WO2004080745A1

WO2004080745A1 - Device for determining the driving path in adaptive cruise control systems for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2004080745A1
Application number: PCT/DE2003/003498
Authority: WO
Inventors: Werner Urban; Albrecht Irion; Jens Lueder; Ruediger-Walter Henn
Original assignee: Robert Bosch Gmbh
Priority date: 2003-03-12
Filing date: 2003-10-18
Publication date: 2004-09-23
Also published as: DE10310655A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for determining the driving path in adaptive cruise control systems (18) for motor vehicles and is characterized by having an interface (38) to a navigation system (30) that provides information concerning the geometry of the roadway.

Description

Device for determining the travel tube in adaptive speed controllers for motor vehicles

State of the art

The invention relates to a device for determining the driving hose in adaptive speed controllers for motor vehicles.

For motor vehicles, adaptive cruise control systems are also known as ACC systems (Adaptive Cruise Control), which enable automatic control of the distance to a vehicle in front. In these systems, the distances and relative speeds of vehicles in front are measured with the aid of a radar sensor or a comparable locating device, and the speed of one's own vehicle is automatically adjusted so that the vehicle immediately ahead is tracked at a suitable safety distance. If no vehicle in front is located, the vehicle is regulated to a desired speed selected by the driver.

On multi-lane roads, correct distance control requires a distinction between vehicles in their own lane and vehicles in secondary lanes. While stationary targets at the edge of the road and oncoming vehicles can be recognized relatively easily by the fact that their absolute speed within the measurement error is zero or less than zero, Separation between vehicles on their own lane and on secondary lanes generally a measurement of the location coordinates of the vehicles in front in a two-dimensional coordinate system. With an angle-resolving multi-beam radar, as is typically used as a locating device, the locations of the vehicles in front can be measured in polar coordinates. The coordinates, distance and azemuth angle can then be converted into the corresponding coordinates in a Cartesian coordinate system, the X axis of which runs through the center of the vehicle in the direction of travel, so that the y coordinate directly indicates the transverse offset of the vehicle in front. Only those vehicles are then considered for the distance control which lie within a specific travel tube corresponding to the own lane. In the case of a straight roadway, this travel tube is determined by upper and lower limit values of the y coordinate. The width of the driving hose should match the actual width of the lane as closely as possible. If the travel tube is too wide, vehicles in the secondary lanes are incorrectly assigned to their own lane, so that so-called secondary lane disorders occur. If, on the other hand, the travel tube is too narrow, there is a risk that vehicles, for example two-wheelers or vehicles that are moving strongly offset, are not taken into account, although they are predominantly in their own lane.

If the road is curved, the road hose should be adapted to the curvature of the road. If your own vehicle has already entered a curve, the information required for this about the curvature of the road can be calculated approximately from the absolute speed and the yaw rate or lateral acceleration of the own vehicle. From DE 197 22 947 Cl it is known to use localized targets at the edge of the road to determine the course of the road. However, this presupposes that suitable radar targets are available at the edge of the road.

From DE 101 18 265 A it is known to temporarily extend the travel tube to the left side lane when the vehicle wants to overtake Driver of the own vehicle is recognized.

Advantages of the invention

The invention with the features specified in claim 1 enables an improved adaptation of the travel tube to the respective road geometry.

For this purpose, according to the invention, the ACC controller is combined with a navigation system known per se, which provides the device for determining the driving hose with more information about the road geometry via a suitable interface.

In conventional navigation systems, information about the course of the road is stored on a data carrier (for example CD-ROM or DVD). By using this information, the driving tube can be adapted to the curvature of the road ahead, even before entering a curve, so that a vehicle in front can be tracked without gaps even if it is temporarily out of the original driving tube due to the road curvature emigrates.

Advantageous refinements and developments of the invention result from the subclaims.

The navigation system is preferably an advanced, intelligent navigation system which, in addition to the pure course of the lane, provides further information about the lane geometry, in particular information about the lane width and / or the number of lanes in one's own direction of travel. This additional information can either be stored on the data carrier or received by a traffic control system or other data sources by a communication system integrated in the intelligent navigation system.

Knowing the number of lanes makes it possible to distinguish between single-lane and multi-lane lanes. When injected The road hose can then be extended beyond the usual width, since no minor lane disturbances are to be expected. In this way, a more reliable location of all relevant vehicles is made possible and a greater tolerance towards road curvatures is achieved.

If the width of the lane or the total width of the lane and the number of lanes are known, so that the lane width can be calculated, the width of the travel tube can also be adapted precisely to the respective lane width.

If the number of lanes is known, it is possible, for example, to locate vehicles in the secondary lanes, which are not taken into account in the distance control, and / or to record lane change processes (e.g. as described in DE 101 18 265 A) ) decide which lane your own vehicle will use. If it has been determined in this way that the vehicle is traveling in the far right lane, the travel tube can be widened to the right in order to achieve greater positional security without fear of secondary lane disturbances. Accordingly, the driving tube can be widened to the left when driving in the extreme left lane.

Since the navigation system also provides information about possible exits or driveways when driving on motorways or expressways, on the other hand, the driving tube can be narrowed on the right-hand side as a preventative measure so that side lane disturbances caused by vehicles on the deceleration or acceleration lane are more reliably excluded become. On the other hand, the driving tube can be suitably adjusted if your own vehicle is traveling in the acceleration or deceleration lane. The navigation system also makes it easier to determine whether your own vehicle is on the acceleration or deceleration lane. For example, the navigation system, which usually contains a position system (e.g. GPS), provides the information that the vehicle is currently on a freeway. The vehicle will therefore be in the acceleration lane until a lane change process is recognized. Conversely, a lane change process to the right in conjunction with the information that you are at a motorway exit indicates that the vehicle has changed to the deceleration lane. If the navigation system is used for route guidance to a programmed destination, the information about the planned route can also be used.

According to a development of the invention, the intelligent navigation system can also receive information about temporary narrowing of the carriageway, for example at construction sites, via the integrated communication system, so that the driving hose can be adapted to the narrowing of the lane. In the case of construction sites on motorways, the right and left lanes usually have different standard widths. Since, as has already been described, the system can tell whether the vehicle is traveling in the left or the right lane, the driving tube can also be adapted to the respective track width.

drawing

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following description.

Show it:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of an inventive device for driver assistance; and

Figures 2 and 3 sketches to explain the operation of the

Device based on example situations.

FIG. 1 shows a driver support system for motor vehicles as a block diagram, which has an ACC control device 10, the functions of which are carried out, for example, by one or more suitably programmed microprocessors. The ACC control device 10 is assigned a sensor device 14 which comprises at least one location sensor, for example an angle-resolving radar sensor 16, for locating vehicles driving in front, as well as further sensors (not shown in more detail) for detecting the longitudinal speed, the yaw rate and other relevant movement data of the own vehicle. The location data of the sensor device 14 are processed in a manner known per se in a speed controller (ACC controller) 18, which acts on the drive system 22 of the vehicle and possibly also on the braking system via a command output unit 20.

In particular, the data measured by the radar sensor 16 are evaluated in an evaluation unit 24. The evaluation unit 24 then supplies, for each object located by the radar sensor, a pair of coordinates, which indicates the distance of the object in the direction of travel and the transverse offset of the object from the longitudinal central axis of one's own vehicle, to a selection module 26. In the selection module 26, all of the located objects are initially selected selected objects that can be identified as vehicles in front that are in the same lane as your own vehicle. Among these vehicles, the vehicle with the smallest distance is then generally selected as the target object, which forms the basis for the distance control in the ACC controller 18. If necessary, however, the distances between the vehicles ahead can also be included in the control so that a more forward-looking driving style is achieved.

For the selection of the vehicles traveling in their own lane, the selection module 26 needs information about the assumed width and position of the own lane. This information is provided by a driving hose module 28. "Driving hose" is understood here to mean that area which corresponds in its width and in its course to the presumed width and the presumed course of one's own lane. Located objects that lie within this driving tube and have an absolute speed greater than zero are then assigned to the driver's own lane in the selection module 26. In the case of a straight course of the road, the driving tube is simply left and right by the driving tube module 28 Limits for the cross offset of the objects defined. In the case of a curved roadway, these limits can also be dependent on the distance, so that the travel tube can be modeled in accordance with the roadway curvature. From the sensor device 14, for example from a yaw rate sensor, the driving tube module 28 receives information about the yaw rate of the own vehicle, so that the current curvature of the roadway can be calculated when driving through a curve and the course of the driving tube can thus be adapted.

The ACC control device 10 is further assigned an intelligent navigation system 30 with an integrated communication system 32.

The navigation system 30 contains, in a known manner, a data carrier (not shown in more detail) on which map information about the road network is stored. A corresponding map section can be displayed on a screen 34. The navigation system also includes a position system, for example a satellite-based position system (GPS; Global Positioning System), with which the current position of one's own vehicle can be determined. The vehicle position is indicated on the screen 34 by a position pointer 36, which at the same time shows the current direction of travel.

In addition to the information about the road network, lane attributes that indicate the lane width, the number of lanes, one-way street regulations and the like are also stored on the data carrier of the navigation system.

The communication system 32 allows the wireless reception of messages from a traffic control system and optionally also the exchange of messages with other road users whose vehicles are equipped with a comparable system. The communication system 32 can also be used to update the lane attributes in the navigation system 30 and to update the position data of temporary disability points such as B. Construction len on the route map.

The driving hose module 28 is connected to the navigation system 30 via an interface 38, so that it can take over all information available in the navigation system that is relevant for an optimal determination of the driving hose, in particular information about the course of the road, the width of the road, the number and, if applicable ls width of the lanes per direction of travel, the presence of parallel lanes with the same direction of travel, for example acceleration or deceleration lanes at motorway exits or driveways, parallel lanes at motorway intersections and the like. If the information about the lane width is not directly available in the navigation system 30 or can be obtained using the communication system 32, the lane width can be calculated from the total width of the lane and the known number of lanes. In this way, the width of the travel tube can be adapted to the actual track width, including, if necessary, any safety surcharges for increased location security or safety discounts to avoid side-track faults.

The operation of the device will now be explained using a few case studies.

It can be seen in FIG. 1 that the road 40 currently being driven by the vehicle and shown on the screen 34 describes a right-hand curve at some distance from the current vehicle position. In addition, information is available in the navigation system 30 that the road 40 is a two-lane road with only one lane in each direction of travel. Figure 2 shows a sketch of this situation. The course of the road 40 is shown with a median strip 42, which separates the two directional lanes from one another, as well as the vehicle 44 equipped with the ACC system and, as a shaded area, the Fah calculated by the driving tube module 28 on the basis of the information supplied by the navigation system 30 hose 46. Since the navigation system 30 provides the information that the road 40 is a two-lane road, there is no fear of lane disturbances caused by vehicles that are traveling on a lane in the same direction of travel as the vehicle 44. Any vehicles on the opposite lane can be recognized by the fact that the sum of the vehicle's own speed 44 and the measured relative speed of the located vehicle is negative. In order to ensure that all vehicles traveling in their own lane, including two-wheelers, are taken into account in the distance control, the driving tube 46 has a safety surcharge on each side, i.e. the driving tube 46 extends somewhat beyond the road boundary on the right side and the left side slightly beyond the median strip 42.

Since the vehicle 44 is still traveling on a straight section of the road, the yaw rate of the vehicle 44 is approximately zero, so that the impending rightward curvature of the road would not yet be recognizable from the data supplied by the sensor device 14 alone. However, the information provided by the navigation system 30 about the course of the road allows the driving tube 46 to be adapted to the upcoming road curvature in this situation and, in particular, to be extended to the right, so that a temporary loss of the target object can be reliably avoided.

FIG. 3 illustrates a situation in which the vehicle 44 travels on a four-lane road 48, that is to say a road with two lanes 50, 52 in the direction of travel of the vehicle 44. In this case, lane disturbances due to vehicles 54 traveling on the left lane 52 are to be feared. For this reason, the driving tube module 28 adjusts the driving tube 46 to the known actual track width of the track 50 in such a way that it does not overlap with the secondary track 52. In addition, the locating data of all located objects are made available to the lane module 28 by the evaluation unit 24, including the locating data of a vehicle 54 traveling on the secondary lane 52. Since the number of lanes is known, the driving lane module 28 can use this Recognize information that the own vehicle 44 is traveling in the right lane 50. On the right No side lane disturbances are therefore to be feared on the side. Accordingly, the driving tube 46 is expanded on the right-hand side in the same way as in FIG. 2 by a safety supplement. Correspondingly, the driving tube 46 would only be expanded on the left side if the vehicle 44 were driving in the left lane. When the communication system 32 reports a construction site area in which the left lane 52 is narrower than the right lane 50, the width of the driving tube 46 is automatically adapted to the width of the lane traveled by the vehicle 44.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 44 is currently approaching an entrance with an acceleration lane 56. This information is also available in the navigation system 30. In order to avoid secondary lane disturbances caused by vehicles on the acceleration lane 56, the driving tube 46 is narrowed in the area of this acceleration lane in such a way that a safety discount is taken into account on the right side instead of a safety surcharge.

Claims

Expectations

1. Device for determining the travel tube in adaptive speed controllers (18) for motor vehicles, characterized by an interface (38) to a navigation system (30) which provides information about the roadway geometry.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the navigation system (30) provides information about lane attributes such as lane width, number of lanes or one-way street regulations.

3. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the navigation system (30) contains a communication system (32) for receiving information about lane attributes from a traffic control system.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a driving hose module (28) which is designed to adapt the driving hose (46) to the course of the road using the information provided by the navigation system (30).

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it contains a driving hose module (38) which is designed to adapt the width of the driving hose using the information provided by the navigation system (30) to the actual width of the lane.

Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the ^• driving hose module (38) the width of the driving hose (46) in Depending on whether there are secondary lanes (52) in the same direction of travel.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the driving hose module (38) receives information that allows multi-lane roads (48) to decide which of the plurality of lanes (50, 52) from the own vehicle (44) is driven on.