CN116229704A

CN116229704A - Method for determining the data transmission quality of an infrastructure system, external computing unit, method for operating a motor vehicle, and computer program

Info

Publication number: CN116229704A
Application number: CN202211555321.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: T·弗赖伊; H·N·楚安克姆; J·施瓦德曼
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 2021-12-06
Filing date: 2022-12-06
Publication date: 2023-06-06
Also published as: DE102021213818A1

Abstract

A method for determining a data transmission quality of an infrastructure system for driving assistance of an at least partially automated guided, networked motor vehicle is proposed. According to the method, an infrastructure data signal is first transmitted by the infrastructure system to at least one networked motor vehicle in an ambient environment monitored by the infrastructure system. Preferably, the infrastructure data signals are transmitted to a plurality of networked motor vehicles. The infrastructure data signals are received by the respective networked motor vehicle. According to the invention, the infrastructure data signals are evaluated in terms of data transmission quality by a computing unit of the respective motor vehicle, and at least one quality parameter of the infrastructure data signals is determined therefrom. According to the invention, the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system is determined from at least one quality parameter of the infrastructure data signal. An external computing unit, an infrastructure-assisted method and a computer program for operating an at least partially automated guided networked motor vehicle are also proposed.

Description

Method for determining the data transmission quality of an infrastructure system, external computing unit, method for operating a motor vehicle, and computer program

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for determining the data transmission quality of an infrastructure system for driving assistance (fahrunterstzung) of an at least partially automated guided, networked motor vehicle. The invention also relates to an infrastructure system for driving assistance of a networked motor vehicle that is guided at least in part by automation. The invention also relates to a computer program.

Background

Networking, as in other technical fields, plays an increasingly important role in vehicular applications. More and more vehicles have the possibility to connect with other traffic participants, infrastructure components (e.g. so-called road side units) or with backend services in the cloud.

Recently, networking of vehicles with infrastructure-side systems has gained particular importance. Such an infrastructure system can assist in at least partially automating the driving tasks of the guided vehicle in that, for example, sensors or data servers at the road edges provide additional information which cannot be generated by the onboard sensor system of the vehicle or can only be generated by itself in a limited manner. Such assistance may directly intervene in the driving function if, for example, the autonomous vehicle is no longer able or is only able to travel further autonomously in a limited manner due to its limited field of view of the environment. By means of such a networking of the vehicle system and the infrastructure system via so-called V2X communication, traffic safety and traffic efficiency can be decisively improved.

Publication DE102017101435A1 shows a system and method for navigation guidance by using a wireless network. For navigation guidance by means of a wireless network, a roadside infrastructure is used. According to the method, a request for navigation guidance to a destination is received by a first vehicle, and a first maneuver for navigation from an initial position in a direction towards the destination is determined. Further, transmitting the first maneuver to the first vehicle is included. The wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with a roadside infrastructure. The first unit included in the roadside infrastructure is selected based on proximity to an initial location of the vehicle. A request for navigation guidance to a destination entered by a user to a first unit is implemented. A first maneuver for navigating out of the initial position towards the direction of the destination is initiated by the first unit.

Publication DE102019209154A1 shows infrastructure-side environmental detection at autonomous driving. Sensor data is detected by a plurality of infrastructure-side sensors in the surrounding area of the vehicle. Fused sensor data is generated based on the detected sensor data. Environmental model data is generated fixedly by analyzing the sensor data on the infrastructure side, wherein objects located in the surrounding area are located and identified. Finally, the environmental model data is transmitted to the vehicle. Further, a method for autonomously controlling a vehicle is described. An environment model generation device and a vehicle control device are also described.

Disclosure of Invention

In the case of such assistance of the driving tasks of the networked, automated motor vehicle by the infrastructure system, it is important that the information from the infrastructure arrives at the networked motor vehicle with high reliability and low latency.

Accordingly, one task of the present invention can be seen as: a reliable method is provided for operating an infrastructure system for driving assistance of a guided, at least partially automated, networked motor vehicle.

Another task of the present invention can be seen as: an infrastructure system for driving assistance of a networked motor vehicle that is guided at least partially automatically is provided, which has high reliability.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a method for determining a data transmission quality of an infrastructure system for driving assistance of an at least partially automated guided networked motor vehicle is proposed. According to the method, an infrastructure data signal is first transmitted via an infrastructure system to at least one networked motor vehicle, which is located in an ambient environment monitored by the infrastructure system. Preferably, the infrastructure data signals are transmitted to a plurality of networked motor vehicles. The infrastructure data signals are received by the respective networked motor vehicle. According to the invention, the infrastructure data signal is evaluated by the computing unit of the respective motor vehicle with respect to the data transmission quality, and at least one quality parameter of the infrastructure data signal is determined therefrom. According to the invention, the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system is determined from at least one quality parameter of the infrastructure data signal.

The term "data transmission quality of the infrastructure system" is understood here to mean a measure with which the networked motor vehicle provided with the data transmission quality can decide whether or to what extent the information transmitted by the infrastructure system to the networked motor vehicle can be used for a partially or fully automated driving function.

Preferably, the data transmission quality is determined on the basis of at least one of the following quality parameters: latency of the infrastructure data signal and/or data rate of the infrastructure data signal and/or packet error rate of the infrastructure data signal and/or signal to noise ratio of the infrastructure data signal and/or bit error rate of the infrastructure data signal. These measurement variables can be extracted in a known manner from the received infrastructure data signal and represent, in particular, directly a measure of the current data transmission quality of the infrastructure system. For example, a plurality of these quality parameters can be measured and the data transmission quality can be determined, for example, from a weighted combination of the quality parameters. Alternatively or additionally, at least one quality parameter can be used directly as a measure of the quality of the data transmission.

The determined data transmission quality can now be used further by the motor vehicle. For example, the data transmission quality or a value representing the data transmission quality can be compared with a predefined threshold value. Based on the result of the comparison, the motor vehicle can decide, for example, whether the environmental information transmitted by the infrastructure system is reliable and can be used for at least partially automated driving functions of the motor vehicle. If the data transmission quality is poor, i.e. the infrastructure data signal has a high latency and/or a high error rate, the safety of the partially automated or fully automated driving function may no longer be guaranteed when the information contained in the infrastructure data signal is used for this driving function. This can be avoided, for example, by comparing the data transmission quality with a minimum value predefined, for example, by the type of the partially or fully automated driving function and/or other parameters.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the infrastructure data signals are transmitted to a plurality of motor vehicles, the plurality of motor vehicles each transmit the quality parameters determined by them to an external computing unit. Thus, the external computing unit receives a plurality of quality parameters. From the received plurality of quality parameters and/or information aggregated therefrom (e.g., aggregated quality parameters), an aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system can be determined from the received plurality of quality parameters and/or the aggregated one or more quality parameters. This aggregated data transmission quality can be provided to the requesting motor vehicle by means of an external computing unit.

Since the quality parameters transmitted by a plurality of motor vehicles are aggregated by the external computing unit, it is advantageously possible to remove outliers and, for example, to form an average value of a number of vehicle evaluations for a defined position or clock time of the surroundings. For example, a machine learning algorithm can be used in this case, which can automatically learn the location and/or time dependence of the data transmission quality and can be iteratively compared with new measurements and be improved.

It is particularly preferred that the environmental information transmitted via the infrastructure system and/or the motor vehicle can additionally be received by an external computing unit. The determination of the aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system can now be made on the basis of the aggregated quality parameters and the received environmental information.

Preferably, the environmental information is detected by an environmental sensor of the respective motor vehicle and/or by an infrastructure sensor of the infrastructure system, wherein the environmental information comprises in particular information about objects in the environment of the motor vehicle.

The infrastructure data signal transmitted by the infrastructure system can, for example, comprise environmental information about the road section monitored by the infrastructure system, on the basis of which the driving assistance of the motor vehicle receiving it can be carried out. The infrastructure data signal can for example comprise a list of objects.

The environmental information includes, for example, information about the number and location of vehicles or other objects in the surrounding environment of the infrastructure system (i.e., within the road section monitored by the infrastructure system). Thereby, the impact on the quality of the data transmission (e.g. the current traffic density) can be taken into account, so that the effectiveness of the determined aggregated data transmission quality is improved.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the respective motor vehicle, in addition to the at least one quality parameter, also transmits the current time and/or its current position to the external computing unit.

In this way, the aggregated data transmission quality can preferably be determined as a function of the position in the road section monitored by the infrastructure system and/or as a function of time. Thus, a time-dependent and/or location-dependent map of the road section monitored by the infrastructure system can be created. Advantageously, the requesting vehicle can thus be provided with data transmission quality as a function of the current time and/or the current position of the vehicle.

For this purpose, for example, the road area monitored by the infrastructure system can be spatially divided into a plurality of grid cells, each grid cell being assigned a data transmission quality value, which represents the aggregated data transmission quality for the respective grid cell. A so-called heat map is thus produced, from which regions or grid elements with high or low data transmission quality are directly known. The grid elements can be chosen to be all the same size, for example square with a side length of 1 meter. Alternatively, smaller grid elements can also be provided, for example, in certain regions of the monitored road section, which are particularly critical in terms of safety, for example, so that a higher resolution of the heat map is produced in these regions.

The data transmission quality of the infrastructure system determined according to the invention can preferably be used as a basis for an estimate of the future data transmission quality, which can be calculated on the basis of the data transmission quality or the aggregated data transmission quality position and/or time dependence. Additional information, such as current traffic information or environmental information, which is detected by the infrastructure system and/or one or more motor vehicles, can also be included in the estimate. Thus, advantageously, an estimate of the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system at a future point in time can be provided to the requesting motor vehicle.

In summary, an improved method is proposed with the invention in order to evaluate the communication characteristics between the infrastructure system and the vehicle and to use this information (if necessary with consideration of further input data) to estimate the near future.

According to a second aspect of the invention an external computing unit is proposed, which is arranged for use in the method according to the invention. The external computing unit comprises a communication module arranged to receive quality parameters of the infrastructure data signals from the plurality of motor vehicles. The external computing unit further comprises an aggregation module configured to aggregate the received quality parameters and determine an aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system from the aggregated quality parameters. The external computing unit is further configured to provide the determined data transmission quality to the requesting motor vehicle.

Preferably, the communication module of the external computing unit can additionally be provided for receiving environmental information transmitted by the infrastructure system and/or the motor vehicle. An aggregation module is capable of determining an aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system based on the aggregated quality parameter and the received environmental information.

The external computing unit can be configured, for example, as part of a cloud system or cloud backend. In this case, the transmission of the quality parameters to the external computing unit can take place, for example, via a wireless data connection, for example a cellular connection.

In an alternative embodiment, the external computing unit can be configured, for example, as part of an infrastructure system. The infrastructure system can for example comprise so-called road side units. The road-side unit can comprise a communication unit which is configured to transmit an infrastructure data signal to the motor vehicle in the road section monitored by the infrastructure system and to receive various data from the networked motor vehicle, in particular quality parameters of the infrastructure data signal determined by the motor vehicle.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a computer program is proposed which, when run on a computer, implements the steps of the method according to the invention to be implemented by an external computing unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a method for the infrastructure-assisted operation of an at least partially automated guided networked motor vehicle is proposed, wherein the motor vehicle receives environmental information from an infrastructure system, and wherein the motor vehicle itself determines or receives a data transmission quality of the infrastructure system, in particular from an external computing unit according to the second aspect of the invention. According to the method according to the invention according to the first aspect of the invention, the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system is determined. The motor vehicle is guided at least partially automatically as a function of the environmental information and the determined data transmission quality of the infrastructure system.

The expression "networked motor vehicle" includes a motor vehicle having a suitable communication device with which the networked motor vehicle can exchange data with other traffic participants, in particular with the infrastructure system. For this purpose, a wireless data connection is established via which the networked motor vehicle can transmit and/or receive data. Preferably, a radio connection can be involved, such as a cellular connection or a direct wireless connection. Such communication between one motor vehicle and another traffic participant is also referred to as V2X or C2X communication.

The expression "at least partially automated" includes one or more of the following: auxiliary guidance, partially automated guidance, highly automated guidance, fully automated guidance of a motor vehicle.

"auxiliary boot" means: the driver of the motor vehicle permanently carries out either a transverse guidance of the motor vehicle or a longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle. Corresponding further driving tasks (i.e. control of the longitudinal or transverse guidance of the motor vehicle) are automatically carried out. That is, in the auxiliary guidance of the vehicle, either the lateral guidance or the longitudinal guidance is automatically controlled.

"partially automated guidance" means: the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the motor vehicle is controlled automatically under certain conditions (e.g. driving on a highway, driving in a parking lot, exceeding an object, driving in a lane defined by lane markings) and/or for a certain period of time. The driver of the motor vehicle does not have to manually control the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the motor vehicle himself. However, the driver must permanently monitor the automatic control of the longitudinal and transverse guidance in order to be able to perform manual interventions if required. The driver must be ready at any time to take over the full guidance of the motor vehicle.

By "highly automated guidance" is meant: for a certain period of time, the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the motor vehicle is automatically controlled under certain conditions (e.g. driving on a highway, driving in a parking lot, exceeding objects, driving in a traffic lane determined by lane markings). The driver of the motor vehicle does not have to manually control the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the motor vehicle himself. The driver does not have to constantly monitor the automatic control of the longitudinal and transverse guidance in order to be able to perform manual interventions if required. If necessary, the take-over request is automatically output to the driver, in particular with a sufficient time margin, for taking over the control of the longitudinal and transverse guidance. Thus, the driver must potentially be able to take over control of the longitudinal and lateral guidance. The automatically controlled boundaries of the lateral guidance and the longitudinal guidance are automatically identified. In highly automated guidance, the state of least risk cannot be automatically achieved in any initial situation.

By "fully automated guidance" is meant: the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the motor vehicle is automatically controlled under certain conditions, for example, driving on a highway, driving in a parking space, exceeding an object, driving in a traffic lane determined by lane markings. The driver of the motor vehicle does not have to manually control the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the motor vehicle himself. The driver does not have to monitor the automatic control of the longitudinal and transverse guidance in order to be able to perform manual interventions if required. Before the automatic control of the transverse and longitudinal guidance is completed, the driver is automatically requested to take over the driving task (control of the transverse and longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle), in particular with a sufficient time margin. If the driver does not take over the driving task, automatically returning to the state of least risk. The automatically controlled boundaries of the lateral guidance and the longitudinal guidance are automatically identified. In all cases it is possible to automatically return to the system state with the least risk.

Unmanned control or guidance means that the longitudinal guidance and the transverse guidance of the motor vehicle are automatically controlled independently of the specific application (for example, driving on a highway, driving in a parking space, passing an object, driving in a traffic lane defined by lane markings). The driver of the motor vehicle does not have to manually control the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the motor vehicle himself. The driver does not have to monitor the automatic control of the longitudinal and transverse guidance in order to be able to perform manual interventions if required. Thus, for example, the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the vehicle is automatically controlled in all road types, speed ranges and environmental conditions. Thus, the entire driving task of the driver is automatically taken over. And thus no driver is required. The motor vehicle can thus also travel from any starting position to any target position without the driver. The underlying problem is automatically solved, i.e. without driver assistance.

Remote control of a motor vehicle means that the remote control is directed both transversely and longitudinally to the motor vehicle. I.e. for example to send remote control signals for remote control of the transverse and longitudinal guidance to the motor vehicle. The remote control is performed, for example, by means of a remote control device.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an exemplary traffic situation, wherein the execution of a method according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a heat map of data transmission quality of an infrastructure system generated according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 shows an illustration of a navigation map on which various infrastructure systems for driving assistance of at least partially automated guided, networked motor vehicles are shown by way of example.

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a method according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 schematically shows an external computing unit according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, like elements are denoted by like reference numerals, and repetitive description of these elements is omitted as necessary. The figures only schematically illustrate the subject matter of the invention.

Fig. 1 a) and 1 b) each show a simplified schematic view of a networked traffic system, in which the method according to one possible embodiment of the invention is implemented. The networked traffic system comprises a networked motor vehicle 1 and an infrastructure system 2, which is arranged in a stationary or stationary manner in an environment 50 monitored by the infrastructure system 2.

The networked motor vehicle 1 has a first communication device 17. The infrastructure system 2 has a second communication device 15. By means of the two

communication devices

17, 15, data can be exchanged between the networked motor vehicle 1 and the infrastructure system 2. The data exchange takes place here, for example, via a data connection 11, which is based on radio transmission. Here, for example, a direct wireless connection (DSRC, C-V2X) or a cellular connection (LTE, 5G, etc.) can be used.

The motor vehicle 1 and the infrastructure system 2 can exchange any information via the data connection 11, for example preferably a co-conscious message (Cooperative Awareness Messages) and/or a vulnerable road user conscious message (Vulnerable Road User Awareness Messages) and/or a collective awareness message (Collective Perception Messages). In order that the networked motor vehicle 1 can evaluate the reliability of the information obtained in this way from the infrastructure system 2 as well as possible, the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system 2 is determined according to the invention.

In this example, the networked motor vehicle 1 is traveling on a road section 20 monitored by the infrastructure system 2 and wants to use information of the infrastructure system 2 for at least partially automated driving functions, for example object information about

other vehicles

3, 4 and 5 traveling on the road section 20, which has been ascertained by means of the environment sensor 16. To this end, the infrastructure system 2 transmits an infrastructure data signal 30 to the motor vehicle 1, and the motor vehicle 1 receives the infrastructure data signal 30. The infrastructure data signal 30 comprises object information about the

vehicles

1, 3, 4 and 5, for example in the form of an object list 35.

The motor vehicle 1 can now evaluate the received infrastructure data signal 30 (indicated by arrow 42) by means of a suitable computing unit (not shown) and determine therefrom at least one quality parameter of the infrastructure data signal. One or more quality parameters can be determined, for example, by determining a latency, a data rate, a packet error rate, a bit error rate, and/or a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the infrastructure data signal. The data transmission quality 40 of the infrastructure system 2 is determined on the basis of the at least one quality parameter of the infrastructure data signal thus determined. The data transmission quality 40 can depend, inter alia, on the location and the point in time at which the infrastructure data signal 30 has been received.

The networked motor vehicle 1 can now use the determined data transmission quality 40 in order to evaluate, for example, the quality or reliability of the information received by means of the infrastructure data signal 30 and to decide whether and how the information received by means of the infrastructure data signal 30 can be used for at least partially automated driving functions of the motor vehicle 1.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more quality parameters determined by the motor vehicle 1 are transmitted to an external computing unit 70. This is schematically shown in fig. 1 b). In addition, the motor vehicle 1 can likewise transmit the location and the point in time at which it has received the infrastructure data signal 30, from which the one or more quality parameters have been determined, to the external computing unit 70. In this example, the external computing unit 70 is part of the cloud backend. For transmission, a data connection 12 is established between the motor vehicle 1 and the base station 60. The data set 45, which in this example comprises the determined quality parameter of the infrastructure data signal 30 and the point in time of receipt and the position of the motor vehicle 1 at this point in time, is transmitted to the base station 60. The base station 60 transmits these data to a communication module 75 of an external computing unit 70, wherein the external computing unit (cloud) is connected to the base station 60 via the internet or directly, for example, by means of a cable connection. In addition, environmental information, i.e., information about, for example,

vehicles

3, 4, and 5 traveling ahead, can be transmitted to the external computing unit 70 in this way. Alternatively, however, this environmental information can also be transmitted by the infrastructure system 2 to the external computing unit 70 or cloud backend. The external computing unit can now provide the requested service or traffic participant (e.g. a networked motor vehicle) with the aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system 2.

In the cloud 70, the transmitted data of many motor vehicles can be aggregated. By means of this large amount of information, for example, outliers can be removed and an average of a number of vehicle evaluations for the determined position and/or time can be formed, and the aggregated data transmission quality can be determined therefrom. For example, it is conceivable that there are particularly many vehicles on the road during a certain daytime (peak time) of a certain working day and that the data transmission quality is thereby deteriorated, since in the case of many vehicles the radio channel is used more strongly under full load and thus an increased access time and more packet losses can occur. For example, a machine learning method can be used in this case, which enables the correlation in position, time and data transmission quality to be automatically learned and compared, for example, iteratively with new measurements and improved. The data transmission quality of the infrastructure system can then be provided from the generated data, for example, locally (and temporally), as is shown by way of example in fig. 2.

By means of the external computing unit 70, for example, a location-resolved representation of the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system 2 can be generated from the aggregated quality parameters. In the illustration shown by way of example in fig. 2, the area 50 monitored by the infrastructure system 2 is divided into a large number of grid cells 310, which can be embodied, for example, as squares with a side length of 1 meter. Other geometries and dimensions are conceivable and can be chosen, for example, situation-dependent or according to the surrounding environment. By determining the data transmission quality in a position-dependent manner, each grid element 310 can be assigned a determined value for the data transmission quality, which represents the average data transmission quality in this grid element. In the example shown, grid element 312 has poor data transmission quality, while, for example, grid element 314 has good data transmission quality. Furthermore, the values can be interpolated by means of neighboring cells for certain cells for which no data is obtained. A so-called "heat map" 300 is thus formed, which can be transmitted as aggregated data transmission quality to the requesting networked motor vehicle. In this case, the heat map can be created or transmitted within a defined clock time or alternatively independently of the clock time, depending on how strongly the data transmission quality in the region 50 changes during the day.

Alternatively or additionally, as shown in fig. 3, warnings can be shown and issued in the navigation map 400 regarding

infrastructure systems

452, 454, 456, 458, 460, 462, 464, 466 along the route 450 (e.g., when below a determined threshold for data transmission quality). In the example shown, the infrastructure system 458 has poor data transmission quality and is therefore marked accordingly, for example with color. The networked and automated vehicle can then actively query the cloud backend for the data transmission quality of the upcoming infrastructure system, perhaps automatically alerted to the infrastructure system having poor data transmission quality.

Fig. 4 shows a flow of a possible embodiment of the combination method according to the invention, in which first the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system is determined in a first phase 510 (training phase) and in which, assisted by the environmental information provided by the infrastructure system, the networked motor vehicle is guided at least partially automatically in a second phase 520 (usage phase), the use of the environmental information provided by the infrastructure system being dependent on the previously determined data transmission quality of the infrastructure system.

In a first stage 510, in step 512, the networked motor vehicle 502 moves into an area monitored by the infrastructure system 506. The motor vehicle 512 requests assistance with the infrastructure system 506 and obtains infrastructure data signals 517 in a transmitted manner from the infrastructure system 506. The infrastructure data signal 517 can, for example, include environmental information, for example in the form of an object list. In step 514, the processing of the infrastructure data signal 517 is evaluated by a computing unit of the motor vehicle 502, and at least one quality parameter 516 of the infrastructure data signal is determined therefrom. The analysis of the infrastructure data signal 517 can be performed, for example, in terms of latency and/or data rate and/or packet error rate and/or signal-to-noise ratio and/or bit error rate of the infrastructure data signal. The quality parameter can be determined as a function of the position and/or time of the motor vehicle.

At least one quality parameter 516 of the infrastructure data signal is transmitted from the motor vehicle 502 to the cloud backend 504, if necessary together with a position description and/or a time description. Additionally, the infrastructure system 506 can communicate current environmental information 518, such as an environmental model, to the cloud backend 504. In the cloud backend 504, the aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system 506 is determined from the received

information

516, 518.

In the second stage 520, at a later point in time, in step 522, the networked motor vehicle 502 moves toward the area monitored by the infrastructure system 506. May involve the same vehicle 502 as in the first stage 510 or a different networked vehicle 502. The networked motor vehicle 502 requires information about the current or future data transmission quality of the infrastructure system 506 for at least partial automation of the guided, infrastructure-assisted operation. To this end, the networked motor vehicle 502 sends a corresponding request to the cloud backend 504 in step 524. Optionally, the cloud backend requests current environmental information 528 from the infrastructure system 506 and, from the aggregated data transmission quality determined in the first stage 510 and the current environmental information 528, finds a current estimate 526 of the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system 506 and transmits this estimate 526 to the motor vehicle 502.

In order to be able to take current parameters such as traffic density into account within the determination of the data transmission quality, environmental information, for example an environmental model, should be sent to the cloud backend 504 not only in the training phase 510, but also in the usage phase 520. Such transmission can be accomplished in two phases by the infrastructure system 506 (as shown here) or alternatively by the motor vehicle. The environmental information of the infrastructure system 506 has such advantages: they are generally more extensive and of higher quality.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates an external computing unit 600 configured as part of a cloud system. The external computing unit 600 comprises a communication module 620 which sets quality parameters for receiving infrastructure data signals from a plurality of

networked motor vehicles

601, 603, 605. Preferably, the

networked motor vehicles

601, 603, 605 also transmit a position, for example in the form of absolute coordinates or relative coordinates, at which the infrastructure data signal has been received by the

respective motor vehicle

601, 603, 605, and/or a point in time at which the infrastructure data signal has been received by the

respective motor vehicle

601, 603, 605. Optionally, environmental information from the computing unit 600 can additionally be received by means of the communication module 620, which for example allows conclusions to be drawn about the traffic density in the region of the infrastructure system providing the respective infrastructure data signal. Such environmental information is received, for example, from one or more of the

networked motor vehicles

601, 603, 605 and/or another data source 630. The further data source 630 can be, for example, an infrastructure system.

The external computing unit 600 comprises an aggregation module 610 configured to aggregate the received quality parameters and to determine an aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system from the aggregated quality parameters. Here, further received data can be considered. In the illustrated example, the aggregation module 610 includes a Machine Learning (ML) module 624 that trains a neural network using received data. In a further module 622, aggregated data transmission quality in the form of a heat map according to fig. 2 can be generated from the received data. Here, the outputs of the machine learning module 624 can also be processed together. The aggregated quality parameters and/or the aggregated data transmission quality, for example in the form of a heat map, are stored in the storage unit 615 and are continuously updated. The aggregated data transmission quality can be provided from the storage unit by means of the communication module 620, for example together with further information generated by the aggregation module, to the requesting motor vehicle or other participant, for example to a map service providing a navigation map according to fig. 3.

Claims

1. A method for determining a data transmission quality of an infrastructure system (2, 506) for driving assistance of a guided networked motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) at least partially automated, the method comprising the steps of:

-transmitting an infrastructure data signal (30) to at least one motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) through an infrastructure system (2, 506), and receiving the infrastructure data signal (30, 517) through the respective motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605);

-analysing (42) the infrastructure data signal (30, 517) by a computing unit of the respective motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) and deriving therefrom at least one quality parameter of the infrastructure data signal (30, 517);

-determining the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506) from at least one quality parameter of the infrastructure data signal (30, 517).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein infrastructure data signals (30) are transmitted to a plurality of motor vehicles (1, 502, 601, 603, 605), the method additionally comprising the steps of:

-sending at least one quality parameter (516) to an external computing unit (70, 504, 600) through the respective motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605), and receiving a plurality of quality parameters (516) through the external computing unit (70, 504, 600);

-aggregating, in the external computing unit (70, 504, 600), the received quality parameters (516) of a plurality of motor vehicles (1, 502, 601, 603, 605);

-determining an aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506) from the aggregated quality parameters (516);

-providing, by means of the external computing unit (70, 504, 600), the requesting motor vehicle with an aggregated data transmission quality.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that environmental information (518) transmitted by the infrastructure system (2, 506) and/or by a motor vehicle is additionally received by the external computing unit (70, 504, 600) and that the aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506) is determined from the aggregated quality parameters and the received environmental information (518).

4. A method according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that the data transmission quality is found based on at least one of the following quality parameters (516): -latency of the infrastructure data signal (30, 517) and/or data rate of the infrastructure data signal (30, 517) and/or packet error rate of the infrastructure data signal (30, 517) and/or signal-to-noise ratio of the infrastructure data signal (30, 517) and/or bit error rate of the infrastructure data signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the infrastructure data signal (30, 517) comprises environmental information (35) about a road section (2, 506) monitored by the infrastructure system, on the basis of which the driving assistance of the receiving motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) is performed.

6. Method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the environmental information (35) is detected by an environmental sensing means of the respective motor vehicle and/or by an infrastructure sensing means (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) of the infrastructure system (2, 506), wherein the environmental information (35) comprises in particular information about objects (3, 4, 5) in the environment of the motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605).

7. Method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, in addition to the at least one quality parameter, the respective motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) also transmits the current time and/or its current position to the external computing unit (70, 504, 600).

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the aggregated data transmission quality is determined from the position within the road section (2, 506) monitored by the infrastructure system (2, 506) and/or from the time.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the road area (50) monitored by the infrastructure system (2, 506) is spatially divided into a plurality of grid units (310), wherein each grid unit (310) is assigned a data transmission quality value, which represents the aggregated data transmission quality for the respective grid unit (310).

10. The method according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that an estimate (526) for future data transmission quality is calculated based on the determined data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506).

11. An external computing unit (70, 504, 600) arranged for use in the method according to any of claims 1 to 10, the external computing unit comprising:

-a communication module (75, 620) arranged to receive quality parameters of the infrastructure data signals from a plurality of networked motor vehicles (1, 502, 601, 603, 605), in particular by means of a base station (60);

-an aggregation module (610) configured to aggregate the received quality parameters (516) and to determine an aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506) from the aggregated quality parameters (516);

-wherein the external computing unit (70, 504, 600) is configured for providing the data transmission quality to the requesting motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605).

12. The external computing unit (70, 504, 600) according to claim 11, characterized in that the communication module (75, 620) is additionally provided for receiving environment information (518) transmitted by the infrastructure system (2, 506) and/or the motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605), in particular by means of a base station (60),

and the aggregation module (610) is configured for determining an aggregated data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506) from the aggregated quality parameter (516) and the received environmental information (518).

13. The external computing unit (70, 504, 600) of any of claims 11 or 12, wherein the external computing unit (70, 504, 600) is configured as part of a cloud backend.

14. The external computing unit (70, 504, 600) according to any of claims 11 or 12, wherein the external computing unit (70, 504, 600) is configured as part of the infrastructure system (2, 506), in particular as part of a roadside unit.

15. Method for the infrastructure-assisted operation of an at least partially automated guided networked motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605), wherein the motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) receives environmental information (35) from an infrastructure system, wherein the motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) determines or receives a data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506), in particular from an external computing unit (70, 504, 600) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506) is determined according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the motor vehicle (1, 502, 601, 603, 605) is guided at least partially automatically as a function of the environmental information (35) and the data transmission quality of the infrastructure system (2, 506).

16. Computer program which, when run on a computer, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 2 to 6 to be implemented by an external computing unit (70, 504, 600).