Device and method for warning a driver of a vehicle

A device and a method for warning a driver of a vehicle. The vehicle includes one or multiple surroundings sensor(s) that detect objects in the vehicle surroundings, and an evaluation device is provided in which a surroundings model is created from the object detections by the one or multiple surroundings sensor(s). Also provided is an actuator system that informs the driver of recognized objects of the surroundings model, in that the actuator system for informing the driver contains a piece of spatial warning information, and the driver is haptically informed of the position of the object.

The present invention relates to a device and a method for warning a driver of a vehicle, the vehicle including one or multiple surroundings sensors that detect objects in the vehicle surroundings, and an evaluation device being provided in which a surroundings model is created from the object detections by the one or multiple surroundings sensors. Also provided is an actuator system that informs the driver of recognized objects of the surroundings model, in that the actuator system for informing the driver contains a piece of spatial warning information, and the driver is haptically informed of the position of the object.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A method for outputting a warning via a lane-keeping assistant for a vehicle is described in German Patent Application No. DE 10 2014 226 744 A1, in which a hazard level that is associated with a driving situation of the vehicle is read in, and an intensity of a warning signal for warning a driver of the vehicle is set in a further step as a function of the hazard level. The warning signal is generated with the intensity that is set in the step of setting.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, a device and an associated method are provided with which an actuator system for informing the driver may be provided which contains a piece of spatial warning information and haptically informs the driver of the position or the direction of the object.

According to the present invention, this is achieved by the features of example embodiments of the present invention. Advantageous refinements and embodiments result from the disclosure herein.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, it is advantageously provided that the evaluation device is configured to ascertain from the surroundings model relative positions and/or the spatial direction of the detected objects with respect to the vehicle. The relative position may be indicated within an X-Y coordinate system, for example, the coordinate origin being situated within the host vehicle. The spatial direction of the detected objects may be ascertained, for example, as the azimuth angle of the detected object with respect to the host vehicle longitudinal axis. The spatial direction may then be indicated with an angle value between 0° and 360°.

For creating the surroundings model, in addition to the object coordinates relative to the host vehicle or the object direction with respect to the host vehicle, it is alternatively or additionally possible to use further variables which may be selectively measured directly with the aid of the surroundings sensors or ascertained from measured variables that are already present. Thus, for example, the relative velocity of the objects may be selectively measured directly, or may be computed from the time derivative of the distance values of the objects with respect to the host vehicle. In addition to the relative velocity, it is alternatively or additionally possible to use further variables such as the object size, the object backscatter cross section, the object surface quality, or any other measurable value.

In addition, it is advantageous that the actuator system for informing the driver is made up of a plurality of vibration actuators in the driver's seat and/or in the steering wheel. Furthermore, it may be advantageous that the actuator signals for informing the driver are designed in such a way that a plurality of vibration actuators in the driver's seat and/or in the steering wheel are individually activatable or deactivatable, and/or are variably activatable in their intensity and/or frequency. For example, multiple, for example 10 or 12, vibration actuators may be installed in the base area of the driver's seat, distributed on the left and right sides of the seat frame between the front end of the seat and the rear end of the seat. A piece of haptic direction information may thus be communicated to the driver sitting on the driver's seat by activating a vibration actuator or multiple adjacent vibration actuators.

As an alternative to the vibration actuators in the driver's seat and/or in the steering wheel or a combination of the vibration actuators in the driver's seat and/or in the steering wheel, it is also advantageous to provide vibration actuators in the accelerator pedal and/or in the brake pedal and/or in an armrest of the driver's seat and/or in the headrest of the driver's seat, which are likewise individually activatable, deactivatable, and/or changeable in their vibration frequency or activatable with a vibration pattern. It is thus possible to intuitively inform the driver of different driving situations, for example in that only the headrest is set in vibration or only the left or the right armrest of the driver's seat may be set in vibration. An activation of vibration actuators at multiple installation sites is also advantageously possible, for example to notify in a particularly urgent manner of a particularly critical driving situation.

Moreover, it is advantageous that the activation of the plurality of vibration actuators in the driver's seat and/or in the steering wheel takes place in such a way that, due to the activated actuators, a vibration of the seat or of the steering wheel is generated which haptically informs the driver of the direction, corresponding to the spatial position of the recognized object. If the vibration actuator in the seat or in the steering wheel is activated in the direction, or multiple adjacent actuators are activated in the direction, in which with respect to the vehicle longitudinal axis an object has been recognized in the vehicle surroundings, in addition to a specific surroundings situation it is also possible to intuitively communicate the direction information to the driver without the driver having to read off a visual display or wait for the end of an acoustic announcement, thus being distracted from the driving operation.

Furthermore, it is advantageous that the one or multiple surroundings sensor(s) is/are made up of one or multiple radar sensor(s), one or multiple ultrasonic sensor(s), one or multiple LIDAR sensor(s), one or multiple video sensor(s), or a combination thereof. A sufficient number of sensors are advantageously installed around the vehicle so that the vehicle surroundings are completely detected all around, or at least in an angular range of interest. Areas may be covered by different or identical types of sensors, or angular ranges may be covered by different sensors, in such a way that redundancy may be provided and a plausibility check of the object detection may be carried out.

As an alternative to the stated types of sensors or in combination therewith, a car-to-X interface may also be provided as a surroundings sensor. With the aid of such a car-to-X interface, data of sensors outside the vehicle may be received and processed the same as data that have been obtained by the sensors of the host vehicle. Thus, for example, surroundings sensors of other vehicles that are traveling in the vehicle surroundings may provide the data of their surroundings sensors via the car-to-X interface. For this purpose, a transfer may take place from vehicle to vehicle, or by the intermediate connection of a data transfer service these data may be transferred from the other vehicle to a data server, and transferred from the data server to the host vehicle in a further step. Additionally or alternatively, it is likewise possible to use data of surroundings sensors which are stationarily mounted at infrastructure facilities, and which, for example, monitor the shoulder of expressways or provide object data at road intersections. These data may likewise be transferred into the vehicle via the car-to-X interface.

In addition, it is also optionally possible to transfer data into the vehicle, via the car-to-X interface, that originate from a surroundings model and that have been ascertained in a data server by collecting object data in the surroundings of the host vehicle and combined into a traffic surroundings model. Such surroundings model data may likewise be used as input data for the function according to the present invention.

Furthermore, it is advantageous that the information to the driver about the direction of the objects is output to the vibration actuators when objects are newly recognized, when it is recognized that a moving object in the vehicle surroundings is passing the host vehicle, when it is recognized that a moving object in the vehicle surroundings is being passed by the host vehicle, when it is recognized that there is a hazard to the host vehicle due to a moving object in the vehicle surroundings, when a critical approach by a moving object toward the host vehicle is recognized, or a combination of these surroundings situations is recognized. In general, the driver is always to be informed of the direction of an object when the surroundings situation changes, or changes in such a way that it cannot be ensured that the driver has become aware of this changed surroundings situation.

Moreover, it is advantageous that for different surroundings situations, the actuators are activated with different frequencies and/or are activated with the aid of different vibration patterns. The different vibration patterns may be designed in such a way that sequences of switch-on signals and switch-off signals follow one another, similar to a binary code or Morse code, a variation in the intensity of the vibration takes place, or the vibration frequency of the actuator is controlled, for example as a function of the hazard or the size of the object. It is thus possible to intuitively inform the driver of different surroundings situations and to indicate the level of the hazard or the type of recognized object.

The method may be implemented, for example, in software or hardware or in a mixed form of software and hardware, for example in a control unit.

The present invention also provides a distance controller that is designed to carry out, control, or implement the steps of one variant of the method provided here in appropriate units.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, the distance controller may be an electrical device that includes at least one processing unit for processing signals or data, at least one memory unit for storing signals or data, and at least one interface and/or a communication interface for reading in or outputting data that are embedded in a communication protocol. The processing unit may be, for example, a signal processor, a so-called system ASIC, or a microcontroller for processing sensor signals and outputting data signals as a function of the sensor signals. The memory unit may be a flash memory, an EEPROM, or a magnetic memory unit, for example. The interface may be designed as a sensor interface for reading in the sensor signals of a sensor, and/or as an actuator interface for outputting the data signals and/or control signals to an actuator. The communication interface may be designed for reading in or outputting the data wirelessly and/or in a hard-wired manner. The interfaces may also be software modules that are present on a microcontroller, for example, in addition to other software modules.

Also advantageous in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention is a computer program product or computer program including program code which may be stored on a machine-readable medium or memory medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or an optical memory, and used for carrying out, implementing, and/or controlling the steps of the method according to one of the specific embodiments described above, in particular when the program product or program is executed on a computer, a programmable control unit, or a similar device.

It is pointed out that some of the possible features and advantages of the present invention are described herein with reference to different specific embodiments as a method for controlling a distance and as a distance controller. One skilled in the art will recognize that, in view of the disclosure herein, the features may be suitably combined, modified, or exchanged to arrive at further specific embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1shows a top view onto a multilane road1on which host vehicle2is moving at velocity Vego. Another vehicle3, which is discerned as a surroundings object and is moving at velocity V1, is traveling on the adjacent lane to the right. Host vehicle2is equipped with one or multiple surroundings sensors4,5,6, for example in the illustrated specific embodiment, with two front sensors4at the left and right front corners of the vehicle, a further surroundings sensor5, which may be designed as a video camera, for example, situated in the area of the windshield, and two rear sensors6, respectively mounted at the left and right rear corners of the vehicle. With the aid of these surroundings sensors4,5,6, the vehicle may monitor the entire surroundings area and recognize objects in the vehicle surroundings with regard to their distance and their relative velocity. The number and the configuration of the surroundings sensors may be varied, and are not limited to the exemplary embodiment illustrated. Sensors4,5,6may also be designed as different sensors, for example in such a way that one portion of the sensors is designed as radar sensors, and another portion is designed as LIDAR or ultrasonic sensors or in some other combination. Right rear sensor6detects approaching other vehicle3, which is situated in the neighboring lane of multilane road1and traveling at a velocity V1that is greater than velocity Vegoof host vehicle2. Thus, other vehicle3approaches host vehicle2, at a certain point in time is in the so-called blind spot of host vehicle2, and in the future will presumably pass host vehicle2. Right rear sensor6detects other vehicle3via object detection7, and transmits this object information to an evaluation device20, not illustrated inFIG. 1for reasons of clarity. The relative position of other vehicle3with respect to host vehicle2or the azimuthal direction of other vehicle3with respect to the vehicle longitudinal axis of host vehicle2is ascertained, and signals for haptically warning the driver are generated, in this evaluation device20. For this purpose, for example four vibration actuators9,10are mounted at driver's seat8in host vehicle2in the area of the vehicle mounting. These vibration actuators9,10are individually activatable and deactivatable, and may be activated with different frequencies, different vibration patterns, and individually. Since other vehicle3has been detected in the right rear area of host vehicle2, right rear vibration actuator10is activated and the other three vibration actuators9remain inactive. As a result, the driver obtains the information, via the vibration at the right rear corner of vehicle seat8, that a vehicle has been detected in the surroundings area to the right and behind host vehicle2. In addition, it is possible for vibration patterns or a vibration frequency corresponding to the hazard due to the driving situation or due to the size or velocity of other vehicle3to provide the driver of host vehicle2with further pieces of information. The illustration of vehicle seat8with the aid of four vibration actuators9,10is shown by way of example only. Thus, it is possible for a much greater number of vibration actuators, for example twelve or even more, to be installed at the vehicle seat, so that an even finer resolution of the warning direction is made possible, in that the appropriate vibration actuator at the vehicle seat is activated, or multiple adjacent, for example, vibration actuators9,10at the vehicle seat are activated.

A schematic block diagram is illustrated inFIG. 2. This block diagram shows an evaluation device20that includes an input circuit21. Input signals25may be supplied to evaluation device20with the aid of input circuit21. These input signals25originate, among other sources, from surroundings sensors4,5,6, which may be designed as radar sensors, video sensors, LIDAR sensors, or ultrasonic sensors, for example. These surroundings sensors are mounted at the front end of the vehicle, at the rear end of the vehicle, and optionally at the sides of the vehicle, and may monitor the entire vehicle surroundings. Identical spatial areas are advantageously monitored by different types of surroundings sensors, so that a plausibility check and redundancy of the object detection are ensured. Surroundings sensors4,5,6may have their own control unit, for example, in which object detections and signal processing take place, and which supply object lists as input signals25to evaluation device20. Alternatively or also in combination, it is possible for raw sensor signals to be supplied as input signals25to evaluation device20, and for the evaluation of the raw signals to take place in evaluation device20.

Input signals25supplied to input circuit21are supplied, via a data exchange device26that may be designed as a bus system by way of example, to a computing device27in which the method according to the present invention runs as software, for example, and ascertains a surroundings model37from the input signals, ascertains relative positions of detected objects3or azimuthal directions of other objects3from surroundings model37, and supplies these as output signals to an output circuit28via data exchange device26. Output signals29are output by evaluation device20to downstream actuators9,10,30with the aid of output circuit28. Output signals29are output, for example, to vibration actuators30that are installed at the steering wheel of host vehicle2. It is thus possible to set the steering wheel or partial areas of the steering wheel in vibration and communicate to the driver a direction and a surroundings situation with the aid of a vibration frequency, a vibration pattern, and the steering wheel section that is set in vibration, so that the driver is intuitively informed of the surroundings situation. Alternatively or additionally, an output signal29may be output to seat actuators9,10, these seat actuators being made up of multiple vibration actuators, and via their individual activation with the aid of vibration patterns and vibration frequencies, the driver being informable of the surroundings situation.

A schematic block diagram of the method according to the present invention is illustrated inFIG. 3. The block diagram begins in step35by starting the method, for example upon activation of the ignition of host vehicle2or upon activation of a specific driver assistance function that is integrated into vehicle2. Object data from surroundings sensors4,5,6or from local control units of these local surroundings sensor systems4,5,6are read in in subsequent processing step36. Objects, object positions, and their azimuthal directions with respect to host vehicle2are ascertained in subsequent step37. When different surroundings sensor systems are used, for example radar and ultrasound or radar and video or video and LIDAR or some other combination, a sensor data fusion is additionally possible in this step36, in which the object data of different types of sensors are entered into a shared surroundings model37and the objects are checked for plausibility. The surroundings model of step37is evaluated in subsequent step38, and ascertains whether a specific surroundings situation, in particular a specific driving situation of host vehicle2, together with other objects3is present. It is ascertained, for example, whether a newly recognized object3has been detected, whether another object3is passing or will soon pass host vehicle2, whether host vehicle2is passing or will soon pass another object, a hazardous approach toward another object3by host vehicle2is present, or some other surroundings situation is present in which the driver is to be informed of other objects3in the vehicle surroundings. Based on the recognition of such surroundings situations, specific frequency patterns may be associated with the situations, or specific vibration patterns may be associated and output signals29generated, which are output by evaluation device20to downstream actuators9,10,30in subsequent step39. A single vibration actuator may be activated or multiple, in particular adjacent, vibration actuators may be activated in order to communicate a piece of direction information to the driver. In addition, the vibration actuators may be controlled with regard to a vibration pattern or activated using a different vibration frequency, so that the driver may also be intuitively informed of the specific surroundings situation as well as its criticality with regard to the host traffic situation. After output signals29are output to downstream actuators9,10,30, the method according to the present invention is continued with step36by running through steps36through39once again, and other vibration actuators are to be activated with different frequencies and/or different patterns, based on the change in the meantime of surroundings model37and the associated change in the surroundings situation.