Method for operating a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, driver assistance system and motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, which is designed to successively run through different predetermined aging phases, wherein different properties of the driver assistance system are assigned to the different aging phases, wherein in the method the driver assistance system receives input data (V1) which characterizes a situation in which the motor vehicle is located and / or which characterizes a user input of a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle, and an action of the driver assistance system is selected and triggered depending on the input data and a predetermined property of the current aging phase of the driver assistance system (V2).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, a driver assistance system and a motor vehicle with a driver assistance system.

[0002] US 2022 / 0189482 A1 discloses a method for determining an emotion of a human driver of a vehicle and using the emotion to generate a vehicle response. The method involves processing speech data of the human driver over a period of time while the human driver is operating the vehicle. The speech data is analyzed to assist in predicting the human driver's emotion. The method further involves generating the vehicle response, wherein the vehicle response is selected in part based on the emotion predicted for the human driver.

[0003] From US 2019 / 0279629 A1 a speech system is known which comprises a processor configured to detect a situation value indicative of a situation involving multiple persons based on emotion information indicative of emotions of the multiple persons and to control a speech of an object based on the detected situation value.

[0004] Furthermore, US 2020 / 0269848 A1 discloses a system in a vehicle comprising one or more cameras. The cameras are configured to receive facial recognition information based on facial expressions of a vehicle occupant. The system further comprises a control unit connected to the one or more cameras, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the mood of the occupant using at least the facial recognition information. Furthermore, the control unit is configured to issue an instruction to execute an activation or adjustment of a vehicle driving function associated with the mood of the occupant.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a solution by means of which a particularly high level of trust of a driver in a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle can be achieved.

[0006] This object is achieved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further possible embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the subclaims, the description, and the figures. Features, advantages, and possible embodiments presented in the description for one of the subject matter of the independent claims are to be regarded at least analogously as features, advantages, and possible embodiments of the respective subject matter of the other independent claims, as well as any possible combination of the subject matter of the independent claims, optionally in conjunction with one or more of the subclaims.

[0007] The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle is, in particular, a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car. The driver assistance system is designed to assist a driver of the motor vehicle in steering the motor vehicle or to assume longitudinal and / or lateral control of the motor vehicle. The driver assistance system can comprise a computer program product that can be stored on an electronic computing device of the motor vehicle and executed by means of the electronic computing device. Driver assistance systems are additional electronic devices in motor vehicles for supporting the driver in certain driving situations. The focus here is often on safety aspects, but also on increasing driving comfort. Another aspect can be improving economic efficiency.

[0008] The driver assistance system is configured to successively run through different predefined aging phases. Different properties of the driver assistance system are assigned to these different aging phases of the driver assistance system. The method provides that the driver assistance system receives input data that characterizes a situation in which the motor vehicle is located. Alternatively or additionally, the input data characterizes a user input from a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle. The method further provides that an action of the driver assistance system is selected and triggered depending on the input data and a predefined property of the current aging phase of the driver assistance system.This means that in comparable situations in which the motor vehicle finds itself, or with comparable user inputs, different reactions of the driver assistance system can be triggered, depending on which aging phase the driver assistance system is in. For each of the aging phases, for example, a predetermined period of time can be provided during which the motor vehicle is in the respective aging phase. Due to the different aging phases, the motor vehicle can give the driver the impression that the motor vehicle is developing over time and is getting older. This can create a particularly close bond between the motor vehicle and the driver, since the driver assistance system can appear particularly human to the driver as it goes through the different aging phases.Due to the particularly close connection between the driver and the motor vehicle, the driver can be expected to place a high degree of trust in the motor vehicle, particularly in the driver assistance system, and consequently intervene very rarely or very little in the control of the motor vehicle when the motor vehicle is controlled by the driver assistance system. This can achieve particularly high levels of road safety.

[0009] In a possible development of the invention, it is provided that at least one piece of vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant is determined and the action is additionally selected depending on the vehicle occupant information. The action can thus be particularly well adapted to the vehicle occupant, in particular the driver of the motor vehicle. For example, the action that can be triggered is that the output of a song is started in the vehicle interior of the motor vehicle, wherein the song can be selected, for example, from a genre preferred by the vehicle occupant. Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided, for example, that the vehicle occupant prefers to maintain particularly large distances from objects in the vicinity of the motor vehicle when the motor vehicle is traveling.As a result, the driver assistance system can control the motor vehicle with at least partially automated longitudinal and / or lateral steering in such a way that the respective distance maintained from surrounding objects is particularly large.

[0010] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, communication properties of the driver assistance system are specified for each aging phase. These communication properties specify how a speech signal, which can be output visually and / or acoustically in the vehicle interior, should be designed. In this case, the communication properties can particularly specify how a sentence structure and / or content and / or dialect of the speech signal should be selected. The content can characterize the information that is to be conveyed by means of the speech signal. The dialect can be Bavarian, Swabian, or Saxon, for example, whereby the motor vehicle is intended to appear particularly human by designing the speech signal with a dialect. With regard to the selected sentence structure, a young or old age of the motor vehicle in the respective aging phase can be particularly well suggested.If the speech signal is intended to be output acoustically and thus as an audio signal, the specified communication property can specify a pitch and / or volume and / or output speed of the audio signal. By adjusting the communication properties, the vehicle occupant can easily recognize the vehicle's current aging stage.

[0011] In this context, it can be provided, in particular, that at least one communication property of the driver assistance system is adapted depending on at least one piece of vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant. In other words, the driver assistance system uses expressions, language, the speech style, and / or the dialect that it has learned from the vehicle occupant for the at least one speech signal. The driver assistance system can thus imitate the vehicle occupant with regard to the respective properties of the speech signal, thereby achieving a particularly strong bond between the vehicle occupant and the driver assistance system.

[0012] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the properties of the driver assistance system are adapted in the respective aging phase depending on the user input. In other words, the vehicle occupant can influence or directly adjust the respective properties of the motor vehicle in the different aging phases via the user input. For example, the user can individually adjust a respective characteristic of properties of the driver assistance system for at least one of the aging phases, in particular for each of the aging phases, using a controller of a human-machine interface. In this way, the vehicle occupant can reinforce or weaken respective properties of the driver assistance system in a respective aging phase using their user input.This allows the vehicle occupant to customize how the driver assistance system responds to identified situations or user inputs during the respective aging phases. This can help to achieve a particularly strong bond between the vehicle occupant and the driver assistance system.

[0013] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the driver assistance system determines the degree of difficulty of a route along which the motor vehicle is traveling. Furthermore, if the determined degree of difficulty is below a predetermined threshold, a request is triggered by an output device of the motor vehicle, prompting the vehicle occupant to make a user input that characterizes at least one piece of vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant.If the driver assistance system estimates the current route of the motor vehicle as easy because the determined level of difficulty is below the specified threshold, the driver assistance system can enter into a dialogue with the vehicle occupant in order to determine, within the framework of the dialogue, at least one piece of vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant. This means that the driver assistance system can trigger questions to be asked to the vehicle occupant via the output device. However, if the driver assistance system estimates the current route as difficult, in particular because the determined level of difficulty corresponds to or is above the specified threshold, the request can be omitted via the motor vehicle's output device.In other words, the driver assistance system refrains from initiating a dialogue or questioning the vehicle occupant on the route classified as difficult. This ensures that the driver's concentration is not distracted by the route during the difficult route, but can concentrate fully on the route. This can achieve a particularly high level of driving safety.

[0014] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the driver assistance system triggers the output of a warning message and / or an error message, with the output format being selected depending on the aging phase. For example, the wording of the warning or error message can be adapted depending on the aging phase. Thus, the warning or error message can convey warning information or error information, and can also express the aging phase of the motor vehicle.

[0015] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the properties of the driver assistance system in the respective aging phases correspond to human characteristics at different ages. In other words, the motor vehicle can, for example, successively go through the phases of “young,” “puberty,” “adult,” and “old” as aging phases. The “young” phase can be assigned characteristics that are typically exhibited by toddlers or children. The “puberty” aging phase can be assigned human characteristics that are usually exhibited by people going through puberty, in particular by people between the ages of twelve and 18. The “adult” aging phase can be assigned characteristics that are typically exhibited by people in adulthood, in particular between the ages of 18 and 50.The "old" aging phase can be associated with characteristics typically associated with seniors, for example, those aged 50 to 100. This can create the impression for the vehicle occupant that the vehicle is undergoing a human aging process. This can lead to the vehicle occupant developing a particularly close bond with the vehicle.

[0016] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the action is selected depending on an assignment rule stored in the motor vehicle and / or the action is selected depending on a response received via the Internet in response to a request. An assignment rule is a mathematical rule which is stored in particular on a memory device and with the aid of which an assigned value can be calculated from an output value. This means that the action can be selected depending on the input data via the assignment rule stored in the motor vehicle. Alternatively, the driver assistance system can send a request via the Internet depending on the received input data and select the action depending on a response to the request received via the Internet.For example, the driver assistance system can submit a request to an artificial intelligence system via the internet and select the action depending on the response from the artificial intelligence system or the output from the artificial intelligence system in response to the request. Selecting the action depending on the assignment rule means that an internet connection is not necessary to select the action. Selecting the action depending on the response received via the internet in response to the request enables a particularly wide range of actions to be carried out by the driver assistance system in response to the input data. Furthermore, the use of the internet connection makes it possible, for example, for current events to be incorporated into an output issued as an action in response to user input in the form of questions.

[0017] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the driver assistance system triggers the output of an information signal that indicates at least one point of interest, wherein the type of selected point of interest indicated by the information signal depends on the aging phase of the driver assistance system. This means that in a first aging phase of the motor vehicle, points of interest of a first type, for example museums, can be indicated, whereas in a second aging phase of the motor vehicle that is different from the first aging phase, points of interest of a second type, such as shopping centers or restaurants, can be indicated. The type of points of interest indicated by the information signal depends on the properties assigned to the aging phase of the driver assistance system.As the vehicle progresses through the different aging phases, the driver is alerted to different landmarks depending on the aging phase of the driver assistance system. This can reinforce the driver's impression that the vehicle is going through different human aging phases, thus fostering a particularly strong bond between the driver and the vehicle.

[0018] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the input data characterize an odor detected in the motor vehicle, and the action is selected depending on the detected odor. The driver assistance system can thus react to odors characterized as bad or good with a voice output and / or by adjusting the air conditioning in the vehicle interior. If, for example, the driver assistance system detects hydrogen sulfide in the vehicle interior, the driver assistance system can trigger the opening of the vehicle's windows and / or increase the supply of fresh air to the vehicle interior. This can achieve a particularly high level of comfort for the vehicle's occupants, as unpleasant odors can be eliminated particularly quickly.Furthermore, at least one vehicle occupant can be alerted via voice output to odors detected by the driver assistance system that have positive connotations. For example, if the input data determines that at least one of the vehicle occupants is wearing perfume, a compliment about the perfume can be output via voice output, which can positively influence the mood of vehicle occupants. This can achieve particularly high levels of driving safety, as it can reduce or prevent potentially aggressive driving behavior on the part of the driver.

[0019] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the input data characterize a state of health and / or a state of mind of at least one vehicle occupant located in the motor vehicle, and the action is selected depending on the state of health and / or the state of mind. In particular, an action is selected which is expected to improve the determined state of health and / or the determined state of mind of the vehicle occupant. The input data can, for example, be health data which, for example, characterize a bodily function of the vehicle occupant in question. For example, the health data can be data characterizing a respiratory rate of the vehicle occupant and / or data characterizing a heart rate of the vehicle occupant.Based on the health data, it can be determined how healthy the vehicle occupant is or whether there is an emergency and therefore medical attention is required. Based on the input data characterizing the emotional state of the vehicle occupant, it can be determined, for example, whether the vehicle occupant is in a good mood or in a bad mood. If it is determined that the vehicle occupant is in a bad mood, then an action can be selected which is expected to cheer the vehicle occupant up. This can, on the one hand, achieve a particularly strong bond between the vehicle occupant and the vehicle and, on the other hand, create a particularly high level of road safety and thus particularly effectively prevent or reduce violent driving actions caused by bad moods.

[0020] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the driver assistance system determines from the input data that the vehicle occupant is requesting the driver assistance system to sing, and in response, the driver assistance system triggers the output of a song determined from the input data in the form of an audio signal via an output device of the motor vehicle. The audio signal is adapted depending on the at least one property of the aging phase of the driver assistance system. In other words, the effect can be generated for the vehicle occupant that the motor vehicle is singing the desired song, wherein the manner in which the motor vehicle sings depends on the aging phase of the driver assistance system.Depending on the age of the driver assistance system, the audio signal can be output at a higher or lower pitch, giving the vehicle occupant the impression that the song is being sung by the vehicle in a higher or lower voice. This can improve the vehicle occupant's mood and create a particularly strong bond between the vehicle occupant and the vehicle, and consequently, a particularly high level of trust in the driver assistance system.

[0021] The invention further relates to a driver assistance system which is designed to carry out a method as has already been described in connection with the method according to the invention for operating the driver assistance system of the motor vehicle.

[0022] The invention further relates to a motor vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car, with a driver assistance system as has already been described in connection with the driver assistance system according to the invention.

[0023] Further features of the invention can be derived from the following description of the figures and from the drawings. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features shown below in the description of the figures and / or in the figures alone, can be used not only in the respective combinations specified, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0024] The drawing shows in the only figure ( Fig. 1) a process diagram for a method for operating a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle.

[0025] In Fig. 1 shows a process diagram for a method for operating a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle. The driver assistance system is configured to successively run through different predefined aging phases, with different properties of the driver assistance system being assigned to the different aging phases. The properties of the driver assistance system in the respective aging phases can be adapted depending on at least one received user input. The properties of the driver assistance system in the respective aging phases can correspond to human characteristics at different ages.

[0026] The method comprises two method steps V1 and V2. In the first method step V1 of the method, the driver assistance system receives input data that characterizes a situation in which the motor vehicle is located and / or that characterizes a user input from a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle. In the second method step V2, an action of the driver assistance system is selected and triggered depending on the input data and a predetermined property of the current aging phase of the driver assistance system. The action can be selected depending on an assignment rule stored in the motor vehicle and / or depending on a response received via the Internet in response to a request.

[0027] It can be provided that at least one piece of vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant is determined and the action is additionally selected depending on the vehicle occupant information. Communication properties can be specified for each aging phase of the driver assistance system, in particular with regard to sentence structure and / or content and / or dialect and / or a pitch of an audio signal output in the vehicle interior, the output of which has been triggered by the driver assistance system. Alternatively or additionally, a volume of the audio signal and / or an output speed of the audio signal can be adjusted. This at least one communication property of the driver assistance system can be adjusted depending on at least one piece of vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant.The driver assistance system can determine a degree of difficulty of a route along which the motor vehicle is moved and, if the determined degree of difficulty is below a predetermined threshold value, trigger a request to be issued by means of an output device of the motor vehicle, which request the vehicle occupant to make a user input which characterizes at least one item of vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant.

[0028] It can be provided that the driver assistance system triggers a warning message and / or an error message to be output in the interior of the motor vehicle, whereby a form of output of the warning message or the error message is selected depending on the aging phase.

[0029] Alternatively or additionally, the driver assistance system can trigger the output of an information signal in the vehicle interior, which indicates at least one point of interest, whereby the type of selected point of interest to which the information signal refers depends on the aging phase of the driver assistance system.

[0030] It is possible for the input data to characterize an odor detected in the motor vehicle, and for the action to be selected depending on the detected odor. Alternatively or additionally, the input data can characterize a state of health and / or a state of mind of at least one vehicle occupant in the motor vehicle, and the action can be selected depending on the state of health and / or the state of mind.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, the driver assistance system can determine from the input data that the vehicle occupant is requesting the driver assistance system to sing. In response, the driver assistance system can trigger the output of a song determined from the input data in the form of an audio signal via an output device of the motor vehicle. The audio signal output via the output device is adapted depending on the at least one property of the aging phase of the driver assistance system.

[0032] The invention described is based on the realization that vehicles are viewed merely as everyday objects of use. In rare cases, an owner develops a bond or relationship with their vehicle, particularly due to a certain special feature of the vehicle. Films show that human or animal characteristics can evoke emotions that can enhance a bond with a vehicle or build trust. In order to enhance the bond between vehicle occupants and the motor vehicle or to promote the development of trust, the motor vehicle should get to know the vehicle occupants, particularly the driver.By using machine learning, the motor vehicle, especially the driver assistance system, can get to know the vehicle occupants better over their lifetime, particularly through questions like "What is your favorite music?" and remember their preferences. By asking questions like "How are you?" and based on current characteristics of the speech, facial expressions, gestures, and / or posture of the respective vehicle occupants, the driver assistance system can remember connections between the health or mood of vehicle occupants and their speech, facial expressions, gestures, or posture.If a bad mood is detected, for example, based on constellations of speech, facial expressions, gestures, and / or body posture, the driver assistance system can trigger the playing of the vehicle occupant's favorite music in the vehicle interior and / or at least sections of a vehicle occupant's favorite film in the vehicle interior and / or an indicator signal can identify a good restaurant serving favorite food in the vicinity of the vehicle and / or a cinema in which a favorite film of at least one of the vehicle occupants is playing. The driver assistance system can trigger the output of phrases such as "Everything will be fine" or "You did well" in the vehicle interior.If the driver assistance system detects that a vehicle's occupants are in a good mood, it can trigger the vehicle to emit an audio signal asking the occupants: "What went so well today?" The vehicle develops through several phases, which are the aging phases. A voice from one of the audio signals selected in the vehicle interior can change over time from young, particularly for a new car, to old. The driver assistance system can trigger the audio signal to contradict a vehicle occupant, or to intentionally annoy the vehicle occupant slightly. For example, the driver assistance system can trigger the following audio signal to be output: "Fuel consumption is going up, have you gained weight?"The development of the driver assistance system can be transferred to another vehicle, so that the learnings are not lost if the vehicle owner so wishes. This means that the buddy represented by the driver assistance system is never lost.

[0033] The driver assistance system can collect data from its application area, which can also be referred to as the operational design domain, and uses this data to inform vehicle occupants about their journey. For this purpose, the driver assistance system can trigger a message in the vehicle interior, for example: "On the left is the Charles Bridge, built in the 14th century by Emperor Charles IV. It is one of the most famous sights in Prague." The driver assistance system can create the impression that the vehicle is actively listening to the vehicle occupant by triggering a message in the vehicle interior: "I'm listening, keep talking!". This makes the vehicle act like a best friend or psychologist for the vehicle occupant.Conversations can be played back or reminded of at a later time, for example in the form "Yesterday you wanted to buy the blue jacket, did that work? There's a cheap shop nearby with good reviews." The driver assistance system can trigger answers to questions from vehicle occupants and can contact vehicle occupants independently. The driver assistance system can trigger answers to more complex questions from vehicle occupants using artificial intelligence, for example using ChatGPT technology. The driver assistance system can be configured to receive input data from a mobile electronic device, such as a smartwatch. The driver assistance system can trigger the provision of an SMS and / or a chat message to the vehicle occupant, in particular to a mobile electronic device of the vehicle occupant.Such a message could, for example, be "I miss you," "I'm hungry," which indicates that the vehicle's fuel tank is almost empty, or "I'm thirsty," which could indicate that the windshield washer fluid reservoir is almost empty. Communication between the driver assistance system and the vehicle occupants can improve the customer experience and increase the vehicle occupants' trust in the driver assistance system during autonomous driving. For example, the vehicle occupant can ask, "Do you see the red car ahead?", and the driver assistance system can trigger the output of the vehicle's output device in the vehicle interior to say, "Of course I can see it."

[0034] The described driver assistance system thus enables a so-called buddy mode for the motor vehicle. This buddy mode encompasses different life phases, which are aging phases that exhibit different characteristics. Communication between the driver assistance system and vehicle occupants is adapted to the different life phases of the driver assistance system. Using a controller in a human-machine interface, vehicle occupants can amplify or attenuate the characteristics of the driver assistance system's life phases. Using communication, the driver assistance system can react when it detects an odor and / or sing with vehicle occupants and / or provide support with health-related questions. For each aging phase, a time period can be specified, indicating how long the vehicle remains in the respective aging range.Alternatively or additionally, the motor vehicle can switch between respective aging phases when a predetermined threshold for the change is reached. For example, this predetermined threshold can characterize a set of data that has been learned from the motor vehicle's occupants by means of the driver assistance system. This means that the motor vehicle changes the aging phase when the driver assistance system has collected a predetermined amount of driver occupant information. The respective aging phase of the driver assistance system can be tied to the motor vehicle, whereby a regression of the driver assistance system into an aging phase that has already been completed can be prevented. Alternatively, if the motor vehicle changes ownership, the aging phase of the motor vehicle can be reset to an initial aging phase.

[0035] The following describes characteristics of four different aging phases as examples. The aging phases are described as "young," "puberty," "adult," and "old," and are passed through in the order listed, from young to old. Characteristics of the "young" aging phase include simple sentences, possibly incorrect sentence structure, funny, sweet questions, a bright voice, the driver assistance system believing everything, and the driver assistance system imitating a vehicle owner by adopting speech, words, and / or sentence structure.

[0036] Characteristics of the aging phase "puberty" include youth slang, particularly the use of typical words that are fashionable for a particular year, dialects, filler words such as "dude," "ty vole," "digger," "bottomless," "machine," "full-fat," "cringe," and the example sentence "Dude, I want to come home in one piece, don't drive so fast." Other characteristics of the aging phase "puberty" include a darker voice than in the young phase, rebellious reactions in the form of opposing positions to the owner, and a cheeky design of the driver assistance system, whereby the characteristics of counter-rebellion and cheekiness can be adjusted from low intensity to high intensity using a controller on the vehicle, particularly via a human-machine interface. Other characteristics of the aging phase "puberty" include questioning everything, using sentences that are not necessarily correct, adapting sentence structure, and using typical youth slang.This allows playful language to be used and new speech signals to be tried out, which can be learned from the owner or inspired by youth slang. Furthermore, in the "puberty" aging phase, the driver assistance system is designed to use the owner's expressions, language, and speaking style, which were learned during adolescence and puberty. It is possible to imitate different types of adolescents, such as serious, vulgar, funny, or those with many or few contributions and thus speech signals. The respective settings of the characteristics of the aging phases can be preset or learned from the owner, whereby the predetermined characteristics result in characteristics of the driver assistance system, which can be adjusted using the controller, in particular via the human-machine interface (HMI).

[0037] Characteristics of the "adult" aging phase can include the no longer using dialects and youth slang, the dissemination of information without reason and thus without request, such as information about the stock market, real estate prices, vehicle prices, news, weather ("I have to show you my weather statistics"), or information about a neighborhood. Furthermore, in the "adult" aging phase, reminders of tasks can be sent or a to-do list can be communicated to vehicle occupants, such as "The neighborhood party is this week: You have to make potato salad." If the driver assistance system is "adult" in the aging phase, it can reprimand the owner if rules are violated, for example, by saying, "You know you're only allowed to drive 50 here!"Furthermore, complex sentences are used for messages from the driver assistance system during the "adult" aging phase. The control on the human-machine interface allows the user to adjust how complicated these sentences can be. The driver assistance system can imitate different types of adults, from serious to funny to vulgar. For example, the control can be used to adjust which type of adult the driver assistance system imitates, or the driver assistance system can be educated through user input.

[0038] Characteristics of the "old" aging phase can include health complaints such as "My wheels hurt," "My eyesight is getting worse" - which indicates that sensors need replacing; "I'm tired," "My back hurts" - which indicates that sensors are detecting dents or an interior camera is identifying dirt on the roof lining; "This is going too fast for my old bones." Furthermore, during the "old" aging phase, the driver assistance system can trigger wisecracks to be displayed in the vehicle interior. It can also trigger stories from back then, especially about experiences they had together, or stories such as "Do you remember back then... those were the days. I waited two years for the new wiring harness, and my friend waited two years for his chip. That was 2021. Difficult times."Furthermore, it can be triggered that farmer's proverbs are displayed, such as "When the rooster crows on the dunghill, the weather will either change or it will stay the same.", or sayings or proverbs are displayed, such as in a traffic jam: "Sometimes you have to stand at the end to see the beginning," and in the evening: "Don't let others take away your light just because it blinds others." During maintenance: "You don't give up when things get difficult. You're just getting started." When navigating: "The journey is the destination." General boundary conditions of the properties are that the driver should not be encouraged to drive fast and should always obey traffic rules.

[0039] The following is a questionnaire containing questions and statements that can be issued in the respective aging phases of the driver assistance system in the vehicle interior.In the “young” aging phase, the list of questions can include funny or sweet questions or can involve reporting a need, such as “I feel sick! I’m hungry! I want to pee! When will we get there? Why are you going there, we don’t live there? Why don’t we go home? What is that vehicle with two wheels in front of us?” In the “puberty” aging phase, rebellious questions or contradictions can be asked, or counters can be given, such as “You can’t drive! Hold the steering wheel straight! Don’t wobble like that! I feel sick! Look ahead! Concentrate on driving! I want to live a few more years!” Furthermore, the driver assistance system can trigger counters to the driver, and the driver can be given the impression that the vehicle is alive, for example with statements like “I’m not going to put myself in danger here, my life is too valuable.You'll drink again later.", "We were there last week. I'd rather play games." For the "adult" aging phase, a questionnaire with serious questions can be provided. Comments on roads can be triggered, for example, with "What strange / bad roads are these? Don't drive so fast, the speed limit here was 50. Are you trying to kill me?", "Don't you think we should go to the gym instead?", "Drive with foresight; a good driver brakes and honks less." For the "old" aging phase, the questionnaire can include wise questions such as "What speed was the speed limit here in town?", "Shall we go out to eat somewhere? Is our favorite restaurant nearby?", "Stock prices are falling.", "I need energy. There's a cheap fast-charging station nearby." During a transition between respective aging phases, the questionnaires of the respective aging phases can be compared with each other.The difference between the "young" and "old" aging phases can be simple questions versus complex questions, as well as access to different sources for the questions, such as a basic set of simple, funny questions versus internet access and use of, for example, ChatGPT or mobile phones with complex questions. The difference between the "puberty" and "adult" aging phases lies in questions that question everything versus questions that make general statements. Statements can be developed from the "young" to "old" aging phases, such as the "young" aging phase: "I feel sick", the "puberty" aging phase: "You drive badly! I have to throw up", the "adult" aging phase: "Your driving style is aggressive!" and the "old" aging phase: "We'll get there faster, but I'll have to calm my stomach longer! We'll get there faster than we need to be, is it worth it?"For each new ageing phase that the vehicle enters, further questions may arise that were not previously available to the driver assistance system, and furthermore, an expansion of knowledge may occur.

[0040] In a travel guide mode, history can be described. An associated travel guide function can be implemented in a variety of language, from simple to complex. Depending on the aging phase, the focus can be on different topics, such as the "young" aging phase: information about candy stores; the "puberty" aging phase: information about parties and nightlife; the "adult" aging phase: everything; and the "old" aging phase: information about local museums. In each aging phase, reference can be made to each of the named sights, although the respective priorities for the information provided at sights can change in the different aging phases.

[0041] It is possible for the driver assistance system to respond to both pleasant and unpleasant smells with speech and / or air conditioning. Furthermore, the driver assistance system can implement singing along with the vehicle, for example in the form of "Finish the Lyrics," in which the vehicle sings along with the owner. The driver assistance system can learn unfamiliar songs from vehicle occupants, sing along to familiar songs, and / or implement a vehicle response through music as a selectable variant by responding to a request using only song lyrics. Furthermore, it is possible for the driver assistance system to analyze measured values from vehicle occupants using sensors in the vehicle for health analysis.

[0042] The technology underlying the method in the motor vehicle is described below. A signal is received from the owner, whereby the signal can be recognized by the motor vehicle using sensors. The signal is then processed by the motor vehicle using an algorithm and an action is carried out by the motor vehicle in response. The implementation of voice identification is explained below. If speech is heard in the vehicle interior, this speech is recognized by a microphone. The recognized speech can be analyzed by artificial intelligence, particularly with regard to intonation, speed, text content, volume, pitch and depth of tone. In response, a vehicle action can be triggered. As a vehicle action, vehicle speech can be output via the vehicle's loudspeakers, with text content being output through the loudspeakers according to the aging phase of the driver assistance system.Alternatively or additionally, music can be output or played through the loudspeakers as a reaction, with the text content being selected according to the aging phase of the driver assistance system, but only from pieces of music by musicians that the vehicle plays, for example, from Spotify or the radio.

[0043] The processing of text content is explained below: The described speech identification takes place, with text content being analyzed with the help of artificial intelligence. The questionnaire and a catalog of properties for the aging phases of the driver assistance system can be started by an algorithm, and a response from the motor vehicle to the determined text content is selected based on the aging phase and the properties of this aging phase. Artificial intelligence can select a suitable response. The intonation, speed, volume, pitch, and depth of the response can be adapted by the artificial intelligence to the aging phase and at least one property of the aging phase. The motor vehicle's response can be output via loudspeakers with the correct intonation, speed, text content, volume, pitch, and depth of tone.The artificial intelligence can connect to search engines such as the internet, Spotify, or radio to select a suitable answer. The answer can be searched for in existing music tracks. The vehicle's response can be played through the speakers, along with the selected music track.

[0044] The driver assistance system can continue to learn new text content from the owner. New information can be recognized using machine learning. This recognized new information can be processed by machine learning and added to the questionnaire and feature catalog for the respective aging phase of the driver assistance system.

[0045] The following explains air conditioning in a motor vehicle. An odor can be detected in the vehicle using odor sensors. This detected odor is analyzed, and if the odor is rated as negative, a vehicle action is triggered, such as a voice output through a loudspeaker ("It smells bad here"), opening windows by providing a control signal for window lifts, blocking the outside air supply via a control signal to the air conditioning system if the odor is coming from outside, adjusting the air supply in the vehicle via a control signal to the air conditioning system, or releasing fragrances in the vehicle via a control signal to open a fragrance container.

[0046] The following describes a singing-with-a-vehicle function. If singing is detected via at least one microphone in the vehicle interior, the driver assistance system establishes a connection to search engines. The detected singing is analyzed, and the corresponding title and artist are searched for via the search engine. This triggers the song to be sung by the vehicle over the loudspeaker according to the aging phase of the driver assistance system, particularly with regard to volume, pitch, and depth.If the owner sings a song they have composed themselves and the search engines cannot determine the title and artist based on the analyzed singing, the driver assistance system can record the owner's sung lyrics as a vehicle reaction according to the questionnaire and property catalog for the current aging phase of the driver assistance system and output them via the loudspeakers in accordance with the properties for the aging phase of the driver assistance system.

[0047] It may happen that the owner asks the vehicle to sing. The request can be recognized via a voice command using a microphone. The vehicle can use an algorithm to open the owner's catalog of preferences and select the owner's favorite music. The vehicle sings the owner's favorite song over the loudspeaker according to the vehicle's aging phase, adjusting the volume, pitch, and depth of tone. If it is determined that the owner is asking the vehicle to sing along, with the request being recognized via a voice command using a microphone, the singing can be analyzed. The singing is analyzed by searching for the title and artist using a search engine. This triggers the vehicle to sing the song over the loudspeaker according to the vehicle's aging phase, adjusting the volume, pitch, and depth of tone.

[0048] The following describes how the owner's preferences are saved. The owner of the motor vehicle can enter preferences on a digital form, which then stores these preferences in a database. Alternatively or additionally, the driver assistance system can learn the owner's preferences through conversations or a survey. The motor vehicle can analyze a journey's route using machine learning. If it is determined that the route has an easy difficulty level, for example because the route is a motorway and / or the motor vehicle is driving straight and / or there are no traffic jams and / or there are no construction sites and / or the driver's driving style indicates that the driver is relaxed, then the motor vehicle can be triggered to ask the driver over the loudspeaker for permission to discuss preferences.When permission is granted, the questionnaire can be retrieved from the database and questions can be asked to the driver via the vehicle's loudspeaker. The microphone can be used to recognize the driver's answers to the questions and then store them in the database.

[0049] The following explains how the mood or state of the owner of the motor vehicle can be recognized. Using sensors, in particular a camera, the owner's facial expressions and gestures can be detected. Furthermore, sweat sensors can be installed in the vehicle seat. The owner's characteristics detected by the sensors are compared with a database, in particular with regard to facial color, corners of the mouth, body temperature and / or blinking speed. The driver assistance system analyzes the owner's mood or state by identifying a delta to the database. Unusual facial expressions or gestures can trigger the driver assistance system to issue questions. Based on the analysis and the aging phase, the vehicle can ask questions over a loudspeaker such as "Are you okay?", "How are you feeling?" or "Has something happened?".If the owner answers the question, a psychologist function of the driver assistance system can be activated, in which the driver assistance system actively listens. The vehicle can initiate the psychologist function by outputting a voice signal, such as "Would you like to talk about it?" or "Tell me what happened." Active listening can be implemented with standard responses implemented by artificial intelligence, such as "I understand, that's a difficult reaction," which is a reaction of understanding. The owner's identified problem can be saved in the database so that it can be responded to at a later time, for example, x days later, if the owner asks further questions. The vehicle can connect to search engines, especially when the owner asks "What should I do?".The vehicle can search for solutions to the problem using a search engine, such as ChatGPT, and output the information over the loudspeaker. Additionally, the vehicle can output a disclaimer over the loudspeaker, such as "My answer does not replace medical advice."

[0050] The motor vehicle can analyze the driver's driving behavior, in particular by analyzing the vehicle's speed via speed sensors, steering wheel movement via steering angle control, for example, wobbling or rapid back-and-forth jerking, and / or pedal operation via the intensity of accelerator or brake pedal operation. The driver assistance system can analyze the acquired data in conjunction with a database and determine a delta to the database. Unusual driver behavior can trigger questions to be issued via the vehicle, with the questions based on the analysis and the vehicle's aging phase. For example, the vehicle can issue questions such as "Are you okay?", "How are you feeling?", or "Has something happened?" Depending on the driver's response to the question, the previously described psychologist function can be initiated.Furthermore, as already described, the problem can also be saved in the database so that it can be responded to at a later time, i.e., x days later, if the owner has further questions. Furthermore, as already described, the vehicle can connect to search engines to search for solutions to the problem when the owner asks, "What should I do?"

[0051] The driver assistance system can store correlations between facial expressions / gestures / driving behavior and mood / state. Facial expressions / gestures / driving behavior can be detected by the vehicle's sensors—as already described—and compared with the database. If an unknown facial expression / gesture and / or driving style is detected, the vehicle can initiate questions such as "How are you?" over the loudspeaker. The vehicle detects the owner's responses via the microphone. The detected owner's responses can be stored in the database in the correlation between facial expressions / gestures / driving style and mood / state.

[0052] An analysis of the owner's health status is explained below. The motor vehicle can identify measured values for body temperature, for example, determined by a camera; skin color, for example, pale, in particular determined by a camera; weight, for example, determined via a scale in a seat; heart rate variability, for example, determined via light absorption; respiration, for example, determined via microphones or a camera that detects chest movement; and pulse at the steering wheel, for example, via sound or electrical heart voltages or light absorption. The owner can generally consent to the function so that the driver assistance system can make an emergency call and, if necessary, additional measured data can be made available to doctors if the owner is no longer able to make an emergency call themselves.

[0053] The driver assistance system can act as a health coach by suggesting breathing techniques to the vehicle occupants, reminding the vehicle occupants to take an ice bath using an ice container, providing advice on food, or providing restaurants near the location and / or a destination that offer healthy food, suggesting sporting events and / or stretching exercises.

[0054] The controller is described in more detail below. It can be used to adjust settings of the driver assistance system, particularly via the human-machine interface. The human-machine interface can comprise a screen via which settings can be made. Each setting affects the characteristics of the driver assistance system in each aging phase. The intensity of each characteristic of the aging phase can be increased or decreased. For example, it is possible to set how cheeky the driver assistance system should be. The characteristics of the aging phases can thus be adjusted via the human-machine interface or via voice commands, whereby instructions for adjusting the settings can be processed using machine learning.

[0055] A voice from among the voice signals triggered by the driver assistance system can be adjusted using the control. Different voices can be stored in the database. A specific voice can be requested using voice commands, which can be picked up using the microphone. The vehicle can connect to a search engine and select available voices. The voice profile of the driver assistance system can change from bright to deep over the course of aging. The voice profile can be adjusted by lowering the pitch, changing the speed, changing a timbre, for example, making it harsher, and / or taking into account jumps in pitch during puberty. It is possible that, with the support of artificial intelligence, all the voices stored in the database can be changed together.

[0056] A baby mode can also be provided as a further aging phase, which, for example, triggers cries in the vehicle interior to signal that the vehicle is hungry and indicate when an energy storage device, such as a fuel tank or battery, is running low. When the remaining range is zero kilometers, continuous crying can be emitted in the vehicle interior.

[0057] The respective aging phases of the driver assistance system can be designed so that they can be switched off. Through input from the owner, the soul of the vehicle represented by the driver assistance system can be formed by the driver assistance system learning from the way the owner speaks to the vehicle. How the driver assistance system reacts to the owner can depend on the temperament and thus the communication of the vehicle owner and not exclusively on the owner's current mood. The driver assistance system's vocabulary can also be expanded through terms and expressions learned from the owner, such as "Hey, you rascal." The driver assistance system can adopt how sentences are formed from multiple family members and / or owners by mixing what it has learned from different vehicle occupants or by imitating the vehicle owner.For example, if the vehicle detects that the driver's wife says, "You haven't brought me any flowers in a while," the vehicle can later output the message, "You haven't brought me any flowers in a while." This adapted and trained driver assistance system can be transferred from one vehicle to another.

[0058] For example, if a passenger gets into the car with a dent in it, the response from the interior might be "The other one looks worse, doesn't it?" The driver assistance system's responses are particularly sensitive. Safety criteria must be kept in mind when selecting actions by the driver assistance system. If the driver violates traffic regulations, the driver assistance system can react particularly aggressively. However, it must be avoided that this audacity results in violations of the rules.

[0059] Overall, the invention shows how a buddy mode can be implemented, whereby a communication mode with the owner and / or their family can be developed over a vehicle life cycle. List of reference symbols V1 to V2 respective process steps 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] US 2022 / 0189482 A1

[0002] US 2019 / 0279629 A1

[0003] US 2020 / 0269848 A1

[0004]

Claims

[1] Method for operating a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, which is designed to successively run through different predetermined aging phases, wherein different properties of the driver assistance system are assigned to the different aging phases, wherein in the method the driver assistance system receives input data (V1) which characterize a situation in which the motor vehicle is located and / or which characterize a user input of a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle, and an action of the driver assistance system is selected and triggered depending on the input data and a predetermined property of the current aging phase of the driver assistance system (V2). [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant is determined (V1) and the action is additionally selected as a function of the vehicle occupant information (V2). [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein communication properties of the driver assistance system are specified for each aging phase, in particular with regard to sentence structure and / or content and / or dialect and / or a pitch of an audio signal and / or volume of the audio signal and / or an output speed of the audio signal. [4] Method according to claim 3, wherein at least one communication property of the driver assistance system is adapted as a function of at least one vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the properties of the driver assistance system are adapted in the respective aging phase depending on the user input. [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the driver assistance system determines a degree of difficulty of a route of a journey along which the motor vehicle is moved, and, if the determined degree of difficulty is below a predetermined threshold value, triggers a request to be issued by means of an output device of the motor vehicle, which request the vehicle occupant to make a user input which characterizes at least one item of vehicle occupant information characterizing the vehicle occupant. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the output of a warning message and / or an error message is triggered by means of the driver assistance system (V2), wherein a form of the output is selected depending on the aging phase. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the properties of the driver assistance system in the respective aging phases correspond to human properties at different ages. [9] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the action is selected as a function of an assignment rule stored in the motor vehicle and / or the action is selected as a function of a response received via the Internet in response to a request (V2). [10] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the output of an indication signal is triggered (V2) by means of the driver assistance system, which indicates at least one point of interest, wherein the type of the selected point of interest to which the indication signal is directed depends on the aging phase of the driver assistance system. [11] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the input data characterize an odor detected in the motor vehicle and the action is selected depending on the detected odor (V2). [12] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the input data characterize a state of health and / or a state of mind of at least one vehicle occupant located in the motor vehicle and the action is selected depending on the state of health and / or the state of mind (V2). [13] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the driver assistance system determines on the basis of the input data that the vehicle occupant requests the driver assistance system to sing, and in response thereto, the driver assistance system triggers that a song determined on the basis of the input data is output in the form of an audio signal by means of an output device of the motor vehicle (V2), wherein the audio signal is adapted as a function of the at least one property of the aging phase of the driver assistance system. [14] Driver assistance system which is designed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims. [15] Motor vehicle with a driver assistance system according to claim 14.

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