Method for providing route guidance for a motor vehicle by means of an electronic computing device, computer program product and electronic computing device

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for providing route guidance (12) for a motor vehicle (14) by means of an electronic computing device (10), comprising the steps of: obtaining a starting point and an endpoint of a route; transmitting the starting point and the endpoint to a third-party provider (16) for the third-party provider (16) to calculate route guidance (12); specifying a comfort criterion (20) to be met along the route guidance (12); obtaining at least one route guidance (12) from the third-party provider (16); evaluating the at least one route guidance (12) depending on the comfort criterion (20); and providing the route guidance (12) depending on the evaluation. The invention further relates to a computer program product and an electronic computing device (10).

Description

[0001] The following invention relates to a method for providing route guidance for a motor vehicle by means of an electronic computing device according to the applicable claim 1. The invention further relates to a corresponding computer program product and an electronic computing device.

[0002] It is already known from the state of the art that, in navigation systems, after the driver has entered a destination, this destination can be transmitted either directly to a service provider, in particular a third-party provider, or indirectly via a cloud-based backend. Route sections that are inconvenient for the driver to travel with the currently used vehicle are generally not excluded from the route selection.

[0003] Patent 10 2020 200 461 A1 relates to a method for determining a navigation route for a vehicle, in which the following steps are carried out: providing road segments for the navigation route; determining at least one piece of traffic information for the navigation route, wherein the determined traffic information is specific for a traffic volume on the road segments; calculating the navigation route based on the road segments and the determined traffic information, wherein it is provided that, during the calculation, the road segments are selected for the navigation route in such a way that the road segments with higher traffic volumes are preferred.

[0004] DE 10 2017 218 779 A1 relates to a device and a method for evaluating and / or planning a vehicle's route, as well as a vehicle equipped with such a device. The method determines the vehicle's orientation for at least one of several road segments in a road network and the sun's position when the vehicle passes through that segment. Furthermore, for at least one of the road segments, a glare parameter, which measures the expected glare from sunlight affecting the driver when passing through that segment, is determined based on the sun's position and the vehicle's orientation. Finally, at least one evaluation parameter for each road segment is determined based on the glare parameter and at least one segment parameter characterizing that segment.A route is evaluated and / or planned based on at least one evaluation parameter, and information based on the evaluation and / or planning of the route is output.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a method, a computer program product and an electronic computing device by means of which a convenient route guidance for at least one occupant of the motor vehicle can be implemented.

[0006] This problem is solved by a method, a computer program product, and an electronic computing device according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0007] One aspect of the invention relates to a method for providing route guidance for a motor vehicle using an electronic computing device. A starting point and an endpoint of the route are obtained. The starting point and the endpoint are transmitted to a third-party provider for route calculation. At least one comfort criterion to be met along the route is specified. At least one route is received from the third-party provider. This route is evaluated based on the comfort criterion, and the route is then provided according to this evaluation.

[0008] Beyond the standardized and technically available route configuration options, such as those offered by third-party providers, a company's own vehicle fleet can provide a data foundation for evaluating driven routes based on its own measurement data regarding their actual, comfortable drivability, and for recommending or avoiding them accordingly. This is particularly relevant when the respective route provider lacks fleet information. This allows, for example, a vehicle backend to improve the suggested online routes for its own fleet.

[0009] By taking fleet data into account, routes that are less desirable for the driver, such as those involving very narrow sections of road, can be replaced with more comfortable routes – even if these may take longer. Even if a vehicle manufacturer uses a standardized online routing service from a provider, they can still leverage their own fleet data to evaluate the driving comfort of routes based on the vehicle's users and adapt route recommendations accordingly.

[0010] According to an advantageous design, at least the assessment is carried out internally within the motor vehicle.

[0011] Furthermore, it is advantageous to conduct an evaluation of the route guidance with regard to the comfort criterion based on fleet data.

[0012] Furthermore, it has proven advantageous to specify a comfort threshold and to suggest an alternative route guidance if the comfort threshold is undershot.

[0013] In another advantageous embodiment, it is provided that the route guidance is divided into at least two route sections and that an evaluation with regard to the comfort criterion is carried out for each route section.

[0014] The presented method is, in particular, at least partially a computer-implemented method.

[0015] Therefore, another aspect of the invention relates to a computer program product with program code means which cause an electronic computing device to perform a method according to the preceding aspect when the program code means are processed by the electronic computing device.

[0016] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a computer-readable storage medium containing at least the computer program product according to the preceding aspect.

[0017] A further aspect of the invention relates to an electronic computing device for providing route guidance for a motor vehicle, wherein the electronic computing device is configured to carry out the method according to the preceding aspect. In particular, the method is carried out by means of the electronic computing device.

[0018] Advantageous embodiments of the process are considered advantageous embodiments of the computer program product, the computer-readable storage medium, and the electronic computing device. The electronic computing device, in particular, possesses tangible features to enable the execution of the corresponding process steps.

[0019] A computing unit / electronic computing device can be understood, in particular, as a data processing device containing a processing circuit. The computing unit can therefore process data to perform arithmetic operations. This may also include operations to perform indexed access to a data structure, such as a lookup table (LUT).

[0020] The computing unit may, in particular, contain one or more computers, one or more microcontrollers, and / or one or more integrated circuits, for example, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or one or more systems on a chip (SoCs). The computing unit may also contain one or more processors, for example, one or more microprocessors, one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), and / or one or more signal processors, in particular one or more digital signal processors (DSPs). The computing unit may also include a physical or virtual array of computers or other units of the aforementioned type.

[0021] In various embodiments, the computing unit includes one or more hardware and / or software interfaces and / or one or more storage units.

[0022] A storage unit can be volatile data storage, for example as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static random access memory (SRAM), or as non-volatile data storage, for example as read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or flash EEPROM, ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), or magnetoresistive random access memory.It can be designed as MRAM (magnetoresistive random access memory) or as phase-change random access memory, PCRAM (phase-change random access memory).

[0023] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment and from the drawing. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as those mentioned below in the figure description and / or shown in the single figure alone, can be used not only in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or individually, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0024] The only one shows Fig. 1 A schematic block diagram according to an embodiment of an electronic computing device for an embodiment of a motor vehicle.

[0025] In the figure, identical or functionally equivalent elements are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0026] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram according to an embodiment of an electronic computing device 10. In the following exemplary embodiment, the electronic computing device 10 is specifically cloud-based, or configured as a backend server. The electronic computing device 10 is specifically designed to provide route guidance 12 for a motor vehicle 14.

[0027] The Fig. Figure 1 further shows at least one third-party provider 16 and a fleet 18, which is represented in particular by a large number of motor vehicles.

[0028] According to one embodiment for providing route guidance 12, at least one start point and one end point of a route are obtained. The start point and the end point are transmitted to the third-party provider 16 for calculating route guidance 12. A comfort criterion 20 to be met along route guidance 12 is then specified. The route guidance 12 is then obtained from the third-party provider 16. The route guidance 12 is evaluated based on the comfort criterion, and the route guidance 12 is provided based on this evaluation.

[0029] For this purpose, it may be provided, for example, that the route guidance 12 can be transmitted to another electronic computing device 22, for example, a navigation system of the motor vehicle 14.

[0030] Furthermore, it may be provided that at least the assessment is carried out internally within the vehicle. It may also be provided that, based on fleet data from fleet 18, an assessment of route guidance 12 is carried out with regard to comfort criterion 20. It may also be provided that a comfort threshold is specified and, if this threshold is not met, an alternative route is suggested for route guidance 12. It may also be provided that route guidance 12 is divided into at least two route segments and that an assessment with regard to comfort criterion 20 is carried out for each route segment.

[0031] In particular, this shows that Fig.1. As a first step, fleet data regarding road suitability can be collected. For this purpose, the vehicles in the fleet 18, for example, of a vehicle manufacturer, can cyclically transmit GPS coordinates. The electronic computing unit 10 can then analyze this data regarding the road suitability of each section. If, for example, the GPS data shows that two vehicles meet on a particular section of road and cannot pass each other without obstruction, this information can be used accordingly.

[0032] Each section of road can thus be assigned a comfort score between, for example, 0 and 100. A comfort score of 0 means, for example, "very uncomfortable"; when two vehicles meet, one has to reverse to the next lay-by. A comfort score of 50 means that when two vehicles meet, at least one of them has to reduce its speed to 50% of its normal speed, which wouldn't have been necessary without oncoming traffic. A comfort score of 100 means, for example, that the section of road can be driven comfortably without any restrictions.

[0033] The comfort score can depend on vehicle parameters, such as the width of the currently used vehicle. Additional vehicle data can be incorporated into the comfort score, such as images from externally facing cameras or other sensor data, to determine, for example, the width of the road. This can also include data from sensors facing into the vehicle interior, which can detect the driver's stress level. Manual feedback from drivers, such as information about the general road conditions, roadworks, or their stress level, can also be included in the comfort score.

[0034] In a second step, the comfort score is used for route selection. A route selection with a poor comfort score, for example below a threshold of 20, can be avoided for all future trips. There are two alternative approaches to achieving this.

[0035] The first approach is for the routing service provider to offer an interface to receive and store a comfort score for each route segment. When requesting a new route from this third-party provider, a threshold for the comfort score can then be specified, so that the routing service provider only uses route segments with a higher comfort score in the returned route. This means that a route provider must consider an additional criterion when calculating routes.

[0036] The second option is that the route service provider used by the vehicle 14, or indirectly via the backend, offers a main route and alternative routes when a route request is made. The electronic computing unit 10, or the vehicle itself, can then check whether all sections of the main route exceed a minimum comfort score. If not, this is checked sequentially for the alternative routes. If no alternative route meets the minimum comfort score, the route that, overall, imposes the fewest restrictions on the driver can be selected.

[0037] Alternatively, by splitting the route or shifting the start / finish straight incrementally, an attempt can be made to obtain a route from the routing service provider that contains the minimum comfort score.

[0038] By taking fleet data into account, routes that are less pleasant for a driver, for example those containing very narrow sections of road, can be replaced with more comfortable routes – even if these may take longer. Although a vehicle manufacturer uses a standardized online routing service from a third-party provider, it thus utilizes its own fleet data to evaluate the driving comfort of the routes for individual users and adapt the route recommendations accordingly. Reference symbol list 10 electronic computing equipment 12 Route guidance 14 Motor vehicle 16 third-party providers 18 Fleet 20 Comfort criteria 22 other electronic computing devices QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

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

[0000] DE 10 2017 218 779 A1

[0004]

Claims

Method for providing route guidance (12) for a motor vehicle (14) using an electronic computing device (10), comprising the steps of: - receiving a starting point of a route and an endpoint of the route; - transmitting the starting point and the endpoint to a third-party provider (16) for the third-party provider (16) to calculate route guidance (12); - specifying a comfort criterion (20) to be met along the route guidance (12); - receiving at least one route guidance (12) from the third-party provider (16); - evaluating the at least one route guidance (12) depending on the comfort criterion (20); and - providing the route guidance (12) depending on the evaluation. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that at least the evaluation is carried out internally within the motor vehicle. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that an evaluation of the route guidance (12) with regard to the comfort criterion (20) is carried out on the basis of fleet data of a fleet (18). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a comfort threshold is specified and, if the comfort threshold for route guidance (12) is undershot, an alternative route guidance is proposed. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the route guidance (12) is divided into at least two route parts and an evaluation with regard to the comfort criterion (20) is carried out for each route part. Computer program product comprising program code means which cause an electronic computing device (10) to perform a method according to one of claims 1 to 5 when the program code means are processed by the electronic computing device (10). Electronic computing device (10) for providing route guidance (12) for a motor vehicle (14), wherein the electronic computing device (10) is configured to perform a method according to one of claims 1 to 5.

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