Manually adjusting an automated speed control of a driver assistance system for a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to manually adjusting an automated speed control of a driver assistance system (11) for a vehicle (10). For this purpose, a manual input from a driver (17) for adjusting a reference speed of the driver assistance system (11) to a desired speed is detected. Subsequently, at least one situation parameter (P) of an external or internal vehicle situation is determined, which is associated with the input. Depending on the input and the at least one situation parameter (P), an associated driver request (W) of the driver is selected from several categories for adjusting the speed control. Depending on the category of the driver request (W), either a temporary or permanent override of the speed control using the desired speed according to the input, or a cancellation of the speed control is then implemented.

Description

The invention relates to a method and a control device for manually adapting an automated speed control of a driver assistance system for a vehicle. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a vehicle having a corresponding control device.In modern vehicles, driver assistance systems are used to assist a driver in his driving task. The driver assistance system takes over the vehicle control, so that in particular no manual interventions into the control by the driver are necessary any longer. For example, a driver assistance system may intervene in the speed control of a vehicle in order to assist the driver in lane keeping, lane changing or distance keeping, for example.In certain situations, it may be necessary to switch from the autonomous driving mode in which the driver assistance system is responsible for vehicle control to a manual driving mode in which the driver is responsible for vehicle control.For example, US 2020 / 0017124 A1 discloses a possibility for changing between a manual mode or an autonomous mode for a vehicle. The change is made in consideration of an activity type of an occupant of the vehicle. Based on the activity type, the occupant is notified that the manual mode is being changed.US 2019 / 0064805 A1 discloses an autonomous driving vehicle operated in a mixed driving mode. For example, a switch can be made from an autonomous driving mode to a manual driving mode, namely depending on the vehicle environment and a vehicle occupant.DE 10 2019 209 835 A1 discloses effectively providing the driver with feedback for assuming vehicle control in the context of autonomous driving operation of a vehicle in critical driving situations. The feedback includes at least one shifting process by a transmission device of the vehicle.In the prior art, the aim is therefore to transfer the manual control over the vehicle starting from an autonomous driving mode to the driver depending on the situation.It is the object of the present invention to improve the availability of an autonomous vehicle control, in particular an automated speed control for a vehicle, in particular in manual interventions by the driver.The object is achieved by the subject matters of the independent claims. Advantageous refinements are disclosed by the dependent patent claims, the description and the figures.According to one aspect, the invention relates to a method for manually adapting an automated speed control of a driver assistance system for a vehicle. In this case, the aim is in particular to override or end a speed or acceleration specification of the driver assistance system for the vehicle in the autonomous or automated driving mode.In the method, a manual input by a driver of the vehicle is first detected or determined in order to adapt a reference speed predefined by the driver assistance system by means of the speed control to a desired speed. The manual input or actuation thus brings about a speed change or speed adaptation of the current vehicle speed, which has previously been held or controlled automatically by the driver assistance system. In response to the input, the vehicle may thus be braked or accelerated. For this purpose, the driver can actuate a corresponding control element of the vehicle, such as, for example, a gas or brake pedal. The control element can comprise a sensor system with one or more sensors in order to measure or detect the input.Subsequently, at least one situation parameter is determined in the method. The situation parameter describes an off-board or in-vehicle vehicle situation. In other words, the situation parameter specifies a scenario in the environment of the vehicle or in the vehicle interior or the "vehicle" system. The situation parameter determined is also assigned to the input. This means that the situation parameter preferably occurs simultaneously with the input. The vehicle situation is thus a scenario that exists when the driver makes or executes the input. The input is related to the situation parameter.A driver's wish of the driver associated with the input and the at least one situation parameter is then determined from a plurality of categories. The categories include temporary override of the cruise control, permanent override of the cruise control, or abort of the cruise control. The driver's intention is thus in particular distinguishable into three categories, of which one can be selected. The selection is made depending on the input and the situation parameter.Next, depending on the selected category of the driver's wish, the speed control is either temporarily or permanently overdriven by means of the desired speed according to the input, or the speed control is terminated. That is, the selected category determines how far the speed control is adjusted (temporary override or abort).The described method has the advantage that the availability of the autonomous vehicle control can be increased, in particular with respect to the automated speed control, even if the driver manually engages in the vehicle control. The manual intervention is namely interpreted depending on the situation, in order to estimate the driver's wish in connection with the functionality of the speed control. As a result, a method can be implemented which reacts to manual braking and / or acceleration by the driver during a driver assistance system-based car drive depending on the situation, interprets these correspondingly differently and which consequently minimizes the need for manual adaptation or readjustment of the autonomous driving parameters after the manual intervention has taken place.Thus, in principle, in addition to the termination of the assistance by the driver assistance system, the manual brake or accelerator pedal actuation can mean, for example, a temporary or long-term deceleration or acceleration (speed adaptation), but can also symbolise the desire for a greater or lesser minimum distance. In addition, this can additionally and merely represent a precautionary measure within the scope of predictive driving, i.e. be a reaction to external events. This includes, for example, the driver's wish to provide a temporary deceleration or acceleration in order to simplify the change of lane for a further road user who will intentionally make a lane change. In other cases, the manual brake or accelerator pedal actuation can also mean the desire to take over all driving activities by the driver.In the described method, it is thus possible to distinguish between the following five scenarios, for example:wish for temporary acceleration, for example for a singular passing maneuver;desire for a temporary delay, such as an unscheduled speed reduction, due to a temporary safety need;desire for a basic acceleration (permanent), for example when the general directional speed is increased;desire for a basic delay (permanent), for example when the directional speed is generally reduced;Wish for a system shutdown, i.e. a break or termination of the speed control per se.In addition, the safety and comfort and user-friendliness for the driver assistance system can thus be increased. Namely, the system responds to manual inputs depending on the situation and can adjust the driver's assistance as needed. In addition, manual adjustments by the driver are minimized because the manual interventions are intelligently interpreted. This saves time and effort of the driver. In addition, the flexibility in the driving mode can also be adapted for the driver in this way. For example, it is possible for the driver to express various driver requests, such as temporary acceleration, deceleration, adjustment of the minimum distance, or the request to take over control of the vehicle. This offers a wider range of driver experience.In the present invention, a driver assistance system can be understood to mean an electronic vehicle guidance system. This is in particular an electronic system which is configured to guide a vehicle fully automatically or fully autonomously, in particular without an intervention in a control by a driver being required. The vehicle or the driver assistance system automatically performs all the required functions. These include in particular driving maneuvers, such as steering, braking and / or acceleration maneuvers, the observation and detection of the road traffic, and corresponding reactions thereto. However, a driver assistance system can also be understood to mean an electronic system which assists the driver in partially automated or partially autonomous driving. Such partially automated systems are generally referred to as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).The invention is preferably a driver assistance system for speed control. This is therefore a driver assistance system with which the vehicle speed can be influenced or controlled. The driver assistance system can be designed, for example, as a cruise control system, lane keeping assistant, lane change assistant, adaptive distance and speed regulation system, construction site assistant and / or speed limit assistant (road sign recognition), to name just a few examples here.The selection or assignment of the categories for the driver's request to the input and the respective situation parameter can be effected, for example, by means of an assignment rule. The assignment rule can be stored, for example, as a function, list or table, in particular as a so-called look-up table. In this case, the assignment rule contains, for example, a stored or assigned driver request category for each combination of input and situation parameter(s). Preferably, a driver request category can be provided for a group of two or more different situation parameters. With the known input and the known situation parameter or parameters, the driver's request category can thus be read out particularly easily from the assignment rule.In the invention, the adaptation of the speed control takes place by temporary or permanent override or the speed control is terminated. Oversteering means, in particular, that the desired speed according to the input is adopted by the driver assistance system for the speed control, in particular as a setpoint speed or output variable. The override thus causes the desired speed to be used instead of the reference speed.Temporary means here that the override takes place for a predetermined time interval, i.e. temporarily or with a limited time. For example, the override may be performed only as long as the input is made or performed. Additionally or alternatively, the temporary override may be maintained after the input is ended, for example, for a certain period of time.Here, permanent means that the override takes place infinitely in time. That is, for example, even after the input is ended, the driver assistance system can take over the desired speed as a new setpoint speed or output variable for the speed control.The termination of the speed control means in particular that the autonomous driving mode is ended. That is, the driver takes over the vehicle control at or from this time. The driver assistance system is deactivated in particular. Thus, the switch is made from the automated driving mode to the manual driving mode.The invention includes embodiments which provide additional advantages.According to one embodiment, a duration and / or an intensity of the input is detected as the at least one situation parameter. The category is selected depending on the duration and / or intensity of the input. This is thus an in-vehicle situation parameter.The duration describes a time interval for which the input is made or executed. The duration of the input can be determined, for example, on the basis of an input signal which the sensor system of the control element outputs or generates when the driver actuates the control element. In connection with the duration, it is possible to distinguish, for example, between a tapping and a holding or pressing through of the control element. For example, tapping may be understood as a desire for temporary override, while holding or pressing is interpreted as permanent override.The intensity describes in particular the severity or balance with which the input is carried out. It can describe the energy flow per time and area as a physical variable upon actuation of the control element. The intensity can be measured, for example, in the form of a force profile by means of the sensor system, which the driver executes when the input is actuated. For example, three or more intensity levels can be provided for the input, each with an increasing intensity. For example, the lowest intensity level may be interpreted as temporary override, while the medium intensity level is interpreted as permanent override, and the highest intensity level is interpreted as abort, for example.According to one specific embodiment, a traffic situation in the surroundings of the vehicle is detected as the at least one situation parameter. The category is selected depending on the traffic situation. This is thus a situation parameter external to the vehicle.The traffic situation refers in particular to a scenario in the environment of the vehicle that relates to other vehicles and / or relates to a traffic infrastructure, such as traffic signs, a construction site and / or the traffic guidance. In the context of other vehicles or other vehicles, the situation parameter may be, for example, a distance, a speed, a number and / or a position of the vehicles in the environment relative to the ego vehicle. The vehicle situation parameter can thus indicate information about the traffic flow in the environment of the vehicle.If, for example, an increased traffic flow is detected on the basis of the vehicle situation parameters, the input can be interpreted as a permanent override or, for example, as a break. If, for example, only one other vehicle is located in the environment that is travelling more slowly than the ego vehicle, the input can, on the other hand, be interpreted, for example, as a temporary override, for example, for carrying out an overtaking maneuver.In connection with the traffic infrastructure, the situation parameter can be, for example, a speed notice, a restriction or constraint of the roadway and / or a state of the roadway. Thus, if, for example, the infrastructure situation parameter indicates the state of the roadway as curved in sections, the input can be interpreted as temporary. If, on the other hand, an increase or reduction in the directional speed is detected as an infrastructure situation parameter, the input can be interpreted as a driver's request for permanent override.The traffic situation can be detected, for example, by means of a surrounding area sensor system of the vehicle. For this purpose, the environment sensor system may include one or more environment sensors such as a camera, a lidar sensor, a radar sensor and / or an ultrasonic sensor. The environment can be detected or recorded in a known manner using the environment sensor system and the detected environment data can be interpreted in order to recognize objects in the environment and / or their state. For this purpose, the vehicle can execute or perform, for example, an algorithm for object recognition and / or pattern recognition or a so-called computer vision algorithm.According to one specific embodiment, a preceding driving behavior of the driver is ascertained as the at least one situation parameter. The category is selected depending on the preceding driving behavior. This is thus an in-vehicle situation parameter. Alternatively, it may be a combination of an in-vehicle and out-of-vehicle situation parameter, for example. This is the case, for example, when the driving behavior is matched to the respective surrounding situation or traffic situation or is associated therewith.The preceding driving behavior in the present case means in particular an operating history of the vehicle control by the driver. For this purpose, manual vehicle control data of the driver can be collected and / or stored. The vehicle control data may include, for example, those inputs made by the driver in the past. Additionally, the data may include, for example, a time, location, and / or traffic situation in the environment. Additionally, for example, corrective interventions into the automated vehicle control can be detected in the vehicle control data when the input has been implemented by the vehicle, for example, and the driver then engages in the vehicle control in a corrective fashion. Overall, a vehicle driving profile can thus be created, on the basis of which the driving behavior or the driving style of the driver can be derived.For example, it may be seen from the vehicle driving profile that the driver does not wish to have long-lasting delays in the working path. If the driver now makes the input, then it can be checked whether historical vehicle control data are stored in the vehicle driving profile corresponding to the input and / or the further vehicle control data. The driver's wish can then be interpreted accordingly. If it is determined, for example, on the basis of the further vehicle control data acquired that the driver is currently located on the working path, each input can be interpreted, for example, as a temporary override.Additionally or alternatively, it is conceivable that a current driver state and / or occupant state of the driver or of an occupant in the vehicle is determined as the at least one situation parameter. The condition may relate to a health well being, for example. The category is then to be selected depending on the condition. Thus, for example, an unintentional input which the driver makes, for example, in the event of a never-rise or stress can be detected or, for example, the inattentiveness of the driver for the traffic can be detected and the driver's intention can be matched accordingly thereto.Additionally or alternatively, the situation parameter may indicate the vehicle state of the vehicle and select the category depending on the vehicle state, for example. For this purpose, a speed sensor system may be provided, for example, which includes one or more speed sensors, with which a vehicle speed can be detected as the vehicle state.According to one embodiment, in response to the adaptation of the speed control depending on the respective category, a haptic feedback to the input is output to the driver. This means that a feedback can be output to the driver on a category-specific basis, which feedback depends on how the system has interpreted the driver's intention. This allows the communication between the system and the driver to be improved. The feedback allows the driver to understand the system decisions and correct them as needed. This increases transparency and driver system interaction may be improved.In this connection, according to one embodiment, it is provided that the haptic feedback comprises a locking of a control element of the vehicle for making the input in a predetermined position and / or the haptic feedback comprises an increase of a resistance of a control element of the vehicle for making the input.Here, the locking means that the control element retains, for example, the position or position assumed by the input even after the input by the driver has ended. Increasing the resistance, which is to be understood in particular as a mechanical follow-up resistance, has the effect that the driver has to apply more force for making a further input. Preferably, the latching and the increasing of the follow-up resistance can be implemented together as haptic feedback.For example, the interpretation of the driver's wish can be symbolized as a permanent override by locking in a position with increased follow resistance. Feedback comprising double locking in two different positions one after the other with a reduced follow-up resistance can be used, for example, if the driver's wish has been interpreted as aborting the speed control. If, for example, there is no haptic feedback in response to the adapted speed control, the driver can be understood to mean that the driver's wish has been interpreted as temporary oversteering. Alternatively, it is conceivable, for example, to provide a plurality of latching stages or clicks depending on the driver's intention interpretation. Additionally or alternatively, in connection with this, for example, a plurality of different resistance thresholds can be provided, each having a different resistance to one another.As a result, the system decision, i.e. the interpretation of the input as a function of the situation parameter, can be fed back to the driver by means of the haptic feedback, for example at the control element. The feedback may include, for example, symbolically engaging a pedal with increased follow-up resistance. This feedback represents that the new speed, i.e. the input according to the desired speed, is held on the basis of the system interpretation of the process. In this case, the driver has the possibility, for example, of cancelling the determination, that is to say the locking, by briefly tapping the control element or another control element. The system may then interpret the desired acceleration or deceleration against the original assumption as a temporary desire, for example. Conversely, it is directly comprehensible to the driver that, without haptic feedback at the corresponding control element, manual braking or acceleration is interpreted as temporary. A different type of haptic feedback, such as a double clicking or locking with temporarily reduced follow-on resistance, can, on the other hand, provide the driver with the understanding that his input was understood as a break in autonomous driving assistance.Additionally or alternatively, it is conceivable, for example, to output a vibration signal to the control element as haptic feedback. For this purpose, the control element can be equipped, for example, with an electric motor.According to one embodiment, the input and / or the situation parameter is detected by means of an actuation of a foot lever carried out by the driver as a control element of the vehicle.The foot lever can also be referred to as a foot pedal. It can be, for example, a gas or brake pedal, as is usually installed in conventional vehicles. The input can be measured, for example, by means of one or more sensors on the pedal or provided, for example, by an engine control unit of the vehicle. For this purpose, the sensor can comprise a pedal travel sensor.Alternatively, a hand lever or operating element can be provided as a control element, for example. In conventional vehicles, such a hand lever is installed, for example, on the steering wheel or steering grip. The hand lever can be designed, for example, as a rocker switch.For use cases or application situations which can arise in the method and which are not explicitly described here, provision can be made for an error message and / or a request for inputting a user feedback to be output and / or for a default setting and / or a predetermined initial state to be set according to the method.According to one aspect, the invention also relates to a control device for manually adapting an automated speed control of a driver assistance system for a vehicle. The control device is configured to acquire an input signal in response to a manual input by a driver of the vehicle in order to adapt a reference speed predefined by the driver assistance system by means of the speed control to a desired speed. The input signal can be generated by the aforementioned sensor system, for example, and provided to the control device.Furthermore, the control device is designed to ascertain at least one situation parameter which describes a vehicle situation external or in-vehicle, and which is associated with the input. The determination here can comprise the receipt or detection of the situation parameter from a suitable vehicle sensor system, as has been described above by way of example.Furthermore, the control device is designed to ascertain a driver's wish of the driver, which wish is associated with the input signal, in particular on the basis of the input signal, from a plurality of categories, the categories containing a temporary override of the speed control or a permanent override of the speed control or a termination of the speed control.Depending on the category of the driver's wish, the control device is also designed to actuate the vehicle or the driver assistance system with a control signal for temporarily or permanently overriding the speed control by means of the desired speed according to the input or for aborting the speed control.In other words, the control device can be designed or configured to carry out or carry out a method as has been described above by way of example. In particular, the control device executes the method described above or individual steps thereof.The control device can have a data processing device or a processor device which is configured to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. For this purpose, the processor device can have at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one FPGA (field programmable gate array) and / or at least one DSP (digital signal processor). In particular, a CPU (central processing unit), a GPU (graphic processing unit) or an NPU (neural processing unit) can be used as the microprocessor in each case. Furthermore, the processor device can have program code which is configured to carry out the embodiment of the method according to the invention when executed by the processor device. The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor device. The processor device can be based on at least one circuit board and / or on at least one SoC (system on chip), for example.According to one aspect, the invention also relates to a vehicle having a corresponding control device as has been described above. The control device may be configured as an electronic control unit (ECU) or an onboard computer of the vehicle, for example. In addition to the control device, the vehicle can comprise, for example, the driver assistance system mentioned at the beginning, a corresponding vehicle sensor system for detecting the input and / or the traffic situation and / or the preceding driving behavior, and, for example, the control element or elements for actuation by the driver. The vehicle is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a motor vehicle, such as, for example, as a passenger car or truck or as a passenger bus or motorcycle.The invention also includes developments of the control device according to the invention and of the vehicle according to the invention, which have features as have already been described in connection with the developments of the method according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding developments of the control device according to the invention and of the vehicle according to the invention are not described again here.The invention also includes the combinations of the features of the described embodiments. The invention therefore also comprises implementations which each have a combination of the features of a plurality of the described embodiments, provided that the embodiments have not been described as mutually exclusive.Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. The following shows: FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a vehicle having a control device for manually adapting an automated speed control of a driver assistance system for the vehicle; and FIG. 2 shows a schematic method flow diagram for a method for operating the control device according to FIG. 1.The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual features of the invention that are to be considered independently of one another and that also develop the invention independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure is intended to include combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those illustrated. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention that have already been described.In the figures, identical reference numerals designate functionally identical elements.In modern vehicles, there is the possibility that a driver can be assisted by a driver assistance system or electronic vehicle guidance system in the driving task, i.e. in the control of the vehicle. There are, for example, driver assistance systems for controlling the speed of the vehicle. Such a driver assistance system can be, for example, a cruise control system or a distance keeping assistant, to name just a few examples here. The speed control means here that the driver assistance system actuates the vehicle, in particular for example a vehicle engine, with a speed or acceleration specification, so that the vehicle assumes a specified reference speed. The function of driver assistance systems for speed control is known per se and is therefore not explained in more detail here.There may be situations where, however, a driver of the vehicle wishes to manually adjust the reference speed of the driver assistance system. The adaptation can comprise an override or termination of the driver assistance function. In vehicle technology, oversteering is also referred to as braking and acceleration without termination. In this case, actuation of the accelerator pedal or brake pedal by the driver does not lead to termination of the driving assistance by the system, but rather to an acceleration or deceleration of the reference speed of the driver assistance system to a desired speed which is predefined by the manual input.Independently of the specific driver assistance system, the functionality implemented by the actuation of the accelerator pedal or brake pedal has a strict controlling effect, but not a regulating effect. It is unidirectional. Specifically, the driver input, i.e., the manual input for acceleration or deceleration, is either temporarily implemented before the directional speed or reference speed is sought again. Or the directional speed is adjusted directly and without time limitation on the basis of the brake or accelerator pedal actuation.During temporary oversteering, the driver can thus, for example, input a reference speed in the autonomous driving mode at 100 km / h and thereby temporarily accelerate to 120 km / h, for example, for a passing maneuver. Once the driver releases the accelerator pedal again, the vehicle continues to drive fully autonomously at the original 100 km / h. The oversteering without time limiting, also referred to as permanent oversteering below, can be implemented, for example, in that the driver is supplying gas at, for example, 100 km / h during autonomous driving and thus accelerates to 120 km / h for the passing maneuver. However, once the driver releases the accelerator pedal again, the vehicle maintains the current speed and thus continues to drive fully autonomously at 120 km / h.This functionality may compromise the vehicle system and repeatedly result in a mismatch between driver demand and system response to the input. This in turn forces the driver to make a corrective response. For example, it often happens that the system either breaks down and then has to be reactivated by the driver, returns to the old speed after the tip-in and the new speed thus has to be set manually, or after the tip-in holds the new speed and then has to be readjusted to the old or original reference speed. The following exemplary embodiments are now intended to describe a possibility for avoiding, for example, the aforementioned scenarios which, after temporary or permanent braking or acceleration during the (partially) autonomous driving, force a new manual adaptation of the autonomous driving parameters.For this purpose, FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 10 in a schematic illustration from a lateral perspective illustration. The vehicle 10 is designed, for example, as a passenger car. The vehicle 10 comprises a driver assistance system 11 by means of which, for example, the speed control described at the beginning can be implemented for setting to the reference speed of the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 further includes a controller 12, for example, the controller 12 may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers. The control device 12 may be understood as an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle 10, for example. The control device 12 should be able to adapt the speed control of the driver assistance system 11, that is to say to override or end it, for example. The adaptation takes place depending on an input which a driver 17 of the vehicle 10 takes to set a desired speed of the vehicle 10 instead of the reference speed.The driver 17 makes the input by means of a respective control element 13 of the vehicle 10. The pedal may be configured as, for example, an accelerator pedal or brake pedal of the vehicle 10. For detecting the input, i.e. the actuation of the foot lever by the driver 17, the control element 13 comprises an input sensor system 14. the input sensor system 14 can comprise, for example, a pedal signal transmitter with which it can be measured whether and how strongly the respective pedal is pressed. The resulting sensor signal with the measurement result can be transmitted or transmitted by the input sensor system 14 to the control device 12 in the form of an input signal E.In addition, the pedal value transmitter can also be used, for example, to record or measure a duration and / or intensity with which the input is carried out. The information about the type of input can likewise be transmitted or transmitted to the control device 12 by means of the input sensor system 14, for example in the form of a corresponding situation parameter P. In connection with the input, the situation parameter P is in particular an in-vehicle situation parameter.Furthermore, the vehicle 10 comprises an environment sensor system 15, by means of which an environment of the vehicle, such as a traffic situation, can be detected or recorded. For this purpose, the environment sensor system 15 can have, for example, one or more environment sensors, as are used in vehicles in a known manner. In the present exemplary embodiment, the environment sensor is, for example, a camera. Image data that the camera records from the environment can be evaluated using a computing unit of the environment sensor system according to previously known pattern or object recognition algorithms. As a result, the evaluation supplies information about objects and / or the state of the environment and can describe a traffic situation in the vehicle environment, for example. The information can contain, for example, an indication as to how many and in which position other vehicles are located in the environment to the vehicle 10 and / or, for example, as to a roadway state or roadway course on the currently traveled route section.The information about the traffic situation can be transmitted to the control device 12 by the environment sensor system 15 in the form of one or more corresponding situation parameters P which describe the traffic situation. In connection with the traffic situation, the situation parameter or parameters P are external situation parameters.The control device 12 can acquire or receive the input signal E and one or more of the situation parameters P mentioned and evaluate them in the manner described in more detail below by way of example in order to adapt the speed control. This means that the control device 12 can interpret a driver's intention of the driver 17 in a suitable manner as a function of the input and the vehicle situation on-board or off-board, and specifically in such a way that preferably as far as possible no correction reaction by the driver 17 is required.In order to inform the driver 17 the interpretation of the driver's intention or to make it transparent, the vehicle 10 additionally comprises a feedback actuator system 16. By means of the feedback actuator system 16, a haptic feedback F can be output to the control element, which the driver 17 can perceive. For this purpose, the feedback actuator 16 can have at least one communication sensor. The haptic feedback F can be, for example, a locking of the foot lever in a predetermined position. Additionally or alternatively, the haptic feedback can comprise that a mechanical resistance for actuating the pedal is increased or reduced depending on the interpretation of the driver's wish W.An exemplary method for operating the control device 12 or the vehicle 10 for manually adapting the automated speed control of the driver assistance system 11 for the vehicle 10 will now be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows an exemplary schematic method flow diagram with individual method steps.In a step S 1, the input signal E is first detected. The input signal E contains information for the desired speed to which the vehicle 10 is to be accelerated or decelerated. The input thus brings about a speed change or adaptation of the reference speed.The method is then continued in a step S 2. In step S 2, at least one situation parameter P, i.e. one or more of the situation parameters P described above, is determined. The respective situation parameter P indicates a vehicle situation external or in-vehicle and is assigned to the input. That is, the situation parameter P preferably occurs simultaneously with the input.In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, for example, the duration and / or intensity of the input are indicated as the in-vehicle situation parameter P. As the out-of-vehicle situation parameter P, for example, the traffic situation in the vicinity of the vehicle 10 is detected.The method is then continued in a step S 3. In step S 3, a driver's wish W of the driver 17 assigned to the input and to the respective situation parameter P is determined. For this purpose, the driver's wish W is selected, for example, from one of a plurality of categories. The categories include temporary override of the cruise control, permanent override of the cruise control, or abort of the cruise control. The driver's wish W is thus distinguishable into three categories, one of which is selected. The selection can be made, for example, by means of an assignment rule. The assignment rule can be present, for example, as a so-called look-up table. A driver's wish category is stored or assigned in the assignment rule for each combination of the input and the one or more situation parameters P.The method is then continued in a step S 4. In step S 4, depending on the selected category of the driver's wish W, the speed control is either temporarily or permanently overdriven, namely by means of the desired speed according to the input, or the speed control is discontinued, i.e. ended. For this purpose, the control device 12 can output a corresponding control signal S to the driver assistance system 11, for example.When the control signal S is applied, the driver assistance system 11 for the temporary override can use the desired speed temporarily or temporarily, i.e. for example only as long as the input is made, instead of the reference speed for the speed control. For the permanent override, on the other hand, the driver assistance system 11 can, in response to the application of the control signal S, permanently take over the desired speed as a new reference speed for the speed control, even after the input by the driver 17 has ended. If, on the other hand, the termination of the speed control is to be implemented with the control signal S, the driver assistance system 11 can end the speed control when the control signal S is applied. Then, the driver 17 performs the vehicle control. Thus, a switch is made from an autonomous driving mode to a manual driving mode.As an example of a further situation parameter P, a preceding driving behavior of the driver can be determined and the category can be selected as a function of the preceding driving behavior.The driving behavior may indicate an operation history of the vehicle control by the driver, for example. These can include, for example, reactions of the driver to road traffic and / or correction reactions to the implementation of the driver assistance system 11.In summary, thus, to manually adjust the cruise control, various sensors may continuously acquire data including, for example, information about the vehicle dynamics, environment, and / or behavior of the driver. The collected data is processed and preferably analyzed in real time. This requires powerful pattern recognition computers and algorithms, which may be provided by the controller 12, for example.The software of the system, in the present case thus of the control device 12, analyzes this sensor data in order to interpret the driver's wish W. This can be done on the basis of the intensity and / or duration of the brake and / or accelerator pedal actuation and other vehicle data, such as the situation parameters P described above. The system then detects whether, for example, driver braking during an autonomous driving operation is a temporary deceleration desire by considering various factors and sensor data: for example, the driving behavior and duration of the manual brake operation may be monitored. If the driver briefly tips or only slightly actuates the brake pedal as control element 13, for example, this can be interpreted as a temporary desire for deceleration, for example.Additionally, the environment of the vehicle 10 may be monitored, including, for example, other road users and road conditions. The monitoring is carried out in particular by means of the environment sensor system 15. If there is no immediate risk or a long-lasting traffic situation (traffic jam or construction site) which would require a permanent delay, a temporary wish for speed adaptation can be deduced on the input. The system may also take into account the previous driving style and the typical behavior of the driver 17. For example, if the driver 17 normally does not wish to have long lasting delays, this can be taken into account in the decision making for the selection of categories.In addition, a haptic feedback F can be output at the brake pedal, for example. If the driver 17 briefly taps the pedal and receives a specific haptic feedback that indicates a temporary deceleration and the driver 17 then no longer engages, this can be interpreted as an indication that the driver's request W has been correctly understood. Naturally, however, the driver can, for example, make or perform a correction input in response to the haptic feedback F, whereupon the category of the original driver's wish W is adapted or changed and the speed control is adapted again accordingly.The combination of these factors and, for example, the described sensor system allows the system to interpret the driver's intention W more accurately and ensure that it responds, for example, appropriately to temporary deceleration requests without the need to undertake unnecessary adaptations or correction reactions by the driver 17.Based on the interpretation of the driver's wish W, the system makes decisions as to how it should react to the manual input. This can comprise the adaptation of the vehicle speed, the distance to other vehicles or the takeover of vehicle control. The system communicates its decision to the driver 17 through the haptic feedback F, for example, at the brake and accelerator pedal, to ensure that the driver 17 understands the system decision.Unlike the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, the control device 11 can, for example, directly control the vehicle 10 or vehicle actuators themselves with the control signal S for adapting the speed control. That is, the system may control the vehicle 10 itself to implement the driver's intention W. This may include activating the brakes, the accelerator pedal, or other vehicle systems. In addition, driving conditions of the driving behavior are continuously monitored to make further adjustments in speed control as needed.Overall, the exemplary embodiments show adaptive driving assistance with intuitive driver interaction for break-free braking and acceleration.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedUS 2020 / 0017124 A1

[0004] US 2019 / 0064805 A1

[0005] DE 10 2019 835 A1

[0006]

Claims

Method for manually adapting an automated speed control of a driver assistance system (1) for a vehicle (10), comprising the following steps: - detecting a manual input of a driver (17) of the vehicle (10) for adapting a reference speed, which is specified by the driver assistance system (11) by means of the speed control, to a desired speed, characterized by: - determining at least one situation parameter (P) which describes an off-board or on-board vehicle situation and which is associated with the input, - determining a driver request (W) of the driver (17), which request is associated with the input and the at least one situation parameter (P), from a plurality of categories, wherein the categories contain a temporary override of the speed control or a permanent override of the speed control or a termination of the speed control, depending on the category of the driver's wish (W): temporary or permanent override of the speed control by means of the desired speed input or abort of the speed control.Method according to claim 1, wherein as said at least one situation parameter (P) a duration and / or an intensity of said input is detected and said category is selected depending on said duration and / or said intensity of said input.Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a traffic situation in the environment of the vehicle (10) is detected as the at least one situation parameter (P) and the category is selected as a function of the traffic situation.Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a preceding driving behavior of the driver (17) is determined as the at least one situation parameter (P) and the category is selected as a function of the preceding driving behavior.Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein in response to adjusting the speed control depending on the respective category, a haptic feedback (F) is output to the input at the driver (17).The method of claim 5, wherein the haptic feedback (F) comprises locking a control element (13) of the vehicle (10) for making the input in a predetermined position and / or the haptic feedback (F) comprises increasing a resistance of a control element (13) of the vehicle (10) for making the input.Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the input and / or the situation parameter (P) is detected by means of an actuation of a foot lever carried out by the driver (17) as a control element (13) of the vehicle (10).Control device (12) for manually adapting an automated speed control of a driver assistance system (11) for a vehicle (10), wherein the control device (12) is designed to: - determine an input signal (E) in response to a manual input by a driver (17) of the vehicle (10) for adapting a reference speed predefined by the driver assistance system (11) by means of the speed control to a desired speed, - determine at least one situation parameter (P) which describes an off-board or on-board vehicle situation and which is associated with the input, - determine a driver request (W) of the driver (17) associated with the input and the at least one situation parameter (P) from a plurality of categories, wherein the categories contain a temporary override of the speed control or a permanent override of the speed control or an abort of the speed control, depending on the category of the driver's wish (W): the vehicle (10) is to be controlled with a control signal (S) for temporarily or permanently overriding the speed control by means of the desired speed as input or for terminating the speed control.Vehicle (10) comprising a control device (12) according to claim 8.

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