Procedure for the controlled stopping of a civilian vehicle that is at least partially automated by an authorized police vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the controlled stopping of an automated civilian vehicle (50) by a police vehicle (100). An authorized police vehicle (100) sends an authenticated coupling request to the civilian vehicle (50) via a V2V communication link (120). After cryptographic verification in the civilian vehicle (50), it independently identifies a safe parking area (70) by evaluating its own environmental sensors (52) and / or map data (54). The civilian vehicle (50) then calculates a safe stopping trajectory (80) to this area. Crucially, this calculated stopping trajectory (80) is transmitted back to the police vehicle (100) to enable a coordinated stopping maneuver. The method enables safe, transparent stopping of civilian vehicles that is tailored to the challenges of automated driving.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for the controlled stopping of a civilian vehicle that is at least partially automated by an authorized police vehicle. The invention further relates to a motor vehicle which is equipped / programmed to carry out this method. With the increasing level of automation in motor vehicles equipped with extensive assistance systems, drivers only have limited control over road traffic. This presents traffic police with new challenges. Traditional methods for stopping an unmarked vehicle, such as the use of flashing blue lights, stop paddles, or loudspeaker announcements, require an attentive driver and are increasingly unreliable with highly automated driving functions. At the same time, it must be ensured that no unauthorized third party can send driving commands to an unmarked vehicle by manipulating signals and force it to an unwanted stop. Against this background, a method for authenticating a vehicle is known from DE 10 2022 126 216 A1, in which a first vehicle, for example a civilian emergency vehicle, transmits a digital certificate to a second vehicle. The second vehicle displays this certificate on a display device to signal the authenticity of the first vehicle to its driver. However, such a known procedure is limited to mere authentication and providing visual information to the driver. It does not initiate or support a coordinated stopping maneuver between the vehicles. The safe execution of the actual stopping process, in particular the selection of a suitable stopping point and the safe execution of the stopping trajectory, remains unresolved and continues to be the responsibility of the driver, whose attention can no longer be assumed. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved embodiment of a method for the guided stopping of an automated civilian vehicle. In particular, an improved method is to be provided which, going beyond mere authentication, enables a traffic-safe and coordinated stopping maneuver of an automated vehicle without relying on the constant attention and active participation of the driver. This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Preferred embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent patent claims. The basic idea of ​​the invention is therefore to extend the simple authentication process between a police vehicle and an unmarked vehicle into an interactive and coordinated stopping maneuver. Instead of merely passively informing the unmarked vehicle of an impending check, the proposed method according to the invention creates a coupled system in which, following a cryptographically secured coupling request from the police vehicle, the unmarked vehicle autonomously assumes responsibility for the safe planning of the stopping maneuver. The method independently identifies a suitable stopping point and calculates the trajectory leading there. By transmitting this planned trajectory back to the police vehicle, a synchronized and transparent and safe maneuver is enabled for all involved, specifically tailored to the challenges of highly automated vehicles. Following this basic idea, a method according to the invention for the guided stopping of an automated or semi-automated civilian vehicle by an authorized police vehicle comprises the following measures a) to e). First, in measure a), an authenticated digital coupling request is sent from the police vehicle to the civilian vehicle via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication link. In measure b), the civilian vehicle then receives the authenticity and authorization of the coupling request and cryptographically verifies it. After this successful verification, in measure c), the civilian vehicle identifies one or more safe stopping areas in the direction of travel by evaluating its own environmental sensor and / or map data. Subsequently, in measure d), the civilian vehicle calculates a safe stopping trajectory to one of these identified stopping areas.The stopping trajectory calculated in measure e) is then transmitted from the civilian vehicle to the police vehicle via the V2V communication link to enable a coordinated stopping maneuver. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, after successful verification of the coupling request in the civilian vehicle, a request to confirm the stopping maneuver is issued to an occupant via a human-machine interface (HMI). The calculation and subsequent execution of the stopping trajectory are only initiated after confirmation by the occupant. This "human-in-the-loop" approach significantly increases the safety and confidence of the driver of the civilian vehicle in the automated process, as they retain final control over their vehicle and can prevent the intended stopping maneuver if they have any concerns. According to an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the stopping trajectory transmitted by the civilian vehicle is displayed on a human-machine interface (HMI) in the police vehicle. This provides the emergency services with valuable transparency regarding the planned driving maneuver of the civilian vehicle. The decisive advantage is that the emergency services can adapt their own driving behavior and tactical position to the planned stopping maneuver, resulting in a smooth, safe, and coordinated overall operation. The authentication of the coupling request is particularly effective when using vehicle-integrated hardware security modules (HSMs) and officially issued digital certificates that verify the police vehicle's role as an authorized entity. The use of these cryptographic elements offers the advantage of extremely robust and tamper-proof authentication, effectively preventing attacks by unauthorized third parties who might feign a stop. In another preferred embodiment, identifying a safe parking area involves evaluating data from sensors such as radar, lidar, and / or cameras, as well as digital map data. This takes into account traffic regulations, the current traffic situation, and available hard shoulders or parking bays. The advantage of this data-driven analysis is that the vehicle does not come to an abrupt stop at a potentially dangerous location, but rather autonomously selects a stopping point that maximizes safety for all road users and disrupts the flow of traffic as little as possible. The invention further relates to a motor vehicle, in particular a civilian vehicle equipped for automated or semi-automated driving. This vehicle comprises a communication device for wireless communication with a police vehicle and a control / regulation device that interacts with the communication device and is configured and programmed to carry out the aforementioned method according to the invention. The integration of the corresponding system components enables the vehicle to participate in safe and coordinated stopping according to the method according to the invention. The advantages of the method according to the invention, as explained above, are therefore transferred to the motor vehicle according to the invention. Further important features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, the drawings and the associated description of the figures based on the drawings. It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combination specified, but also in other combinations or on their own, without leaving the scope of the present invention. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description, wherein identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar or functionally identical components. Figure 1 shows, schematically, a scenario illustrating the inventive method with a motor vehicle and a police vehicle according to the invention, and Figure 2 shows a flowchart illustrating the inventive method by way of example. Figure 1 shows an exemplary scenario illustrating the inventive method, with a motor vehicle 10 according to the invention (i.e., a civilian vehicle 50) traveling on a roadway 200, and a police vehicle 100 following the civilian vehicle 50, which intends to stop the motor vehicle 10. Figure 2 shows an exemplary flowchart of the inventive method. The civilian vehicle 50 shown in Fig. 1 is therefore a motor vehicle 10 according to the invention. It has a control / regulating device 60 and a communication device 58 for wireless communication with the police vehicle 100. The inventive method for guided stopping is initiated by the police vehicle 100 sending an authenticated digital coupling request to the civilian vehicle 50 via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication link 120 in a measure a). Authentication is carried out using officially issued digital certificates 112, which are stored in the police vehicle 100. In the civilian vehicle 50, in step b) of the procedure, the communication device 58 receives the request and the control / regulation device 60 cryptographically verifies it. A vehicle-integrated hardware security module (HSM) 62 can be used to ensure the authenticity and authorization of the request. After successful verification, the control / regulating device 60 identifies a safe parking area 70 in the direction of travel F in measure c). For this purpose, it evaluates data from the vehicle's own environmental sensors 52 of the motor vehicle 10, such as radar, lidar and camera sensors, as well as digital map data 54 present in the motor vehicle 10. Subsequently, in measure d), the control / regulating device 60 calculates a safe stopping trajectory 80 to this parking area 70. This calculated stopping trajectory 80 is then transmitted back to the police vehicle 100 via the V2V communication link 120 in measure e). In one variation of the example, after successful verification in the civilian vehicle 50, a confirmation request is issued to the driver via a human-machine interface (HMI) 56. Only after the driver's approval is the stopping procedure initiated. In another variant of the example, the transmitted stopping trajectory 80 is visualized in the police vehicle 100 on a human-machine interface HMI 102 located there, so that the emergency services can adapt their driving maneuver to that of the civilian vehicle 50. Reference symbol list 10 Motor vehicle 50 Civilian vehicle 52 Environmental sensors 54 Map data 56 Human-machine interface (HMI) 58 Communication device 60 Control / regulation device 62 Hardware security module (HSM) 70 Secure parking area 80 Stopping trajectory 100 Police vehicle 102 Human-machine interface (HMI) 112 Digital certificate 120 V2V communication link 200 Roadway F Direction of travel QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION 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 DE 10 2022 126 216 A1

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Claims

Method for the guided stopping of an at least partially automated civilian vehicle (50) by an authorized police vehicle (100), comprising the following measures: a) sending an authenticated digital coupling request from the police vehicle (100) to the civilian vehicle (50) via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication link (120); b) receiving and cryptographically verifying the authenticity and authorization of the coupling request in the civilian vehicle (50); c) identifying one or more safe stopping areas (70) by the civilian vehicle (50) by evaluating its own environmental sensor (52) and / or map data (54) after successful verification; d) calculating a safe stopping trajectory (80) to one of the identified stopping areas (70) by the civilian vehicle (50);unde) Transmitting the calculated stopping trajectory (80) from the civilian vehicle (50) to the police vehicle (100) via the V2V communication link (120) to enable a coordinated stopping maneuver.; Method according to claim 1, characterized in that after successful verification of the coupling request according to measure b) in the civil vehicle (50) a request to confirm the stopping maneuver is issued to an occupant via a human-machine interface (HMI) (56) and the calculation and execution of the stopping trajectory (80) is only initiated after confirmation by the occupant. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the authentication of the coupling request in measure a) is carried out using vehicle-bound hardware security modules (HSM) (62) and government-issued digital certificates (112) that prove the role of the police vehicle (100) as an authorized entity. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the identification of a safe parking area (70) in measure c) comprises the evaluation of data from at least one sensor (52) of the motor vehicle (10), in particular a radar sensor and / or a lidar sensor and / or a camera and / or digital map material (54), so that traffic rules and / or the current traffic situation, in particular available hard shoulders and / or parking bays, are taken into account. Motor vehicle (10), in particular a civilian vehicle (50) trained for automated or semi-automated driving, with a communication device (58) for wireless communication with a police vehicle (100), with a control / regulation device (60) cooperating with the communication device (58), which is set up / programmed to carry out the method according to one of claims 1 to 4.

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