DE102016215825A1 - Method for externally providing map data for assistance systems of motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for externally providing map data, which are specified in particular with details of lane boundary properties, the method being carried out for a route section selected from a plurality of route sections, comprising the steps of: identifying static and dynamic objects associated with the selected route section received environmental data from at least one reporting vehicle, so that for each identified static and dynamic object, a lateral distance to a longitudinal axis of the associated environmental data detecting reporting vehicle is determined; Determining a lane boundary property of the selected route section depending on the distances of the identified static and dynamic objects in the selected route section; Providing externally updated map data with the map data updated with the lane boundary property of the selected route section.

Description

Technical area

The invention generally relates to driver assistance systems whose functions rely on map data describing an environment of the motor vehicle, in particular properties of travel routes. Furthermore, the present invention relates to measures for updating and clarifying the properties of driveways indicated by the map data, in particular by specifying road boundary properties.

Technical background

In general, central units are known which provide information for driver assistance functions of vehicles via radio. For example, the document describes DE 10 2013 205392 A1 a backend device for providing information for driver assistance functions of vehicles. The backend device has a plurality of application units that provide information for transmission to a driver assistance function of a vehicle and select this information from a database.

Certain driver assistance functions, such as a lane keeping function as well as semi-automated or fully automated driving require very accurate map data indicating the course of the routes. In particular, information about the physical characteristics of a roadway edge of the travel paths both for positioning the motor vehicle in a lane of the driving path and for parameterizing functions, such as for determining the driver interaction need (example: determining permitted gaze avoidance times) are particularly relevant.

In order to provide the map data with the corresponding information for such driver assistance functions, the travel paths are traveled by special measuring vehicles with precise surroundings detection sensors and the map data relating to the physical properties of the road edges is updated. However, this represents a considerable effort and can not ensure the required timeliness of the data, since the experience with the measuring vehicles can currently be done with reasonable effort only rarely (about once a year). In addition, the manual Nachbearbeitungsaufwand is significant.

From the publication DE 10 2011 083 265 A1 For example, a method of determining the presence of structural separation between two lanes is known. For this purpose, the lateral distance of a sensor-detected light object is determined with respect to a direction of travel of a vehicle, wherein the light object has been detected by a camera of the vehicle in an environment of the vehicle. Furthermore, the presence of a structural separation between a roadway on which the vehicle is located with the camera, and a roadway on which the light object is determined, wherein a presence of structural separation between the two lanes is then determined when the certain lateral distance is greater than a predetermined threshold.

Even if there is adequate detection of structural separation in a vehicle, there is still a need to know the route properties even for sections that are outside the range of the surroundings detection sensor system.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for the improved provision of accurate map data, with which, in particular, map data can be provided which indicate the road boundary properties of the travel paths with high accuracy.

Disclosure of the invention

This object is achieved by the method for providing map data to a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle train according to claim 1 and by a central unit and a driver assistance system according to the independent claims.

Further embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

• – Identifizieren von dem ausgewählten Fahrstreckenabschnitt zugeordneten statischen und dynamischen Objekten aus empfangenen Umgebungsdaten von mindestens einem Meldefahrzeug, so dass für jedes identifizierte statische und dynamische Objekt ein seitlicher Abstand zu einer Längsachse des die zugeordneten Umgebungsdaten erfassenden Meldefahrzeugs bestimmt ist;
• – Bestimmen einer Fahrbahnbegrenzungseigenschaft des ausgewählten Fahrstreckenabschnitts abhängig von den Abständen der identifizierten statischen und dynamischen Objekte in dem ausgewählten Fahrstreckenabschnitt; und
• – Bereitstellen von mit der mit der Fahrbahnbegrenzungseigenschaft des ausgewählten Fahrstreckenabschnitts aktualisierten Kartendaten nach extern.

According to a first aspect, a method is provided for externally providing map data, which are specified in particular with details of road boundary properties, the method being carried out for a route section selected from a plurality of route sections, comprising the following steps:

• Identifying static and dynamic objects associated with the selected route section from received environmental data from at least one reporting vehicle such that for each identified static and dynamic object, a lateral distance to a longitudinal axis of the reporting vehicle sensing the associated environmental data is determined;
• Determining a lane boundary property of the selected route section depending on the distances of the identified static and dynamic objects in the selected route section; and
• Providing externally updated map data with the map data updated with the lane boundary property of the selected route section.

The above method utilizes the possibility of evaluating sensor data acquired by a plurality of vehicle fleet reporting vehicles and transmitted to an external backend, such as a central processing unit. Thus, there are currently a large number of journeys through one or more registration vehicles of the vehicle fleet available for updating the map data available there. However, the driving sensor data detected by a conventional vehicle is lower in accuracy than conventionally equipped with special sensors equipped measuring vehicles. Nevertheless, the sensor types used for various driver assistance functions, such as cameras, radar sensors, ultrasonic sensors and the like, may be sufficient for vehicle environment detection to identify lane boundary characteristics of route sections. The above method therefore provides for evaluating sensor data of a plurality of reporting vehicles for a travel route section traveled by the reporting vehicles in order to detect properties of the road boundary and to add these as information to the map data. These map data are then centralized, i. provided externally to the retrieving vehicles that need this information.

For this purpose, the environmental data sensory recorded in reporting vehicles are transmitted to the backend and carried out for spatially limited route sections an evaluation. The evaluation relates to the nature of the road edges of the considered route sections, in particular road boundary properties are to be considered, indicating whether lanes of the route are structurally separate or immediately adjacent to each other.

The evaluation takes place taking into account all environmental data acquired for the route section to be evaluated, static objects and objects moving in the direction of travel or against the direction of travel of the reporting vehicle being identified from the environmental data. The transverse lateral direction between the reporting vehicle and the detected objects is analyzed. The lateral distance results from the course of the driving trajectory of the vehicle moving in the longitudinal direction and of the moving objects.

According to the distribution of the static and dynamic objects, a statement is made as to whether there is a structural separation for the route section in question or whether the roadways are adjacent to one another. By evaluating current environmental data of reporting vehicles and its geoposition, it is possible to keep the map data regarding lanes very up to date, for the sensitive driver assistance functions that rely on such information in the map data, such as lane departure assistance and semi-automated driving and fully automated driving on to be able to access this data. As a result, due to the large number of vehicles in vehicle fleets, a timely and cost-effective generation and verification of road boundary properties in map data can be made possible.

In particular, the lane boundary property may indicate whether there is structural separation or structural separation at a lane edge.

According to an embodiment, of the plurality of travel route sections, those for determining corresponding road boundary characteristics may be selected for a number of associated static and dynamic objects greater than a predetermined threshold number and / or whose detection time is no longer past than determined by a predetermined time period.

Furthermore, to determine the lane boundary property of the selected route section, depending on the lateral distances of the identified static and dynamic objects in the selected route section, only objects identified from environmental data younger than a predetermined period of time may be considered.

It can be provided that a physical separation is recognized as the road boundary property if it is determined that the lateral distance of a significant portion of the static objects detected in the selected route section is smaller than a lateral distance predetermined for the selected route section, and none of the dynamic Objects have a smaller or the same lateral distance as the average distance of the static objects.

In particular, the predetermined lateral distance may correspond to or depend on a width of a lane of the selected route section.

Alternatively or additionally, it can be stated that there is no structural separation as a road boundary property if a dynamic object in the selected route section has a smaller lateral distance to the reporting vehicles than another predetermined lateral distance, which in particular corresponds to or depends on a lane width of a lane of the selected route section, and no static object has a smaller lateral distance than the dynamic objects.

Brief description of the drawings

Embodiments are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

1 a schematic representation of a reporting vehicle, which is in communication with a central unit for providing map data with information about lane boundary properties;

2 a flowchart illustrating a method for providing map data, in which by certain reporting vehicles determined environmental data certain lane boundary properties are taken into account.

Description of embodiments

1 shows a schematic representation of a central processing unit 1 in communication with a plurality of reporting vehicles 2 one of which is exemplary in 1 is shown. For communication with the central unit 1 is the reporting vehicle 2 with a communication unit 21 trained with a corresponding communication unit 11 the central unit 1 communicates. The data transmission takes place according to a conventional radio data transmission technology, for example based on GSM or the like.

The reporting vehicle 2 is with an environment detection sensor 22 provided, which makes it possible to detect dynamic and static objects in the vehicle environment. The surroundings detection sensor 22 can have one or more cameras 23 , an ultrasonic sensor 24 , a radar sensor 25 and the like to detect a vehicle environment. The detection takes place in such a way that static and dynamic objects, at least, however, lying in the direction of travel static and dynamic objects can be identified, so that in a vehicle-fixed coordinate system whose distances from the reporting vehicle 2 and their relative angular positions to the vehicle longitudinal axis and their speeds are known.

The vehicle position will continue via a suitable geo position detection 26 detected so that the environmental data of a current vehicle position can be assigned. For example, geopositioning detection may include a GPS receiver as part of a navigation system. Furthermore, the environment data is assigned a time stamp.

The environmental data acquired in this way, together with the vehicle position and the time stamp, are sent to the central unit 1 transmitted. Alternatively, the environmental data thus acquired may be preprocessed together with the vehicle position and the time stamp before they are sent to the central processing unit 1 be transmitted.

The environmental data provided with timestamp and position information are stored in a database 12 the central unit 1 saved. The central unit 1 has an arithmetic unit 13 to evaluate the data obtained for a particular route section. The arithmetic unit 13 For this purpose, a method is used, which is described by way of example in the flowchart of FIG 2 is illustrated.

In step S1, first a route section or a next route section is selected. The method is executed cyclically for all route sections of routes of the map data. The route section, for example, a section of 1 to 20 m, in particular between 3 and 10 m, for example, 4 m correspond.

In step S2, the previously received environment data is searched for dynamic objects, ie moving objects, such as other road users, and static objects, ie immovable objects, such as buildings, plantings and the like, and this identified. The identified objects then each have a position in the vehicle-fixed coordinate system and the geoposition of the reporting vehicle detected by the objects 2 to disposal. The identification of dynamic and static objects can take place taking into account the vehicle speed of the respective reporting vehicle. The determination of the dynamic and static objects based on the environmental data can also be done in the reporting vehicles and only the corresponding information about the dynamic and static objects (their geoposition and timestamp) can be sent to the central unit 1 be transmitted.

From this, the static and dynamic objects located therein are determined for the selected route section and provided with the time stamp, which is the time stamp of the static and dynamic objects underlying environmental data. The static and dynamic objects thus assigned to the route section correspond to objects located at the height of the route section and laterally, ie transversely to the longitudinal direction of the route section.

In step S3, in the central processing unit 1 checks whether the static and dynamic objects determined in the selected route section are available for a determination of road boundary properties in a sufficient number and with sufficient topicality. For example, it may be checked whether a number of dynamic objects and / or a number of static objects in the route section are above one or corresponding thresholds. Alternatively or additionally, only static and dynamic objects that are not older than a predefined period of time can be taken into account, such as, for example, only objects that have been detected during travel through the route section within the last day, the last week or the last two weeks.

If it is found that the determined static and dynamic objects are not available in sufficient number and / or with sufficient topicality for a determination of road boundary properties (alternative: no), the method returns to step S1 and the method is executed again for a further route section.

If it is found that the determined static and dynamic objects are present for a determination of road boundary properties in a sufficient number and with sufficient topicality (alternative: yes), the method is continued with step S4.

In step S4, the lateral distances of all thus identified static and dynamic objects from the respective reporting vehicle 2 , which has detected the associated environmental data, determined, ie transverse to a longitudinal direction of the reporting vehicle 2 , This can be done in a conventional manner by the position of the detected object in a vehicle-fixed coordinate system and the geoposition of the respective reporting vehicle in a simple manner. The lateral distance of moving objects can be determined in accordance with an anticipated according to a travel path position position of the side pass by and a corresponding longitudinal alignment of the reporting vehicle.

• – ob der Abstand eines Schwellenanteils von einem signifikanten Anteil der in dem ausgewählten Fahrstreckenabschnitt erkannten statischen Objekte kleiner ist als ein für den betreffenden Fahrstreckenabschnitt vorgegebener seitlicher Abstand, und
• – ob kein dynamisches Objekt, das sich relativ zum Meldefahrzeug bewegt, einen geringeren oder gleichen seitlichen Abstand aufweist, wie der im Mittel für die statischen Objekte erkannte seitliche Abstand.

In order to determine a road boundary property which indicates whether a structural boundary or a further roadway adjoins the roadway edge, it is now possible to check in step S5,

• Whether the distance of a threshold portion from a significant portion of the static objects detected in the selected route section is smaller than a lateral distance predetermined for the relevant route section, and
• - Whether no dynamic object that moves relative to the reporting vehicle, has a lower or equal lateral distance, as the detected on the average for the static objects lateral distance.

The predetermined lateral distance may correspond to or depend on a lane width of the lane of the selected route section resulting from the present map data. The track width of the selected route section results from in the central unit 1 present map data and is there for all route sections before.

For example, a significant percentage may be between 70% and 100%. If this is the case (alternative: yes), then a physical separation is detected at the respective roadway edge and signaled accordingly in step S6. Otherwise, the method continues with step S7.

• – ein dynamisches Objekt in dem ausgewählten Fahrstreckenabschnitt näher an den Meldefahrzeugen ist als ein weiterer für den ausgewählten Fahrstreckenabschnitt vorgegebener seitliche Abstand; und
• – kein statisches Objekt einen geringeren seitlichen Abstand aufweist, als die dynamischen Objekte.

If no structural separation is detected, it is checked in step S8 whether

• A dynamic object in the selected route section closer to the reporting vehicles is a further lateral distance predetermined for the selected route section; and
• - no static object has a smaller lateral distance than the dynamic objects.

The further predetermined lateral distance may correspond to or depend on a width of the lane of the selected route section resulting from the present map data.

If the query of step S8 is met (alternative: yes), the presence of no structural separation between the lanes is detected in step S8 and signaled accordingly. Otherwise (alternative: No), the program jumps back to step S1 and no statement regarding the lane boundary property in the selected route section is determined.

The route sections thus supplemented by road boundary characteristics can now be added to the map data and in particular on request, driver assistance systems in motor vehicles that require such information are provided via a radio data link. Driver assistance functions relying on the thus expanded map data may be, for example, functions for semi-automated or fully automated driving, lane keeping functions or the like.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

central processing unit

11

communication unit

12

Database

13

computer unit

2

reporting vehicle

21

communication unit

22

Environmental detection sensor

23

cameras

24

ultrasonic sensor

25

radar sensor

26

Geopositionserkennung

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102013205392 A1 [0002]
• DE 102011083265 A1 [0005]

Claims (9)

Method for externally providing map data, which are specified in particular with information about lane boundary properties, the method being carried out for a route section selected from a plurality of route sections, comprising the steps of: identifying (S2) static and dynamic objects associated with the selected route section from received ones Environmental data of at least one reporting vehicle ( 2 ), so that for each identified static and dynamic object, a lateral distance to a longitudinal axis of the reporting vehicle detecting the associated environment data ( 2 ) is determined; - determining (S5, S6, S7, S8) a lane boundary property of the selected route section depending on the lateral distances of the identified static and dynamic objects in the selected route section; and externally providing the map data updated with the lane boundary property of the selected route section.  The method of claim 1, wherein the road boundary property indicates whether there is structural separation or structural separation at a roadway edge.  The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein for determining the lane boundary property of the selected route section depending on the distances of the identified static and dynamic objects in the selected route section only objects are taken into account, which were identified from environmental data that are younger than a predetermined period of time. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein from the plurality of travel route sections those are selected for determining corresponding road boundary properties, for a number of associated static and dynamic objects is greater than a predetermined threshold number and / or whose detection time is no longer ago than by a predetermined period is determined. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a structural separation is recognized as the road boundary property, if it is determined that the lateral distance of a significant portion of the static objects detected in the selected route section is smaller than a predetermined for the selected route section portion lateral distance, and that none of the dynamic objects has a smaller or the same lateral distance as the average distance of the static objects. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined lateral distance corresponds to or depends on a width of a lane of the selected route section. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein no physical separation is recognized as the road boundary property, if it is determined that a dynamic object in the selected route section has a smaller lateral distance to the reporting vehicles than another predetermined lateral distance, in particular of a track width a lane of the selected route section corresponds to or depends on this, and no static object has a smaller lateral distance than the dynamic objects. Device, in particular central unit ( 1 ), for externally providing map data, in particular specified with information on lane boundary properties, the device being designed for one of a plurality of route sections selected route section: - the selected route section associated static and dynamic objects from received environmental data from at least one reporting vehicle ( 2 ), such that, for each identified static and dynamic object, a lateral distance to a longitudinal axis of the reporting vehicle detecting the associated environment data ( 2 ) is determined; To determine a lane boundary property of the selected route section depending on the lateral distances of the identified static and dynamic objects in the selected route section; To externally provide the map data updated with the lane boundary property of the selected route section.  A computer program product which, when executed on a data processing device, performs a method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images