Method for operating a control unit for a motor vehicle for determining a road condition of a road section ahead, corresponding control unit for a motor vehicle and computer program product

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a control unit for a motor vehicle (1) for determining a road condition of a road section (5) ahead, wherein environmental data describing an environment (2) of the motor vehicle (1) are detected at least temporarily by means of an environment detection device (6) of the motor vehicle (1). It is provided that first environmental data for a first road section (4) currently being traveled on by the motor vehicle (1) and second environmental data for a second road section (5) ahead in the direction of travel are determined from the environmental data, wherein a road condition of the first road section (4) is determined from the first environmental data, and a road condition of the second road section (5) is inferred from the road condition and the second environmental data.The invention further relates to a control device for a motor vehicle (1) for determining a road condition of a road section (5) ahead and to a computer program product.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for operating a control unit for a motor vehicle for determining a road condition of a road section ahead, wherein environmental data describing an environment of the motor vehicle are detected at least temporarily by means of an environment detection device of the motor vehicle, wherein first environmental data for a first road section currently being traveled by the motor vehicle and second environmental data for a second road section ahead in the direction of travel are determined from the environmental data, wherein a road condition of the first road section is determined from the first environmental data and a road condition of the second road section is inferred from the road condition and from the second environmental data. The invention further relates to a control unit for a motor vehicle for determining a road condition of a road section ahead and to a computer program product.

[0002] For example, the prior art document DE 10 2020 000 799 A1 is known. This document describes a method for determining a risk of aquaplaning, in which water thrown up by the rolling of at least one tire on a road surface is detected by at least one sensor included in a ego vehicle, and the sensor generates data that is evaluated by a computing device. It is provided that the at least one tire throwing up the water is included in another vehicle traveling ahead of the ego vehicle; and a measure of a potentially existing risk of aquaplaning is calculated based on the evaluated sensor data.

[0003] Furthermore, the document DE 10 2019 212 668 A1 discloses a method for real-time determination of a surface condition of a roadway currently traveled by a vehicle, comprising: optically detecting, in a plurality of discrete wavelengths or wavelength ranges, the light reflected from a surface of a roadway section illuminated by a light source with known properties at the discrete wavelengths or wavelength ranges; determining the ratios of light incident on the roadway surface and reflected light at the plurality of discrete wavelengths or wavelength ranges to one another; providing reference values of the ratios of incident and reflected light at the plurality of discrete wavelengths or wavelength ranges to one another for a plurality of surface conditions of a plurality of different road surfaces;and comparing the ratios of incident and reflected light determined for the roadway section at the plurality of discrete wavelengths or wavelength ranges with the reference values provided for the plurality of surface conditions for a plurality of different road surfaces, wherein the degree of agreement of the ratios of incident and reflected light with the corresponding reference values indicates a probability of the presence of a particular road surface and surface condition;

[0004] The document DE 10 2023 004 981 A1 discloses a method for determining a road section with a risk of aquaplaning. The vehicles in a vehicle fleet continuously transmit information describing their respective location-specific control behavior to a central computing device, which aggregates the information and determines a road-section-specific standard control behavior for respective road sections of a road network from the resulting historical data. The computing device compares a current control behavior with the standard control behavior for a road section. The computing device assigns a risk of aquaplaning to the road section if the current control behavior deviates from the standard control behavior by a specified amount.

[0005] The document DE 10 2016 122 987 A1 relates to a method for the proactive determination of a risk of aquaplaning for a motor vehicle, wherein a first item of environmental information relating to a current location at which the motor vehicle is currently located is determined by means of a sensor, the risk of aquaplaning is classified as either present or non-present depending on the first item of environmental information and, at least in the event that the risk of aquaplaning has been classified as present, a second item of environmental information relating to a section of road ahead is received by the motor vehicle from a device external to the motor vehicle.Furthermore, depending on the second environmental information, it is determined whether the risk of aquaplaning for the section of road ahead is at least as high as the current location according to a predetermined criterion, and at least under the first condition that the determination shows that the risk of aquaplaning is at least as high according to the predetermined criterion, a function of the motor vehicle is automatically activated.

[0006] Furthermore, the document DE 10 2019 218 461 A1 is known from the prior art.

[0007] It is an object of the invention to propose a method for operating a control unit for a motor vehicle which has advantages over known methods, in particular determines the road condition of the road section ahead particularly reliably and with high accuracy.

[0008] This is achieved according to the invention with a method for operating a control unit for a motor vehicle having the features of claim 1.

[0009] It is provided that a correlation is determined from the road condition of the first road section and second environmental data determined for an earlier first point in time, wherein the road condition of the second road section is inferred on the basis of the correlation and second environmental data determined for a later, in particular currently available, second point in time, and / or that the second environmental data determined for the earlier first point in time and the second environmental data determined for the later second point in time are related to one another and the road condition of the second road section is inferred on the basis of the road condition of the first road section and the relationship.

[0010] from the environmental data, first environmental data for a first road section currently being traveled by the motor vehicle and second environmental data for a second road section ahead in the direction of travel are determined, wherein a road condition of the first road section is determined from the first environmental data and a road condition of the second road section is inferred from the road condition and from the second environmental data.

[0011] Advantageous embodiments with useful further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments explained in the description are not limiting; rather, any variations of the features disclosed in the description, the claims, and the figures are feasible.

[0012] The method serves to operate the control unit, which is preferably a component of the motor vehicle. Of course, the control unit can also be separate from the motor vehicle, in particular up to the point where the control unit is mounted on or in the motor vehicle. The method can also be used to operate the motor vehicle of which the control unit is a component. Specifically, the method serves to determine the road surface condition of the road section ahead.

[0013] A roadway section is a section of a roadway on which a motor vehicle is traveling in one direction. The motor vehicle is located on a first roadway section and is moving toward the roadway section ahead, also referred to as the second roadway section. The motor vehicle is located directly on the first roadway section, but is blocked in the direction of travel by the second roadway section. Consequently, the motor vehicle is moving at its current speed, starting from the first roadway section, toward the second roadway section ahead in the direction of travel.

[0014] Typically, the road condition of the second road section can only be estimated, namely using the environmental data acquired by the environmental detection device. The environmental data is acquired using the environmental detection device in such a way that the environmental data describe the second road section. It is known from the prior art to evaluate the environment of a motor vehicle traveling ahead of the motor vehicle in order to, for example, detect water thrown up by the vehicle and, from this, determine the presence of water on the second road section. However, this procedure is inaccurate.

[0015] It is intended that the control unit be supplied with the environmental data acquired using the environmental detection device of the motor vehicle. The environmental detection device essentially serves to detect the environment or surroundings of the motor vehicle using at least one sensor, preferably using multiple sensors. In particular, one or more of the following sensors are used as the sensor or sensors: radar sensor, sonar sensor or ultrasonic sensor, lidar sensor, laser sensor or laser scanner, infrared sensor, and image sensor or camera.

[0016] The first environmental data and the second environmental data are determined from the environmental data. The first environmental data describe the first road section currently being traveled by the motor vehicle, and the second environmental data describe the second road section that lies ahead of the first road section or the motor vehicle in the direction of travel. Thus, different environmental data are available: the first environmental data for the first road section and the second environmental data for the second road section.

[0017] The road condition of the first road section is determined from the first environmental data, whereby this road condition can also be referred to as the first road condition. The first road condition describes the condition of the road section on which the motor vehicle is currently located. The first road condition can be determined with a high degree of accuracy because the environment detection device directly detects the influence of the motor vehicle on the first road section and / or the influence of the first road section on the motor vehicle or its driving behavior. For example, the environment detection device can be used to detect water that is stirred up by the motor vehicle when driving on the first road section.Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle's steering angle or a temporal progression of the steering angle is evaluated to assess the vehicle's handling. The greater the amount of water stirred up or the more pronounced the vehicle's swaying on the road, the worse the initial road condition is assessed.

[0018] Based on the first road condition of the first road section, the road condition of the second road section is then determined, whereby this road condition is also referred to as the second road condition. The first road condition, which exists in the first road section, is therefore extrapolated to the second road section in order to determine the second road condition, or the first road condition is extrapolated to determine the second road condition. The second road condition is determined or extrapolated using the second environmental data. For example, it is provided to compare the first environmental data and the second environmental data and to determine the second road condition based on a difference between the environmental data from the first road condition.However, it is particularly preferred to establish a correlation between the first road condition and the second environmental data in order to determine the second road condition based on the correlation. Due to the use of the first environmental data describing the immediate surroundings of the motor vehicle or the first road section, a particularly high accuracy of the second road condition is achieved.

[0019] A further development of the invention provides that an aquaplaning risk and / or a water level of the respective road section is used as the road condition. The road condition therefore describes in particular the risk of aquaplaning or the water level of water present on the road. For example, the aquaplaning risk and the water level are interdependent; in particular, the higher the water level, the higher the aquaplaning risk, and conversely, the lower the water level, the lower the water level. The aquaplaning risk or the water level can be determined particularly precisely using the environmental data in the immediate vicinity of the motor vehicle and can also be extrapolated with high precision to the second road section ahead, so that the second road condition is determined with high accuracy.

[0020] The invention provides that a correlation is determined from the road condition of the first road section and second environmental data determined for an earlier first point in time, wherein the road condition of the second road section is inferred on the basis of the correlation and second environmental data determined for a later, in particular currently existing, second point in time, and / or that the second environmental data determined for the earlier first point in time and the second environmental data determined for the later second point in time are related to one another and the road condition of the second road section is inferred on the basis of the road condition of the first road section and the relationship.

[0021] To determine the road condition of the road section ahead, the second environmental data recorded at different times is used, namely at the first time and at the second time. The second environmental data is therefore available for two different times or is recorded for two different times. At the first time, the motor vehicle is in a first position relative to the roadway and at the second time in a second position. In the first position, the environmental data is recorded and the second environmental data describing the second road section is determined. The motor vehicle then moves further, namely from the first position to the second position. In the second position, it is arranged such that it is on the road section described by the second environmental data in the first position.The previously recorded second roadway section now corresponds to the first roadway section. The roadway section used as the second roadway section at the first point in time is therefore used as the first roadway section at the second point in time, or is present as such.

[0022] This means that for the road section on which the motor vehicle is currently located, both the first environmental data recorded at the second point in time or currently and the second environmental data recorded at the first point in time or previously are available. The two points in time are therefore selected such that the motor vehicle moves from the first position to the second position, in which it is located on the road section that was previously recorded as the second road section in the form of the second environmental data. For example, it is provided for this purpose to continuously store the second environmental data together with a time stamp and, in order to determine the second road state, to determine those second environmental data based on the time stamp which describe the road section that corresponds to the current first road section.For example, the speed and / or direction of travel of the vehicle is used for this purpose.

[0023] Ultimately, therefore, there is a first data set and a second data set for the second environmental data, wherein the second environmental data of the first data set describes the earlier second road section recorded at the first point in time and the current first road section, and the second environmental data of the second data set describes the second road section ahead in the direction of travel at the current point in time. This means that for the first road section on which the motor vehicle is currently located, both first environmental data and second environmental data are available, namely the currently recorded first environmental data and the first data set of the second environmental data recorded at the earlier point in time. In addition, the second environmental data for the second road section is known for the current point in time, namely in the form of the second data set.

[0024] Accordingly, it is known how the environment detection device perceived the second road section at the earlier point in time, and the actual condition of this road section is also known, namely from the first environment data. Accordingly, with knowledge of the currently detected second environment data, conclusions can be drawn about the condition of the second road section ahead. For this purpose, it is preferably provided to determine the correlation from the first road condition and the first data set of the second environment data and then to use this correlation to determine the second road condition using the second data set of the second environment data. The correlation is to be understood in particular as a statistical correlation or a signal correlation.

[0025] In other words, the ultimate goal is to correlate the environmental data recorded at different times—i.e., the second environmental data from the first data set and the second environmental data from the second data set—or to determine a relationship between them. Based on this relationship and the first road condition, the second road condition is then deduced or determined. In any case, this achieves a high degree of accuracy in determining the second road condition, thus ensuring a high level of safety for the motor vehicle.

[0026] A further development of the invention provides that the first environmental data is acquired using at least one of the following sensors: image sensor, steering angle sensor, steering torque sensor, speed sensor, acceleration sensor, yaw rate sensor, and sound sensor. The first environmental data contained in the environmental data can, in principle, be determined using any sensor, provided they describe the first road condition, in particular with high accuracy. In this respect, the environmental detection device can optionally be assigned not only sensors that directly detect the environment, but also those that only indirectly allow conclusions to be drawn about the environment, such as the steering angle sensor, the steering torque sensor, and the like.

[0027] The image sensor is in the form of a camera, for example, which records the surroundings of the motor vehicle. For example, the image sensor is arranged and / or aligned such that its detection area points opposite the direction of travel and / or is angled relative to the direction of travel or a longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle. For example, the detection area is directed backwards or to the side. The image sensor can be used to detect, for example, water thrown up by the motor vehicle. The steering angle sensor describes a currently set steering angle, and the steering torque sensor detects a torque directed at changing the steering angle. Frequent changes in the steering angle and / or low steering torque indicate an increased risk of aquaplaning.

[0028] The speed sensor describes a speed, in particular a wheel speed of at least one wheel of the motor vehicle or an engine speed of at least one engine of the motor vehicle, the acceleration sensor describes an acceleration, in particular a longitudinal acceleration and / or a lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle, and the yaw rate sensor detects a yaw rate of the motor vehicle. The driving behavior of the motor vehicle and thus indirectly the road surface condition can be derived from these variables. The sound sensor describes sound events in the environment of the motor vehicle, thus detecting in particular a sound level and / or a sound frequency in the environment. A measured value from the sound sensor is used to determine the amount of water thrown up or its quantity.

[0029] The stated variables describe the surroundings of the motor vehicle, in particular as a function of a water level of water present on the roadway, in particular in the first roadway section, and in particular they are evaluated to assess the water level. In principle, only a single one of the stated sensors can be used to record the surroundings data or the first surroundings data. However, several or even all of the stated sensors are preferably used. Particularly preferably, at least the image sensor is used to record the surroundings data or the first surroundings data. In addition, at least one of the further stated sensors is optionally used. This enables the first roadway condition to be determined precisely, from which the second roadway condition is subsequently determined.

[0030] A further development of the invention provides that the second environmental data are acquired by means of the image sensor and / or a further image sensor, in particular exclusively. The second environmental data therefore comprise image data or pixel data that are acquired by means of the image sensor or the further image sensor. Preferably, the second environmental data are acquired exclusively by means of the image sensor or the further image sensor, i.e., contain exclusively image data or pixel data. The image data provided by the image sensor or the further image sensor enable a particularly accurate extrapolation of the first road condition of the first road section to the second road section or its second road condition.

[0031] For example, the second environmental data is acquired using the same image sensor with which the first environmental data is acquired. However, the additional image sensor is preferably used, which is different from the image sensor. For example, the image sensor and the additional image sensor are arranged at different locations on the motor vehicle and / or oriented in different directions; in particular, the image sensor is oriented rearward with respect to the longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle, and the additional image sensor is oriented forward. The described procedure enables the second road condition to be determined with high accuracy.

[0032] A further development of the invention provides that a stereo image sensor is used as the image sensor and / or as the additional image sensor. The stereo image sensor has a plurality of partial image sensors, wherein image data is captured by each of the partial image sensors. The partial image sensors are arranged and aligned with one another in such a way that they have an overlapping detection range, so that distances can be determined based on the image data supplied by the stereo image sensor. The use of the stereo image sensor further increases accuracy. In particular, the stereo image sensor is used as an additional image sensor, i.e., for determining the second environmental data. However, the image sensor can also be designed as a stereo image sensor.

[0033] A further development of the invention provides that the determination of the road condition of the first road section and / or the conclusion regarding the road condition of the second road section is carried out using an artificial neural network. This means, in particular, that the extrapolation of the first road condition to the second road section to determine the second road condition is carried out using artificial intelligence. For example, the aforementioned correlation and / or the likewise mentioned relationship is carried out using artificial intelligence or the artificial neural network, i.e., using machine learning. This enables particularly good results for the second road condition.

[0034] A further development of the invention provides that, depending on the road condition of the second road section, an information signal is generated for a user of the motor vehicle and / or longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the motor vehicle is carried out, in particular before the motor vehicle reaches the second road section. The information signal serves to draw the attention of the user of the motor vehicle to a specific road condition of the second road section. For example, the information signal is generated if the second road condition lies outside a road condition range. The road condition range is selected such that, if the road condition is within the road condition range, safe and reliable driving of the motor vehicle is also possible on the second road section. The information signal is, for example, an optical, acoustic and / or visual signal.

[0035] Additionally or alternatively, the longitudinal guidance and / or the lateral guidance of the motor vehicle is carried out as a function of the second road surface condition. Longitudinal guidance is understood to mean the adjustment of a driving speed of the motor vehicle, for example by controlling a drive device of the motor vehicle to generate a drive torque directed towards driving the motor vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, longitudinal guidance also comprises the adjustment of a braking system of the motor vehicle, in particular a service brake of the motor vehicle, in order to adjust the driving speed of the motor vehicle. Lateral guidance is understood to mean, in particular, steering the motor vehicle, for example adjusting a steering angle of the motor vehicle using a steering system of the motor vehicle.The longitudinal guidance or the lateral guidance is carried out, for example, within the framework of autonomous driving of the motor vehicle, for example according to an SAE level of at least 3, at least 4 or at least 5.

[0036] The longitudinal guidance and / or the lateral guidance is preferably started or initiated before the motor vehicle reaches the second road section. This means that the driving speed and / or the steering angle are adjusted before reaching the second road section in such a way that safe driving of the motor vehicle is carried out or can be carried out even after reaching the second road section. In particular, the driving speed of the motor vehicle is reduced depending on the second road condition. For example, it is provided that the longitudinal guidance and / or the lateral guidance is carried out by means of an artificial neural network depending on the second road condition. This enables a particularly high level of safety for the user of the motor vehicle.

[0037] The invention further relates to a control unit for a motor vehicle for determining a road condition of a road section ahead, in particular for carrying out the method according to the explanations in the context of this description, wherein the control unit is provided and designed to at least temporarily detect environmental data describing an environment of the motor vehicle by means of an environment detection device of the motor vehicle. The control unit is further provided and designed to determine from the environmental data first environmental data for a first road section currently being traveled by the motor vehicle and second environmental data for a second road section ahead in the direction of travel, wherein a road condition of the first road section is determined from the first environmental data and a road condition of the second road section is inferred from the road condition and the second environmental data.The control unit is further provided and designed to determine a correlation from the road condition of the first road section and second environmental data determined for an earlier first point in time, wherein the road condition of the second road section is inferred on the basis of the correlation and second environmental data determined for a later, in particular currently existing, second point in time, and / or to relate the second environmental data determined for the earlier first point in time and the second environmental data determined for the later second point in time to one another and to infer the road condition of the second road section on the basis of the road condition of the first road section and the relationship.

[0038] The advantages of such a control unit design and such a procedure have already been pointed out. Both the control unit for a motor vehicle and the method for its operation can be further developed according to the explanations in this description, so reference is made to these in this regard.

[0039] Furthermore, the invention relates to a computer program product comprising instructions that cause the control unit for the motor vehicle to execute the described method according to the embodiments of this description. Regarding the advantages and possible advantageous developments, reference is made to the entire description.

[0040] The features and feature combinations described in the description, in particular the features and feature combinations described in the following description of the figures and / or shown in the figures, can be used not only in the respective combination specified, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, embodiments are also to be considered encompassed by the invention that are not explicitly shown or explained in the description and / or the figures, but which emerge from or can be derived from the explained embodiments.

[0041] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing, without limiting the invention. The only Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a motor vehicle and its surroundings.

[0042] The Fig.1 shows a schematic representation of a motor vehicle 1 and its surroundings 2. The motor vehicle 1 is located on a roadway 3; more precisely, it is located on a first roadway section 4 of the roadway 3 and is moving towards a second roadway section 5 of the roadway 3. The motor vehicle 1 has an environment detection device 6, which in the illustrated embodiment purely by way of example has a first image sensor 7 and a second image sensor 8. The first image sensor 7 has a first field of view 9 and the second image sensor 8 has a second field of view 10. In particular, the first field of view 9 is directed rearward and the second field of view 10 is directed forward.In other words, the first field of view 9 extends from the first image sensor 7 away from the second roadway section 5, while the second field of view 10, starting from the second image sensor 8, is directed towards the second roadway section 5 and detects it.

[0043] In the first roadway section 4, water is present on the roadway 3, which is stirred up by the motor vehicle 1, forming water trails 11, which are indicated here purely by way of example. With the aid of the surroundings detection device 6, the surroundings 2 of the motor vehicle 1 are detected, namely in the form of surroundings data describing the surroundings 2. The surroundings data contain first surroundings data and second surroundings data. The first surroundings data describe the first roadway section 4 currently being traveled by the motor vehicle 1, whereas the second surroundings data describe the second roadway section 5 ahead of the motor vehicle 1 in the direction of travel.

[0044] A first road condition is derived from the first environmental data, which describes the road condition of the first road section 4. The first road condition is, for example, a risk of aquaplaning or a water level on the road 3. From the first road condition and the second environmental data, a second road condition of the second road section 5 is now to be determined. For this purpose, a first data set of the second environmental data is used, which was already determined previously, namely such that the second environmental data of the first data set describes the first road section 4.

[0045] The first data set of the second environmental data is acquired in a position of the motor vehicle 1, which is indicated with reduced line thickness. It can be seen that the second field of view 10 of the second image sensor 8 in this position describes the first roadway section 4 in the current position of the motor vehicle 1. Accordingly, both first environmental data and second environmental data are available for the first roadway section 4, which were acquired with the two image sensors 7 and 8. In addition, a second data set of the second environmental data is available, which was acquired in the current position of the motor vehicle 1 using the environmental detection device 6.

[0046] From the first environmental data as well as the first data set and the second data set of the second environmental data, the second road condition of the second road section 5 is inferred or this second road condition is determined. This is done, for example, using artificial intelligence, in particular by means of an artificial neural network. By using first environmental data and second environmental data for the first road section 4, an extrapolation of the first road condition to the second road section 5 is possible with high accuracy. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS: 1 motor vehicle 2 Environment 3 lane 4 1st carriageway section 5 2nd carriageway section 6 Environment detection device 7 1. Image sensor 8 2. Image sensor 9 1. Field of view 10 2. Field of view 11 Water tow

Claims

[1] Method for operating a control unit for a motor vehicle (1) for determining a road condition of a road section (5) ahead, wherein environmental data describing an environment (2) of the motor vehicle (1) are detected at least temporarily by means of an environment detection device (6) of the motor vehicle (1), wherein first environmental data for a first road section (4) currently being traveled on by the motor vehicle (1) and second environmental data for a second road section (5) ahead in the direction of travel are determined from the environmental data, wherein a road condition of the first road section (4) is determined from the first environmental data and a road condition of the second road section (5) is inferred from the road condition and from the second environmental data, characterized bythat a correlation is determined from the road condition of the first road section (4) and second environmental data determined for an earlier first point in time, wherein the road condition of the second road section (5) is inferred from the correlation and from second environmental data determined for a later second point in time, and / or that the second environmental data determined for the earlier first point in time and the second environmental data determined for the later second point in time are related to one another and the road condition of the second road section (5) is inferred from the road condition of the first road section (4) and from the relationship. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that an aquaplaning risk and / or a water level of the respective road section (4, 5) is used as the road condition. [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the second environmental data are recorded by means of an image sensor (7) and / or a further image sensor (8). [4] Method according to claim 3, characterized by that a stereo image sensor is used as the image sensor (7) and / or as the further image sensor (8). [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the determination of the road condition of the first road section (4) and / or the conclusion about the road condition of the second road section (5) is carried out by means of an artificial neural network. [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that, depending on the road condition of the second road section (5), an information signal is generated for a user of the motor vehicle (1) and / or a longitudinal guidance and / or a transverse guidance of the motor vehicle (1) is carried out. [7] Control unit for a motor vehicle (1) for determining a road condition of a road section (5) ahead, in particular for carrying out the method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is provided and configured to at least temporarily detect environmental data describing an environment (2) of the motor vehicle (1) by means of an environmental detection device (6) of the motor vehicle (1), wherein the control unit is further provided and configured to determine from the environmental data first environmental data for a first road section (4) currently being traveled by the motor vehicle (1) and second environmental data for a second road section (5) ahead in the direction of travel, wherein a road condition of the first road section (4) is determined from the first environmental data and a road condition of the second road section (5) is inferred from the road condition and from the second environmental data, characterized bythat the control unit is further provided and designed to determine a correlation from the road condition of the first road section (4) and second environmental data determined for an earlier first point in time, wherein the road condition of the second road section (5) is inferred from the correlation and from second environmental data determined for a later second point in time, and / or to relate the second environmental data determined for the earlier first point in time and the second environmental data determined for the later second point in time to one another and to infer the road condition of the second road section (5) from the road condition of the first road section (4) and from the relationship. [8] Computer program product comprising instructions which cause the control device according to claim 7 to carry out the method according to one or more of claims 1 to 6.

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