Managing the driving of a motor vehicle when approaching a pedestrian crossing near which there is a stationary pedestrian

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for driving a motor vehicle (1) implemented by a computer device on board the vehicle to manage a driving situation in which the vehicle approaches a pedestrian crossing near which there is a stationary pedestrian. The invention also relates to a computer device (100) implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle (1) comprising such a device. Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Management of the driving of a motor vehicle approaching a pedestrian crossing near which there is a stationary pedestrian Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of driver assistance systems for motor vehicles. The invention relates in particular to a method of driving a motor vehicle implemented by a computer device embedded in the vehicle. The invention also relates to a device implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle comprising such a device. The invention is applicable to motor vehicles such as motor land vehicles, in particular cars. Prior art

[0002] Today, car manufacturers are seeking to enable fully automated or autonomous driving of motor vehicles in all driving environments. This requires that vehicle driver assistance systems be capable of handling certain critical driving situations, particularly those in which the vehicle approaches a pedestrian crossing near which there is a stationary pedestrian. To manage such a situation, known driver assistance systems are generally configured to cause the vehicle to stop before a pedestrian crossing near which there is a stationary pedestrian.However, if the pedestrian is not crossing, or if it is actually a pedestrian-shaped figure like those sometimes installed near schools that the driver assistance system has mistakenly identified as a pedestrian, the driver assistance system will not allow the vehicle to resume its movement, in other words, to restart. This causes inconvenience for the vehicle's occupants, who do not understand the unnecessary stop, and it disrupts traffic flow. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention aims to overcome these drawbacks. In particular, it aims to provide a method and a device that enable a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle to more effectively manage a driving situation in which the vehicle approaches a pedestrian crossing near which there is a stationary pedestrian. Through this means, the invention seeks to enable more ergonomic automated driving that does not unnecessarily disrupt traffic flow.

[0004] In order to achieve these objectives, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method of driving a motor vehicle implemented by an in- embedded system on board the vehicle, said process comprising the steps of: i. determine if the vehicle is approaching a pedestrian crossing; ii. determine whether a stationary pedestrian is on a sidewalk at a location within a distance of the pedestrian crossing that is less than a first pre-established threshold value; iii. cause the vehicle to stop before the pedestrian crossing; and iv. authorize the resumption of vehicle movement as soon as the pedestrian has crossed the pedestrian crossing, if he moved away from the place without crossing the pedestrian crossing or if he remained motionless for a period exceeding a second pre-established threshold value.

[0005] According to one variant, the first threshold value may be equal to two meters.

[0006] According to another variant, the second threshold value can be equal to five seconds.

[0007] According to yet another variant, steps ii) and iv) can be carried out by interacting with a vehicle driver assistance system.

[0008] According to yet another variant, step i) can be carried out by interacting with a vehicle navigation system.

[0009] According to yet another variant, step i) can be carried out by interacting with the driver assistance system.

[0010] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for driving a motor vehicle, the device comprising an information processing unit, with one or more processors, and a data storage medium, which are configured to implement a method as described above.

[0011] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for the execution of the steps of a process as described above when said program is executed by at least one processor.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a computer-readable medium on which a program as described above is recorded.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle which incorporates a device as described above. Brief description of the drawings

[0014] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from an examination of the detailed description below, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] [Fig-1] is a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle according to the invention;

[0016] [Fig.2] is a functional diagram of a device according to the invention; and

[0017] [Fig.3] is a flowchart of the steps of a process according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0018] Figure 1 shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention. This includes a driver assistance system 2, which includes at least one detection device (e.g. radar, lidar, camera, etc.) for perceiving the driving environment of the vehicle 1 in order to determine parameters relating to the dynamics of objects or the identification of road signage or infrastructure elements located there, as well as hardware and software means for controlling the operation of actuators of the vehicle 1 which allow its driving to be managed in order to provide driver assistance functionalities (emergency braking assistance, lane keeping assistance, blind spot monitoring assistance, traffic jam assist, etc.).Thus, the driver assistance system 2 is notably capable of determining if vehicle 1 is approaching a pedestrian crossing near which there is a stationary pedestrian, and it can autonomously assume the driving of vehicle 1.

[0019] The vehicle 1 according to the invention also includes a navigation system 3, which conventionally interacts with a satellite positioning system in order to be able to determine the current location of the vehicle 1 and which accesses a map which provides information on the topography of the roads and the location of pedestrian crossings.

[0020] Advantageously, the vehicle 1 according to the invention also includes a device 100 for driving a motor vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, as described below, which implements a method for driving a motor vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, as briefly summarized below and described in detail below.

[0021] During implementation of the method, the device 100 according to the invention continuously monitors whether the vehicle 1 is approaching a pedestrian crossing. If it determines that such a driving situation exists, the device 100 according to the invention then determines whether a stationary pedestrian is near the crossing, for example, within two meters, in which case it causes the vehicle to stop before the crossing. It then proceeds by allowing the vehicle to resume its movement only once the pedestrian has crossed the crossing, if the pedestrian has moved away from it without crossing, or if the pedestrian has remained stationary for a period exceeding a predetermined threshold. As will be seen below, this is how the device 100 according to the invention enables more ergonomic automated driving with minimal impact on traffic flow.

[0022] Figure 2 illustrates in more detail the device 100 for driving a motor vehicle according to the invention. It is essentially a computer device, comprising at least one information processing unit 101, including one or more processors, and a data storage medium 102, on which is recorded, in particular, a program comprising program code instructions for the execution of the steps of the process according to the invention described below, and an input and output interface 103 enabling the reception and transmission of data.

[0023] Preferably, the device 100 according to the invention is integrated into an independent computer and interacts via its input and output interface 103 and by means of a wired vehicle communication network (e.g., CAN, Ethernet, MOST) – represented in [Fig. 1] by the double-direction arrows – with the driver assistance system 2 and with the navigation system 3. Alternatively, the device 100 according to the invention is part, in whole or in part, of the driver assistance system 2. Thus, regardless of the embodiment, the device 100 according to the invention can, in particular, determine whether the vehicle is approaching a pedestrian crossing, whether a stationary pedestrian is on a sidewalk near the pedestrian crossing, and it can manage the driving of the vehicle 1.

[0024] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for driving a motor vehicle, as described below in relation to figures 1 and 3.

[0025] Figure 3 illustrates, by means of a flowchart, the steps of the method according to the invention. According to a first step 201 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether the vehicle is approaching a pedestrian crossing. To do this, the device 100 according to the invention preferably interacts with the navigation system 3 in order to utilize the vehicle's current location and the mapping that locates pedestrian crossings. Alternatively, it interacts with the driver assistance system 2, which conventionally determines whether a pedestrian crossing is located in the driving environment of the vehicle 1, for example, by using an artificial neural network trained to detect pedestrian crossings in images produced by means of a camera. And when it establishes that such a situation exists, i.e.When vehicle 1 is approaching a pedestrian crossing, device 100 according to the invention performs the next step of the method according to the invention described below.

[0026] According to a second step 202 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether a stationary pedestrian is on a sidewalk at a distance from the pedestrian crossing that is less than a first predetermined threshold value. To do this, the device 100 according to the invention interacts again with the driver assistance system 2, which is capable of locating a stationary or moving pedestrian as well as a sidewalk by means of its detection device. The device 100 according to the invention then uses the location of the pedestrian and that of the pedestrian crossing to compare the distance between them with a predetermined threshold value, for example, two meters. And when it determines that the pedestrian is stationary on the sidewalk at a short distance from the pedestrian crossing, the device 100 according to the invention proceeds by carrying out the following steps of the method according to the invention described below.

[0027] According to a third step 203 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention causes the vehicle to stop before the pedestrian crossing. Here again, it interacts to do so with the driver assistance system 2, the latter being able to manage the driving of the vehicle 1.

[0028] Finally, according to a fourth step 204 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention allows the vehicle to resume its movement as soon as the pedestrian has crossed the pedestrian crossing, if they have moved away from the location without crossing the pedestrian crossing, or if they have remained stationary for a period exceeding a second pre-established threshold value. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention allows the vehicle to restart and continue its journey only if the pedestrian has crossed, if they have moved away from the pedestrian crossing without crossing it, or if they have remained stationary for a relatively long period, for example, five seconds. Thus, in the case of the figure mentioned in the preamble, the vehicle 1 according to the invention no longer remains blocked at the pedestrian crossing. On the contrary, after stopping for a relatively short period from the point of view of traffic flow, it restarts and continues its journey.

[0029] Consequently, thanks to the method and device according to the invention described above, a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle can more effectively manage a driving situation in which the vehicle approaches a pedestrian crossing near which there is a stationary pedestrian. The invention thus enables more ergonomic automated driving that does not unnecessarily disrupt traffic flow.

Claims

Claims

1. A method of driving a motor vehicle (1) implemented by a computer device (100) on board the vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: i. determining whether the vehicle is approaching a pedestrian crossing; ii. determining whether a stationary pedestrian is on a sidewalk at a location located at a distance from the pedestrian crossing which is less than a first pre-established threshold value; iii. causing the vehicle to stop before the pedestrian crossing; and iv. authorizing the vehicle to resume movement once the pedestrian has crossed the pedestrian crossing, if he has moved away from the location without crossing the pedestrian crossing or if he has remained stationary for a period greater than a second pre-established threshold value.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first threshold value is equal to two meters.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second threshold value is equal to five seconds.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that steps ii) and iv) are carried out by interacting with a driving assistance system (2) of the vehicle.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that step i) is carried out by interacting with a navigation system (3) of the vehicle.

6. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that step i) is carried out by interacting with the driving assistance system (2).

7. Device (100) for driving a motor vehicle (1), characterized in that said device comprises an information processing unit (101), with one or more processors, and a data storage medium (102), which are configured to implement a method according to any one of the preceding claims.

8. A computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when said program is executed by at least one processor.

9. Computer-readable medium, characterized in that a program according to claim 8 is recorded therein.

10. Motor vehicle (1), characterized in that said vehicle carries a device (100) according to claim 7.

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