METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT

Description

State of the art

[0001] The approach is based on a device or method according to the class of the independent claims. The present approach also relates to a computer program.

[0002] DE 10 2017 205 063 A1 describes a method and a device for monitoring a motorcycle. Unstable driving conditions of a motorcycle are detected based on acceleration signals. The acceleration thresholds and time intervals for exceeding them described in the aforementioned publication are sometimes difficult to define in a generally applicable manner, especially when false triggering, for example, due to contact with walls when maneuvering in garages or harmless falls while stationary, are to be avoided.

[0003] The document US 2003 / 016147 A1 discloses a control system that monitors a vehicle and provides appropriate communication and alarm options in the event of a detected accident. Disclosure of the invention

[0004] Against this background, the approach presented here presents a method for detecting a motorcycle accident, a device using this method, and finally a corresponding computer program according to the main claims. The measures listed in the dependent claims allow advantageous refinements and improvements of the device specified in the independent claim.

[0005] The advantages of the approach presented here are that a motorcycle accident can be detected with particularly high plausibility. This can, for example, prevent premature false alarms.

[0006] A method for detecting a motorcycle accident is presented. The method comprises a reading step, a selecting step, and a recognizing step. In the reading step, a detected motorcycle speed of the motorcycle is read. In the selecting step, a threshold value for at least one sensed sensor value of a sensor of the motorcycle is selected using the motorcycle speed. In the recognizing step, the motorcycle accident is recognized if the sensed sensor value reaches or exceeds the threshold value selected in the selecting step.

[0007] This method can be implemented, for example, in software or hardware or in a mixed form of software and hardware, for example in a control unit.

[0008] Automatic emergency call systems have been mandatory in all new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles within the European Union since March 31, 2018. These emergency call systems are intended to automatically initiate an emergency call in the event of a traffic accident, so that rescue measures can be initiated more quickly. The difficulty of a comparable technical implementation for motorized two-wheelers compared to systems for passenger cars lies in the significantly more complex driving and accident dynamics in the two-wheeler sector. For example, motorcycles can exhibit large lean angles and pitch angles even when riding stable, for example, when riding on only the rear or front wheel, as in so-called "wheelies" and "stoppies." The risk of false activation of an emergency call system is therefore much higher for motorcycles.The method presented here advantageously enables accident detection, whereby a threshold value for the sensor value required for detection has been realistically adjusted in advance depending on the motorcycle's speed. For example, a harmless tipping of the motorcycle from a standstill can be recognized as not being an accident. A motorcycle emergency call system that reacts to detected accidents can thus, for example, prevent false alarms.

[0009] In the selection step, a threshold value can be selected from a plurality of stored threshold values ​​for at least the sensed sensor value of the sensor using the motorcycle speed. For example, threshold values ​​assigned to various motorcycle speeds can be stored in a vehicle memory, for example, in a table. Depending on the motorcycle speed read in, the corresponding threshold value can then be selected quickly and easily.

[0010] According to the invention, in the selection step, the threshold value for a sensed motorcycle acceleration of an acceleration sensor of the motorcycle is selected. The motorcycle acceleration can be a multidimensional, for example, three-dimensional motorcycle acceleration, which is detected, for example, by an acceleration sensor designed as an inertial sensor. Such a motorcycle acceleration is a common sensor value for detecting motorcycle accidents.

[0011] In the selection step, a defined time period can also be selected for the sensor value to reach or exceed the threshold. In the detection step, the accident is detected if the sensed sensor value reaches or exceeds the selected threshold for at least the specified time period. This allows the accident to be detected even more plausibly.

[0012] It is further advantageous if the method comprises an output step in which an emergency signal is output when the accident has been detected. The emergency signal can, for example, be output to a communication interface to a safety system such as an emergency call system which is designed to request rescue measures. For example, help can be requested immediately after the accident is detected. According to the invention, the method comprises a determination step in which an accident severity and additionally or alternatively an accident type are determined using the motorcycle speed and additionally a clipping time of a sensor signal representing the sensor value and additionally or alternatively a speed signal representing the motorcycle speed.According to an advantageous embodiment, the emergency signal can be output in the output step, which further indicates the determined accident severity and additionally or alternatively the accident type. This enables assistance measures corresponding to the accident severity and additionally or alternatively to the accident type. According to the invention, the clipping time is understood to be a period of time in which the sensor signal / speed signal is outside the dynamic range, i.e., when the sensor signal cannot be resolved in the saturation range. Utilizing this clipping time is advantageous because there is a strong correlation between accident severity and clipping times; in particular, the clipping time generally increases with the relative speed of colliding vehicles.

[0013] In an embodiment not according to the invention, the method can comprise an adaptation step in which a clipping time of a sensor signal representing the sensor value and additionally or alternatively of a speed signal representing the motorcycle speed is adapted using the motorcycle speed and additionally or alternatively a misuse signal. This is advantageous because the clipping times increase with speed even in certain misuse cases without a subsequent accident. Therefore, the clipping times can advantageously be carefully adapted for different speed ranges for the values ​​for accidents and excitations due to misuse cases typical there. The misuse signal can represent such a misuse case, such as off-road driving, driving over objects, and additionally or alternatively jumps.In this case, misuse can be understood as a scenario in which the motorcycle's contact with the ground is at least temporarily lost. Such a scenario also includes, for example, a case in which the motorcycle is not traveling on a paved roadway.

[0014] During the reading step, the recorded motorcycle speed can be read in, representing a currently recorded wheel speed of at least one wheel of the motorcycle or a previously recorded wheel speed of at least that wheel from a ring buffer of the motorcycle. The previously recorded wheel speed from the ring buffer can be helpful if, for example, the wheel abruptly locked during the accident and therefore no wheel speed could be measured at that moment. In this case, the most recent value from the ring buffer can be used as the previously recorded wheel speed.

[0015] The approach presented here further provides a device configured to perform, control, or implement the steps of a variant of a method presented here in corresponding devices. This variant of the approach in the form of a device also allows the underlying problem to be solved quickly and efficiently.

[0016] For this purpose, the device can have at least one computing unit for processing signals or data, at least one memory unit for storing signals or data, at least one interface to a sensor or an actuator for reading sensor signals from the sensor or for outputting data or control signals to the actuator, and / or at least one communication interface for reading or outputting data embedded in a communication protocol. The computing unit can be, for example, a signal processor, a microcontroller, or the like, wherein the memory unit can be a flash memory, an EEPROM, or a magnetic storage unit.The communication interface can be designed to read in or output data wirelessly and / or wired, wherein a communication interface that can read in or output wired data can read this data, for example, electrically or optically from a corresponding data transmission line or output it to a corresponding data transmission line.

[0017] In this case, a device can be understood as an electrical device that processes sensor signals and outputs control and / or data signals depending on them. The device can have an interface, which can be implemented in hardware and / or software. In a hardware implementation, the interfaces can, for example, be part of a so-called system ASIC, which contains a wide variety of functions of the device. However, it is also possible for the interfaces to be separate integrated circuits or to consist at least partially of discrete components. In a software implementation, the interfaces can be software modules that are present, for example, on a microcontroller alongside other software modules.

[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the device detects a motorcycle accident. For this purpose, the device can access, for example, sensor signals such as a speed signal representing a detected motorcycle speed of the motorcycle and a sensor signal representing a sensed sensor value of a sensor of the motorcycle. Control is via actuators such as a reading device configured to read in the detected motorcycle speed of the motorcycle and / or the sensed sensor value, a selection device configured to select a threshold value for at least the sensed sensor value of the sensor using the motorcycle speed, and a detection device configured to detect the motorcycle accident when the sensed sensor value reaches or exceeds the threshold value selected by the selection device.

[0019] Also advantageous is a computer program product or computer program with program code that can be stored on a machine-readable carrier or storage medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk memory or an optical memory and is used to carry out, implement and / or control the steps of the method according to one of the embodiments described above, in particular when the program product or program is executed on a computer or a device.

[0020] Examples of the approach presented here are shown in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following description. It shows: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a motorcycle with a device for detecting an accident of the motorcycle according to an embodiment; Fig. 2 a schematic representation of a device according to an embodiment; and Fig. 3 a flowchart of a method for detecting an accident of a motorcycle according to an embodiment.

[0021] In the following description of advantageous embodiments of the present approach, the same or similar reference numerals are used for the elements shown in the various figures and having a similar effect, whereby a repeated description of these elements is omitted.

[0022] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a motorcycle 100 with a device 105 for detecting an accident of the motorcycle 100 according to an embodiment.

[0023] For example only, the device 105 according to this exemplary embodiment is arranged in or on the motorcycle 100, which according to this exemplary embodiment is designed as a motorized two-wheeler, for example, a motorcycle. According to one exemplary embodiment, the device 105 is implemented in a control unit of the motorcycle 100.

[0024] The device 105 is designed to detect an accident involving the motorcycle 100. For this purpose, the device 105 has a reading device 110, a selection device 115, and a recognition device 120. The reading device 110 is designed to read in a detected motorcycle speed 125 of the motorcycle 100. The selection device 115 is designed to select a threshold value for at least one sensed sensor value 130 of a sensor 135 of the motorcycle 100 using the motorcycle speed 125. The recognition device 120 is designed to recognize the accident involving the motorcycle 100 when the sensed sensor value 130 reaches or exceeds the threshold value selected by the selection device 115.

[0025] According to this exemplary embodiment, the motorcycle 100 has at least one wheel speed sensor 140, a safety system 145 and / or the sensor 135, which according to this exemplary embodiment is designed as an acceleration sensor, here for example in the form of an inertial sensor.

[0026] According to this exemplary embodiment, the reading device 110 is designed to read in the detected motorcycle speed 125, which represents a currently detected wheel speed of at least one wheel of the motorcycle 100, or a previously detected wheel speed of at least that wheel from a ring buffer of the motorcycle 100. The reading device 110 is designed to read in the motorcycle speed 125 from the wheel speed sensor 140. According to this exemplary embodiment, the motorcycle 100 has a wheel speed sensor 140 on each of the two wheels, wherein the reading device 110 is designed to read in the motorcycle speed 125 from each of the wheel speed sensors 140.

[0027] According to this exemplary embodiment, the selection device 115 is designed to select the threshold value for the sensed sensor value 130 in the form of a sensed motorcycle acceleration of the acceleration sensor of the motorcycle 100. According to this exemplary embodiment, the motorcycle acceleration is a multidimensional, for example, three-dimensional motorcycle acceleration, which is detected by the acceleration sensor designed as an inertial sensor. According to this exemplary embodiment, the selection device 115 is further designed to select the threshold value from a plurality of stored threshold values ​​for at least the sensed sensor value 130 of the sensor 135 using the motorcycle speed 125. According to one exemplary embodiment, the stored threshold values ​​are stored in a vehicle memory of the motorcycle 100 or a cloud for a wide variety of motorcycle speeds, for example in an assignment table.According to this exemplary embodiment, the selection device 115 is further configured to select a defined time period for the sensor value 130 to reach or exceed the threshold value, wherein the detection device 120 is configured to detect the accident when the sensed sensor value 130 reaches or exceeds the selected threshold value for at least the time period. According to this exemplary embodiment, the device 105 is configured to output an emergency signal 150 when the accident has been detected by the detection device 120. According to this exemplary embodiment, the device 105 is configured to output the emergency signal 150 to the safety system 145, which is configured to request rescue measures in response to the emergency signal 150.

[0028] According to this embodiment, the sensed sensor value 130 of the sensor 135 is read in by the reading device 110 and / or the recognition device 120.

[0029] Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of a device 100 according to an embodiment. This may be an embodiment of the device described with reference to Figur 1 described device 100.

[0030] According to this embodiment, the device 100 further comprises an output device 200, an adaptation device 205 and / or a determination device 210.

[0031] The output device 200 is designed to output the emergency signal 150 when the accident has been detected. The adaptation device 205 is designed to adapt a clipping time of a sensor signal 215 representing the sensor value 130 and / or a speed signal 217 representing the motorcycle speed 125 using the motorcycle speed 125 and / or a misuse signal 220. A clipping time is understood to be a time period in which the sensor signal 215 / speed signal 217 is outside the dynamic range, i.e., when the sensor signal 215 / speed signal 217 cannot be resolved in the saturation range. According to this exemplary embodiment, the misuse signal 220 represents a detected misuse case of the motorcycle, such as off-road driving, driving over at least one object, and / or at least one jump of the motorcycle.The determination device 210 is configured to determine an accident severity and / or an accident type 222 of the accident using the motorcycle speed 125 and / or the clipping time of the sensor signal 215 representing the sensor value 130 and / or the speed signal 217 representing the motorcycle speed 125. According to this exemplary embodiment, the determination device 210 is configured to determine the accident severity and / or the accident type 222 of the accident using a clipping time 225 of the sensor signal 215 and / or the speed signal 217 adapted by the adaptation device 205. According to this exemplary embodiment, the output device 200 is configured to output the emergency signal 150, which further indicates the determined accident severity and / or the accident type 222.

[0032] The device 105 presented here advantageously enables accident detection for motorized two-wheelers with speed-dependent accident classification. Despite the highly complex driving and accident dynamics in the two-wheeler sector, false activations of a motorcycle safety system coupled to the device 105 can be advantageously avoided or at least reduced thanks to the device 105 presented here, e.g., if the motorcycle touches a wall while maneuvering in a garage or falls harmlessly from a standstill. Furthermore, thanks to the device 105, stable driving can still be detected even with large inclines and / or pitch angles of the motorcycle, for example, during wheelies and stoppies.

[0033] The device 105 presented here is designed to read values ​​from sensors whose value ranges are designed for vehicle dynamics sensing as the sensor values ​​130. These sensors are already installed on motorcycles with cornering ABS / traction control. In the device 105, a vehicle speed in the form of the motorcycle speed 125 is used, since acceleration thresholds and time intervals for exceeding them are sometimes difficult to define in a generally valid manner, especially if false triggering is to be avoided.

[0034] The threshold values ​​and the duration of their exceedance of accelerations recorded with inertial sensors for motorcycle accident detection are therefore dynamically adapted by device 105 to the current vehicle speed. Accident detection thus becomes more precise; according to one exemplary embodiment, the accident type and / or severity 222 is also estimated. Taking the motorcycle speed 125 into account enables more reliable detection and differentiation of various accident scenarios, which typically exceed different acceleration thresholds over different periods of time in different speed ranges. The speed-dependent consideration also enables at least a rough estimate of the accident severity or type.

[0035] According to this exemplary embodiment, the motorcycle 100 is equipped with a sensor system that enables the availability of, among other things, wheel speeds and accelerations in all spatial directions of the motorcycle. According to one exemplary embodiment, the sensors used sense value ranges for driving dynamics applications, which are significantly smaller than those of dedicated crash sensors. Accordingly, these sensors clip early during an accident and remain there for significant periods. The observation of the clipping times of these driving dynamics sensors is now used by the device 105 for accident detection. Investigations of sensor data during crash tests and real-life accidents have shown the following behavior: There is a strong correlation between accident severity and clipping times. In particular, the clipping time generally increases with the relative speed of the colliding vehicles. However, the clipping times also increase with speed in certain misuse cases without a subsequent accident. Therefore, according to this exemplary embodiment, the clipping times are carefully adjusted by the adaptation device 205 for different speed ranges for the values ​​typical for accidents and excitations due to misuse cases, e.g., off-road driving, driving over objects, jumps. However, there are also measured data in which, for example, harmless contact with garage walls while maneuvering at walking speed may, under certain circumstances, have longer clipping times than in accidents during slow normal driving. When the vehicle is stationary, it is usually desired that excitations of the sensors caused by a harmless fall, e.g.,When stopped at a traffic light or gas station, an automatic emergency call cannot be triggered. However, it is not sufficient to completely deactivate accident detection when the vehicle is stationary, since, for example, when stopped at a traffic light, the motorcycle could be knocked over by other vehicles, which in turn represents a potentially very serious accident scenario.

[0036] In order to use suitable speed-dependent threshold values ​​and clipping times in the aforementioned scenarios, in addition to the sensor values ​​130 in the form of inertial sensor signals, the motorcycle speeds 125 in the form of wheel speeds are also evaluated. Suitable wheel speed sensors are available on all motorcycles equipped with ABS (mandatory since 2016). Since individual wheels can lock abruptly in collisions, according to one embodiment, the wheel speeds of both wheels are considered for a useful speed classification and / or according to one embodiment, for example, using a ring buffer, the wheel speeds shortly before the inertial sensor signals reach conspicuous values ​​are used for evaluation, taking into account special driving conditions with significant wheel slip of individual wheels due to strong acceleration or braking; corresponding evaluations are already implemented in an algorithm.The signals from the wheel speed sensors and the inertial sensor are evaluated in device 105, which may be a control unit. Upon detection of the aforementioned situations by a corresponding algorithm, this control unit triggers a suitable communication unit, which automatically sends an emergency call. According to one exemplary embodiment, the accident scenario suspected according to the described criteria is also communicated as described above in order to prepare the subsequent rescue chain for the severity of the accident.

[0037] Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a method 300 for detecting a motorcycle accident according to an exemplary embodiment. This may be a method 300 that can be executed or controlled by one of the devices described with reference to the preceding figures.

[0038] The method 300 comprises a reading step 305, a selecting step 310, and a detecting step 310. In the reading step 305, a detected motorcycle speed of the motorcycle is read. In the selecting step 310, a threshold value for at least one sensed sensor value of a sensor of the motorcycle is selected using the motorcycle speed. In the detecting step 310, the motorcycle accident is detected if the sensed sensor value reaches or exceeds the threshold value selected in the selecting step.

[0039] According to this embodiment, the method 300 further comprises a step 320 of adapting, a step 325 of determining and / or a step 330 of outputting.

[0040] In step 320 of adjusting, a clipping time of a sensor signal representing the sensor value and a speed signal representing the motorcycle speed are adjusted using the motorcycle speed. In step 325 of determining, an accident severity and / or an accident type is determined using the motorcycle speed and a clipping time of a sensor signal representing the sensor value. In step 330 of outputting, an emergency signal is output if the accident has been detected.

[0041] If an embodiment includes an "and / or" link between a first feature and a second feature, this should be read as meaning that the embodiment according to one embodiment has both the first feature and the second feature and according to another embodiment has either only the first feature or only the second feature.

Claims

1. Method (300) for detecting an accident involving a motorcycle (100), wherein the method (300) comprises the following steps: reading in (305) a measured motorcycle speed (125) of the motorcycle (100) and selecting (310) a threshold value for at least one sensed sensor value (130) from an acceleration sensor (135) of the motorcycle (100) using the motorcycle speed (125); and recognizing (315) the accident involving the motorcycle (100) when the sensed sensor value (130) reaches or exceeds the threshold value selected in the selecting step (310), and determining an accident severity and / or accident type (222) of the accident using the motorcycle speed (125) and a clipping time of a sensor signal (215) from the sensor (135), wherein the clipping time is a period of time in which the sensor signal (215) is located outside a dynamic range of the sensor and is not resolvable.

2. Method (300) according to one of the preceding claims, in which, in the selecting step (310), a defined time period for the sensor value (130) to reach or exceed the threshold value is also selected, wherein, in the recognizing step (315), the accident is recognized when the sensed sensor value (130) reaches or exceeds the selected threshold value for at least the time period.

3. Method (300) according to Claim 3, having an outputting step (330) in which an emergency signal (150) is output when the accident has been recognized.

4. Method (300) according to one of the preceding claims, in which, in the reading-in step (305), the measured motorcycle speed (125) representing a currently measured wheel speed of at least one wheel of the motorcycle (100) or a previously measured wheel speed of at least the wheel from a ring memory of the motorcycle (100) is read in.

5. Device (105) which is configured to perform and / or control the steps (305, 310, 315, 320, 325, 330) of the method (300) according to one of the preceding claims in corresponding units (110, 115, 120; 200, 205, 210).

6. Computer program that is configured to perform and / or control the steps (305, 310, 315, 320, 325, 330) of the method (300) according to one of Claims 1 to 7.

7. Machine-readable storage medium on which the computer program according to Claim 9 is stored.