Device for operating a motor vehicle, and motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for operating a motor vehicle, comprising a first rule-based drive operation module which is designed to generate a first drive signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner on the basis of a first drive specification, a second rule-based drive operation module which is designed to generate a second drive signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner on the basis of a second drive specification, a model-predictive drive operation module which is designed to generate a third drive signal for the motor vehicle in a model-predictive manner on the basis of the first and / or second drive specification, an arbitration module which is designed to select one of the generated drive signals, and a control module which is designed to control the motor vehicle on the basis of the selected drive signals.

Description

[0001] Device for operating a motor vehicle and motor vehicle

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a device for operating a motor vehicle and to a motor vehicle having such a device.

[0003] Today's driving operation modules generate driving signals for operating a motor vehicle predominantly on a rule-based basis.

[0004] It is therefore an object to provide an improved device for operating a motor vehicle.

[0005] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further developments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a device for operating a motor vehicle is provided.

[0007] The device comprises a first rule-based driving operation module which is designed to generate a first driving signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner as a function of a first driving specification, a second rule-based driving operation module which is designed to generate a second driving signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner as a function of a second driving specification, a model-predictive driving operation module which is designed to generate a third driving signal for the motor vehicle in a model-predictive manner as a function of the first and / or second driving specification, an arbitration module which is designed to select one of the generated driving signals and a control module which is designed to control the motor vehicle based on the selected driving signal.

[0008] The device is used in particular to generate driving signals for the operation of the motor vehicle in a model-predictive and thus forward-looking manner.

[0009] For this purpose, the device comprises several rule-based driving modules and at least one model-predictive driving module, which are operated and arbitrated in parallel. The modules of the device described below are particularly software-based and are implemented, for example, by executing specific program data by a computing unit.

[0010] The device initially has a first and a second rule-based driving operation module, each of which is designed to generate driving signals for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner depending on driving specifications

[0011] A driving operation module is a module that fulfills or supports a specific driving function, in particular a longitudinal control function, of the motor vehicle.

[0012] For example, one driving function is a speed control function, which can also be referred to as cruise control. This speed control function maintains a certain speed without the driver having to actively operate the drive or brakes.

[0013] Another example is a distance control function. This distance control function maintains a specific distance from a vehicle ahead without the driver having to actively operate the engine or brakes.

[0014] Another example of a driving function is a curve-holding function, which can also be referred to as a curve assistant. This curve-holding function follows a curve or road layout and adjusts the speed to the curve radius without the driver having to actively operate the drive or brakes.

[0015] These driving functions can also be collectively referred to as adaptive cruise control (ACC), with each rule-based driving module fulfilling at least one subfunction. Driving instructions may initially include driver inputs. For example, the driving instructions include a speed that the cruise control function should maintain.

[0016] In addition, driving instructions can also include legal requirements, such as a prescribed minimum distance that the distance keeping function must maintain.

[0017] The first and second driving operation modules generate rule-based driving signals based on these driving specifications. Following arbitration, the driving signals are then fed to a controller for the motor vehicle, as will be explained further below. Driving signals can include instructions or information from which the controller or a control module can control the motor vehicle. In particular, the driving signal includes a signal indicating an acceleration and / or one or more moments, in particular an acceleration and / or braking moment, or from which an acceleration and / or a moment can be derived, as will also be described further below.

[0018] In this case, "rule-based" means that the driving signals are based on certain, predefined rules, for example, because these rules are stored in a table, particularly a look-up table. In particular, "rule-based" does not mean model-predictive, as will be explained later.

[0019] It is understood that the device can also have more than two such rule-based driving operation modules. In particular, the device comprises at least one rule-based driving operation module for each driving function. Furthermore, in particular, exactly one rule-based driving operation module is provided for exactly one driving function.

[0020] The device also has at least one model-predictive driving operation module designed to model-predictively generate a third driving signal for the motor vehicle as a function of the first and / or second driving specification. In this case, model-predictive particularly encompasses the ability to make statements about the future behavior of a system, in this case the motor vehicle, based on a model based on constraints and / or goals to be achieved. In particular, model-predictive does not mean rule-based. Model-predictive control (MPC) encompasses model-based and optimization-based control. In particular, it involves solving dynamic optimization problems with an objective function and constraints, which are solved, for example, using an optimizer, in particular a gradient-based one.

[0021] For this purpose, both the model-predictive driving operation module and the rule-based driving operation modules have access to one or more sensors and / or one or more pieces of information stored in a memory.

[0022] For example, the driving operation modules can access one or more environmental sensors, one or more map information and / or one or more driving operation sensors.

[0023] In particular, the driving operation modules have access to one or more camera devices, one or more lidar devices, and / or one or more radar devices arranged on or in the motor vehicle. These sensors can also be collectively referred to as perception sensors. Likewise, in particular, the driving operation modules have access to one or more memory devices in which map information is stored and which are arranged on or in the motor vehicle. Also, in particular, the driving operation modules have access to one or more driving operation sensors, such as one or more speed sensors and / or acceleration sensors.

[0024] The device can also have more than one model-predictive driving operation module, in particular at least two, each of which fulfills at least one subfunction of the previously described driving functions. In particular, each model-predictive driving operation module can fulfill more than one driving function, i.e., at least two driving functions, as will be described below.

[0025] The device also comprises an arbitration module configured to select one of the generated driving signals

[0026] The arbitration module is designed to select one, in particular a single, driving signal from the driving signals generated by the driving operation modules, for example, based on predetermined rules. In particular, the arbitration module is designed to select the best, in particular the lowest or smallest, driving signal, as will be described below. Arbitration can therefore also be referred to as selection.

[0027] The device also includes a control module configured to control the motor vehicle based on the selected driving signal.

[0028] For this purpose, the control module can have access to one or more actuators of the motor vehicle, in particular one or more of an acceleration actuator and / or a brake actuator, which cause an acceleration and / or braking actuation of the motor vehicle.

[0029] This device makes it possible to generate predictive driving signals for the operation of the motor vehicle. In particular, the device enables optimal determination of driving signals due to the parallel operation of a model-predictive driving operation module and several rule-based driving operation modules.

[0030] According to a further development, the device further comprises a functional module which is designed to detect that the model-predictive driving operation module fulfills one of the first and / or second driving specifications and, based thereon, to ignore the first and / or second driving signal of the first and / or second rule-based driving operation module.

[0031] The function module, which can also be referred to as the function detection module, is used to detect the function or malfunction of the driving operation modules, in particular the model-predictive driving operation module. For this purpose, the function module is connected upstream of the arbitration module and selects the driving signals to be provided to the arbitration module.

[0032] In particular, the functional module is configured to detect whether the model-predictive driving operation module is operating correctly and thereby fulfilling one of the first and / or second driving specifications. Alternatively or additionally, the functional module is configured to detect that the model-predictive driving operation module is outputting, in particular correctly outputting, driving signals that are within the range of the first and / or second driving signal. Alternatively or additionally, the model-predictive driving operation module is also configured to detect whether it is operating correctly and thereby fulfilling one of the first and / or second driving specifications and to provide this to the functional module.

[0033] If the functional module detects this, it is configured to ignore the outputs of the first and / or second driving module or not to provide them to the arbitration module.

[0034] This refinement makes it possible to consider only one driving signal per driving command or driving function, enabling particularly efficient driving signal selection.

[0035] According to a further development, the functional module is designed to detect that the model-predictive driving operation module is operating improperly and, in response, to ignore the third driving signal.

[0036] Alternatively or additionally, the model predictive driving operation module itself is designed to recognize whether it is operating in a permissible or impermissible manner and to provide this information to the functional module.

[0037] In particular, improper operation may include the output of values ​​for the driving signal that are within an improper range. In particular, improper operation may also include the output of driving signals after a predetermined timeout. Likewise, improper operation may include, for example, an age of the driving signal that exceeds a predetermined age.

[0038] This refinement enables particularly safe operation of the device. In particular, it prevents the model-predictive driving mode module from taking into account inadmissible values, which could otherwise lead to malfunction of the vehicle.

[0039] According to a further development, the functional module is further designed to take into account the first and / or second driving signal in response to the recognition that the model-predictive driving operation module is operating improperly.

[0040] According to this further development, a fallback position is thus formed for an inadmissible operation of the model-predictive driving operation module, namely in the form of the (re-)consideration of one or more of the rule-based driving operation modules, in particular after these were previously not taken into account, i.e. ignored.

[0041] This refinement enables particularly safe operation of the device. In particular, it ensures the correct operation of the device and thus of the vehicle control system over the long term.

[0042] According to a further development, the functional module is further designed to interpolate a third driving signal based on a previously generated third driving signal in response to the recognition that the model-predictive driving operation module is operating improperly.

[0043] Thus, according to this further development, as a remedial measure for detecting improper operation of the model-predictive driving operation module, a third driving signal is interpolated from one or more older third driving signals that were previously generated, particularly during permissible operation of the model-predictive driving operation module. This remedial measure can be implemented, in particular, instead of reconsidering one or more of the rule-based driving operation modules, but also in addition to it.

[0044] This refinement enables particularly safe operation of the device. In particular, it makes it possible to rely on the generation of driving signals by the model-predictive driving operation module, even if the latter is operating improperly, especially temporarily.

[0045] According to a further development, the device further comprises an emergency module which is designed to generate an emergency driving signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner as a function of an emergency driving instruction, wherein the model-predictive driving operation module does not take the emergency driving instruction into account.

[0046] An emergency module is a module that generates an emergency driving signal based on rules. Specifically, the emergency module is a rule-based emergency module that, like the other previously described rule-based driving modules, generates a driving signal based on rules.

[0047] The emergency module performs one or more emergency functions, such as emergency braking, an evasive maneuver and / or other collision-preventing or collision-reducing measures, such as seat belt tensioning.

[0048] An emergency driving instruction could be, for example, a predefined minimum distance from another vehicle and / or another object, such as a stationary object. For this purpose, the emergency module has access to the same sensors and information as the other driving modules.

[0049] According to this further development, the model-predictive driving module does not fulfill such an emergency driving requirement. In particular, the model-predictive driving module does not operate within the scope of an emergency function or fulfill it, but operates independently of it. According to this further development, the emergency module should be solely responsible for this. This further development makes it possible to operate the emergency functions independently of the operation of the model-predictive driving module. This enables a particularly safe device.

[0050] According to a further development, the driving signals comprise an acceleration signal and a torque signal, wherein the arbitration module is designed to select one of the first, second and / or third driving signals based on the acceleration signal.

[0051] According to this further development, the first, second and third driving signals generated by the rule-based driving operation modules and by the model-predictive driving operation module thus comprise an acceleration signal and a further driving signal, in this case a torque signal.

[0052] The torque signal can comprise a braking torque signal, i.e., a specific braking torque to be achieved, and / or a drive torque signal, i.e., a specific drive torque to be achieved. The drive torque can also be referred to as traction torque. In particular, the driving signal can comprise multiple drive torque signals, for example, one for an internal combustion engine and one for an electric motor. The drive torque signal can also assume negative values, which are then interpreted as a recuperation signal of the electric motor.

[0053] The generated driving signals thus comprise multiple signals, for example in the form of a driving signal vector, of which only, in particular exclusively, the acceleration signal is arbitrated. In particular, the arbitration module selects the driving signal vector containing the lowest acceleration signal and provides it to the control module, which then controls the control of the individual actuators of the motor vehicle based on all signals of the driving signal.

[0054] Alternatively, only the acceleration signal can be arbitrated as a scalar signal, without any additional signals or information, and provided to the control module. Alternatively, only the torque signal can be generated and arbitrated as a travel signal and, in particular, provided exclusively to the control module.

[0055] This further development makes it possible to arbitrate particularly efficiently and yet still include complex driving instructions in the driving signal.

[0056] According to a further development, the model-predictive driving operation module is designed to generate the third driving signal based on topography information.

[0057] As described above, all driving operation modules can have access to one or more sensors and / or one or more pieces of information.

[0058] The information may, in particular, comprise map information, which includes, for example, curve information and, in particular, topographic information. Topographic information includes, in particular, information about the earth's surface or the terrain along a route of the motor vehicle. In particular, the topographic information includes information about an incline and / or a decline along the route.

[0059] The model-predictive driving operation module is configured to generate the third driving signal based, among other things, on this topographic information. The model-predictive driving operation module can, of course, use or evaluate additional information and sensor data to generate the third driving signal; however, the rule-based driving operation modules, in particular, cannot utilize the topographic information or generate the driving signals without it.

[0060] This refinement makes it possible to also consider information in the model-predictive driving signal generation that is not captured by the rule-based driving signal generation. In particular, this enables particularly proactive driving signal generation. According to a further aspect, a motor vehicle is specified with an embodiment of a previously described device for operating a motor vehicle.

[0061] The motor vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a passenger car or truck, or as a passenger bus or motorcycle.

[0062] With regard to the embodiments of the motor vehicle and the associated advantages, reference is made to the previously described embodiments of the device and the associated advantages.

[0063] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the device for operating a motor vehicle are described in conjunction with the following figures. Shown are:

[0064] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a device for operating a motor vehicle.

[0065] In the figures, the same reference symbols designate elements with the same function.

[0066] Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a device 100 for operating a motor vehicle. The device is, in particular, comprised in a motor vehicle.

[0067] The device 100 comprises several rule-based driving operation modules 10 and several model-predictive driving operation modules 20.

[0068] In particular, the device 100 comprises a first rule-based driving operation module 11, which is designed to generate a first driving signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner depending on a first driving specification, and a second rule-based driving operation module 12, which is designed to generate a second driving signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner depending on a second driving specification. It is understood that the device 100 can comprise further rule-based driving operation modules, in particular an nth rule-based driving operation module 19, which are also designed to generate driving signals in a rule-based manner.

[0069] The device also includes one or more emergency modules (not shown here for reasons of clarity) configured to rule-based generate an emergency driving signal for the motor vehicle depending on an emergency driving instruction. The model-predictive driving operation modules 20 do not take the emergency driving instruction into account.

[0070] The device 100 also includes a model-predictive driving operation module 21, which is configured to model-predictively generate a third driving signal for the motor vehicle depending on the first and / or second driving specification. In contrast to the rule-based driving operation modules 10, the model-predictive driving operation module 21 generates the driving signal based on topographic information.

[0071] It is understood that the device 100 may comprise further model-predictive driving operation modules, in particular a second model-predictive driving operation module 22 and an n-th model-predictive driving operation module 29, which are also designed to generate driving signals in a model-predictive manner.

[0072] The device 100 also comprises a functional module 30 which is designed to detect that a model-predictive driving operation module fulfills one of the first and / or second driving specifications and to ignore the first and / or second driving signal based thereon.

[0073] The functional module 30 is also designed to detect that a specific model-predictive driving operation module 20 is operating improperly and, in response thereto, to ignore the driving signal of the model-predictive driving module that is operating improperly.

[0074] The functional module 30 is also configured to take the first and / or second driving signal into account in response to the detection that the model-predictive driving operation module is operating improperly. The functional module 30 is further configured to interpolate a third driving signal based on a previously generated third driving signal in response to the detection that the model-predictive driving operation module is operating improperly.

[0075] The device 100 also includes an arbitration module 40 configured to select one of the generated driving signals and a control module 50 configured to control the motor vehicle based on the selected driving signal.

[0076] The generated driving signals comprise an acceleration signal and a torque signal, and the arbitration module 40 is configured to select one of the driving signals based exclusively on the acceleration signal.

[0077] Reference symbols rule-based driving operation modules first rule-based driving operation module second rule-based driving operation module n-th rule-based driving operation module model-predictive driving operation modules first model-predictive driving operation module second model-predictive driving operation module n-th model-predictive driving operation module functional module

[0078] Arbitration module Control module

[0079] device

Claims

Patent claims 1. A device (100) for operating a motor vehicle, comprising: a first rule-based driving operation module (11) designed to generate a first driving signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner as a function of a first driving specification; a second rule-based driving operation module (12) designed to generate a second driving signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner as a function of a second driving specification; a model-predictive driving operation module (21) designed to model-predictively generate a third driving signal for the motor vehicle as a function of the first and / or second driving specification; an arbitration module (40) designed to select one of the generated driving signals; and a control module (50) designed to control the motor vehicle based on the selected driving signal.

2. Device (100) according to claim 1, further comprising a functional module (30) which is designed to recognize that the model-predictive driving operation module (21) fulfills one of the first and / or second driving specifications and to ignore the first and / or second driving signal based thereon.

3. Device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the functional module (30) is designed to detect that the model-predictive driving operation module (21) is operating improperly and, in response thereto, to ignore the third driving signal.

4. Device (100) according to claim 3, wherein the functional module (30) is further configured to take into account the first and / or second driving signal in response to the recognition that the model-predictive driving operation module (21) is operating improperly.

5. Device (100) according to one of claims 3 or 4, wherein the functional module (30) is further configured to interpolate a third driving signal based on a previously generated third driving signal in response to the recognition that the model-predictive driving operation module (21) is operating improperly.

6. Device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising an emergency module configured to generate an emergency driving signal for the motor vehicle in a rule-based manner as a function of an emergency driving instruction; wherein the model-predictive driving operation module (21) does not take the emergency driving instruction into account.

7. Device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the driving signals comprise an acceleration signal and a torque signal, and wherein the arbitration module (40) is configured to select one of the driving signals based on the acceleration signal.

8. Device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the model-predictive driving operation module (21) is designed to generate the third driving signal based on topography information.

9. Motor vehicle comprising a device (100) according to one of the preceding claims.

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