A method for estimating at least one blind spot of an at least partly automated motor vehicle, a computer program product, a non-transitory

Abstract

A blind spot 24 of a first automated vehicle 10 is estimated by an onboard blind spot recognition system (12,Fig.1) comprising an electronic computing device (14,Fig.1) and a telecommunication device

Description

[0001] The invention relates to the field of automobiles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for estimating at least one blind spot of an at least partly automated motor vehicle by a blind spot recognition system for the motor vehicle. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, as well as to a corresponding blind spot recognition system. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0002] According to the state of the art, it is known that a blind spot may be determined for a first motor vehicle based on an object detection by the first motor vehicle. According to the state of the art, it is additionally known that the first motor vehicle may, based on the determination of at least blind spot, query a second motor vehicle, located in the vicinity of the first motor vehicle, about at least one object not detected by the first motor vehicle. Furthermore, it is known to the state of the art that this information may be used to modify the driving plan of the first motor vehicle should the first motor vehicle be at least partially autonomous. However, a blind spot may also be produced by a limitation in a sensor of the first motor vehicle not imposed by a solid object obstructing the view of the sensor. For example, a blind spot may be produced by an extreme atmospheric condition. Therefore, the task of blind spot recognition is not necessarily comprehensively addressed by the object detection of the first motor vehicle alone. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method, a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and a corresponding blind spot recognition system, by which the reliability of blind spot detection by an at least partly automated motor vehicle is increased.

[0004] This object is solved by a method, a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and a corresponding blind spot recognition system according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are presented in the dependent claims.

[0005] One aspect of the invention relates to a method for estimating at least one blind spot of a first at least partly automated motor vehicle. At least one first datum relevant to the task of object detection is provided by an electronic computing device of the blind spot recognition system. The presence of at least a second motor vehicle in the vicinity of the first motor vehicle is determined by the electronic computing device. A connection between the first motor vehicle and the second motor vehicle is established by a telecommunication device of the blind spot recognition system. At least one second datum relevant to the task of object detection is received from at least the second motor vehicle by the telecommunication device. At least the first datum is compared to at least the second datum by the electronic computing device. At least one region currently unobservable by at least the first motor vehicle but observable by at least the second motor vehicle is determined by the electronic computing device based on at least one such comparison. At least the blind spot is estimated by the electronic computing device based on the determination of at least one such region.

[0006] The term “blind spot” herein refers to any region in the vicinity of a motor vehicle that is unobservable by that motor vehicle. The term is not restricted to any particular cause of the region being unobservable. For instance, a second motor vehicle idling before a crosswalk may obstruct the first motor vehicle’s view of the crosswalk. In this case, the unseen section of the crosswalk is in a blind spot of the first motor vehicle. It is known from series vehicle construction that a motor vehicle may be equipped with a variety of sensors, such as LIDAR, radar, and cameras. Therefore, the term “blind spot,” as it occurs in this disclosure, does not necessarily correspond to a region unobservable by a human occupant of the motor vehicle, and the two concepts may diverge. For example, by combining a plurality of sensors, an object detection system of the motor vehicle may perceive an obstacle beyond the ken of a human occupant of the motor vehicle, especially during an extreme weather condition such as heavy rain.

[0007] A region may correspond to a blind spot that is in some sense partial when at least one sensor is unable to perform at least one detection in the region while at least one other sensor is still able. For this reason, it is known to the state of the art that an at least partly automated motor vehicle may drive at a reduced speed during an extreme weather condition such as heavy snow. Generally speaking, it is known to the state of the art that radar sensors perform well in a variety of weather conditions, whereas LIDAR sensors and cameras become impaired. However, since it is known to the state of the art that combining sensor types may lead to safer object detection outcomes, the radar results are unable on their own to wholly compensate for the underperformance of the other sensors. In the example of heavy snow, extensive regions in the vicinity of the motor vehicle may be marked as blind spots so that the object detection system does not rely exclusively on the radar sensors.

[0008] In this disclosure, the task of object detection may be understood to involve the discovery of the presence of at least one obstacle in the vicinity of at least the first motor vehicle and the second motor vehicle. This task may involve the providing of additional properties of at least one discovered obstacle, such as physical space occupied, speed, and heading. The task of object detection is still validly defined in the absence of obstacles, in which case the task may be understood as the identification of regions in the vicinity of the motor vehicle as clear of obstacles.

[0009] The word “vicinity” includes, but is not limited to, all physical locations with bearing on the current trajectory planning of the motor vehicle. The term “trajectory planning” is not limited to the automatic planning known from the state of the art to be performed in self-driving motor vehicles, but may also refer to trajectory planning performed by human drivers.

[0010] Examples of data relevant to the task of object detection include photographic and video captures from at least one camera operating at at least one wavelength; radar data; LIDAR data; information concerning the field of view and / or range of at least one sensor; and information concerning the extent and localization of a transmitting motor vehicle itself. Examples of data relevant to the task of object detection furthermore include results, also known to the state of the art as data fusion products, obtained by a combination of at least two data originating from at least two different sources of data relevant to the task of object detection. Additionally, examples of data relevant to the task of object detection include the results of analyses performed on sensor data, regardless of whether the sensor data are still available. For example, the object detection system of a first motor vehicle may communicate to a second motor vehicle inferences about a detected object without communicating any sensor information related to the object. In this case, the standalone inferences are still data relevant to the task of object detection.

[0011] Comparing may, for example, result in the categorization of at least one datum relevant to the task of object detection as either already known by the object detection system of the first vehicle, already known by the object detection system (where applicable) of the second vehicle, or already known by both. In this example, a datum may be considered already known to an object detection system even if it was imparted to the object detection system via a previous connection of the motor vehicle to a different motor vehicle. As an alternative example, comparing may result in the categorization of at least one datum relevant to the task of object detection from a secondary motor vehicle as either redundant or novel in light of at least one datum already known to the object detection system of the first motor vehicle.

[0012] The word “currently” is herein used to clarify that a blind spot of the first motor vehicle may depend on a temporary state, such as an atmospheric condition or a particular arrangement of mobile obstacles in the vicinity of the first motor vehicle. For example, if another motor vehicle obstructs the line of sight of the first motor vehicle to an approaching obstacle, the approaching obstacle is currently in a blind spot of the first motor vehicle. As a second example, the reliability with which the first motor vehicle detects a present object, especially a distant one, may be slightly degraded due to extreme atmospheric conditions. In this example, an object not detectable on account of the degraded range is currently in a blind spot.

[0013] As a consequence of the above mentioned method, at least one additional blind spot may be detected by the blind spot recognition system of the motor vehicle compared to methods known to the state of the art. Alternatively or in addition, the dimensions of at least one blind spot may be identified more accurately. Unlike, for example, blind spot recognition systems that classify objects detected by the first motor vehicle as obstructing a particular view angle of the first motor vehicle, this method does not a priori assume that any region of the environment is completely observable or completely unobservable. Therefore, the blind spot recognition system in this disclosure is more flexible. By considering a wider space of possible blind spots, the reliability of blind spot detection by the motor vehicle may be increased, resolving the challenge presented earlier.

[0014] As another advantage compared to blind spot recognition systems that determine blind spots based on detected view obstructions, the method of this disclosure does not necessarily a priori assume which of the other motor vehicles in the vicinity have the potential to monitor at least one region unobservable by the first motor vehicle. On the contrary, for example, the first motor vehicle may receive from the at least one second motor vehicle information concerning the second motor vehicle’s object detection capabilities. Examples of such information include ranges and nominal accuracies associated with various sensors such as cameras, LIDAR devices, and radar devices. In this way, a second motor vehicle with sensors of greater range than those of the first motor vehicle may detect objects in a blind spot of the first motor vehicle even in the absence of a particular obstruction of the view of the first motor vehicle.

[0015] According to an embodiment, a shared network is used to determine the presence of at least one nearby motor vehicle with which connection is possible. For example, this may be a vehicular ad hoc network, a VANET, based on a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) telecommunication device such as a dedicated short-range communications device, a DSRC device.

[0016] In another embodiment, the connection between the first and second motor vehicles is established depending on a connection criterion, which further includes a priority schedule for the order in which to attempt a plurality of connections. Physical proximity is an example of a connection criterion. As part of this example, the first motor vehicle may establish a physical location of at least one secondary motor vehicle and classify at least one such physical location as inside or outside the immediate environment of the first motor vehicle. In this example, the definition of the immediate environment may be adapted to the situation based on the trajectory planning of the motor vehicle and / or to at least one sensor of the motor vehicle.

[0017] Furthermore, a priority schedule may prioritize, for example, based on the physical proximity of each potential connection target to the current and / or near-future trajectory of the first motor vehicle. If the first motor vehicle is driving along a freeway, driving in reverse is a part of neither the current nor the near-future trajectory. Therefore, in this situation, the schedule deprioritizes all potential connection targets behind the first motor vehicle compared to those in front.

[0018] As mentioned previously, it is known to the state of the art that an object detection system of the first vehicle alone may be used to a priori establish blind spots. These a priori blind spots may be leveraged to inform which of the potentially many possible connections with nearby motor vehicles to attempt first. However, as the blind spots of a motor vehicle may change rapidly, this criterion may result in an unnecessarily high rate of closing and opening of network connections. The customizable connection criterion and priority schedule of the above-mentioned embodiment of this invention, which may use simple metrics such as physical proximity, have the potential to simplify the networking requests of the blind spot recognition system.

[0019] In another embodiment, the first motor vehicle attempts at least one connection with at least one second motor vehicle that is in an idle mode. The term “idle mode” is intended generally to describe a stationary motor vehicle, such as one in a neutral or parking gear. The term may be applied independently of the reason for stationarity, such as the motor vehicle having arrived at its destination. The term may be applied independently of which parts of the motor vehicle are powered, so a motor vehicle may be considered idle even if the motor is still engaged.

[0020] This embodiment has the potential to be advantageous, as blind spot recognition may be supported by connection with at least one secondary motor vehicle in, for example, a parking lot. If the first motor vehicle is backing out of a parking spot with at least one obstacle on either side, at least one blind spot may be significant in size. If a motor vehicle in the vicinity is not currently powered, the motor vehicle is in an idle mode and may not be detectable and / or responsive to connection requests. In this embodiment, at least one telecommunication device of a motor vehicle continues to accept and / or respond to queries related to the method.

[0021] In another embodiment, at least one third datum associated with the detection by the second motor vehicle of at least one obstacle in at least one blind spot of the first motor vehicle is transmitted to the first motor vehicle by the second motor vehicle subsequent to the estimation of at least one blind spot.

[0022] This embodiment may lead to improved safety of the driving of the first motor vehicle in circumstances such as at least one faulty sensor, at least one error in the object detection system of the first motor vehicle, or weather-induced degradation in the range of at least one sensor of the first motor vehicle. In these cases, the first motor vehicle may obtain information on at least one previously undetected obstacle even though the line of sight to the at least one obstacle may not be obstructed by at least one solid barrier. Furthermore, the first motor vehicle may obtain supplementary information about an obstacle detected at low confidence, such as a partially obscured obstacle. In the heavy snow example used earlier to introduce the concept of partial blind spots, radar is still available while LIDAR and optical data are impaired. In this example, if the second motor vehicle is closer to the partial blind spot than is the first motor vehicle, the second motor vehicle may transfer its LIDAR and optical data to the first motor vehicle.

[0023] In another embodiment, the result of the blind spot recognition is used to warn a user and / or modify the trajectory of the first motor vehicle.

[0024] In this embodiment, the term “trajectory modification” is intended generally to refer to any alterations to the driving plan performed to avoid collision, including but not limited to deceleration via braking, evasive steering, and coasting rather than accelerating, including where deceleration via rolling friction is intended. The term may also include alterations performed merely to increase the separation between the first motor vehicle and the obstacle, for example out of caution, regardless of whether the alteration avoids a collision. This has the potential to increase safety in cases where objects emerging from blind spots are detected by the first motor vehicle too late for braking alone to suffice in preventing a collision. Furthermore, this embodiment has the potential to increase user comfort in cases where a collision is avoided at the cost of an abrupt change in the driving plan. Specifically, if the result of the blind spot recognition leads to, for example, much earlier braking, the braking may be applied more gradually.

[0025] In another embodiment, a representation of the environmental perception of the first motor vehicle, supplemented by the at least one comparison, is displayed to a user via a display device.

[0026] This representation may include various augmentations and / or visual aids. For example, the first motor vehicle may be indicated with a red glow, at least one motor vehicle in the vicinity with which the establishment of a connection is possible may be indicated with a blue glow, and at least one second motor vehicle with which a connection has been established and with which the first motor vehicle is currently communicating may be indicated with a yellow glow. For example, an object detected in at least one blind spot of the first motor vehicle and about which information has been transmitted by the at least one second motor vehicle to the first motor vehicle may be represented as an outline.

[0027] In this embodiment, the displayed information may impart to the user confidence in the safety of the first motor vehicle. For example, the user may be brought to understand why the first motor vehicle decelerates in the apparent absence of obstacles, because the user sees in the display that an obstacle is in fact present in the blind spot.

[0028] In particular, the method is a computer implemented method. Therefore, another aspect of the invention relates to a computer program product comprising program code means for performing a method according to the proceeding aspect.

[0029] A still further aspect of the invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising at least a computer program product according to the preceding aspect.

[0030] Another aspect of the invention relates to a blind spot recognition system for an at least partly automated motor vehicle, comprising at least one electronic computing device and at least one telecommunication device, wherein the blind spot recognition system is configured for performing a method according to the preceding aspect. In particular, the method is performed by the blind spot recognition system.

[0031] Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising at least the blind spot recognition system according to the preceding aspect. In particular, the motor vehicle is at least in part automated.

[0032] Advantageous embodiments of the method are to be regarded as advantageous embodiments of the computer program product, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the blind spot recognition system, and the motor vehicle. Therefore, the blind spot recognition system as well as the motor vehicle comprises means for performing the method.

[0033] In the present disclosure, an electronic computing device may for example be understood as a data processing device with processing circuitry. An electronic computing device may therefore perform computing operations in order to process data. The computing operations may also include indexed accesses to a data structure, for example a look-up table, LUT.

[0034] In particular, an electronic computing device may include one or more computers, one or more microcontrollers, and / or one or more integrated circuits, for example, one or more application-specific integrated circuits, ASIC, one or more field-programmable gate arrays, FPGA, and / or one or more systems on a chip, SoC. The electronic computing device may also include one or more processors, for example one or more microprocessors, one or more central processing units, CPU, one or more graphics processing units, GPU, and / or one or more signal processors, in particular one or more digital signal processors, DSP. The electronic computing device may also include a physical or a virtual cluster of computers or of other said units.

[0035] An electronic computing device may also comprise one or more hardware and / or software interfaces and / or one or more memory units.

[0036] A memory unit may be implemented as a volatile data memory, for example a dynamic random access memory, DRAM, or a static random access memory, SRAM, or as a non-volatile data memory, for example a read-only memory, ROM, a programmable read-only memory, PROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM, a flash memory or flash EEPROM, a ferroelectric random access memory, FRAM, a magnetoresistive random access memory, MRAM, or a phase-change random access memory, PCRAM.

[0037] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention derive from the following description of preferred embodiments as well as from the drawings. The features and feature combinations previously mentioned in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned in the following description of the figures and / or shown in the figures alone may be employed not only in the respectively indicated combination but also in any other combination or taken alone without leaving the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. The same reference numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of systems and / or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described below, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0039] The drawings show in:

[0040] Fig. 1 a schematic side-view according to an embodiment of an at least partly automated motor vehicle comprising an embodiment of a blind spot recognition system.

[0041] Fig. 2 a schematic top-down view according to an embodiment of an at least partly automated motor vehicle comprising an embodiment of a blind spot recognition system.

[0042] Fig. 3 a schematic top-down view according to an embodiment of an at least partly automated motor vehicle comprising an embodiment of a blind spot recognition system.

[0043] Fig. 4 a schematic flowchart according to an embodiment of the method.

[0044] In the figures the same elements, or elements having the same function, are indicated by the same reference signs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0046] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawing and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed; on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0047] The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion so that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup, device, or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus preceded by “comprises” or “comprise” does not or do not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.

[0048] In the following detailed descriptions of the embodiments of the disclosure, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form parts hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following descriptions are, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0049] Fig 1 shows a schematic side view according to an embodiment of a first motor vehicle 10. The first motor vehicle 10 is at least partly automated. This holds true also for the remaining figures. The first motor vehicle 10 comprises a blind spot recognition system 12. The blind spot recognition system 12 comprises at least one electronic computing device 14 and at least one telecommunication device 16. A representation of the environmental perception of the first motor vehicle 10, supplemented by at least one result and / or byproduct of the method, is displayed to the user via a display device 17.

[0050] It is known from series vehicle construction that at least one electronic computing device may be installed in a motor vehicle to handle such tasks as radio station selection and automatic driving control. The electronic computing device 14 of the blind spot recognition system 12 may be, for example, the same electronic computing device as is already installed for these tasks.

[0051] Similarly, it is known from series vehicle construction that at least one telecommunication device, such as a DSRC, may be installed in a motor vehicle, for example to receive traffic information. The telecommunication device 16 of the blind spot recognition system 12 may be the same telecommunication device as one which, like the DSRC, is already installed for a different purpose.

[0052] In this embodiment, a sensor 18 of the first motor vehicle 10 provides a first datum 19 relevant to the task of object detection. This sensor 18 may be, for example, an impulse radar device, a modulated continuous wave radar device, a LIDAR device, or a camera.

[0053] Fig. 2 shows a schematic top-down view according to an embodiment of the first motor vehicle 10. A second motor vehicle 20 is waiting ahead and to the left of the first motor vehicle 10 at a crosswalk 21 where neither traffic light nor stop sign is present. An obstacle 22 is crossing the crosswalk 21 from the direction of the second motor vehicle 20 to the direction of the first motor vehicle 10. In this illustration, the obstacle 22 is a pedestrian; other examples of obstacles include animals, bicyclists, and motor vehicles, as well as stationary obstacles such as impact attenuators and traffic drums.

[0054] The second motor vehicle 20 produces a blind spot 24 of the first motor vehicle 10 by obstructing the first motor vehicle’s view of the area to the left and in front of the second motor vehicle 20. The obstacle 22 is currently in the blind spot 24. A connection 26 is established between the first motor vehicle 10 and the second motor vehicle 20 over which at least one second datum 28 is transferred from the second motor vehicle 20 to the first motor vehicle 10.

[0055] In this embodiment, this same connection 26 is used after the blind spot 24 is estimated by the blind spot recognition system 12 in order to transfer at least one third datum 30 about the obstacle 22 from the second motor vehicle 20 to the first motor vehicle 10. This third datum 30 may lead to an alteration in the driving plan of the first motor vehicle 10; an appropriate example here would be immediate slowdown via application of the brakes.

[0056] The second motor vehicle 20 is not necessarily automated, even to a partial extent. It is known from series vehicle construction that a video camera may be installed at the rear of an entirely human driven motor vehicle, with a live feed displayed to the user via a display device. This feed provides visual support for a driver, for example when performing a difficult parallel parking maneuver. Such a video camera is an example of a sensor 18 that may provide data relevant to the task of object detection, even if the motor vehicle lacks an object detection system. Therefore, as long as the first motor vehicle 10 has the potential to establish a connection 26 with at least the second motor vehicle 20 and at least the second motor vehicle 20 has the potential to transmit at least one datum relevant to the task of object detection, the method in this embodiment may proceed.

[0057] Fig. 3 shows a schematic top-down view according to an embodiment of the first motor vehicle 10. The first motor vehicle 10 is planning to back out of a parking spot. The obstacle 22, here a bicyclist, is approaching from the right side of the figure. Another motor vehicle parked adjacent to the first motor vehicle 10 is obstructing the view of the first motor vehicle 10, producing the blind spot 24 in which the obstacle 22 is currently positioned.

[0058] A shared network 32 is established through which the first motor vehicle 10 becomes aware of other motor vehicles in the vicinity with which connection 26 may be possible. All motor vehicles in the vicinity of the first motor vehicle 10 are in an idle mode. Nonetheless, connection 26 is possible with three of them, which are indicated with jagged outlines. A priority schedule is used to identify one of these three as closest to the trajectory of the first motor vehicle 10. This closest of the three is then identified with the second motor vehicle 20 according to the method of this disclosure.

[0059] Fig. 4 shows a schematic flowchart according to an embodiment of the method.

[0060] In a first step S1, a first datum 19 relevant to the task of object detection is provided by the electronic computing device 14 of the blind spot recognition system 12. In a first part S2A of a second step, the presence of at least the second motor vehicle 20 in the vicinity of the first motor vehicle 10 is determined by the electronic computing device 14. In a second part S2B of the second step, a connection criterion is applied to filter out connection candidates. Then, a priority schedule is applied to rank the remaining connection candidates according to their relevance to the task of blind spot recognition. In a third step S3, the connection 26 between the first motor vehicle 10 and the second motor vehicle 20 or another motor vehicle is established by a telecommunication device 16 of the blind spot recognition system 12. In a fourth step S4, at least one second datum 28 relevant to the task of object detection is received from at least the second motor vehicle 20 or another motor vehicle by the telecommunication device 16. In a fifth step S5, at least the first datum 19 is compared to at least the second datum 28 by the electronic computing device 14. In a sixth step S6, at least one region currently unobservable by at least the first motor vehicle 10 but observable by at least the second motor vehicle 20 or another motor vehicle is determined by the electronic computing device 14 based on at least one such comparison. In a seventh step S7, at least the blind spot 24 is estimated by the electronic computing device 14 based on the determination of at least one such region. In one part S8A of an eighth step, at least one third datum 30 is transmitted to the first motor vehicle 10 by the second motor vehicle 20 or another motor vehicle. The at least one third datum 30 is associated with the detection by at least the second motor vehicle 20 or another motor vehicle of at least one obstacle 22 in at least one blind spot 24 of the first motor vehicle 10. In another part S8B of the eighth step, the result of the blind spot recognition is used to warn a user and / or modify the trajectory of the first motor vehicle 10. In another part S8C of the eighth step, a representation of the environmental perception of the first motor vehicle 10, supplemented by the at least one comparison, is displayed to a user via a display device 17.

[0061] The separation of the second step into the parts S2A and S2B, including with a visual removal in fig. 4, is intended to emphasize that the part S2B relates to an embodiment according to a dependent claim.

[0062] The separation of the eighth step into the parts S8A, S8B, and S8C is intended to emphasize that each part relates to a different, but not mutually exclusive, embodiment according to a dependent claim. Furthermore, the parts are visually removed in fig. 4 so as to indicate their lack of a relative ordering among themselves. For instance, part S8C may be completed before part S8A. Reference signs 10 12 14 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 S1 - S8C First motor vehicle Blind spot recognition system Electronic computing device Telecommunication device Display device Sensor First datum Second motor vehicle Obstacle Blind spot Connection Second datum Third datum Shared network Steps of the method

Claims

1. A method for estimating at least one blind spot (24) of a first at least partly automated motor vehicle (10) by a blind spot recognition system (12) for the first motor vehicle (10), comprising the steps of:- providing at least one first datum (19) relevant to the task of object detection by an electronic computing device (14) of the blind spot recognition system (12); (S1) - determining, by the electronic computing device (14), the presence of at least a second motor vehicle (20) in the vicinity of the first motor vehicle (10); (S2A)- establishing a connection (26) between the first motor vehicle (10) and the second motor vehicle (20) by a telecommunication device (16) of the blind spot recognition system (12); (S3)- receiving at least one second datum relevant (28) to the task of object detection from at least the second motor vehicle (20) by the telecommunication device (16); (S4)- comparing at least the first datum (19) to at least the second datum (28) by the electronic computing device (14); (S5)- determining, by the electronic computing device (14), and based on at least one such comparison, at least one region currently unobservable by at least the first vehicle but observable by at least the second motor vehicle (20); (S6) and - estimating, by the electronic computing device (14), at least the blind spot (24) based on the determination of at least one such region. (S7)2. The method according to claim 1 characterized in thata shared network (32) is used to determine the presence of at least one nearbymotor vehicle with which connection is possible.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in thatthe connection (26) between the first motor vehicle (10) and the second motor vehicle (20) is established depending on a connection criterion, which further includes a priority schedule for the order in which to attempt a plurality of connections. (S2B)4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in thatthe first motor vehicle (10) attempts at least one connection (26) with at least one second motor vehicle (20) that is in an idle mode.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in thatat least one third datum (30) associated with the detection by at least the second motor vehicle (20) of at least one obstacle (22) in at least one blind spot (24) of the first motor vehicle (10) is transmitted to the first motor vehicle (10) by the second motor vehicle (20) subsequent to the estimation of the at least one blind spot (24). (S8A)6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in thatthe result of the blind spot recognition is used to warn a user and / or modify the trajectory of the first motor vehicle (10). (S8B)7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in thata representation of the environmental perception of the first motor vehicle (10), supplemented by the at least one comparison, is displayed to a user via a display device (17). (S8C)8. A computer program product comprising program code means for performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising the computer program product according to claim 8.

10. A blind spot recognition system (12) for a motor vehicle (10), comprising at least one electronic computing device (14) and at least one telecommunication device (16), wherein the blind spot recognition system (12) is configured for performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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