Motor vehicle with emergency vehicle recognition

Abstract

The invention supports the formation of emergency lanes for emergency vehicles and presents a motor vehicle that can be controlled by a driver, comprising at least one sensor (14), for example a camera, an on-board computer (13) and a multimedia system (12), wherein the on-board computer (13) is configured to recognize an emergency vehicle, in particular an approaching one, based on data from the sensor (14) and to reduce the volume of the multimedia system (12) upon detection of an emergency vehicle.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle which can be controlled by a driver and which is designed to detect an emergency vehicle. State of the art

[0002] DE 102018009028 A1 discloses a motor vehicle. A camera detects approaching emergency vehicles and emits visual and / or acoustic signals. The motor vehicle maneuvers autonomously to the side.

[0003] DE 102017008962 A1 and DE 102022125155 A1 reveal additional motor vehicles. A camera detects approaching emergency vehicles and emits visual and / or acoustic signals. If emergency vehicles are detected, the driver is given advice on possible evasive maneuvers. Disclosure of the invention

[0004] Forming an emergency lane can be a life-saving aspect in road traffic, especially in situations involving an accident or emergency. However, emergency lanes are often not formed, or at least not until very late. This slows down emergency vehicles, such as ambulances or police vehicles, on their way to the scene.

[0005] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a motor vehicle that can be controlled by a driver and that enables efficient rescue operations.

[0006] The object is achieved by a motor vehicle which can be controlled by a driver, comprising at least one sensor, for example a camera, an on-board computer and a multimedia system, wherein the on-board computer is configured to detect an emergency vehicle, in particular an approaching one, on the basis of data from the sensor and to reduce a volume of the multimedia system upon detection of an emergency vehicle.

[0007] One of the insights underlying the solution is that motor vehicle drivers are often distracted by noises emitted by the multimedia system, such as music, so that they are unable to recognize approaching emergency vehicles or only do so late. Furthermore, the noises can impair the driver's concentration when looking for alternative routes and / or when forming the emergency lane. By reducing the volume, this distraction can be reduced or even avoided altogether. The driver can form the emergency lane earlier and / or properly integrate their vehicle into one side of the emergency lane. The emergency lane can therefore be formed more quickly and the emergency vehicle is less hindered. As a result, the emergency vehicle can reach the scene of the incident earlier, thus improving the overall efficiency of the rescue operation.

[0008] The motor vehicle can be a non-autonomous or semi-autonomous motor vehicle. Generally, the motor vehicle is controllable by a driver. Such motor vehicles are subject to at least the supervision of the driver, in particular the driver, so that the motor vehicle can only form an emergency lane or integrate itself into one if the driver at least permits this or, in appropriate embodiments, actively initiates it.

[0009] To warn the driver after detecting an emergency vehicle, particularly to alert them to the presence of the emergency vehicle, the on-board computer can be configured to generate an acoustic and / or visual signal upon detection. The acoustic and / or visual signal can be transmitted, for example, via the multimedia system.

[0010] A particularly effective way to warn the driver accordingly can be achieved if the on-board computer is configured to switch the vehicle's ambient lighting on or off, in particular to flash it, upon detection of the emergency vehicle. Since ambient lighting typically operates at least in the front area of ​​the vehicle's interior, and flashing light can particularly attract the driver's attention from a psychophysiological perspective, the driver can be informed with particularly high reliability that an emergency vehicle has been detected. This can also be exploited by the fact that ambient lighting is typically constant or, at most, only changes very slowly.A rapid change in the ambient lighting, for example a flashing light, can therefore attract the driver's attention to a particularly pronounced degree and thus have a particularly pronounced warning effect.

[0011] The on-board computer can also be configured to generate a route recommendation upon detection of the emergency vehicle and / or display it on a screen. The route recommendation can, in particular, include an indication to the driver as to whether they should drive their vehicle to the left or right side of the road.

[0012] The route recommendation can be determined using at least one sensor of a control system for semi-autonomous or autonomous control of the motor vehicle. The control system can, for example, comprise a search system for searching for open spaces, such as parking spaces. It can also correspond to a control system for autonomous or semi-autonomous driving. The sensor can, for example, comprise one or more cameras of the control system. These can be 2D and / or 3D cameras. The sensor can comprise one or more components. It can also comprise and / or be designed as an acoustic sensor, in particular for detecting alarm signals such as a siren.

[0013] In order to create favorable conditions for forming an emergency lane, particularly in heavy traffic, the on-board computer can be set up to generate a driving recommendation and / or display it on the display, at least above a certain traffic volume, depending on the distance to a vehicle in front and / or the lane used by the vehicle. The driving recommendation can include, for example, whether the driver should keep more distance from a vehicle in front, whether the driver should change lanes and, if so, which lane they should change to. The driving recommendation can then be displayed visually, for example on the display. It is also conceivable that the driving recommendation could also be presented acoustically.

[0014] In general, the motor vehicle, in particular the on-board computer, can be configured to continuously monitor and / or adjust at least one driving parameter of the motor vehicle, for example a distance or presence or position of a free space for evasive maneuvers, so that an emergency lane can be formed quickly if necessary or the motor vehicle can integrate itself particularly quickly into an emerging or existing emergency lane.

[0015] To detect emergency vehicles based on sensor data, the on-board computer can include a neural network. The neural network can be trained with sensor data, in particular camera recordings, and preferably with acoustic data from microphones. It is particularly conceivable for the neural network to also be trained with geographical information, for example, with country data and / or data on country-specific emergency vehicle designs. The on-board computer can then be configured to also use corresponding geographical information to detect emergency vehicles. This can improve the detection accuracy.

[0016] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the figures of the drawing, which show details essential to the invention, as well as from the claims.

[0017] The individual features can be implemented individually or in combinations in variants of the invention. The schematic drawing illustrates exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are explained in more detail in the following description. Short description of the drawing The only figure ( Fig. 1) shows the interior of a motor vehicle. Embodiments of the invention

[0018] Fig. 1 shows a vehicle interior 10 of a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car.

[0019] A multimedia system 12 with an on-board computer 13 can be seen.

[0020] The motor vehicle includes several sensors 14. The sensors 14 include differently aligned cameras. At least some of the cameras are facing backwards, so that emergency vehicles approaching from behind can enter the camera's field of view.

[0021] The sensors 14 form part of a control system for semi-autonomous driving, which is implemented, among other things, with the aid of the on-board computer 13.

[0022] Furthermore, a display 16 is located in the vehicle interior 10. The display 16 is connected, among other things, to the on-board computer 13. Various data and information can be visually displayed on the display 16.

[0023] Furthermore, the vehicle interior 10 has an ambient lighting 18. In Fig. 1, the ambient lighting 18 is shown schematically as a hatched line. The vehicle interior 10 comprises several light sources arranged scattered throughout the vehicle interior 10, which together form the ambient lighting 18.

[0024] The ambient lighting 18 can be illuminated in different colors. Its brightness is also adjustable.

[0025] The on-board computer 13 comprises a microcontroller. The microcontroller comprises a memory and a processor. Program code executable on the processor is stored in the memory. The on-board computer 13 can be implemented entirely in the motor vehicle. It is also conceivable that part of the on-board computer 13 is implemented using a remote computer system, for example, in a cloud-based computer system. This can be useful, for example, for subtasks such as image recognition of emergency vehicles.

[0026] The program code is designed to provide the functions of the motor vehicle, in particular the on-board computer, described above in general terms, when executed on the processor and using the other elements, in particular the multimedia system 12 and the sensors 14 as well as the display 16 and the ambient lighting 18.

[0027] In particular, the on-board computer 13 is configured with the aid of the program code to continuously monitor distances to neighboring vehicles while the motor vehicle is traveling and, if necessary, to maintain minimum distances by reducing the speed of the motor vehicle, which facilitate the rapid formation of an emergency lane and / or integration into an existing emergency lane. Furthermore, the on-board computer 13 is configured with the aid of the program code to continuously detect free spaces between neighboring vehicles and / or neighboring objects in order to be able to continuously provide information about possible escape routes upon detection of an emergency vehicle. The detection of free spaces can be performed by a subsystem of the on-board computer 13, which can also be used to detect parking spaces or the like.

[0028] For example, above a certain traffic density, the on-board computer 13 is configured to use this information to display a driving recommendation to the driver of the motor vehicle via the display 16, in particular to display whether the driver can or should preferably swerve to the left or right, for example, to form an emergency lane.

[0029] The on-board computer 13 is further configured, among other things, with the aid of the program to detect approaching emergency vehicles from data from the sensors 14.

[0030] When an emergency vehicle is detected, the on-board computer 13 reduces the volume of the multimedia system 12.

[0031] When an emergency vehicle is detected, the on-board computer 13 causes the ambient lighting 18 to flash, for example in a blue color.

[0032] Furthermore, the on-board computer 13 provides a route recommendation for the driver on the display 16, indicating how he can best avoid the vehicle in order to form an emergency lane and / or to integrate himself into an emergency lane. List of reference symbols 10 Vehicle interior 12 Multimedia system 13 on-board computers 14 Sensor 16 Display 18 Ambient lighting QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

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

[0000] DE 102018009028 A1

[0002] DE 102017008962 A1

[0003] DE 102022125155 A1

[0003]

Claims

[1] Motor vehicle which can be controlled by a driver, comprising at least one sensor (14), for example a camera, an on-board computer (13) and a multimedia system (12), wherein the on-board computer (13) is arranged - to detect an emergency vehicle, in particular an approaching one, based on data from the sensor (14) and - to reduce the volume of the multimedia system (12) upon detection of an emergency vehicle. [2] Motor vehicle according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the on-board computer (13) is arranged to generate an acoustic and / or visual signal upon detection of the emergency vehicle. [3] Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the on-board computer (13) is designed to switch on or off, in particular to flash, ambient lighting (18) of the motor vehicle upon detection of the emergency vehicle. [4] Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the on-board computer (13) is set up to generate a route recommendation upon detection of the emergency vehicle and / or to display it on a display (16). [5] Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the on-board computer (13) is configured to generate the route recommendation based on at least one sensor (14) of a control system for the semi-autonomous or autonomous control of the motor vehicle. [6] Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the on-board computer (13) is designed to generate a driving recommendation and / or display it on the display (16) at least from a certain traffic volume, depending on a distance to vehicles ahead and / or depending on a lane used by the motor vehicle.

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