METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A PARTICULARLY AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLE AND A PEDESTRIAN

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for communication between a motor vehicle that is at least partially autonomous and a pedestrian by means of a system according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to a system.

[0002] It is already known that autonomous vehicles, such as self-driving trucks, will be operating on roads in the future. These trucks can be configured as tractor units, for example, and can pull any type of trailer or semi-trailer, thus forming a vehicle combination. It may then be planned that the corresponding coupling of the vehicle combination will take place at so-called highway hubs or depots. Such a hub is often a private, secure depot with exclusive access for self-driving trucks and their customers. From such a hub, Level 4 vehicles, i.e., autonomous vehicles according to SAE standards, will be operationally managed.

[0003] The missions of self-driving trucks often begin and end at such a hub. The coordination of the trucks, the loading of trailers and semi-trailers, and maintenance and inspections frequently take place within these hubs. In the event of a technical malfunction in an autonomous truck, the hubs coordinate with a central electronic computing facility to arrange for the truck's recovery and repair. Each hub provides the necessary maintenance, inspection, weighing, cleaning, refueling, routine repair, and calibration infrastructure required to keep the trucks operational. This often involves people, particularly pedestrians, necessitating interaction between the autonomous vehicles and the public.

[0004] DE 10 2010 001 869 A1 discloses a method and device for warning a pedestrian of approaching vehicles that may pose a collision hazard to the pedestrian, in which the device has a receiving device for electromagnetic radiation and receives an electromagnetic signal by means of this receiving device which is emitted by the vehicle from which the collision hazard may originate and, upon detection of an imminent collision hazard, the pedestrian is warned of the imminent collision by means of a warning signal which is emitted by a warning device installed in the device.

[0005] DE 10 2011 111 899 A1 describes a detection device, a method, and a motor vehicle for detecting at least one carrier of a mobile transmitter / receiver relative to a vehicle, which is provided in a vehicle, with a transmitter / receiver configured to communicate with a mobile transmitter / receiver to be detected; with an environment sensor device for acquiring information about the vehicle's environment; with an evaluation device configured to determine, based on the communication and the acquired information, the carrier type of the mobile transmitter / receiver and an impending collision of the carrier of the transmitter / receiver with the vehicle;with a control unit designed to control a warning signaling device and / or a vehicle equipment of the vehicle, depending on the determined carrier type, in order to prevent an imminent collision between the carrier of the mobile transmitter / receiver and the vehicle as determined by the evaluation unit, and / or to reduce the severity of the imminent collision.

[0006] German patent DE 10 2010 048 470 A1 describes a vehicle-pedestrian communication system with a vehicle-based device that has a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting the vehicle's global positioning. The transmitter sends the vehicle's global position as part of a periodic vehicle beacon message. A pedestrian wears a pedestrian-based device. This device has a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting the pedestrian's global position as part of a periodic pedestrian beacon message. Based on the vehicle's positioning relative to the pedestrian, the vehicle-based device and / or the pedestrian-based device verify the vehicle's position awareness in relation to the pedestrian.An alarm signal is delivered to the vehicle and / or pedestrian, indicating the presence of the vehicle or pedestrian based on the respective global positions of the pedestrian and the vehicle.

[0007] Furthermore, the conference paper "Towards 802.11p-based vehicle-to-pedestrian communication for crash prevention systems" by Parag Sewalkar et al., from the 2017 9th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT), from November 6, 2017, pages 404-409, represents the state of the art.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to create a method and a system by which the communication between at least one partially autonomous motor vehicle and a pedestrian can be improved.

[0009] This problem is solved by a method and a system according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0010] One aspect of the invention relates to a method for communication between an at least partially autonomous motor vehicle and a pedestrian by means of a system in which the presence of the pedestrian is detected by the autonomous motor vehicle by means of a communication device of the at least partially autonomous motor vehicle and, depending on the detection, a communication signal is transmitted from the at least partially autonomous motor vehicle to the mobile receiving device of the pedestrian.

[0011] It is intended that the mobile receiving device will transmit a further communication signal to the communication device of the at least partially autonomous vehicle for communication purposes, and that the further communication signal will be taken into account by the at least partially autonomous vehicle during at least partially autonomous driving operation.

[0012] This enables improved communication between pedestrians and partially autonomous vehicles. Specifically, the partially autonomous vehicle can be notified if a pedestrian is crossing its route. The vehicle can then take this information into account and adjust its route accordingly. This enhances the safety of both the partially autonomous vehicle and the pedestrian.

[0013] The vehicle in question, which is at least partially autonomous, is a so-called truck. Specifically, the truck exhibits at least Level 4 automation according to SAE standards. In other words, the vehicle is highly automated. The vehicle's operation is permanently controlled by an electronic vehicle management system. If the system can no longer handle the driving tasks, the driver can be prompted to take over.

[0014] In particular, the at least partially autonomous vehicle is technically designed to perform journeys limited to a specific domain. For example, in hub applications, the initial approach is to consider a single operating area, such as a highway, motorway, or interstate. This means that the technical implementation can only handle the conditions present in this domain. However, this does not include the sophisticated interaction between humans and the at least partially autonomous vehicle that can occur in the more complex environment of a hub. According to the invention, pedestrian crossings, workshop areas, and trailer coupling and uncoupling areas, for example, can now be operated more efficiently.To ensure a safe working environment in the hub, the system and method according to the invention are proposed, which facilitates interaction between humans and the at least partially autonomous vehicle. When the paths of a pedestrian and the at least partially autonomous vehicle intersect in the hub, communication takes place between the parties, confirming that they have seen each other and determining which of the two participants will yield the right-of-way.

[0015] Furthermore, it is provided that the mobile receiving device has an actuating device and that when the pedestrian activates this device, a further communication signal is generated by the mobile receiving device and transmitted to the communication device. This further communication signal is then taken into account by the at least partially autonomous vehicle during at least partially autonomous driving operation. In particular, the pedestrian can thus, for example, inform the at least partially autonomous vehicle that the pedestrian has detected the at least partially autonomous vehicle. Specifically, the pedestrian can actively communicate that they have detected the at least partially autonomous vehicle.If, for example, the pedestrian does not actively initiate the interaction, the at least partially autonomous vehicle can exercise increased caution when encountering the pedestrian. The activation element can be, for example, a button on the mobile receiving device, particularly on a transponder. Furthermore, it can be provided, for example, that pressing the button enables safe interaction between the pedestrian and the at least partially autonomous vehicle, whereby pressing the button can, for instance, signal to the at least partially autonomous vehicle that the paths between the pedestrian and the at least partially autonomous vehicle may cross.Once the at least partially autonomous vehicle has detected this information, it can issue another signal, such as flashing its headlights or sounding its horn, to inform the pedestrian that the vehicle has also detected them and can either ask them to wait or, for example, allow them to cross. This improves communication between the at least partially autonomous vehicle and the pedestrian.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment, communication between the at least partially autonomous vehicle and the pedestrian takes place within a partially demarcated area. For example, this partially demarcated area can be a so-called hub. The partially demarcated area can also be completely demarcated. The hub, in turn, can, as already mentioned, include, for example, pedestrian crossings, workshop areas, and trailer coupling and uncoupling areas. Within this hub, communication between the pedestrian and the at least partially autonomous vehicle is intended to take place, since the paths of the pedestrian and the at least partially autonomous vehicle can intersect, particularly within this partially demarcated area.Thus, improved communication between the pedestrian and the at least partially autonomously operated vehicle can be achieved within the hub, minimizing the risk of accidents.

[0017] Furthermore, it has proven advantageous to provide the mobile receiving device as the pedestrian's access element to the at least partially demarcated area. For example, the access element could be an access card or a key card, granting the pedestrian access to the demarcated area. This allows communication between the at least partially autonomous vehicle and the pedestrian to be conducted using a single element, which is often already present on the pedestrian. Thus, communication between the at least partially autonomous vehicle and the pedestrian can be facilitated with reduced effort.

[0018] Furthermore, it has proven advantageous to provide the mobile receiving device as a transponder. The transponder can, for example, also serve as an access element to the restricted area. In particular, it is already known from the prior art that a transponder can be used to provide pedestrian access to restricted areas. This allows for reduced effort and the use of existing resources to facilitate communication between the vehicle (which may be moving at least partially) and the pedestrian.

[0019] Furthermore, it has proven advantageous if the pedestrian is additionally detected by the at least partially autonomous vehicle using a detection device. For example, the detection device can be a lidar sensor, a camera, a radar sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor. In particular, this allows for additional pedestrian detection, thus creating a redundant means of improved pedestrian detection.

[0020] In a further advantageous embodiment, if a pedestrian is detected by the detection device but the presence of the mobile receiving device is not detected by the communication device, a warning signal is transmitted via the communication device to a central electronic computer of the system. For example, if the pedestrian does not have the mobile receiving device, the pedestrian may be an unauthorized person within the defined area. Thus, if the at least partially autonomous vehicle detects the pedestrian but does not receive a corresponding communication signal from the mobile receiving device, it can be assumed that the pedestrian has unauthorized access.This unauthorized access can then be forwarded to the central electronic computing facility, enabling appropriate countermeasures to be initiated.

[0021] Furthermore, it has proven advantageous to detect the presence of a pedestrian using an additional detection device within the system. For example, the system, particularly within the defined area (i.e., within the hub), can be equipped with cameras or laser barriers to additionally detect the pedestrian's presence. If the at least partially autonomous vehicle then fails to acknowledge receipt of the communication signal, the system can assume that the pedestrian is unauthorized. This reliably prevents intruders from entering the defined area.

[0022] According to a further advantageous embodiment, a warning signal for the pedestrian is generated by the mobile receiving device as soon as the communication signal is received. For example, the mobile receiving device can be equipped with a vibration device, which then generates a vibration for the pedestrian to perceive as soon as the at least partially autonomous vehicle has transmitted the communication signal to the mobile receiving device. This informs the pedestrian that an at least partially autonomous vehicle is in their immediate vicinity, thus warning them of its presence. In this way, the risk of accidents within the defined area can be minimized.

[0023] Another aspect of the invention relates to a system for conducting communication between an at least partially autonomous motor vehicle and a pedestrian with at least one mobile receiving device, wherein the system is configured to carry out a method according to the preceding aspect. In particular, the method is carried out by means of the system.

[0024] Advantageous forms of the process are to be regarded as advantageous forms of the system. The system possesses tangible characteristics that enable the implementation of the process and an advantageous form thereof.

[0025] 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.

[0026] The single figure shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of a system.

[0027] In the figure, identical or functionally equivalent elements are provided with the same reference symbols.

[0028] The figure shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of a system 10 for communication 12 between an at least partially autonomous motor vehicle 14, which is particularly designed as a truck, and a pedestrian 16, 18. Specifically, two pedestrians 16, 18 are shown, in particular a first pedestrian 16 and a second pedestrian 18. The first pedestrian 16 and the second pedestrian 18 are, for example, authorized persons for a demarcated area 20, for example, for a hub. Furthermore, a third pedestrian 22 is shown. No communication 12 is shown between the third pedestrian 22 and the at least partially autonomous motor vehicle 14. The third pedestrian 22 could, for example, be an intruder or an unauthorized person within the demarcated area 20.

[0029] In the communication method 12 between the at least partially autonomous motor vehicle 14 and the pedestrian 16, 18 using the system 10, the presence of the pedestrian 16, 18 is detected by the autonomous motor vehicle 14 by means of a communication device 26a of the at least partially autonomous motor vehicle 14 in order to detect the presence of a mobile receiving device 24 of the system 10 on the pedestrian 16, 18, and depending on the detection, a communication signal 28 is transmitted from the at least partially autonomous motor vehicle 14 to the mobile receiving device 24.

[0030] It is provided that a further communication signal 30 is transmitted from the mobile receiving device 24 to the communication device 26a of the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 for communication 12 and that the further communication signal 30 is taken into account by the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 during at least partially autonomous driving operation.

[0031] In particular, it can be provided that communication 12 between the at least partially autonomous motor vehicle 14 and the pedestrian 16, 18 takes place in an at least partially delimited area 20, whereby this partially delimited area 20 can also be referred to as a hub. The mobile receiving device 24 can be provided as an access element for the pedestrian 16, 18 to the at least partially delimited area 20. Furthermore, the mobile receiving device 24 can also be provided as a transponder.

[0032] It may further be provided that the mobile receiving device 24 has an actuating device and that when the pedestrian 16, 18 operates or activates the actuating device, a further communication signal is generated by the mobile receiving device 24 and transmitted to the communication device 26a and that the further communication signal is taken into account by the at least partially autonomous motor vehicle 14 during the at least partially autonomous driving operation.

[0033] It may further be provided that the pedestrian 16, 18 is additionally detected by the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 using a detection device 32 of the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14. It may then be provided, for example, that if a pedestrian 16, 18 is detected by the detection device 32 and if the presence of the mobile receiving device 24 is not detected, as is the case, for example, with a third person 22, a warning signal 34 is transmitted via the communication device 26a to a central electronic computing unit 36 ​​of the system 10. In particular, the system 10 may, for example, have corresponding communication devices 26b so that the warning signal 34 can be received.

[0034] Furthermore, it may be provided that the presence of the pedestrian 16, 18 is additionally detected by means of a further detection device 38 of the system 10. A warning signal for the pedestrian 16, 18 can also be generated by means of the mobile receiving device 24 as soon as the communication signal 28 is received by the mobile receiving device 24.

[0035] In particular, it is described that each employee within the defined area 20, represented especially by the first person 16 and the second person 18, can be equipped with a corresponding transponder so that the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 can identify the pedestrians 16, 18 as human beings at any time. This transponder can, for example, be linked to standard access control systems, such as an access card or a key card. As soon as the pedestrian 16, 18 is near the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14, they are detected, and an exchange of information is enabled.For safe interaction, it is possible, for example, to use the transponder to inform the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 that pedestrians 16, 18 are likely to cross its path, for instance by pressing the activation device, which could be a button. Once the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 has detected this information, a further communication signal is exchanged, such as the vibration of the transponder or the flashing of the headlights or honking of the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14. This informs pedestrians 16, 18 that the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 has also detected them and either asks them to wait or allows them to cross.

[0036] In addition to the safe interaction between the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 and the pedestrians 16, 18, the mobile receiving device 24 of the authorized employees can, for example, be used to identify unwanted intruders, represented in particular by the third person 22, in the hub when a comparison is made between the transmitted signal and monitoring data of the demarcated area 20. A monitoring system, represented in particular by the further detection device 38, which can detect, for example, the third person 22, e.g., camera-based via laser barriers or FLIR, can compare this data with the available transmitted signals of the authorized employees and thus determine whether unauthorized persons are present in the demarcated area 20.In the same context, a comparison can be made between the sensor data of the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 and the transmitted signals. If the sensors of the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 detect the third pedestrian 22, who is not wearing a receiver 24, an alarm is also triggered.

[0037] In particular, this allows for lower sensor requirements for the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14. Furthermore, it can prevent accidents that would result from, for example, faulty detection. System 10 is weather-independent with regard to detection, and it can prevent pedestrians 16, 18 from being overlooked, for example, when they are in the blind spot of the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14. In addition, safe interaction between employees in the restricted area 20 and the at least partially autonomous vehicle 14 can be achieved. Finally, automated detection of unauthorized persons can be implemented, thus increasing safety within the restricted area 20.

[0038] Overall, the invention demonstrates safe interaction between humans and autonomous vehicles, as well as the detection of unauthorized persons.

Claims

1. A method for communicating (12) between an at least partially autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) and a pedestrian (16, 18) by means of a system (10) in which the presence of the pedestrian (16, 18) is detected by the autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) by means of a communication device (26a) of the at least partially autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) by the detection of the presence of a mobile receiving device (24) of the system (10) on the pedestrian (16, 18) and in which this presence is transmitted to the mobile receiving device (24) of the pedestrian (16, 18) by the at least partially autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) dependent on the detection of a communication signal (28), characterised in that a further communication signal (30) is transmitted by the mobile receiving device (24) to the communication device (26a) of the at least partially autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) in order to communicate, and that this further communication signal is taken into account by the autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) in at least partially autonomous driving mode, the mobile receiving device (24) having an actuating device, and when this actuating device is actuated by the pedestrian (16, 18) an additional further communication signal being generated by the mobile receiving device (24) and transmitted to the communication device (26a), and this additional further communication signal being taken into account by the at least partially autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) in at least partially autonomous driving mode.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that communication (12) between the at least partially autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) and the pedestrian (16, 18) takes place in an at least partially delimited region (20).

3. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the mobile receiving device (24) is provided as an access element of the pedestrian (16, 18) to this at least partially delimited region (20).

4. A method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that the mobile receiving device (24) is provided in the form of a transponder.

5. A method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that the pedestrian (16, 18) is additionally detected by the at least partially automatically-driving motor vehicle (14) by means of a detection device (32) of the at least partially automatically-driving motor vehicle (14).

6. A method according to claim 5, characterised in that when a pedestrian (16, 18) is detected by the detection device (32) and the presence of the mobile receiving device (24) is not detected by the communication device (26a), a warning signal (34) is transmitted to a central electronic computing device (36) of the system (10) by means of the communication device (26a).

7. A method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that the presence of the pedestrian (16, 18) is additionally detected by means of a further detection means (38) of the system (10).

8. A method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that a warning signal for the pedestrian (16, 18) is generated by the mobile receiving device (24) as soon as the communication signal (28) is received by the mobile receiving device (24).

9. A system (10) for communicating (12) between an at least partially autonomously-driving motor vehicle (14) and a pedestrian (16, 18), having at least one mobile receiving device (24) for the pedestrian (16, 18), the system (10) being designed to carry out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.