Such datum can be provided directly by the sensor or processed by a corresponding computer device. In this method variant, at least one sensor that is already present in the vehicle for other reasons can be used to provide one or more datums for calculating the evacuation possibility value. This enables the use of sensor data without having to bear the costs of an additional sensor.Sensors selected from a group that includes at least a camera, a distance sensor, a parking sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a LIDAR have proven particularly suitable for calculating the evacuation possibility value. Such sensors are already implemented in many driver assistance systems and (partially) autonomous vehicles. The use of these sensors in the method described above is particularly simple and cost-effective. Furthermore, such sensors are usually extremely precise, as they must provide accurate data even when the vehicle is moving. The accuracy achievable with these sensors often exceeds the accuracy required to calculate the evacuation possibility value, as the evacuation possibility value usually only needs to be calculated based on a stationary vehicle position.

[0041] In a preferred variant of the method, at least one sensor datum from a driving history and / or a local guidance system is used to calculate the improved evacuation position. The sensor datum from the driving history is preferably selected from a group that includes a steering angle, a route, and navigation data. In this case, the vehicle checks whether it has recently assumed a position that is more suitable for evacuating the vehicle occupants than the current vehicle position. For this purpose, the buffered data from the distance sensors and camera images for positions previously assumed or recognized by the vehicle can be used, for example. If such a position previously assumed by the vehicle is recognized as a suitable evacuation position, the driving history data can also be used to determine how to approach this position.This enables the vehicle to reach this position (quickly and safely) and also makes this position suitable for evacuation, provided that this position is still accessible given the limitations of the available range and / or power.

[0042] In addition or alternatively, data from a local control system can also be accessed. Such a local control system is preferably set up as a telemetric and / or remote-controlled control and / or monitoring system. For example, it would be conceivable for emergency services to move the vehicle remotely into a position suitable for evacuating the vehicle occupants. This has the advantage that heavy rescue equipment can be dispensed with. However, a monitoring system is also conceivable that does not determine an evacuation position independently or with the help of auxiliary services, but merely provides data, such as image data, on the basis of which or with the aid of which the vehicle can determine a suitable evacuation position.

[0043] Additionally, it is conceivable that the vehicle, after it has assumed an evacuation position and all occupants have exited the vehicle or been rescued, moves away from the evacuation position. This could be advantageous, for example, if the vehicle could hinder the deployment of emergency and / or rescue personnel at the evacuation position. It could also be advantageous to release the evacuation position, possibly allowing the evacuation of occupants from other vehicles. Furthermore, moving the vehicle away from the evacuation position can be advantageous to enable the care of occupants no longer in the vehicle without exposing them to any danger posed by the vehicle.For example, this can prevent the treatment of the occupants rescued from the vehicle from being hampered by heat, fire, or extinguishing agents in the event of a thermal runaway, or the extinguishing of the vehicle from being hampered by the treatment of the occupants or the rescue personnel caring for them. Finally, it is also conceivable that the vehicle could leave the evacuation position to assume a damage-minimized position in which, in the event of a thermal runaway, the vehicle poses a particularly low risk—even in the event of a fire. Such a damage-minimized position could, for example, be an open area.

[0044] The present invention is further directed to a device for protecting occupants of an autonomously drivable vehicle. Such a device comprises a vehicle-mounted hazard detection device, which is designed and configured to detect a hazardous situation, a vehicle-mounted occupant detection device for determining an occupancy state of the vehicle, and a vehicle-mounted position detection device. The device is characterized in particular by an evacuation possibility value calculation device, which is designed and configured to determine at least one evacuation possibility value that is characteristic of an evacuation possibility for at least one vehicle occupant.Furthermore, an evacuation position calculation device is provided which is provided and configured to calculate an evacuation position improved for an evacuation of the at least one vehicle occupant when a critical value of the evacuation possibility value calculated by the evacuation possibility value calculation device for at least one vehicle occupant is undershot.

[0045] Such a device preferably comprises all the necessary components to carry out the method described above. In particular, it is configured, suitable, and / or intended to carry out the method described above as well as individual or all of the method steps already described above in connection with the method, individually or in combination with one another. Conversely, the method can be equipped with all of the features described in the context of the device, individually or in combination with one another.

[0046] Such a device preferably makes it possible to determine whether there are passengers in the vehicle and, in this case, independently and / or after confirmation, attempts to change position into an evacuation position which enables an improved evacuation for at least one vehicle occupant.

[0047] In the context of this invention, an evacuation position or position for improved evacuation is to be understood as any position at which, compared to a first position at which the vehicle is located at least temporarily, at least one vehicle occupant can leave the vehicle more easily and / or more safely (exit improvement or "exit-improving position") and / or external helpers are given easier or faster access to the vehicle interior (access improvement or "access-improving position").

[0048] Preferably, the evacuation position allows passengers to disembark as safely as possible and / or security personnel to access the vehicle as easily and quickly as possible. Overall, the method and device described above thus reduce the potential risk to passengers and / or security personnel and / or rescue personnel.

[0049] Preferably, at least one sensor is or comprises a front camera of the vehicle. This front camera preferably comprises a detector for detecting signals in the visible light range.

[0050] Preferably, at least one sensor is or comprises a distance sensor. Such a distance sensor is particularly designed to determine the distance to an obstacle within the pivoting range of a vehicle door. Such a sensor can preferably be used to determine whether the vehicle door can be opened and whether sufficient space is available to rescue an injured person (possibly lying down) from the vehicle.

[0051] The present invention is further directed to a system, in particular a motor vehicle, comprising a device for protecting occupants as described above according to an embodiment and / or to a vehicle which is suitable for carrying out a method as described above. The vehicle can in particular be a (motorized) road vehicle. The system can also comprise components which are not, or at least not permanently, part of the vehicle or are arranged in the vehicle. Conceivable in this regard are, for example, network-supported systems which receive sensor data from a vehicle via a data connection and use this data to determine a need to move the vehicle into an improved evacuation position. It is also conceivable that one or more components can also assume other tasks, at least temporarily, and are, for example, only temporarily part of the system.For example, an external navigation device, a mobile radio device and / or a mobile computer system could be connected to the vehicle via data and, through appropriate software control, become (at least temporarily) part of the system described above.

[0052] A vehicle can be a motor vehicle, which in particular is a semi-autonomous, autonomous (for example, autonomy level 3, 4, or 5 (of the SAE J3016 standard)) or self-driving motor vehicle. Autonomy level 5 refers to fully automated vehicles. The vehicle is preferably a driverless transport system. The vehicle can be controlled by a driver or drive autonomously. In addition to a road vehicle, the vehicle can also be an air taxi, an aircraft, or another means of transport or another type of vehicle, such as an aircraft, watercraft, or rail vehicle.

[0053] The present invention is further directed to a computer program or computer program product comprising program means, in particular a program code, which represents or encodes at least some and preferably all of the method steps of the method according to the invention and preferably one of the described preferred embodiments and is designed to be executed by a processor device.

[0054] The present invention is further directed to a data memory on which at least one embodiment of the computer program according to the invention or a preferred embodiment of the computer program is stored.

[0055] Further advantages and embodiments can be seen in the attached drawings: Showing: Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a vehicle with a device for protecting occupants in a condition in which the exit of an occupant is impeded; Fig. 2 a schematic representation of the Fig. 1 in an improved evacuation position allowing free exit for all occupants; Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a vehicle with a device for protecting occupants in a state in which the exit of several occupants is impeded; Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of a vehicle with a device for protecting occupants in a state in which the exit is obstructed for one occupant but free for another; Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of a vehicle with a device for protecting occupants in a state in which the exit is obstructed for one occupant but free for another; Fig. 6 a schematic representation of the Fig. 5 shown vehicle in an analogous position but with a different occupancy state in which the exit is free for all occupants; Fig. 7 a schematic representation of the proposed method according to an embodiment; Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of part of the proposed method according to one embodiment; Fig. 9 a schematic representation of another part of the proposed method according to an embodiment; and Fig. 10 a further schematic representation of a part of the proposed method according to an embodiment.

[0056] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a vehicle 1 in a first position. This position is in the front area of the vehicle 1 (in Fig. 1 above) and on the right side of the vehicle (in Fig. 1 (also shown on the right) is limited by an obstacle 8, in this case a wall 8. The vehicle 1 has several seats 2, 4, the occupancy of which can be detected by the vehicle 1 using a suitable occupant detection device. In the example shown, unoccupied seats are identified by the reference numeral 4. The only occupied seat is identified by the reference numeral 2.

[0057] The pivoting range of the doors is monitored by suitable sensors, whose monitoring signal is shown only schematically and identified by reference symbol A. The evaluation of the monitoring signals shows that the pivoting range of the doors 6 shown on the left is free. In contrast, the pivoting range of the two doors 6 shown on the right is restricted. This restriction of the pivoting range is irrelevant for the front door, since this seat 4 is unoccupied. In the event of an emergency, however, it could be difficult for the occupant in seat 2 to leave the vehicle, since the pivoting range of the door closest to this seat 2 is restricted by the wall 8.

[0058] If an on-board hazard detection system detects a hazardous situation, a check is carried out to determine whether the evacuation possibility value for at least one vehicle occupant lies outside a permissible value range. In the illustrated case, this is the case for the occupant sitting on seat 2, which is represented by the letter "X" in the pivoting range of the door 6 closest to this seat 2. For the remaining evacuation routes—the remaining vehicle doors 6—either no evacuation possibility value needs to be determined or it lies within the permissible range because the associated seats 4 are unoccupied. This is represented by the symbol of a check mark ("✔") in the pivoting range of the respective doors 6.

[0059] Since leaving the vehicle 1 or evacuating it is not possible quickly and / or safely for at least one occupant, namely the person sitting on the seat identified by reference numeral 2, the evacuation position calculation device calculates a vehicle position at which an improved evacuation of the vehicle 1 is possible. At this evacuation position, the person sitting on the seat identified by reference numeral 2 can also leave the vehicle 1 quickly and safely or be quickly rescued from the vehicle 1. A vehicle 1 in an evacuation position is in Fig. 2 shown.

[0060] In the Fig. In the evacuation position shown in Figure 2, the vehicle 1 is far enough away from the obstacle 8 that all passengers in the seats 2 can leave the vehicle 1 without hindrance. The occupancy status of the seats 2, 4 of the vehicle 1 corresponds to the Fig. 1. In the example shown, only the seat marked with reference number 2 is occupied.

[0061] In the evacuation position, the pivoting range of the door 6 closest to seat 2 is unobstructed, and the door can be opened quickly and safely. The occupant sitting in seat 2 can quickly exit the vehicle in the evacuation position. If exiting is not possible for this person, for example, because they are injured or unconscious, evacuation is also easily possible for rescuers, such as the fire department, in the evacuation position, since access to the door 6 closest to the occupied seat 2 is freely accessible.

[0062] This is indicated by the check mark symbol ("✔") in the pivoting range of door 6 closest to seat 2. In the evacuation position shown, all doors are marked with a check mark because all doors are freely accessible at the nearest occupied seat or the seat assigned to the respective door is unoccupied. The use of the relevant doors 6 for an evacuation is possible.

[0063] The Fig. 3 - 6 show vehicles 1 in similar, but at least slightly different, positions and occupancy states than in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are shown.

[0064] This shows Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of the vehicle 1 with a device for protecting occupants in a condition in which the exit of several occupants is obstructed. The vehicle 1 is in the same position as in Fig. 1, in which the exit and / or free access is obstructed on several sides by an obstacle 8, namely a wall 8. In contrast to the Fig. In the situation shown in Figure 1, in addition to the right seat 2 in the rear row, the right seat 2 in the front row is also occupied. In this occupancy state, evacuation - at least via the right doors - is not readily possible for the two occupants sitting on these seats 2.

[0065] Vehicle 1 detects the seat occupancy using the occupant detection system and monitors the door swing range using sensors. Analogous to Fig. 1, the evaluation of the monitoring signals A shows that the pivoting range of the doors 6 shown on the left is free, but the pivoting range of the two doors 6 shown on the right is blocked or at least restricted. Unlike in Fig. 1, this restriction of the pivoting range is now also relevant for the front door, since this seat 2 is also occupied. In the event of danger, leaving the vehicle is therefore impossible or at least difficult for the two occupants sitting on the right-hand side of the seats marked with reference number 2, since the pivoting range of the doors closest to these seats 2 is not free.

[0066] Accordingly, an evacuation possibility value outside the permissible range is detected for these two occupants, which is represented by the letter "X" in the pivot area of the doors 6 closest to these seats 2. Analogous to Fig. 1, it is determined that the evacuation possibility value for the remaining vehicle doors 6 is within the permissible range, since the seats 4 are unoccupied and the pivoting area of the doors 6 is not blocked. This is again represented by the check mark symbol ("✓").

[0067] A movement of the vehicle into the Fig. The position shown in Figure 2 is Fig. 3, the seat occupancy is no longer sufficient, as the exit and / or access through the front right door 6 would still be blocked. The evacuation position calculation device will therefore calculate a position different from that shown in Fig. 2. This could, for example, be different from the evacuation position shown in Fig. 2 must be set back again so far that exit or evacuation through the front right vehicle door is also possible.

[0068] Fig. Figure 4 shows a further schematic representation of a vehicle with a device for protecting occupants in a state in which exit is obstructed for one occupant but free for another. The seat occupancy corresponds to that of Fig. 3: the right-hand seat 2 of both rows is occupied. Unlike in the Fig. However, in the situation shown in Figure 3, the obstacle 10, here for example a pillar 10, only blocks the pivoting area of the rear vehicle door 6. The occupant sitting in the front right-hand corner, however, could get out unhindered.

[0069] The pillar 10 in the pivoting range of the rear right vehicle door 6 is detected by the sensors, and accordingly, an evacuation possibility value for the person sitting in the rear right is outside the permissible range, which in turn is represented by the letter "X" in the pivoting range of the door 6 closest to this seat 2. For all other evacuation routes, either no evacuation possibility value needs to be determined or it lies above a critical limit because the corresponding seats 4 are unoccupied or the pivoting range of the nearest door is free (indicated by "✓").

[0070] Resetting vehicle 1 in a Fig. A position analogous to that shown in Figure 2 would not constitute a suitable evacuation position in this case, as this would impede exit for the person sitting in the front right-hand seat, as the pivoting range of the door 6 closest to this seat 2 would then be blocked. Therefore, the evacuation position calculation device will calculate a vehicle position at which improved evacuation from both seats identified by reference numeral 2 is possible. This could, for example, again be achieved by moving the vehicle 1 so far forward or backward that the pillar 10 is no longer within the pivoting range of the front right-hand vehicle door 6.

[0071] As an alternative, it would be conceivable for vehicle 1 to initially remain in the position shown and for only the person sitting in the front right-hand position to be asked to exit through the front right-hand door. As soon as this person has left vehicle 1, vehicle 1 could be moved back slightly so that the person sitting in the rear right-hand position can also leave vehicle 1. Such a variant of the method could be advantageous, for example, if the available space is insufficient to move vehicle 1 back far enough to allow the pivoting areas of both right-hand vehicle doors to be clear at the same time.

[0072] Fig. Figure 5 shows a schematic representation of a vehicle with a device for protecting occupants in a state in which exit is obstructed for one occupant but free for another. The seat occupancy in this example also corresponds to that shown in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is shown: only the right-hand seats 2 of both rows are occupied. Unlike in Fig. However, as shown in Figure 4, only the pivoting area of the front right door 6 is blocked. The person sitting in the back row on the right, however, could exit or be evacuated unhindered.

[0073] In this case, reversing vehicle 1 into a Fig. 2 analogous position would again represent a suitable evacuation position, as this would allow the exit for all occupants. Accordingly, the evacuation position calculation device calculates a position corresponding to the Fig. 2, the vehicle position analogous to the position shown can be calculated and the vehicle can be driven into this position, since it would be possible to get out or evacuate all occupants there.

[0074] The Fig. The position and obstruction of the pivoting range of the doors shown in Figure 6 is identical to that shown in Fig. 5. However, the illustration differs in the occupancy of vehicle 1 by passengers, as only the right seat 2 of the rear row is occupied. In this case, due to the special geometry of wall 8, the person sitting there can exit unhindered. Since there are no other occupants in vehicle 1 and / or the pivoting range of the left doors is not obstructed, driving vehicle 1 into an improved evacuation position is not necessary.

[0075] Fig. Figure 7 shows a schematic representation of the proposed method according to one embodiment. The method begins with step 100, namely the detection of a hazardous situation 20 by a vehicle-mounted hazard detection device G. This detection can also occur continuously. It would also be conceivable for it to occur simultaneously and / or subsequently to step b) of determining an occupancy state 21 of the vehicle 1 by a vehicle-mounted occupant detection device, which is designated by reference numeral 110.

[0076] Likewise, the determination of a current vehicle position by a vehicle-side position detection device illustrated in step 120 can occur before, after, and / or at least partially overlapping in time with one or more of the aforementioned steps 100 or 110. Based on at least some of the results obtained in steps 100, 110, and 120, an evacuation possibility value can then be determined in step d) designated by reference numeral 130. This evacuation possibility value is characteristic of an evacuation possibility for at least one vehicle occupant. At least the current vehicle position determined in step 120 is used to calculate the evacuation possibility value.

[0077] Based on the evacuation possibility value determined in step 140, it is then checked (B1, C1) whether this evacuation possibility value for at least one vehicle occupant lies outside a value range defined as non-critical.

[0078] If this is the case, in step 150, an evacuation position that is improved for evacuating at least one vehicle occupant is determined (B2, C2) by means of an evacuation position calculation device. This evacuation position is characterized in particular by the fact that it offers an evacuation possibility value for evacuating the at least one vehicle occupant that is improved compared to the current vehicle position.

[0079] If such an evacuation position can be determined in step f), the vehicle is autonomously moved (33, 39, 54, 62) to this evacuation position in step 160. At this evacuation position, the at least one vehicle occupant can leave the vehicle unhindered or be rescued from the vehicle by emergency personnel.

[0080] Fig. Figure 8 shows a schematic representation of part of the proposed method according to a preferred embodiment. The method illustrated by way of example begins at the point designated by reference numeral 20. At this point, a risk of thermal runaway of a battery is detected. If this is the case, the current seat occupancy is preferably checked in step 21.

[0081] If this seat occupancy check yields the result 21A that no seat is occupied, step A1 preferably checks whether the vehicle can assume a position in which damage to its surroundings can be minimized. If such a position is found, step A2 makes a decision regarding the potential effects of a change in position. This decision preferably incorporates risk assessment values that are characteristic, for example, of a risk associated with the movement of the vehicle, a risk of additional stress on the already thermally stressed battery, an evaluation of the optically recorded environmental conditions, and other risks.If the vehicle assesses the benefit of a change in position as greater than the expected damage or greater than the risk of damage, the vehicle proposes a movement in step A3 and, preferably subsequently in step A4, sends a request for approval of this movement by an authorized body. This authorized body could be, for example, the vehicle owner, the (last) driver, the police, the fire department, a local traffic monitoring facility, a local security service, or other emergency services.

[0082] However, if the vehicle-side seat occupancy check in step 21 reveals that (exactly) one seat is occupied, the method preferably continues at step 21B. This is followed in step B1 by a check of the surroundings for exit and access options for the occupied seat. A check is then carried out in step B2 to determine whether a position exists in which the exit and access options for the occupied seat are better. If such a position, and thus an improved, potential evacuation position, is found, a decision is made as to whether this position is actually advantageous, and thus preferably more favorable when other factors are taken into account, for an evacuation. This decision preferably also takes into account how safe and likely it is to reach this position.If, for example, access to this position is not possible or the position is too far away to be reached by a vehicle that is already on fire or is likely to soon catch fire, this position is probably not a suitable evacuation position. A decision is made by the vehicle, weighing the risk and the impact of a change in position. If predominantly positive effects of the change in position are expected (B3), the vehicle proposes a change in position in B4. Approval for such a change in position is preferably requested in step B5.

[0083] However, if the risk assessment in step B2 results in the negative impacts outweighing the risks (B6), preferably no change in the position of the vehicle is proposed (B7) and consequently no corresponding authorization is requested.

[0084] During the method described above and below, it is advantageous if at least parts of the data received, determined and / or calculated by the vehicle (e.g. sensor data, environmental data from an external source (e.g. traffic control system, surveillance camera), evacuation possibility value, occupancy state, current (vehicle) position and / or (calculated) evacuation position) are stored at least once, preferably several times, in a data storage device. This data storage device can be arranged in the vehicle, but in a preferred embodiment is arranged outside the vehicle and is connected to the vehicle via a wireless data connection, at least in sections. The data from a large number of vehicles can be stored on such an external data storage device. This data is thus available for evaluation. The evaluation can be carried out, for example, by an artificial intelligence system.Such a system could help improve learning to detect dangerous situations early and / or to determine better evacuation positions.

[0085] If the vehicle-side seat occupancy check in step 21 determines that multiple seats are occupied, the method preferably continues with step 21C. In the subsequent step C1, the surroundings of each occupied seat are checked for exit and access options for the respective occupied seats. Subsequently, in step C2, a check is carried out to determine whether a position exists that improves exit and access options for the occupied seats. However, because multiple seats are occupied, the decision-making and risk assessment are significantly more complex.

[0086] If a position is found where the effects of a position change are positive for all occupied seats, as in step C3, the situation is clear, and the vehicle proposes a movement to this position in step C4. Subsequently, an approval request is sent in step C5, similar to steps A4 and B5.

[0087] If, when changing position, the risk assessment does not change for some of the occupied seats (or the occupants sitting on them), but has exclusively positive effects for all other occupied seats, as shown in step 66, there is also a fairly clear situation with regard to the risk assessment, so that in this case too, the vehicle proposes a movement and the process continues at step C4.

[0088] The situation is different if a change in position would have a positive impact on at least one seat and therefore the person sitting on it, and a negative impact on at least one other person sitting on a different seat. This situation is shown in step 68. In this case, the impacts must be weighed up in step C9. Factors such as the ratio of the number of occupied seats with a positive impact to the number of occupied seats with a negative impact, the maximum possible opening angle for the doors closest to the occupied seating positions at the respective vehicle positions, the size and weight of the person(s) sitting on the seat, the distance of the respective seat from the (expected) source of the fire and / or other suitable factors can be taken into account in the assessment.If the impact assessment results in greater benefits than harm (step 67), the method preferably continues at step C4, and the vehicle proposes a movement to the evacuation position and subsequently sends an authorization request C5. However, if the assessment in step C9 shows that the harm of a change in position is greater than the benefit, as shown in C13, the vehicle proposes no movement in step C12.

[0089] In a situation in which a movement of the vehicle would have a positive impact on at least one seat and therefore the person sitting on it, and a negative impact on at least one other person in a different seat, it would also be conceivable for different evacuation positions to be determined for different occupants. It is conceivable, for example, for the vehicle to determine that the current vehicle position or a first evacuation position is particularly favorable for allowing a first occupant to exit or rescue them from the vehicle. Once this has been done, the vehicle can adopt a second evacuation position (preferably previously determined), which also enables the occupant(s) still in the vehicle to be evacuated in a manner that is more favorable than the first evacuation position (by getting out independently or being rescued by rescuers).

[0090] No movement is suggested in step C12 if the position change, as shown in C10, has negative effects without having a positive impact on at least one occupied seat position, or if, as shown in C11, negative effects are even expected for all seats and the occupants sitting there. This could be the case, for example, if the determined evacuation position cannot be reached before the hazard level in the passenger compartment becomes too high.

[0091] Fig. Figure 9 shows a schematic representation of another part of the proposed method according to an embodiment. This part of the method can, for example, be based on the Fig. 8, request for authorization to move the vehicle to an evacuation position according to steps A4, B5 and / or C5. Such a request is shown in Fig. 9 is marked with the reference number 30.

[0092] If such a request has been sent in step 30, in the simplest case, this request is approved within a specified time window. This situation is depicted in step 32. After approval, the vehicle moves to the evacuation position in step 33.

[0093] If no response to the request is received within the specified or available time window (step 31), the vehicle must make the independent decision whether to move to the evacuation position or not. The vehicle has Fig. In the steps shown in Figure 8, the vehicle has already made a decision before requesting permission and has concluded that a change in position would be beneficial for the vehicle occupants. Accordingly, the vehicle preferentially follows this decision and moves into the evacuation position in step 33.

[0094] If the request is rejected within the available time window in step 34, the vehicle can either remain at this position (step 35) or attempt to determine another evacuation position in step 36. This is essentially analogous to the Fig. 8 and taking into account the time remaining until the danger occurs, but excluding the previously calculated and rejected position. This ensures that no position rejected by the responsible authorities is approached. Otherwise, it would be possible that access for emergency services would be blocked or that the vehicle would drive into a position where it is exposed to a high risk, which was not detected as such by the vehicle's sensors.

[0095] If an alternative evacuation position has been found, a request is also sent in step 36 as to whether the vehicle may take up this position. This is essentially done in the same way as in connection with Fig. 8 (and the steps A4, B5, and C5 shown therein). Depending on the time still available, it is possible, even after a renewed rejection of the request in step 40, to calculate another alternative evacuation position and to send another request as to whether the vehicle may assume this position. Such a loop can also be run through multiple times, taking the remaining time into account. This loop can be exited, for example, by a positive response to a request to approach an alternative evacuation position or by the time until the expected occurrence of the dangerous situation becoming so short that the vehicle independently approaches an autonomously determined evacuation position.

[0096] If the request for authorization is approved within the time window (step 37) or if no response is received within the time window (step 38), the vehicle moves to the newly determined evacuation position in step 39. However, if the request to change position to this newly calculated position is also rejected in step 40, the vehicle must remain stationary in step 35.

[0097] Fig. Figure 10 shows a further schematic representation of a part of the proposed method according to one embodiment. This part of the method represents an alternative to the Fig. 9. Some parts of these two process variants are identical. However, a key difference is that in the case of the Fig. In the process variant shown in Figure 10, if approval for a requested change of position of the vehicle is not received, this request is repeated in steps 52 and 65, respectively. The time window is shortened, in particular to take into account the time elapsed until the renewed request. Such a repeated request can minimize the risk that the request will not reach the desired recipient due to transmission errors or communication disruptions. The renewed request can therefore preferably be made via a different and / or additional communication channel and / or have a different recipient (for example, a control center instead of the police or fire department).

[0098] In an alternative procedure (not shown in figures), in contrast to the description above, a fixed time window can be specified and the number of iterations of the repeated requests can be limited.

[0099] The Fig. The alternative procedure shown in Figure 10 preferably also follows the procedure shown in Fig. 8, request for authorization to move the vehicle to an evacuation position according to steps A4, B5 and / or C5. This request is in Fig. 10 but marked with the reference number 50.

[0100] The simplest case is analogous to that in Fig. 9 and includes the timely approval of the request in step 57 and the subsequent movement of the vehicle into the evacuation position in step 54.

[0101] However, if the vehicle does not receive a response to the request within the specified or available time window (step 51), the vehicle first repeats the request in step 52. This request can take into account that, due to the time already elapsed, only a shortened time interval is available until the latest possible start of the vehicle's movement to the calculated evacuation position. Therefore, a shorter time window can be specified until the response is received. As mentioned above, this request can be made on a different channel than the request from step 50 and / or be directed to one (or more) different recipients.

[0102] If this request is answered positively in step 58, meaning the vehicle's movement is approved, the process continues in step 54 and the vehicle moves into the evacuation position. The vehicle also moves into the evacuation position in step 54 if the renewed request 52 was not answered within the specified (shortened) time window. Therefore, if the request was not answered within the specified (shortened) time window (step 53), the vehicle also moves (step 54). This corresponds to the autonomous decision of the vehicle, as described in connection with step 31 in Fig. 9 was described.

[0103] A significant difference to the Fig. However, the process variant shown in Figure 3 applies if this (repeated) request for authorization was rejected in step 55. Due to the multiple consecutive requests and the time windows that must be waited for to receive a response, if the (repeated) request for authorization is rejected, there is often no time left to calculate another evacuation position. Therefore, the process often has to be aborted upon receiving the first rejection, and the vehicle does not move (shown in step 56).

[0104] However, if the first request for approval from step 50 is rejected in step 59 in this procedure variant, there is often still enough time to find an alternative evacuation position similar to that in Fig.3. An alternative evacuation position is determined in step 60, and a corresponding request is sent to authorize movement to this position.

[0105] If this request is rejected within the available time window in step 66, the vehicle preferably does not recalculate an alternative position but does not move. This is illustrated in step 67.

[0106] If, however, the request for the alternative evacuation position is approved in step 61, the vehicle moves to this evacuation position in step 62.

[0107] The situation is somewhat more complex if the request for the alternative evacuation position is not answered within the specified time window, as shown in step 64. Then, preferably, a new request for authorization is made, but with a shorter time window, which preferably takes into account the time already elapsed and the travel time to the newly calculated position. Such an additional request is often possible because it is only the second request for this alternative evacuation position. Analogous to the request from step 52, this can be sent via one or more alternative channels and / or to one or more alternative recipients.

[0108] If the request from step 65 is rejected (arrow from step 65 to step 66), the vehicle preferably does not move (in step 67). However, if this request is approved (step 63) or no response is received within the (shortened) time window (step 68), the process continues at step 62 and the vehicle moves to the alternative evacuation position.

[0109] The applicant reserves the right to claim all features disclosed in the application documents as essential to the invention, provided that they are novel, individually or in combination, over the prior art. It is further noted that the individual figures also describe features that may be advantageous in and of themselves. The skilled person will immediately recognize that a particular feature described in a figure may be advantageous even without adopting further features from that figure. Furthermore, the skilled person will recognize that advantages may also arise from a combination of several features shown in individual or different figures. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle 2 (occupied) seat, occupant 4 (vacant) seat 6 (vehicle) door 8 Wall, obstacle A sensor, monitoring signal E Evacuation possibility calculation device G Hazard detection device L guidance system ✓ free / unused swing area of a door X blocked swing area of a door 20 - 68 process steps 100 - 160 process steps

Claims

[1] Method for autonomously moving a vehicle (1) from a first position to an evacuation position, comprising the steps: a) detection of a dangerous situation (20) by a vehicle-mounted danger detection device (G); b) determining an occupancy state (21) of the vehicle (1) by means of a vehicle-mounted occupant detection device; c) Determination of a current vehicle position by a vehicle-mounted position detection device; d) Determination of an evacuation possibility value which is characteristic of the evacuation possibility of at least one vehicle occupant; e) Checking (B1, C1) whether an evacuation possibility value for at least one vehicle occupant lies outside a (value) range classified as non-critical; f) determining (B2, C2) an evacuation position by means of an evacuation position calculation device (E), wherein the evacuation position is characterized by an evacuation possibility value for at least one vehicle occupant that is improved compared to the first position; and g) autonomously moving (33, 39, 54, 62) the vehicle to said improved evacuation position. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the vehicle-side hazard detection device has at least one sensor (A) and comprises a hazard value calculation device, wherein the hazard value calculation device calculates a hazard value from the time course of the measured values of at least one sensor, which hazard value is characteristic of a risk of a hazard arising for a vehicle occupant. [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the hazard detection device sends a signal (A4, B5, C5, 30, 50) when a hazard is detected, this signal being selected from a group comprising an optical signal for warning at least one vehicle occupant, an acoustic signal for warning at least one vehicle occupant, an optical signal for warning the surroundings, an acoustic signal for warning the surroundings, a (preferably telemetric) informing of at least one user and / or at least one control center and / or at least one security service, in particular the police and / or fire brigade, a signal for closing and / or opening the windows of the vehicle, a signal for releasing the door lock, a signal for opening at least one of the doors, a signal for releasing and / or loosening at least one belt system and a signal for electrically disconnecting a battery or parts of a battery, preferably a high-voltage battery. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the evacuation position is determined taking into account the energy reserve still available in an energy storage device and / or the time until the danger is likely to occur and / or a possible speed of the vehicle. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the vehicle sends the calculated evacuation position to a user and / or a control center and / or a security service, in particular the police and / or fire brigade (A4, B5, C5, 30, 50), wherein preferably the vehicle only approaches the evacuation position after confirmation (32, 37, 57, 58, 61, 63) of an authorization request. [6] Method according to the preceding claim, characterized bythat the vehicle approaches the evacuation position without confirmation (31, 38, 53, 68) of an authorization request, provided that the difference between a calculated arrival time of the vehicle at the improved evacuation position and a calculated time for the expected occurrence of the danger falls below a predeterminable limit value. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least one sensor data item from at least one sensor (A) is used to calculate the evacuation possibility value, wherein this sensor (A) is a sensor whose data is also used for the autonomous movement of a vehicle, wherein this sensor is preferably a camera and / or a distance sensor, in particular a parking sensor and / or LIDAR. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat at least one sensor data item from a driving history and / or a local guidance system (L) is used to calculate the improved evacuation position, wherein the sensor data item from the driving history is preferably selected from a group comprising a steering wheel angle, a driving route and navigation data and / or the local guidance system (L) is set up as a telemetric and / or remote-controlled guidance system. [9] Device for protecting occupants of an autonomously drivable vehicle (1), comprising a vehicle-mounted hazard detection device which is intended and configured to detect a dangerous situation, a vehicle-mounted occupant detection device for determining an occupancy state (2, 4) of the vehicle (1), and a vehicle-mounted position detection device, characterized byan evacuation possibility value calculation device which is intended and configured to determine an evacuation possibility value which is characteristic of an evacuation possibility of at least one vehicle occupant, and an evacuation position calculation device (E) which is intended and configured to calculate an evacuation position which is improved for an evacuation of the at least one vehicle occupant if a critical value of the evacuation possibility value calculated by the evacuation possibility value calculation device for at least one vehicle occupant is undershot. [10] System, in particular motor vehicle (1), comprising a device for protecting occupants according to claim 9 and / or which is arranged, suitable and / or intended for carrying out a method according to one of claims 1-8.

Images