Method for adjusting target distance of motor vehicle to preceding vehicle traveling ahead, computer program, control device, and motor vehicle

Abstract

A suitable method is provided to allow adaptation of the target interval. A method for adjusting a target distance (50) of a motor vehicle (10) to a preceding vehicle (20) traveling ahead, comprising: -activating adaptive cruise control that adjusts the target distance 50; - determining distance information characterizing a distance between the motor vehicle 10 and a leading vehicle 20; - determining vehicle type information characterizing the vehicle type of the preceding vehicle 20; and - determining a correction interval based on interval information and the vehicle type information; -Adjusting the target interval 50 based on the correction interval; It has.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for adjusting a target distance of a motor vehicle to a vehicle traveling ahead, and a data processing device arranged to at least partially carry out the method. Also provided is an automated motor vehicle having a data processing device. Additionally or alternatively, a computer program is provided comprising commands which, when executed by a computer, cause a computer to carry out at least part of the method. Additionally or alternatively, a computer readable medium is provided comprising commands which, when executed by a computer, cause a computer to carry out at least part of the method. [Background technology]

[0002] Methods for adjusting the target interval are known from the prior art. Patent document 1 discloses a method for dynamically and situation-specifically adjusting the target interval between two vehicles using a data service. In this case, it is provided to read the data service in order to provide section parameters and to adapt the target interval depending on the section parameters provided. This allows the target interval to be adjusted without manual assistance.

[0003] However, it may be necessary to adapt the target distance from the driver's point of view, i.e. for subjective reasons and / or for technical reasons. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] DE 102017213278 A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the context of the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a method which is suitable for meeting at least the above-mentioned needs and which also allows for adaptation of the target interval. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This problem is solved by the features of the independent claims. The dependent claims provide preferred developments of the invention.

[0007] According to this, the above problem is solved by a method for adjusting a target distance of a motor vehicle to a leading vehicle traveling ahead, the method comprising the following steps: activating an adaptive cruise control for adjusting (setting) the target distance, determining distance information characterizing the distance between the motor vehicle and the leading vehicle, determining vehicle type information characterizing the vehicle type of the leading vehicle, determining a correction distance based on the distance information and the vehicle type information, and adjusting (setting) the target distance based on the correction distance.

[0008] The leading vehicle is a motor vehicle located in front of the motor vehicle in the direction of travel of the motor vehicle and / or in the lane in which the motor vehicle is traveling. The adaptive cruise control controls the distance between the motor vehicle and the leading vehicle to adjust the distance according to the target distance. The adaptive cruise control then uses the specified distance. The target distance can then be adjusted by the user and / or automatically. The target distance is adapted by a difference corresponding to the correction distance.

[0009] The correction contributes to an automated adjustment of the target distance in order to avoid excessive approach to a leading vehicle of a certain vehicle type, which may be uncomfortable, particularly from the driver's point of view, and to compensate for possible errors in the detection of the distance between the motor vehicle and the leading vehicle depending on the vehicle type, so that the target distance is corrected by a correction distance depending on the vehicle type.

[0010] It has been found that the target interval needs to be corrected depending on the vehicle type of the leading vehicle. For example, an error in the determined interval leading to excessive closeness to the leading vehicle may lead to discomfort for the motor vehicle driver and / or passengers and / or to the motor vehicle being exposed to greater danger, for example from flying stones from the leading vehicle. An excessively large selected interval may cause other traffic participants to move in between the motor vehicle and the leading vehicle, which may then cause the motor vehicle to brake.

[0011] The adjustment (setting) of the target interval can be performed to increase the target interval if the vehicle type of the preceding vehicle is a commercial vehicle. In particular in the case of a commercial vehicle, the determination of the interval between the moped and the preceding vehicle can be affected by errors, since the interval detection device of the moped, for example a radar device, can detect the interval between the rear axle of the moped and the commercial vehicle, rather than the interval between the rear bumper of the moped and the commercial vehicle, which determines the actual interval between the moped and the commercial vehicle. Therefore, according to the prior art, it can happen that the moped approaches the commercial vehicle too closely. In this embodiment, the target interval to be adjusted is increased to compensate for the error in the interval detection.

[0012] The determination of the correction interval and the adjustment (setting) of the target interval may depend on the speed of the motor vehicle. In such an embodiment, traffic conditions can be effectively taken into account. For example, the speed of the motor vehicle informs whether the motor vehicle is on a highway, a play street, and / or in a traffic jam, and whether and how the target interval needs to be corrected.

[0013] The determination of the correction interval and / or the adjustment (setting) of the target interval can be activated above an upper speed threshold and deactivated below a lower speed threshold, the upper speed threshold being greater than the lower speed threshold. In this embodiment, a hysteresis for the correction of the target interval is achieved in dependence on the speed, which improves the robustness of the correction and avoids unnecessary corrections of the target interval.

[0014] Determining the correction gap and / or adjusting (setting) the target gap may depend on the number of lanes of the road on which the motor vehicle is traveling, thereby making it possible to take road data into account, where the number of lanes may be the number of lanes in the direction of travel of the motor vehicle.

[0015] The determination of the correction gap and the adjustment (setting) of the target gap may be deactivated on roads having multiple lanes, so that the gap between the motor vehicle and the leading vehicle on the multi-lane road can be kept shorter than on a single-lane road, for example, to avoid that the corrected gap between the motor vehicle and the leading vehicle on the multi-lane road can be used by other traffic participants to trap the motor vehicle and the leading vehicle.

[0016] The determination of the distance information can be performed by a radar device on the vehicle side, and the determination of the vehicle type information can be performed by a camera device on the vehicle side, whereby a particularly reliable determination of the distance information and the vehicle type information can be performed. The vehicle type information can be determined on the basis of image data recorded by the camera device using software based on artificial intelligence, for example by means of object recognition.

[0017] In other words, the above can be summarized as follows with reference to a specific configuration that is not described in a restrictive manner for this disclosure: The background is the technical requirement for an extended distance behind trucks in adaptive cruise control (ACC) operation, intuitive driver behavior, and the possibility of over-approaching to trucks due to rear axle control due to the truck's height. It is known that adaptive cruise control for other situations has already been implemented. Trucks as a vehicle type have not been specifically considered so far. This can cause over-approaching to rear axle control due to the truck's height. The idea is that the vehicle type is recognized via a camera device, after which the distance is extended. It is based on existing configurations of adaptive distance adjustment. Here, a special sub-factor is adopted for following behind trucks as a vehicle type.

[0018] There is also provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause a computer to at least partly carry out or implement the method described above.

[0019] The program code of the computer program may be present in any code, in particular code suitable for controlling a motor vehicle.

[0020] Anything mentioned above relating to a method applies equally to a computer program and vice versa.

[0021] There is also provided a data processing device, e.g. a control device, for an automated motor vehicle, configured to at least partially perform or execute the method described above. The method is thus a computer-implemented method.

[0022] The data processing device may be part of a driving assistance system or may be a driving assistance system. The data processing device may be, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control device may be a processor-controlled intelligent unit that can communicate with other modules, for example via a Central Gateway (CGW), and possibly via field buses such as CAN bus, LIN bus, MOST bus and FlexRay, or via automotive Ethernet, for example together with a telematics control device, to form a vehicle (on-board) electrical system. It is conceivable that the control device controls functions related to the driving behavior of the motor vehicle, such as engine control, power transmission, braking system and / or tire pressure management system. Furthermore, driver assistance systems, such as parking assist, adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keeping assist, lane change assist, traffic sign identification, signal light display recognition, starting assist, night vision assist and / or intersection assist (turn assist), may be controlled by the control device.

[0023] What has been described above with respect to methods and computer programs applies equally to data processing apparatus and vice versa.

[0024] There is also provided a motor vehicle including a data processing device as described above.

[0025] The motor vehicle may be a passenger vehicle, in particular a car. The automated motor vehicle may be configured to at least partially and / or at least temporarily take over longitudinal steering (guiding) and / or lateral steering (guiding) during automated driving of the motor vehicle. The automated driving may be performed such that the movement of the motor vehicle is performed (almost) autonomously. The automated driving may be at least partially and / or temporarily controlled by a data processing device.

[0026] A motor vehicle may be at autonomy level 0, i.e. the driver takes over the dynamic driving tasks, although support systems (e.g. ABS or ESP) are present.

[0027] The motor vehicle may be an autonomous level 1 motor vehicle, i.e. it may be equipped with certain driver assistance systems that support the driver in operating the vehicle, such as, for example, adaptive cruise control (ACC).

[0028] The motor vehicle may be an autonomy level 2 motor vehicle, i.e. capable of being partially automated such that automatic parking, lane keeping or lateral guidance, general longitudinal guidance, acceleration and / or braking are taken over by the driver assistance system.

[0029] The motor vehicle may be an autonomous level 3 motor vehicle, i.e., capable of being automated in operation such that the driver does not need to continually monitor the vehicle's systems. The motor vehicle automatically performs functions such as turning on turn signals, changing lanes, and keeping in lane. The driver is free to attend to other concerns but is required to assume control, if necessary, within the system's reserve warning period.

[0030] The motor vehicle may be an autonomous level 4 motor vehicle, i.e., it may be highly automated such that guidance of the vehicle is continuously assumed by the vehicle's systems. When the system is no longer responsible for driving, the driver is required to take over driving.

[0031] The motor vehicle may be an autonomous level 5 motor vehicle, i.e., it may be fully automated such that no driver is needed to fulfill the driver's role. No human intervention is needed except for setting objectives and initiating the system. The motor vehicle may dispense with a steering wheel and pedals.

[0032] What has been described above with respect to a method, a data processing apparatus and a computer program product applies equally to a motor vehicle and vice versa.

[0033] Also provided is a computer readable medium, in particular a computer readable storage medium, which contains instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out at least part of the method described above.

[0034] That is, it is possible to provide a computer readable medium containing a computer program as defined above. The computer readable medium can be any digital data storage device, such as for example a USB stick, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an SD card or an SSD card. The computer program does not necessarily have to be stored on such a computer readable storage medium to be available to the motor vehicle, but can also be obtained externally, for example via the Internet.

[0035] What has been described above in relation to a method, a data processing apparatus, a computer program and an automated motor vehicle applies equally to a computer readable medium and vice versa.

[0036] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a motor vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention and a preceding vehicle on a road. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates generally a flow chart of a method for adjusting a target spacing of a motor vehicle relative to a leading vehicle, according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a motor vehicle 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention and a leading vehicle 20 on a road 30.

[0039] The motor vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle 20 are arranged on a diagrammatically illustrated road 30 defined by two horizontal lines. The road 30 has lanes 35. The motor vehicle 10 is a following vehicle relative to the leading vehicle 20, i.e. the motor vehicle 10 moves in the direction of the leading vehicle 20. A gap arises between the motor vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle 20, which in the ideal case corresponds to a target gap 50 illustrated by a double arrow with a dashed line. The target gap 50 is the gap between the motor vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle 20, which can be adjusted (set) for example by the driver and / or automatically.

[0040] The motor vehicle 10 is configured to carry out the method 100 described in relation to Figure 2. To this end, as shown in Figure 1, the motor vehicle 10 comprises a radar device 11, a camera device 12 and a data processing device 14.

[0041] The radar device 11 is constructed and arranged to detect distance data or spacing information in the vicinity of the motor vehicle 10 and ahead of the motor vehicle 10. The radar device 11 is configured to detect the spacing between the motor vehicle 10 and a leading vehicle 20.

[0042] The camera device 12 is configured and arranged to detect image data in front of the motor vehicle 10, around the motor vehicle 10. Here, the camera device 12 is configured to detect image data of a leading vehicle 20. A vehicle type of the leading vehicle 20, and thus vehicle type information, is determined based on the image data. Here, the vehicle type information indicates, in particular, whether the leading vehicle 20 is a commercial vehicle, and thus, for example, a truck, a truck trailer, a bus, a van, or the like.

[0043] Thereby, the motor vehicle 10 is arranged to determine 120 distance information by means of a vehicle-side radar device 11 and to determine 130 vehicle type information by means of a vehicle-side camera device 12 .

[0044] The data processing device 14 is configured to receive data from, among others, the radar device 11 and the camera device 12 and process it to determine and adjust (set) the target interval 50. The data processing device 14 is then configured to perform determination 140 of a correction interval based on the interval information and the vehicle type information. Adjustment (setting) 150 of the target interval 50 is performed so as to increase the target interval 50 when the vehicle type of the leading vehicle 20 is a commercial vehicle.

[0045] The determination 140 of the correction interval and the adjustment (setting) 150 of the target interval 50 depend on the speed of the motor vehicle 10, which is the speed at which the motor vehicle 10 travels along the road 30. The determination 140 of the correction interval and the adjustment 150 of the target interval 50 are activated above an upper speed threshold and are deactivated below a lower speed threshold.

[0046] The determination 140 of the correction gap and the adjustment (setting) 150 of the target gap 50 depend on the number of lanes 35 of the road 30 on which the motor vehicle 10 is traveling. The determination 140 of the correction gap and the adjustment (setting) 150 of the target gap 50 are deactivated on roads 30 having multiple lanes 35. The determination 140 of the correction gap and the adjustment (setting) 150 of the target gap 50 remain activated on the road 30 shown in FIG. 2 having multiple lanes 35.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 100 for adjusting (setting) a target distance 50 of a motor vehicle 10 with respect to a leading vehicle 20 traveling ahead.

[0048] The motor vehicle 10, the leading vehicle 20 and the target interval 50 are described with reference to FIG.

[0049] The method 100 includes the following steps: step 110 of activating an adaptive cruise control to adjust (set) a target interval 50; step 120 of identifying interval information characterizing the interval between the motor vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle 20; step 130 of identifying vehicle type information characterizing the vehicle type of the leading vehicle 20; step 140 of identifying a correction interval based on the interval information and the vehicle type information; and step 150 of adjusting (setting) the target interval 50 based on the correction interval.

[0050] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that each step may further include sub-steps, and in particular that the method steps may each be performed iteratively and / or in another order. For example, determining distance information 120 and determining vehicle type information 130 may be performed simultaneously. Also, determining distance information 120 and determining vehicle type information 130 may be performed preliminary, i.e., in advance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10 Motor vehicles 11 Radar equipment 12 Camera equipment 14 Data Processing Device 20 Leading vehicle 30 road 35 lanes 50 Target Interval 100 ways 110 Adaptive cruise control operation 120 Identifying Spacing Information 130 Identifying vehicle type information 140 Identifying the correction interval 150 Adjustment (setting) of target interval

Claims

1. A method (100) for adjusting the target distance (50) of a motorized vehicle (10) with respect to a preceding vehicle (20) traveling ahead, - Activating the adaptive cruise control (110) to adjust the target interval (50), - Identifying interval information (120) that characterizes the distance between the motorized vehicle (10) and the preceding vehicle (20), - Identifying vehicle type information that characterizes the vehicle type of the preceding vehicle (20) (130), - Specifying a correction interval based on the interval information and the vehicle type information (140), - Adjust the target interval (50) based on the correction interval (150) A method characterized by having

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment (150) of the target interval (50) is performed to widen the target interval (50) when the vehicle type of the preceding vehicle (20) is a commercial vehicle.

3. The method according to 1 or 2, characterized in that the identification of the correction interval (140) and / or the adjustment of the target interval (50) (150) depends on the speed of the motorized vehicle (10).

4. The method according to the previous version, characterized in that the specification of the correction interval (140) and / or the adjustment of the target interval (50) (150) are activated above the upper speed threshold and deactivated below the lower speed threshold.

5. The method according to 1 or 2, characterized in that the identification of the correction interval (140) and / or the adjustment of the target interval (50) (150) depends on the number of lanes (35) on the road (30) on which the motorized vehicle (10) travels.

6. The method according to 5, characterized in that the specification of the correction interval (140) and / or the adjustment of the target interval (50) (150) are deactivated on a road (30) having multiple lanes (35).

7. The method according to 1 or 2, characterized in that the identification of the interval information (120) is performed by a vehicle-side radar device (11), and the identification of the vehicle type information (130) is performed by a vehicle-side camera device (12).

8. A computer program and / or a computer-readable medium that includes a command causing the computer to perform the steps of the method (100) described in claim 1 or 2 when the computer executes a program or command.

9. A data processing device (14) for an automated motorized vehicle (10), characterized in that the data processing device (14) is configured to perform the method (100) described in claim 1 or 2.

10. A motorized vehicle (10) including the data processing device (14) described in claim 9.

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