Method for operating a vehicle, computer program product, and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (100) for operating a vehicle (1) while driving the vehicle (1) along a roadway (20) with at least two lanes (21), wherein the detected surroundings of the vehicle (1) together with at least one section of the roadway (20) are stored in the form of historical surroundings data (200), having the step of: detecting (101) current surroundings data (201) in order to identify one of the lanes (21) as the lane (21.1) of the vehicle (1) on the roadway (20). The invention additionally relates to a computer program product and to a vehicle (1).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Method for operating a vehicle, computer program product and vehicle

[0003] The invention relates to a method for operating a vehicle when driving the vehicle along a roadway with at least two lanes, a computer program product, and a vehicle.

[0004] Vehicles are known to detect lanes for lane-keeping assistance systems and / or autonomous driving maneuvers. To avoid collisions with other road users during maneuvers, it is often specified that lane markings may not be crossed or may only be crossed in specific situations. This is usually achieved through image-based lane marking detection.

[0005] Furthermore, it is known to consider moving objects when planning a driving maneuver. For example, US 2015 / 0269844 A1 discloses planning a driving maneuver when driving in two parallel lanes based on an object that has been detected but is no longer within the sensor field.

[0006] In some cases, however, lane markings are either missing or obscured by dirt. It is therefore desirable to maintain one's own side of the road or at least to maintain a maximum, predetermined lateral offset in the direction of the missing lane marking.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to at least partially remedy the above-mentioned disadvantages known from the prior art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to improve safety when operating a vehicle on a roadway with at least two lanes, preferably at least partially visually non-separated lanes.

[0008] The above object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1, a computer program product having the features of claim 9, and a vehicle having the features of claim 10. Further features and details of the invention emerge from the respective subclaims, the description, and the drawings. Features and details described in connection with the method according to the invention naturally also apply in connection with the computer program product according to the invention and / or the vehicle according to the invention, and vice versa, so that reciprocal reference is or can always be made to the individual aspects of the invention with regard to the disclosure.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, a method is provided for operating a vehicle while driving along a roadway with at least two, in particular parallel, lanes. While driving along the roadway, the surroundings of the vehicle, in particular including at least a section of the roadway, detected in particular by a sensor system of the vehicle, are stored in the form of historical environmental data. The method comprises, in particular in the form of method steps:

[0010] Acquisition of current environmental data for the recognition of one of the lanes as the vehicle's own lane on the roadway, in particular by the sensor system and / or a control unit of the vehicle, recognition of an at least partial absence of a guidance structure for defining a separation of the lanes depending on the current environmental data, in particular by the sensor system and / or the control unit,

[0011] Determining a permissible driving range of the vehicle to define its own lane, and in particular to compensate for the absence of the guidance structure, by evaluating at least the historical environmental data, in particular by the control unit

[0012] - Execution of a vehicle reaction depending on the permissible driving range, in particular within the permissible driving range and / or by the control unit.

[0013] The vehicle is, in particular, a motor vehicle, preferably in the form of an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle can be operated in a partially automated ferry mode, e.g., with a driver assistance system, and / or in an autonomous driving mode, in particular by the control unit.

[0014] The at least two lanes can, for example, comprise a lane with a first, intended direction of travel and a lane with a second prescribed direction of travel that is oriented opposite to the first direction of travel. However, it is also conceivable for the at least two lanes to comprise the same intended direction of travel. Furthermore, the roadway can be provided with more than two lanes. For example, the vehicle's own lane can be surrounded by two other lanes. The lanes are preferably designed for use by vehicles. When storing the detected surroundings of the vehicle with at least a section of the roadway in the form of historical environmental data, current environmental data can be recorded while driving and stored as historical environmental data.Storing the current environmental data can be understood as collecting and storing sensor data while driving along the road, continuously or at regular or irregular intervals, to create historical environmental data. Historical environmental data can be stored permanently or temporarily. For example, a storage period can be specified for which the historical environmental data is available.

[0015] The guidance structure can delimit the vehicle's own lane and / or the roadway, preferably structurally, visually and / or spatially. The vehicle's own lane can be understood in particular as the lane in which the vehicle moves while driving. The vehicle's own lane can preferably be detected optically. In particular, the environmental data can comprise image data of the vehicle's surroundings. In order to detect the vehicle's own lane, the guidance structure of the vehicle's own lane, such as a lane marking, can be detected in the image data. The lane marking can comprise, for example, a shoulder line and / or a center line. It is also conceivable for the guidance structure to comprise a guardrail or another boundary of the vehicle's own lane.

[0016] The absence of the lead structure can, in particular, refer to a lack of data on the lead structure in the environmental data. Upon detection of at least a partial absence of the lead structure, an interruption and / or at least a temporary non-recognition of the lead structure can be detected based on the current environmental data.

[0017] For example, a lane marking may be missing at least in part due to abrasion or remain undetected based on the ambient data due to reflections and / or contamination. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the absence of the guidance structure is detected due to a large number of overlapping lines, where, for example, in a construction zone, it is impossible for the control unit to assign the lane to the driver's own vehicle.

[0018] The permissible driving area can comprise a calculated area in which the vehicle's own lane lies or is assumed to lie. When determining the permissible driving area, a virtual driving path can be generated for the vehicle within which the vehicle's reaction is permitted. However, it is also conceivable to define an impermissible zone to determine the permissible driving area. The permissible driving area can be defined in the form of an environmental area outside the impermissible zone. The historical environmental data can form a lane and / or situation memory on the basis of which the permissible driving area can be determined. For example, the vehicle's own lane can be anticipated based on the historical environmental data for the at least partial absence of the guidance structure and / or can be continued as a virtual driving path.

[0019] The vehicle reaction may, in particular, comprise an automatic reaction of the vehicle. Preferably, the vehicle reaction may comprise the execution of a driving maneuver, such as an evasive maneuver, by the vehicle, in which the permissible driving range is taken into account. In particular, the vehicle reaction is executed within the permissible driving range.

[0020] The historical and current environmental data can, in particular, form situational environmental data for mapping the surroundings of a current driving situation of the vehicle. It has thus been recognized within the scope of the invention that the historical environmental data can be used to improve a driving situation in which a guidance structure is missing, particularly unexpectedly. To compensate for the missing guidance structure, the permissible driving range can be calculated from a lane and / or situation memory in a situation-appropriate manner in order to avoid or reduce deviation from the vehicle's own lane. This can prevent the vehicle from entering oncoming traffic or a lane occupied by another vehicle when executing the vehicle reaction in situations where, for example, a lane marking is missing.

[0021] Furthermore, in a method according to the invention, it can advantageously be provided that the historical environmental data comprise at least sections of the guidance structure, which is extrapolated when determining the permissible driving range by an extrapolation method to compensate for the absence of the guidance structure for the permissible driving range. In particular, the guidance structure can be continued by the extrapolation method and / or transferred to the current environmental data. For example, the current environmental data and / or the historical environmental data can comprise an end of the guidance structure, at which the guidance structure is continued by the extrapolation method. If the guidance structure comprises, for example, a road marking, the road marking can be virtually extrapolated for the area of ​​the current environmental data in which the guidance structure is missing.The extrapolation method can, for example, be carried out linearly in a straight line and / or taking into account a curvature of the guidance structure. Using the extrapolation method, the vehicle's own lane can be easily derived based on the guidance structure provided by the historical environmental data. As a result, the extrapolated guidance structure can comprise a high level of confidence for determining the permissible driving area. Furthermore, in a method according to the invention, it is conceivable that at least the historical environmental data comprise an object moving with an external trajectory, in particular wherein the external trajectory is evaluated and taken into account when determining the permissible driving area. In addition to or alternatively to the external trajectory, the dimensions of the moving object can be taken into account when determining the permissible driving area, e.g., in order to divide the roadway into lanes.The object can in particular be another road user, such as another motor vehicle, a cyclist and / or the like. The term external trajectory can in particular be understood to mean a trajectory of the moving object, i.e. a trajectory that is not followed by the vehicle itself. In this case, it is possible to identify which lane of the road the object is moving in. Based on this, the permissible driving area for the vehicle can be deduced. When determining the permissible driving area, the permissible driving area can preferably be guided along and / or parallel to the external trajectory. It is conceivable that the external trajectory and the extrapolation method are weighted when determining the permissible driving area. By taking the external trajectory into account, the permissible driving area can be oriented towards the moving object.This can be exploited, for example, when the object is in a more advantageous position for detecting the guidance structure. Especially when the object is in front of the vehicle, the external trajectory of the historical environmental data can be used to determine the roadway's path, preferably by tracing the distance traveled by the object. Furthermore, a collision with the object can be prevented by determining the permissible driving area.

[0022] It is further conceivable in a method according to the invention for the moving object to be moving in one of the lanes of the roadway that forms an oncoming lane to the vehicle's own lane. This makes it possible to infer an impermissible driving zone based on the external trajectory in order to determine the permissible driving zone. Furthermore, the oncoming lane can be detected if the external trajectory is opposite a direction of travel of the vehicle. It can be provided that, for determining the permissible driving zone, a maximum lateral offset is specified, by which the permissible driving zone deviates from the vehicle's own lane. For example, the maximum lateral offset can be defined as 75 cm in order to perform evasive maneuvers. The maximum lateral offset can be reduced or suppressed based on the external trajectory, particularly in the oncoming lane.This can improve safety when operating the vehicle and avoid a collision with oncoming traffic. Furthermore, in a method according to the invention, it is conceivable for the historical environmental data and / or the current environmental data to comprise a lane boundary for delimiting the at least two lanes relative to a lane edge, wherein the lane edge and / or the lane boundary are taken into account when determining the permissible driving area. The lane edge can comprise a lane marking, a guardrail, and / or a road-specific boundary, such as a patch of grass. Based on the lane edge, a lane curvature can be detected, which can be taken into account when determining the permissible driving area. Based on the lane boundary, the road can be divided into virtual lanes for detecting the driver's own lane and / or for determining the permissible driving area.Furthermore, this allows, for example, a curve to be detected even with a straight-line extrapolation of a center line. Furthermore, the road boundary can be taken into account for validation and / or plausibility checks of the external trajectory and / or the extrapolation method. This allows the permissible driving range to be determined with a high degree of reliability and / or accuracy.

[0023] Furthermore, in a method according to the invention, it can advantageously be provided that the historical environmental data and / or the current environmental data comprise at least one obstacle for the vehicle, which obstacle is taken into account when determining the permissible driving range and / or when executing the vehicle reaction. In particular, the historical and current environmental data can be evaluated together in order to recognize the obstacle as such and / or to coordinate the vehicle reaction with the obstacle. The obstacle can be another road user, such as another vehicle, a cyclist, or a pedestrian. In particular, the obstacle can be formed by the moving object or another moving object. However, it is also conceivable for the obstacle to comprise a static obstacle, such as a traffic island or roadside vegetation.When determining the permissible driving area, the permissible driving area can be determined in such a way that a collision with the obstacle is avoided. For example, the permissible driving area can be set around the obstacle. Based on the permissible driving area and / or other driving and movement parameters of the vehicle and / or the obstacle, it can preferably be determined that the vehicle's reaction includes emergency braking and / or an evasive or overtaking maneuver. This can improve safety when driving along the roadway.

[0024] Furthermore, in a method according to the invention, it is conceivable that external environmental data received by the vehicle via data transmission are taken into account when determining the permissible driving area. The data transmission can preferably take place wirelessly via a communication connection. The external environmental data can be received by the vehicle, for example, from a server and / or other road users, such as the moving object and / or possibly the obstacle. In particular, the external environmental data can include swarm data provided by other vehicles and / or navigation data. The external environmental data can improve the accuracy of determining the permissible driving area. For example, the external environmental data can be used to validate and / or check the plausibility of the historical environmental data.In particular, the external environmental data can describe the desired condition of the road surface and / or the driving situation. This allows the vehicle's situational data, i.e., in particular, the current and historical environmental data, to be supplemented by the external environmental data.

[0025] It is further conceivable in a method according to the invention that the historical environmental data include at least one historical object located outside the current environmental data, wherein the historical object is taken into account when determining the permissible driving range and / or when executing the vehicle reaction. The historical object can be a moving or immobile object that, at the time the current environmental data is acquired, is located outside the sensor field of view of the vehicle's sensors, e.g., in a blind spot of the sensors, but was detected in the environment when the historical environmental data was saved.By taking the historical object into account, the historical object can be taken into account, for example, during an evasive maneuver while overtaking a vehicle, to prevent the vehicle from swerving toward the historical object, for example, an object adjacent to the vehicle during the evasive maneuver. It can be provided that a trajectory of the historical object is taken into account when determining the permissible driving area. This can improve safety, especially when executing the vehicle's response.

[0026] According to a further aspect of the invention, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product comprises instructions which, when executed by a control unit, cause the control unit to execute a method according to the invention.

[0027] Thus, a computer program product according to the invention brings with it the same advantages as have already been described in detail with reference to a method according to the invention. The method can in particular be a computer-implemented method. The computer program product can be implemented as computer-readable instruction code. Furthermore, the computer program product can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium such as a data disk, a removable drive, a volatile or non-volatile memory, or a built-in memory / processor. Furthermore, the computer program product can be provided or made available in a network such as the Internet, from which it can be downloaded by a user or executed online as needed. The computer program product can be implemented both by means of software and by means of one or more special electronic circuits, i.e.be implemented in hardware or in any hybrid form, i.e. using software components and hardware components.

[0028] According to a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle has a sensor system for acquiring current environmental data and a memory unit for storing historical environmental data, in particular for storing the current environmental data as historical environmental data. Furthermore, the vehicle comprises a control unit for executing a method according to the invention.

[0029] Thus, a vehicle according to the invention brings with it the same advantages as have already been described in detail with reference to a method according to the invention and / or a computer program product according to the invention. The sensor system is preferably an environmental sensor system of the vehicle. For example, the sensor system can comprise a radar sensor, a lidar sensor, a camera and / or an ultrasonic sensor. The control unit can comprise a processor and / or a microprocessor. Furthermore, the control unit can be at least partially or completely integrated into a central control unit of the vehicle. However, it is also conceivable for the control unit to be at least partially or completely integrated into one or more decentralized control units.

[0030] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which describes embodiments of the invention in detail with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. They show schematically:

[0031] Figure 1 historical environmental data when driving a vehicle according to the invention along a roadway with at least two lanes,

[0032] Figure 2 shows current environmental data when driving the vehicle along the roadway, Figure 3 shows a method according to the invention for operating the vehicle when driving along the roadway in a schematic representation of a sequence of the method, and

[0033] Figure 4 shows the vehicle with a control unit for carrying out the procedure.

[0034] In the following description of some embodiments of the invention, the same reference numerals are used for the same technical features even in different embodiments.

[0035] Figure 1 shows historical environmental data 200 in a method 100 according to the invention for operating a vehicle 1 according to the invention while driving the vehicle 1 along a roadway 20 having at least two lanes 21. The vehicle 1 is shown in Figure 4 and comprises a sensor system 3 for detecting 101 current environmental data 201 and a control unit 2 for executing the method 100. For example, a computer program product can be provided that includes instructions that, when executed by the control unit 2, cause the control unit 2 to execute the method 100. The method 100 is shown in Figure 3 in the form of a schematic flowchart.

[0036] In the method 100, current environmental data 201 for detecting an environment of the vehicle 1 along a section of the roadway 20 are continuously recorded and stored as historical environmental data 200. For this purpose, the vehicle 1 has a storage unit 4 for storing the current environmental data 201 as historical environmental data 200. As shown in Figure 1, the historical environmental data 200 can comprise, at least in sections, a guidance structure 22 for defining a separation of the lanes 21, here in the form of a center lane marking 22.1. Furthermore, the historical environmental data 200 can comprise a roadway boundary 22.2 for delimiting the at least two lanes 21 with respect to a roadway edge 23 and at least one object 30 moving with an external trajectory 31. According to the illustration in Figure 1, the historical environmental data 200 comprise a plurality of moving objects 30 in the form of road users.Two of the moving objects 30, e.g., in the form of other motor vehicles, are moving in one of the lanes 21 of the roadway 20, which forms an oncoming lane 21.2 to a dedicated lane 21.1 of the vehicle 1 and thus, in particular, at least partially or completely, an impermissible driving area 11 for the vehicle 1. Furthermore, one of the moving objects 30, e.g., in the form of a cyclist, is moving off the roadway 20 next to the roadway boundary 22.2. In the method 100, a capture 101 of current environmental data 201 is further carried out for recognizing one of the lanes 21 as a dedicated lane 21.1 of the vehicle 1 on the roadway 20, which is shown in Figure 2 and describes the driving situation of Figure 1 at a later time than the historical environmental data 200. In particular, the current environmental data 201 also includes the roadway boundary 22.2 and the moving objects 30.

[0037] Furthermore, on the basis of the current environmental data 201, a detection 102 of an at least partial absence of the guide structure 22, in particular in the current and / or historical environmental data 200, 201, takes place depending on the current environmental data 201. In this case, for example, contamination 24 prevents the perception of the guide structure 22 by the sensor system 3 of the vehicle 1. However, it is also conceivable that the guide structure 22 is removed at least in sections, e.g. by abrasion.

[0038] To compensate for the absence of the guidance structure 22, the method 100 determines 103 a permissible driving area 10 of the vehicle 1 for defining its own lane 21.1 by evaluating at least the historical environmental data 200, preferably the historical and current environmental data 200, 201. For this purpose, the guidance structure 22 can be extrapolated for the permissible driving area 10 using an extrapolation method 103.1 to compensate for the absence of the guidance structure 22. Furthermore, the external trajectories 31 of the moving objects 30 and the road edge 23 and / or the road boundary 22.2 can preferably be evaluated and taken into account when determining 103 the permissible driving area 10. Furthermore, the historical environmental data 200 can include at least one historical object 30.1 that lies outside the current environmental data 201. The historical object can be 30.1 can be taken into account when determining 103 the permissible driving range 10 by evaluating its dimensions and / or trajectory.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, when determining 103 the permissible driving area 10, external environmental data 202 received by the vehicle 1 via a data transmission 101.1 can also be taken into account. The external environmental data 202 can be received by the vehicle 1, e.g., from a server 5 and / or from the moving objects 30. When determining 103 the permissible driving area 10, the external environmental data 202 can preferably be used for validation and / or plausibility checks.

[0040] Depending on the permissible driving range 10, a vehicle reaction 104 is then executed. For example, it can be provided that the historical environmental data 200 and / or current environmental data 201 include at least one obstacle 32 for the vehicle 1, which is taken into account when determining 103 the permissible driving range 10 and / or when executing the vehicle reaction 104. For this purpose, the vehicle reaction 104 can, for example, include an automatic evasive maneuver around the obstacle 32 depending on the determined permissible driving range 10.

[0041] The above explanation of the embodiments describes the present invention exclusively by way of examples. Of course, individual features of the embodiments can be freely combined with one another, provided they are technically feasible, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0042] List of reference symbols Vehicle Control unit Sensors Storage unit Server Permissible driving range Invalid driving range Procedure Acquisition of 201 Data transmission Detection of 22 Determination of 10 Extrapolation procedure Vehicle reaction Historical environmental data Current environmental data External environmental data Roadway Lanes Oncoming lane Guidance structure Central lane marking Roadway boundary Road edge Pollution Object Historical object External trajectory Obstacle

Claims

Patent claims 1. A method (100) for operating a vehicle (1) when driving the vehicle (1) along a roadway (20) with at least two lanes (21), in which a detected environment of the vehicle (1) with at least a section of the roadway (20) is stored in the form of historical environmental data (200), comprising: Acquiring (101) current environmental data (201) for recognizing one of the lanes (21) as the vehicle's own lane (21.1) on the roadway (20), Detecting (102) an at least partial absence of a guidance structure (22) for defining a separation of the lanes (21) depending on the current environmental data (201), Determining (103) a permissible driving range (10) of the vehicle (1) for defining its own lane (21.1) by evaluating at least the historical environmental data (200), Executing a vehicle reaction (104) depending on the permissible driving range (10).

2. Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the historical environmental data (200) at least partially comprise the guide structure (22) which is extrapolated when determining (103) the permissible driving range (10) by an extrapolation method (103.1) to compensate for the absence of the guide structure (22) for the permissible driving range (10).

3. Method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least the historical environmental data (200) comprise an object (30) moving with an external trajectory (31), wherein the external trajectory (31) is evaluated and taken into account when determining (103) the permissible driving range (10).

4. Method (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that the moving object (30) moves on one of the lanes (21) of the roadway (20) which forms an opposing lane (21.2) to the own lane (21.1).

5. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the historical environmental data (200) and / or the current environmental data (201) comprise a road boundary (22.2) for delimiting the at least two lanes (21) relative to a road edge (23), wherein the road edge (23) and / or the road boundary (22.2) is taken into account when determining (103) the permissible driving area (10).

6. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the historical environmental data (200) and / or the current environmental data (201) comprise at least one obstacle (32) for the vehicle (1), which is taken into account when determining (103) the permissible driving range (10) and / or when executing the vehicle reaction (104).

7. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when determining (103) the permissible driving range (10), external environmental data (202) are taken into account, which the vehicle (1) receives via a data transmission (101.1).

8. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the historical environmental data (200) comprise at least one historical object (30) which is located outside the current environmental data (201), wherein the historical object (30) is taken into account when determining (103) the permissible driving area (10).

9. Computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a control unit (2), cause the control unit (2) to carry out a method (100) according to one of the preceding claims.

10. Vehicle (1) comprising a sensor system (3) for detecting (101) current environmental data (201), a storage unit (4) for storing historical environmental data (200), and a control unit (2) for carrying out a method (100) according to one of claims 1 to 8.

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