Method for adapting the driving behavior of a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for adapting the driving behavior of a vehicle (1) traveling in an autonomous driving mode when an emergency vehicle (2) in the vicinity of the vehicle (1) is recognized, the method recognizing the emergency vehicle (2) based on a special acoustic signal (S) emitted by the emergency vehicle (2). According to the present invention, when the vehicle (1) recognizes the emergency vehicle (2), the vehicle (1) is braked to a stop, and based on an evaluation of the special acoustic signal (S) of the emergency vehicle (2), it is determined whether the emergency vehicle (2) is also stopped, and depending on whether the emergency vehicle (2) is stopped, the vehicle (1) is moved forward from a current stopping position to another stopping position.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for adapting the driving behavior of a vehicle when an emergency vehicle in dispatch is recognized in the vicinity of a vehicle traveling in an autonomous driving mode, which recognizes the emergency vehicle based on a special acoustic signal emitted by the emergency vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] German Patent Application No. DE 10 2017 009 491 A1 discloses a method for controlling the distance between vehicles, in which traffic-related information is detected from the vehicle's surroundings and the current speed of the vehicle is adjusted and / or controlled depending on the detected distance from a preceding vehicle. If the presence of at least one emergency vehicle in the vehicle's surroundings is detected, the speed of the vehicle is set differently than if no emergency vehicle is detected.

[0003] Furthermore, German Patent Application Publication No. 102018218973 describes a method for adapting an autonomous vehicle, an autonomous vehicle, a special emergency vehicle and a system, which method comprises detecting characteristics specific to a dispatch of the special emergency vehicle and / or wirelessly receiving by the autonomous vehicle dispatch-specific information transmitted by the special emergency vehicle, and analyzing a surrounding situation relating to the autonomous vehicle and the special emergency vehicle based on the characteristic characteristics detected by the autonomous vehicle and / or the received dispatch-specific transmitted information.

[0004] German Patent Application No. DE 10 2013 2020 307 A1 discloses a method for assisting a vehicle driver in forming a lane for emergency vehicles, in which exceptional situations involving emergency vehicles traveling in the wrong direction are recognized during the formation of the emergency lane and the vehicle control is adapted accordingly. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The invention is based on the object of proposing a method for operating a vehicle when an emergency vehicle is detected in the vicinity of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1.

[0007] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0008] According to the present invention, a method for adapting (adjusting) the driving behavior of a vehicle when an emergency vehicle in dispatch is recognized in the vicinity of a vehicle traveling in an autonomous driving mode recognizes the emergency vehicle based on a special acoustic signal emitted by the emergency vehicle, the vehicle brakes and stops when the emergency vehicle is recognized, and based on an evaluation of the special acoustic signal of the emergency vehicle, it is determined whether the emergency vehicle is also stopped, and depending on whether the emergency vehicle is stopped, the vehicle is moved forward from its current stopping position to another stopping position.

[0009] In particular, emergency vehicles belong to either the police, fire brigade or ambulance service.

[0010] By applying this method, it is possible to largely prevent automated vehicles from being stopped and remaining stopped because of an emergency vehicle, in particular for as long as the emergency vehicle is emitting a special acoustic signal, which is then evaluated to determine whether the emergency vehicle is also stopped or whether it should continue or resume driving, thereby eliminating the disruption of traffic flow by stopped vehicles.

[0011] The vehicle then determines again at another stopping location whether the dispatched emergency vehicle is stopping to move to a safe stopping location, such as a parking lot or roadside.

[0012] In one embodiment, when an emergency vehicle is stopped, a reliability level is determined for the reliability of the recognition of the stop of the emergency vehicle, i.e. the stop of the emergency vehicle can be recognized relatively well or not so well, and the driving behavior of the vehicle is adapted accordingly so that the vehicle does not obstruct other road users, in particular vehicles.

[0013] In another embodiment of the method, the distance between the vehicle and the emergency vehicle is determined according to the determined reliability level, and the vehicle is moved forward from the current stopping position to another stopping position by the determined distance. That is, the vehicle moves toward the emergency vehicle and again determines whether the emergency vehicle is stopped or maneuvering based on the detected special acoustic signal. Depending on the state of the emergency vehicle, it is determined whether the vehicle can be stopped safely, i.e., whether it can be stopped in a suitable position, or whether the autonomous driving mode can be resumed.

[0014] In one development, at another stopping position of the vehicle, it is again determined whether the emergency vehicle is stopped or not, a reliability level of the recognition of the stopping of the emergency vehicle is determined, and this process is repeated again and again until the vehicle reaches a safe stopping position, thereby performing a multi-stage stopping recognition for the emergency vehicle, which multi-stage stopping recognition signals whether the vehicle can continue driving or not.

[0015] In a further possible development of the method, the vehicle travels from each stopping position to a safe stopping position at a speed below a predetermined threshold, which may be, for example, 10 km / h, so that the vehicle can drive relatively slowly towards the emergency vehicle to perform the stop recognition again and determine whether the vehicle needs to be moved to a safe stopping position or whether the automated driving mode can be resumed.

[0016] In another possible embodiment, if it is determined that an emergency vehicle is located in front of the vehicle, it is determined whether the emergency vehicle is stopped. For example, if it is determined that the emergency vehicle is located in an oncoming lane, the vehicle is usually not in the path of the emergency vehicle, and therefore the vehicle does not usually need to be stopped.

[0017] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the method, the autonomous driving mode of the vehicle is resumed when the special acoustic signal emitted by the emergency vehicle is no longer detected by the sensor assembly of the vehicle, in which case the emergency vehicle resumes driving control and is traveling to a destination other than the vehicle, in particular the scene of a dispatch, or the emergency vehicle has already been dispatched.

[0018] In another embodiment, the vehicle is operated in an autonomous mode and is unmanned, meaning that the vehicle is not equipped with a vehicle user who can take over the driving task for the vehicle or who can assess the current traffic situation, including emergency vehicles, and take appropriate action.

[0019] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the method, the special acoustic signal emitted by the emergency vehicle is detected by a plurality of microphones arranged on the vehicle as a sensor assembly. In particular, the direction and distance of the emergency vehicle relative to the vehicle can be determined based on the detected special acoustic signal of the emergency vehicle. This makes it relatively easy to determine whether the emergency vehicle is moving or stationary.

[0020] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a road section on which a vehicle is traveling with an emergency vehicle dispatched in front of it. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The single diagram shows a road section F with two lanes F1 and F2, with a vehicle 1 located in the right lane F1 and an emergency vehicle 2, such as a police vehicle, fire engine, or ambulance, in front of it. The left lane F2 is empty and is traveling in the same direction as the right lane F1, for example.

[0023] Vehicle 1 is driving in an automated driving mode with an automation level of 4, in particular in a highly automated driving mode, which means that vehicle 1 does not have a vehicle user who can intervene in certain traffic situations.

[0024] Normally, when an autonomously traveling vehicle 1 recognizes an emergency vehicle 2 in motion, it is stopped, for example, so as not to obstruct the emergency vehicle 2. The fact that the emergency vehicle 2 is in motion is recognized based on a special acoustic signal S emitted by a siren, in particular.

[0025] When the emergency vehicle 2 arrives at the scene of the call and the output of the special sound signal S is not turned off, although there may be country-specific regulations, the unmanned, autonomously driving vehicle 1 will remain stopped, and in some cases the stopped vehicle 1 will obstruct the passage of other road users.

[0026] In the following, a method for adapting the driving behavior of a vehicle 1 during autonomous driving is described, in which a multi-stage stop recognition is performed for an emergency vehicle 2.

[0027] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an emergency vehicle 2 is located in the right lane F1 of the road section F and a special acoustic signal S is emitted continuously.

[0028] The special acoustic signal S is detected by a number of microphones 3 arranged as a sensor assembly on and / or in the vehicle 1. The microphones 3 are arranged, for example, on the vehicle roof 1.1. In this case, by evaluating the special acoustic signal S and / or based on signals detected by at least one optical detection unit of the vehicle 1, the direction and distance of the emergency vehicle 2 relative to the vehicle 1 can be determined.

[0029] An emergency vehicle 2 in motion is recognized by the vehicle 1 based on at least a special acoustic signal S emitted by the emergency vehicle 2, and the vehicle 1 is stopped in response.

[0030] When the vehicle 1 is stopped, it determines whether the emergency vehicle 2 is also stopped based on the special acoustic signal S detected by the microphone 3. The determination of whether the emergency vehicle 2 is also stopped is performed only when it is detected that the emergency vehicle 2 is located ahead of the vehicle 1, i.e., ahead of the vehicle 1 in the direction of travel.

[0031] If it is determined that the emergency vehicle 2 is stopped, a reliability degree is determined for the reliability of the recognition that the vehicle 1 has stopped. Then, a distance is determined according to the reliability degree, and the vehicle 1 then moves forward the determined distance in the direction of the emergency vehicle 2 and moves to another stopped position.

[0032] In a first exemplary case, a vehicle 1 is stopped due to an emergency vehicle 2 being recognized ahead of it, where no wind noise occurring during driving maneuvers is detected. If a special acoustic signal S is detected by the microphone 3 of the vehicle 1 with a certain amplitude and direction for a predetermined time, for example 10 seconds, the reliability level for the stop recognition is, for example, 1. A reliability level of 1 indicates that the stop of the emergency vehicle 2 has been recognized with high reliability.

[0033] If the reliability level is 1, the vehicle 1 is moved a determined distance, for example, 20 meters, from the current stop position to another stop position in the direction of the emergency vehicle 2 at a travel speed with a maximum threshold of 10 km / h. At this other stop position, the vehicle 1 performs stop recognition for the emergency vehicle 2 again, and the reliability level is determined again.

[0034] In a second exemplary case, vehicle 1 is stationary and no wind noise caused by movement is detected by microphone 3 of vehicle 1. If the special acoustic signal S emitted by emergency vehicle 2 varies in amplitude and direction over a predetermined time, e.g., 30 seconds, and integration shows that the special acoustic signal S, i.e., emergency vehicle 2, is not moving, i.e., remains unchanged on average, then the confidence level for recognizing that emergency vehicle 2 is stationary is 2. In this case, the confidence level of 2 indicates that the recognition of the stationary emergency vehicle 2 has been moderately recognized.

[0035] Such cases may occur particularly when the specific acoustic signal S fluctuates due to noise, for example, caused by construction sites or trucks and / or noise caused by the specific acoustic signal S reflecting off fences or buildings.

[0036] If the reliability level is determined to be 2, the vehicle 1 moves from the current stop position to another stop position 10 meters away from the current stop position at a maximum speed of 10 km / h. At the other stop position, stop recognition is performed again, and the reliability level is determined accordingly.

[0037] In the third exemplary case, the reliability level determined for stop recognition of the emergency vehicle 2 is 3, which means that stop recognition is not possible, especially when the first and second cases do not apply.

[0038] For the first exemplary case and the second exemplary case, stop recognition is performed until the vehicle 1 reaches a suitable location, a so-called safe harbor, where it can move into a safe stopping position, for example, a parking lot or a road shoulder.

[0039] When vehicle 1 moves to a safe stopping position in an appropriate location, it waits there until the special acoustic signal S emitted by the dispatched emergency vehicle 2 is no longer detected by the microphone 3 of vehicle 1. For example, if emergency vehicle 2 stops outputting the special acoustic signal S or starts driving, it will no longer be stopped and will move away from vehicle 1.

[0040] When the special acoustic signal S is no longer detected by the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 resumes the autonomous driving mode to reach the destination. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0041] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Application Publication No. 102017009491 [Patent Document 2] German Patent Application Publication No. 102018218973 [Patent Document 3] German Patent Application Publication No. 1020132020307

Claims

1. A method for adapting a driving behavior of a vehicle (1) traveling in an autonomous driving mode when an emergency vehicle (2) in the vicinity of the vehicle is recognized, the method including recognizing the emergency vehicle (2) based on a special acoustic signal (S) emitted by the emergency vehicle (2), - the vehicle (1) is braked to a stop when it recognizes the emergency vehicle (2), - based on an evaluation of the special acoustic signal (S) of the emergency vehicle (2), it is determined whether the emergency vehicle (2) is also stationary or not; - Proceeding said vehicle (1) from its current stopping position to another stopping position depending on whether said emergency vehicle (2) is stopped or not. A method characterized by:

2. If the emergency vehicle (2) is stopped, the reliability of the recognition of the stop of the emergency vehicle (2) is determined.

2. The method of claim 1.

3. A distance between the vehicle (1) and the emergency vehicle (2) is determined according to the determined reliability degree, and the vehicle (1) is advanced by the determined distance from the current stopping position to the other stopping position.

3. The method according to claim 2.

4. At the other stopping position of the vehicle (1), it is again determined whether the emergency vehicle (2) is stopped, and the reliability of the recognition of the stopping of the emergency vehicle (2) is determined, and this process is repeated until the vehicle (1) reaches a safe stopping position.

4. The method according to claim 3.

5. The vehicle (1) travels from each of the stopping positions at a speed below a predetermined threshold until it reaches the safe stopping position.

5. The method according to claim 4.

6. If it is determined that the emergency vehicle (2) is located in front of the vehicle (1), it is determined whether the emergency vehicle (2) is stopped. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that

7. When the special acoustic signal (S) emitted by the emergency vehicle (2) is no longer detected by the sensor assembly of the vehicle (1), the automatic driving mode of the vehicle (1) is resumed. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that

8. The vehicle (1) is driven unmanned in an automatic driving mode. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that

9. The special acoustic signal (S) emitted by the emergency vehicle (2) is detected by a plurality of microphones (3) arranged on the vehicle (1) as a sensor assembly.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8.

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