DE102020204964A1 - Method for monitoring current attention of a driver during operation of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for monitoring a driver's current alertness (AA) while a vehicle is in operation, information about the surroundings (U1, U2, U3) relating to a route of the vehicle being determined, with the information about the surroundings (U1, U2, U3) determined being an attention request (AR) to a driver of the vehicle is determined, a current alertness (AA) of the driver being determined, and when it is determined that the current alertness (AA) of the driver is less than the determined alertness requirement (AR) , a countermeasure (G1, G2, G3) is initiated

Description

The present invention relates to a method for monitoring a driver's current alertness while a vehicle is in operation, as well as an arithmetic unit or a group of arithmetic units and a computer program for carrying it out.

State of the art

Modern vehicles generally have various driver assistance systems that enable the vehicle or its operation to be automated to a certain extent. This includes, for example, so-called lane departure warning systems as well as distance and / or speed control systems. If a vehicle is operated in a semi-automated manner with this, however - for safety reasons - it is typically necessary that a driver of the vehicle is responsible and monitors the operation of the vehicle, i.e. has an eye on the surrounding traffic and can react to unforeseen events at any time.

In this case, however, there is the risk that the driver will rely too much on these driver assistance systems and then react too late or incorrectly to unforeseen events. Irrespective of this, a problem can also consist in the driver being overwhelmed by complex driving situations.

Disclosure of the invention

According to the invention, a method for monitoring a driver's current attention during operation of a vehicle and a computing unit or a computing unit network and a computer program for its implementation are proposed with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous refinements are the subject matter of the subclaims and the description below.

The invention provides a way of always ensuring that the driver is sufficiently alert. It makes use of the measure of determining a current attention request to a driver of the vehicle (in the sense of a target state) and comparing it with the current actual attention of the driver (in the sense of an actual state), and initiating a countermeasure in the event of insufficient attention.

In the context of the invention, “driver's attention” is understood to mean a variable which describes the extent to which the driver is preoccupied with the current traffic situation. A value of this variable can be determined in particular using measuring means present in the vehicle, which in particular record an interaction of the driver with the vehicle. In this sense, “driver's attention” is a term for a variable that describes how the driver interacts with the vehicle.

“Attention request to the driver” in the sense of the invention is understood to mean a variable which describes a complexity or difficulty of the current traffic situation. In-vehicle and non-vehicle measuring equipment can be used to determine this.

To determine the attention requirement for the driver, information about the surroundings of a route of the vehicle is recorded or determined. The route, in particular also the roads on the route, can be determined, for example, using a navigation system when a destination has been entered. Otherwise, however, only the road ahead of the vehicle in the direction of travel can be taken into account, but possibly also with several or all of the potential travel routes that could result due to possible branches.

The information about the surroundings can in particular be of a static and / or dynamic nature and / or also relate to the immediate surroundings of the vehicle or the driving situation.

• - einem Typ einer aktuell befahrenen und/oder zukünftig zu befahrenden Straße auf der Fahrtroute wie z.B. einer Landstraße oder einer Autobahn, ggf. auch mit der Angabe einer Anzahl an Fahrspuren,
• - einer Anzahl und/oder einer Art von Kreuzungen und Einmündungen auf der Fahrtroute, ggf. auch Abfahrten bzw. Auffahrten an Autobahnen,
• - einer Anzahl und/oder einer Art von Verkehrsführungseinheiten, z.B. Lichtzeitenanlagen und Verkehrszeichen, auf der Fahrtroute,
• - einer Lage einer aktuell befahrenen und/oder zukünftig zu befahrenden Straße auf der Fahrtroute, also z.B. ob sich die Straße in einer kleinen oder großen Stadt befindet, oder in einem Wohngebiet, oder ob es sich um eine Überlandstraße handelt, und
• - einer statistischen Häufigkeit und/oder Art von Unfällen einer aktuell befahrenen und/oder zukünftig zu befahrenden Straße auf der Fahrtroute.

The static environmental information is selected in particular from:

• - a type of a road currently being driven on and / or a road to be driven on in the future on the route, such as a country road or a motorway, possibly also with the specification of a number of lanes,
• - a number and / or a type of intersections and junctions on the route, possibly also exits or entrances to motorways,
• - a number and / or a type of traffic management units, e.g. light time systems and traffic signs, on the route,
• - a location of a road currently being driven on and / or to be driven on in the future on the route, for example whether the road is in a small or large town, or in a residential area, or whether it is an interurban road, and
• a statistical frequency and / or type of accidents on a road currently being used and / or a road to be used in the future on the route.

In the case of such environmental information, it can be assumed that at least it will not change within a few minutes or hours, so For example, the road layout itself, so that static environmental conditions can be spoken of. It goes without saying that, for example, new traffic signs can also be added or that there are also, for example, changing speed limits, which can nevertheless be taken into account as information about the surroundings.

This static information about the surroundings can therefore be used to assess the complexity of the route, which must therefore also be managed by the driver.

• - einem Verkehrsfluss auf der Fahrtroute, also ob z.B. Stau vorherrscht oder ein nur langsames Fortkommen aufgrund hoher Verkehrsdichte möglich ist,
• - einer Anzahl und/oder einer Art von Baustellen auf der Fahrtroute, was auch die Information über eine reduzierte Anzahl an Fahrspuren oder eine Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung umfassen kann,
• - Straßenbedingungen auf der Fahrtroute, also z.B. ein Reibungskoeffizient, die sich aufgrund der Art des Straßenbelags oder der Witterung (z.B. Regen bzw. Nässe) ergeben können, und
• - Wetter- und/oder Sichtinformationen auf der Fahrtroute, also z.B. Tag oder Nacht, Nebel oder auch Blendung durch starken Sonnenschein.

The dynamic environmental information is selected in particular from:

• - a traffic flow on the route, e.g. whether there is a traffic jam or slow progress is possible due to high traffic density,
• - a number and / or a type of construction sites on the route, which can also include information about a reduced number of lanes or a speed limit,
• - Road conditions on the route, for example a coefficient of friction that can result from the type of road surface or the weather (e.g. rain or moisture), and
• - Weather and / or visual information on the route, e.g. day or night, fog or glare from strong sunshine.

Such environmental information can be assumed to change within a few minutes or hours. This dynamic information about the surroundings can therefore be used for an assessment of the current traffic volume or current road condition and also has an influence on the attention requirement of the driver or the situation to be dealt with by him.

• - einer Anzahl von Objekten und/oder anderen Fahrzeugen auf einer aktuell vom Fahrzeug befahrenen Fahrspur und/oder auf einer oder mehreren angrenzenden Fahrspuren, und
• - einer Anzahl und/oder Häufigkeit von Wechseln der vom Fahrzeug befahrenen Fahrspur.

The information on the immediate surroundings and / or driving situation is selected from:

• a number of objects and / or other vehicles in a lane currently being used by the vehicle and / or in one or more adjacent lanes, and
• - a number and / or frequency of changes in the lane traveled by the vehicle.

These conditions can change within seconds or even fractions of a second and also have an influence on the driver's attention requirement or the situation he has to deal with.

The ambient conditions can be determined using sensors on the vehicle to capture the environment, such as radar sensors and cameras, and / or information received from outside, in particular by means of wireless data transmission, and / or from map information such as from a navigation system. In the end, it is not a question of which information about the surroundings is recorded, but that it is available and enables the route to be assessed, specifically with regard to the complexity that the driver has to cope with and that requires his attention.

The request for attention to the driver of the vehicle is then determined on the basis of the information about the surroundings. As can already be seen from the various options that have been listed above, depending on the current environmental conditions or environmental information to be expected or resulting according to the route, a different level of attention or a different level of attention can arise the driver has to muster. The level of attention required can be assessed using a scale from 1 (little attention) to 10 (maximum attention), for example. It goes without saying that other suitable (discrete or continuous) evaluation criteria can also be used.

At this point it should be pointed out that the driver of a vehicle should always devote his full attention to the operation of the vehicle and the associated situations. In practice, however, it is typically the case that in some situations less attention is considered sufficient. In particular, however, there will also be situations that require increased attention.

Current attention of the driver is also determined or ascertained. The level of current attention can also be assessed using a scale from 1 to 10 or the like, for example.

The level of current attention can be determined, for example, using a driver monitoring system which, in particular, detects steering movements. Attention can be assessed, for example, according to how regularly or irregularly the driver performs steering movements. Frequent steering in order to keep the vehicle in the lane (e.g. one steering movement every second on average by several degrees of the steering wheel on average) can, for example, indicate poor attention, e.g. due to drowsiness. On the scale from 1 to 10 mentioned above, for example, the value 2 or 3 can be assigned here, which, for example, can also be assessed as a function of the frequency of steering movements. Interior or occupant monitoring cameras, for example for capturing head and / or eye movements, are also conceivable. The actuation of switching elements etc. by the driver can also be used. As mentioned, it will make sense in practice to divide attention into different levels.

If it is now determined that the driver's current attention (e.g. with value 3 on the scale from 1 to 10) is less than the determined attention requirement (e.g. with value 7 on the scale from 1 to 10), a countermeasure is initiated. The countermeasure expediently comprises a measure that increases the driver's attention, in particular a measure that can be perceived optically and / or acoustically and / or haptically. This can be, for example, a change in lighting (e.g. with regard to brightness and / or color) in the interior of the vehicle, a warning sound, vibration of the steering wheel and / or seat or the like.

It is also preferred if the countermeasure comprises an adaptation of a reaction threshold and / or reaction time of one or more driver assistance and / or safety functions. For example, it can be arranged that an automatically initiated braking is triggered earlier, e.g. at an even greater distance from a vehicle in front. It is not important that such braking or the like is actually implemented; rather, an adaptation of the reaction threshold / time already brings about an increase in safety.

The type of countermeasure can also be made dependent on the amount of the difference between the driver's current attention and the attention requirement that has been determined. For example, if there is only a small difference, the color of the interior lighting can be changed and if there is a greater difference, an acoustic warning can be issued, if necessary also. Such countermeasures can also be cascaded. It can also be taken into account that this difference can change if, for example, the current attention of the driver and / or the attention request (this due to a possibly short-term change in the information about the surroundings) change.

Advantageously, a behavior that is individual for the driver, in particular as a function of different driving situations, is also taken into account when determining the current attention of the driver. For example, it can be taken into account that a certain driver often makes short or jerky steering movements in certain driving situations. This can then be taken into account in such a way that this is not due to reduced attention on the part of the driver, so that a countermeasure is not unnecessarily initiated.

The proposed method thus enables driver vigilance management (DVM, Driver Vigilance Management, where vigilance denotes a state of constant alertness with a monotonous stimulus frequency), which is based on environmental information, e.g. on the route, route characteristics, traffic density, weather and driver vigilance Can warn drivers very reliably in situations that require their attention if they are inadequate. In addition, a reduction in the response thresholds is supported by safety functions so that they respond in a timely manner in dangerous situations and reduce the severity of the possible accident or prevent an accident.

In contrast to assistance or safety functions such as 'Advanced Emergency Braking Systems', 'Turn Collision Warning' or 'Lane Keeping System', which intervene in the vehicle movement by braking, drive or steering due to a specific hazard, it is the proposed method to a forward-looking (predictive) method or system, ie the current driving situation does not (yet) pose a specific risk to the vehicle. However, due to its complexity, it can be assumed that there is an increased probability of a specific hazard.

Thus, before a specific hazard occurs, it can be proactively checked whether the driver's attention is sufficiently high against the background of the increased probability of the presence of a specific hazard, and this can be warned accordingly or the response threshold of an assistance system can be adjusted. In order to increase reliability, the typical driving behavior of a driver for different driving situations can be statistically recorded and included in the evaluation.

An arithmetic unit or group of arithmetic units according to the invention, for example a control unit or a group of control units of a motor vehicle, is set up, in particular in terms of programming, to carry out a method according to the invention.

The implementation of a method according to the invention in the form of a computer program or computer program product with program code to carry out all of them Method steps are advantageous since this causes particularly low costs, in particular if an executing control device is still used for other tasks and is therefore available in any case. Suitable data carriers for providing the computer program are in particular magnetic, optical and electrical memories, such as hard drives, flash memories, EEPROMs, DVDs, etc. A program can also be downloaded via computer networks (Internet, intranet, etc.).

Further advantages and embodiments of the invention emerge from the description and the accompanying drawing.

The invention is shown schematically in the drawing using an exemplary embodiment and is described below with reference to the drawing.

Figure list

• 1 shows schematically a vehicle in which a method according to the invention can be carried out.
• 2 shows schematically a sequence of a method according to the invention in a preferred embodiment.
• 3 shows schematically a sequence of a method according to the invention in a further preferred embodiment.

Embodiment (s) of the invention

In 1 is schematically a vehicle 100 shown, in which a method according to the invention can be carried out. In the top view is the vehicle 100 in plan view on a street 140 shown. A (planned) route 110 of the vehicle 100 is shown with an arrow and leads the road 140 along and passes an intersection 145 . Along the road 140 are traffic signs 120 , 121 provided behind the vehicle 100 there is another vehicle 150 . Likewise is located at the intersection 145 another vehicle 151 .

In the lower view is the vehicle 100 shown in a side view and in somewhat more detail. In the vehicle 100 there is a driver 190 that by means of a steering wheel 104 the vehicle 100 leads. In the vehicle 100 is a driver monitoring system 102 provided that has, for example, a camera. The driver can also be monitored, for example, by making active steering movements of the steering wheel 104 recorded and, if necessary, evaluated.

Another example is a computing unit designed as a control device 106 provided, by means of which the method proposed in the context of the invention can be carried out. The control unit can be provided separately for this purpose, but it is also preferably used for other functions such as driver assistance functions. The control unit can do this 106 also receive environmental information such as from a radar sensor 108 .

In 2 a sequence of a method according to the invention is shown schematically in a preferred embodiment. With U ₁ , U ₂ and U ₃ For this purpose, static information about the surroundings, dynamic information about the surroundings and information on the immediate surroundings or driving situation are shown.

The static environment information U ₁ include by way of example according to block 200 a type of road currently being traveled on and / or to be used in the future, according to the block 202 a number and / or a type of intersections and junctions, according to the block 204 a number and / or a type of traffic management units, for example light time systems and traffic signs, according to the block 206 a location of the currently traveled and / or future road to be traveled, and according to the block 208 a statistical frequency and / or type of accidents on the road currently being used and / or the road to be used in the future.

Using this environmental information U ₁ is according to block 230 a complexity of the route or the relevant road layout is determined.

The dynamic environment information U ₂ include by way of example according to block 210 a traffic flow on the route, according to the block 212 a number and / or a type of construction sites, according to the block 214 Road conditions on the route, and according to the block 216 Weather and / or visibility information.

Using this environmental information U ₂ are according to block 232 a traffic volume and the driving conditions of the route are determined, which can change over a medium to long time constant such as minutes to hours.

The information U ₃ to the immediate surroundings or driving situation include, for example, according to block 218 a number of objects and / or other vehicles in the lane currently being used by the vehicle and / or in one or more adjacent lanes, and according to block 220 a number and / or frequency of changes in the lane traveled by the vehicle.

Using this environmental information U ₃ are according to block 234 A short-term changing traffic volume or driving behavior is determined, i.e. situations that can sometimes change within one or a few seconds.

In the blocks 230 , 232 and 234 The information taken into account in each case can be appropriately interrelated and then processed with one another in order to provide a measure of a demand for attention A _R that is appropriate to the specific situation in which the vehicle is located. For this purpose, for example, empirical values and / or statistical values can also be used, but in case of doubt, preference can always be given to greater, required attention.

Furthermore, for example by means of the driver monitoring system, as in relation to FIG 1 mentioned, according to block 222 the driver monitors and it is according to block 224 its (possible) inattentiveness (for example through indications for drowsiness or the like) ascertained or determined, from which then a current alertness A _A of the driver is determined. According to block 226 typical behavior of the driver in certain driving situations is also taken into account, of which, for example, it is known or at least can be assumed that they are no signs of a lack of attention.

When evaluating the steering movements, some previous systems can lead to "false warnings", i.e. warnings are given in situations that do not require this. These "false warnings" undermine the driver's confidence in the system. Therefore, the typical steering behavior of the driver in different driving situations can be determined and stored individually for the driver and taken into account when determining attention.

This current attention A _A is then with the attention request, i.e. a required attention, A _R compared and their difference is formed. When it is determined that the current attention A _A of the driver less than the required attention or the determined attention requirement A _R is, one or, if necessary, several countermeasures are initiated. This can, for example, according to block G ₁ include a change in the lighting in the vehicle, according to Bock G ₂ an acoustic, optical and / or haptic warning to the driver as well as according to block G ₃ an adaptation of the reaction threshold of one or more driver assistance and / or safety functions, represented by G ₃ '.

In 3 a sequence of a method according to the invention is shown schematically in a further preferred embodiment. For this purpose, the driver A's attention about potential countermeasures G is plotted. Attention can be given, for example, as a number that is higher, the higher the attention is. However, different levels of attention are also conceivable.

A _D now denotes a difference between the required attention (which in turn is determined based on the information about the surroundings) and the current or actual attention of the driver. This difference A _D can - in accordance with the explanations given above - be indicated, for example, as a number. A suitable countermeasure is selected and initiated via a suitable function that assigns this difference in attention to a countermeasure - three different functions are shown as an example.

The countermeasures presented here G ₁ , G ₂ and G ₃ correspond to those according to 2 . It can also be seen that the countermeasures can be different depending on the amount of the difference A _D and that, if necessary, two (or even more than two) countermeasures can be initiated at the same time.

In this way, a possibility is provided of counteracting any attention deficits of a driver of a vehicle at least in situations with a high risk potential and thus avoiding or at least reducing accidents.

Claims (12)

Method for monitoring a current attention (A _A ) of a driver during operation of a vehicle (100), environmental information (U ₁ , U ₂ , U ₃ ) relating to a route (110) of the vehicle (100) being determined, with the determined environmental information (U ₁ , U ₂ , U ₃ ) an attention request (A _R ) to a driver (190) of the vehicle (100) is determined, a current attention (A _A ) of the driver (190) is determined, and where If it is determined that the current attention (A _A ) of the driver is less than the determined attention requirement (A _R ), a countermeasure (G ₁ , G ₂ , G ₃ ) is initiated. Procedure according to Claim 1 , wherein the countermeasure (G ₁ , G ₂ ) comprises a measure that increases the driver's (190) attention (A), in particular a measure that can be perceived optically and / or acoustically and / or haptically. Procedure according to Claim 1 or 2 , wherein the countermeasure (G ₃ ) an adjustment of a reaction threshold and / or reaction time of an or includes several driver assistance and / or safety functions (G ₃ '). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the current alertness (A _A ) of the driver (190) is determined using a driver monitoring system (102) which, in particular, detects steering movements. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein when determining the current alertness (A _A ) of the driver (190), an individual behavior for the driver, in particular as a function of different driving situations, is taken into account. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the environment information (U ₁ , U ₂ , U ₃ ) includes static environment information (U ₁ ), which is selected in particular from: a type of a currently driven and / or future road on the route (200), - a number and / or a type of intersections and junctions on the route (202), - a number and / or a type of traffic management units on the route (204), - a location of a currently traveled and / or future road to be traveled on on the route (206), and a statistical frequency and / or type of accidents on a road currently being driven on and / or a road being driven on in the future on the driving route (208). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the environment information (U ₁ , U ₂ , U ₃ ) includes dynamic environment information (U ₂ ), which is selected in particular from: - a traffic flow on the route (210), - a number and / or a type of construction site on the route (212), - road conditions on the route (214), and - weather and / or visibility information on the route (216). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the environmental _{information (U 1} , U ₂ , U ₃ ) includes information (U ₃ ) on an immediate environment and / or driving situation, which is selected in particular from: a number of objects and / or others Vehicles in a lane currently being used by the vehicle and / or in one or more adjacent lanes (218), and - a number and / or frequency of changes in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling (200220 Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the information about the surroundings is determined using sensors (108) on the vehicle (100) to detect the surroundings and / or information received from outside, in particular by means of wireless data transmission, and / or from map information. Computing unit (106) or computing unit network which is set up to carry out all method steps of a method according to one of the preceding claims. Computer program that causes a computing unit (106) or a computing unit network to perform all method steps of a method according to one of the Claims 1 until 9 to be carried out when it is executed on the processing unit (106) or the processing unit network. Machine-readable storage medium with a computer program stored thereon Claim 11 .

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