DE102020208519A1 - Method for adapting the duration of a turn signal of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

In the method according to the invention for adapting the duration of a direction indicator of a vehicle, the direction indicator can be operated manually in order to indicate an intended change of direction to other road users by means of the direction indicator of the vehicle. The manual operations of the direction indicator are recorded (10). An operating pattern is recognized by evaluating the manual operations (11). The duration of the direction indicator is then automatically adjusted based on the detected operating pattern (12).

Description

The present invention relates to a method for adjusting the duration of a turn signal of a vehicle. The present invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method and a vehicle that is set up to carry out such a method or has such a device.

Vehicles that are intended for use on public roads have a direction indicator with which a vehicle driver can indicate a change in the direction of travel or an announcement of this to other road users. Direction indicators are provided on the sides of the vehicle for the direction indicator, which are usually part of the vehicle lighting and are implemented as turn signals, and are accordingly colloquially referred to as turn signals. In Germany, for example, the road traffic regulations stipulate that a turning maneuver or a lane change must be announced in good time and clearly with a flashing direction indicator. However, there are no rules governing how often or how long the lights must be flashed.

The turn signal is activated by manually moving a turn signal lever located in the area of the vehicle's steering column in accordance with the intended change in direction of travel. The turn signal then remains active during a turning maneuver until it is manually deactivated by the driver. Furthermore, the vehicle driver can move the turn signal lever to an intermediate position, for example when changing lanes, with the turn signal function remaining switched on independently of the steering wheel position as long as the turn signal lever is held in this position. The turn signal is then switched off when the turn signal lever is released. The angle of rotation of the steering wheel can also be evaluated. If the steering wheel is then turned back to the same extent after turning in the direction of the turning maneuver, it can be concluded that the turning maneuver has ended and the turn signal is automatically deactivated.

During lane change maneuvers, the angle of rotation of the steering wheel is small, so that based on this, the end of a lane change maneuver cannot be effectively recognized. For this reason, many vehicles now also have a convenient turn signal function, in which the turn signal lever only has to be tapped once to initiate a flashing cycle with the direction indicator flashing multiple times and then automatically deactivate the direction indicator again. In this case, how often the direction indicator lights up in a flashing cycle is stored in the turn signal control. The direction indicator typically lights up three times in such a predefined flashing cycle, but other flashing cycles are also possible.

Solutions in which the indicator is activated over a constant period of time have the disadvantage that the duration of lane change and turning maneuvers is not constant and depends on a large number of factors. There are therefore approaches to adapt the indicator control to the current driving situation. So will in the U.S. 2004/0100373A1 an intelligent turn signal control system for switching vehicle turn signals on and off according to the situation. The wheel movements of the left and right wheels of the vehicle are recorded with wheel speed sensors. By evaluating the difference between the wheel movement signals determined in this way, it is determined when a turning maneuver is complete in order to switch off an activated blinker based on this.

A method for automatically actuating a direction indicator of a vehicle, in which data surrounding the vehicle are recorded to determine the vehicle position, is U.S. 2004/0143381A1 disclosed. Lane or direction changes are determined on the basis of the environmental data in order to set the direction indicator before a lane or direction change and switch it off again after the lane or direction change. With repeated manual interventions by the driver at a specific position of the vehicle, a digital map can be adjusted and the direction indicator can be automatically actuated, even in the case of traffic routes that are not shown on the digital map. The actuation of the direction indicator can also be adapted to the driver's driving style by logging and evaluating the time and/or the position of the vehicle when the driver manually actuates the direction indicator.

Finally affects the U.S. 2006/0092005 A1 Improvements for signaling a lane change maneuver, with a camera detecting the position of a vehicle with respect to a lane of a road. After a manual operation to turn off a turn signal, a turn signal is turned off when the vehicle is in a proper driving position tracks, but switching off is prevented if a track change is not yet complete. If the driver regularly cancels the turn signal before a lane change is complete, an average time delay before the turn signal turns off can be applied.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method for adjusting the duration of a turn signal of a vehicle.

This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1. Preferred developments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

In the method according to the invention for adapting the duration of a direction indicator of a vehicle, the direction indicator can be operated manually in order to indicate an intended change of direction to other road users by means of direction indicators of the vehicle. The manual actuation of the direction indicator is recorded. An operating pattern is recognized by evaluating the manual operations. The duration of the direction indicator is then automatically adjusted based on the detected operating pattern.

In this way, in contrast to solutions that are either based on a constant flashing duration or require the evaluation of additional sensor signals, for example from an external camera, a user-specific adjustment of the flashing duration can be carried out in a simple, cost-effective and reliable manner. This increases safety and comfort when driving a vehicle equipped with such a method.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the direction indicator of the vehicle can be manually activated and/or deactivated by the driver of the vehicle, with the direction indicator being automatically deactivated after a predefined period of time in the event of manual activation.

In particular, in addition to the manual actuation of the direction indicator, the times of this manual actuation are also recorded and evaluated.

Advantageously, by evaluating the recorded manual operations and times, it is recognized when the turn signal indicator is repeatedly manually activated again after a first manual activation and subsequent automatic deactivation after the predefined time period has expired within a predefined time interval and/or is manually deactivated before the predefined time period has expired .

Preferably, the duration of the direction indicator is automatically adjusted here if the number of events in which the flashing duration was too short and the turn signal was therefore activated manually several times, and / or the number of events in which the flashing duration was too long and the turn signal was manually deactivated exceeds a predefined proportion of the total blinking events recorded.

Likewise, advantageously, the duration of the direction indicator is automatically extended if the number of events in which the blinking duration was too short and the blinker was therefore manually activated several times, the number of events in which the blinking duration was too long and the blinker was manually deactivated , is exceeded by a predefined factor and/or automatically reduced if the number of events where the blink duration was too short and the blinker was therefore manually activated several times, the number of events where the blink duration was too long and the blinker was activated manually deactivated by a predefined factor

In particular, the direction indicators can be designed as turn signals that flash after activation for a predefined flashing cycle, with the number of light phases of the flashing cycle being adjusted when the duration of the direction indicator is adjusted.

Furthermore, individual operating patterns can preferably be recognized for different users of the vehicle, with the duration of the direction indicator being adjusted based on the individual operating pattern of the current user.

The invention also relates to a device that is set up to carry out such a method and a motor vehicle in which the method according to the invention or the device according to the invention is used.

• 1 zeigt schematisch ein Flussdiagramm für das erfindungsgemäße Verfahren zur Anpassung der Dauer einer Fahrtrichtungsanzeige eines Fahrzeugs;
• 2 zeigt schematisch den Zeitverlauf für (A) eine erneute manuelle Aktivierung einer Fahrtrichtungsanzeige nach einer automatischen Deaktivierung der Fahrtrichtungsanzeige und (B) einen Blinkzyklus, der vorzeitig abgebrochen wird; und
• 3 zeigt schematisch einen Teil eines Kraftfahrzeugs, in dem das erfindungsgemäße Verfahren durchgeführt wird;

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and claims in conjunction with the figures.

• 1 schematically shows a flow chart for the method according to the invention for adapting the duration of a direction indicator of a vehicle;
• 2 shows schematically the time course for (A) a renewed manual activation of a direction indicator after an automatic deactivation of the direction indicator and (B) a flashing cycle that is terminated prematurely; and
• 3 shows schematically a part of a motor vehicle in which the method according to the invention is carried out;

For a better understanding of the principles of the present invention, embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to these embodiments and that the features described can also be combined or modified without departing from the protective scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

1 shows a schematic flowchart for an embodiment of the method according to the invention, as it can be carried out in a vehicle to adapt the flashing duration.

According to a first method step 10, manual actuations, i.e. manual activations and also deactivations, of a direction indicator are detected by a vehicle. It is also recorded when the direction indicator is automatically deactivated after a predefined period of time in the event of manual activation.

In particular, it can be detected here if the driver of the vehicle actuates the turn signal lever of the vehicle in order to activate a convenience turn signal function of the vehicle before turning or changing lanes, or to deactivate it early after the end of this process.

An identification number ID is assigned to each of the individually detected blinking events. This identification number ID is stored together with information about whether the turn signal is activated or deactivated, whether the deactivation was carried out by the driver or automatically, and a time stamp that reflects the time of the turn signal event. An example of such flashing events can be found in the table below. ID blinking event activity Timestamp, [s] 1 R_START DRIVER 1582805913 2 R_STOP AUTOMOBILE 1582805916 3 R_START DRIVER 1582823458 4 R_STOP DRIVER 1582823459 ... ... ... ...

A large number of such manual actuations are then evaluated in a method step 11 in order to determine from this an operating pattern by the driver when the turn signal is actuated. Methods for pattern recognition that are familiar to the person skilled in the art make it possible to learn the driver's preference exclusively using a statistical model that is based on training data when using the blinker.

For example, the duration of the implementation and also the display of a lane change maneuver depends on the respective driver. While some drivers change lanes as quickly as possible, other drivers prefer a more gentle manoeuvre. There are also different preferences as to how early before a lane change this lane change should be indicated to other road users by activating the turn signal or at what point in time after the end of the lane change the turn signal should be deactivated again.

In the subsequent method step 12, after the learning phase has ended, the duration of the direction indicator is automatically adjusted based on the recognized operating pattern. For example, in the case of a convenience turn signal function, in which the flashing cycle originally includes three flashes of the turn signal according to a default setting, the flashing cycle can be automatically adjusted according to the preferences of the user, for example shortened to two flashes of the turn signal or extended to five flashes of the turn signal .

To clarify the pattern recognition are in 2 two examples of different time profiles of a direction indicator are shown schematically, each of which reflects time-dependently whether the direction indicator is on or off. 2A shows the time course for a renewed manual activation of a direction indicator after an automatic deactivation of the direction indicator and 2 B a flashing cycle that is manually aborted prematurely.

In the in the 2A In the case shown, the predefined duration d of the convenience turn signal function is not sufficient for the driver, so that he manually activates the convenience turn signal function a second time after automatic deactivation. In this case, it is only assumed that the driver actually wants to activate the convenience turn signal function a second time and thus extend it if the second activation takes place before a period Δt has elapsed after the automatic deactivation. This period .DELTA.t must not be too long in order not to be confused with two consecutive turn signals for two independent changes in direction of travel, and can be, for example, one second.

It can also be recorded if the convenience turn signal function is activated a second time before the original flashing cycle has ended. This can then also be evaluated as an indication that the predefined time period for the convenience turn signal function appears to the driver as too short.

in the in 2 B In the case shown, on the other hand, the predefined duration d of the convenience turn signal function is too long for the driver, so that the driver already interrupts it manually after the duration d'. In this case, the flashing duration is only adjusted if the flashing process is deactivated by the driver well before it ends automatically, for example if the time duration d−d′ is more than one second.

und der Anteil der erneuten manuellen Aktivierungen einen vordefinierten Anteil L₁ der insgesamt erfassten manuellen Betätigungen überschreitet $${\text{r}}_{\text{1}}>{\text{L}}_{\text{1}}$$

so wird die Blinkdauer verlängert.As mentioned above, the flashing events are recorded and evaluated over a certain period of time to adjust the flashing duration. In particular, the number of events r ₁ in which the blinking duration was too short and the blinker was therefore manually activated several times, and/or the number of events r ₂ in which the blinking duration was too long and the blinker was manually deactivated is determined and the ratio of the number of these events r ₁ or r ₂ to the total number of flashing events r is determined. The result here is that the proportion of renewed manual activations exceeds _{the proportion of manual deactivations by a predefined factor C 1} $${\text{right}}_{\text{1}}>{\text{C}}_{\text{1}}\cdot {\text{right}}_2$$

and the percentage of renewed manual activations _{exceeds a predefined percentage L 1 of} the total manual activations detected $${\text{right}}_{\text{1}}>{\text{L}}_{\text{1}}$$

this will increase the blinking time.

und der Anteil der manuellen Deaktivierungen einen vordefinierten Anteil L₂ der insgesamt erfassten manuellen Betätigungen überschreitet $${\text{r}}_2>{\text{L}}_2$$

so wird die Blinkdauer verkürzt.If, on the other hand, the proportion of manual deactivations exceeds _{the proportion of renewed manual activations by the predefined factor C 2} $${\text{right}}_2>{\text{C}}_2\cdot {\text{right}}_{\text{1}}$$

and the proportion of manual deactivations _{exceeds a predefined proportion L 2 of} the total detected manual operations $${\text{right}}_2>{\text{L}}_2$$

this shortens the flashing time.

_{The variables r 1} and r _{2 are} reset after each adjustment of the flashing duration, regardless of whether the flashing duration has been shortened or lengthened. In this way, it can be ensured that for a possible renewed adjustment of the flashing duration, only events are taken into account in which the flashing duration is too short or too long compared to the last updated flashing duration.

Here, C ₁ , C ₂ , L ₁ and L ₂ are parameters that have been defined before the learning phase. Different parameters can be selected here for lengthening or shortening the flashing duration, but it is also possible to use the same parameters, ie C ₁ =C ₂ and L ₁ =L ₂ . However, C ₁ and C ₂ must always be greater than 1.0.

Provision can also be made for carrying out a user-specific adjustment of the blinker control for different users of a vehicle. For this purpose, the user driving the vehicle is recognized, for example using a personalized vehicle key or an interior camera, in order to learn the individual operating pattern of this user and then adjust the duration of the direction indicator based on the individual operating pattern of this user.

3 FIG. 12 schematically shows a vehicle 20 in which the method according to the invention is implemented. The vehicle 20 has a steering wheel 21 and a turn signal lever 22 arranged next to the steering wheel. When the turn signal lever 22 is actuated, a signal is transmitted to a turn signal control device 23, which controls the turn signals 24 accordingly. In addition, each time the turn signal lever 22 is actuated, data containing information about the actuation is forwarded to an evaluation and control unit 25 . The information can be transmitted via a data bus 26 of the vehicle, such as a CAN bus.

The evaluation and control unit 25 uses the transmitted data, as described above, to determine an operating pattern for operating the direction indicator. If the evaluation shows that the duration of the direction indicator should be adjusted based on the operating pattern, the evaluation and control unit 25 controls the device for blinker control 23 accordingly, which then selects the blinking duration of the blinkers 24 according to the adaptation when the blinker is operated in the future. In addition, the driver can be informed of an adjustment of the flashing duration via a man-machine interface 27, for example by a message on a display or by voice output.

The evaluation and control unit 25 can be implemented, for example, in a control unit of the central electrical system of the vehicle and can carry out the method according to the invention using a microprocessor. The necessary instructions for carrying out the method can be stored in an internal electronic memory (not shown). The device for blinker control 23 can be implemented, for example, as a control unit specially provided for the blinkers 24 of the vehicle. Furthermore, both the device for blinker control 23 and the evaluation and control unit 25 can be implemented in a common control unit.

Reference List

10-12

process steps

i.e

predefined duration of the convenience turn signal function

d'

Duration until manual abort

Δt

specified time interval between two flashing cycles

20

vehicle

21

steering wheel

22

turn signal lever

23

Turn signal control device

24

flashing lights

25

Evaluation and control unit

26

data bus

27

human-machine interface

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

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

Patent Literature Cited

• US 2004/0100373 A1 [0005]
• US 2004/0143381 A1 [0006]
• US 2006/0092005 A1 [0007]

Claims (10)

A method for adjusting the duration of a direction indicator of a vehicle (20), in which the direction indicator can be operated manually in order to use direction indicators (24) of the vehicle to indicate an intended change of direction to other road users, in which - manual operations of the direction indicator are detected (10); - An operating pattern is recognized (11) by evaluating the manual operations; and - the duration of the direction indicator is automatically adjusted based on the recognized operating pattern (12). procedure after claim 1 , wherein the direction indicator of the vehicle can be activated and/or deactivated manually by the driver of the vehicle and the direction indicator is automatically deactivated after a predefined period of time (d) in the event of manual activation. procedure after claim 2 , In addition to the manual actuation of the direction indicator, the times of this manual actuation are also recorded and evaluated. procedure after claim 3 , whereby it is recognized by evaluating the recorded manual operations and times when the direction indicator is repeatedly manually activated again after a first manual activation and subsequent automatic deactivation after the predefined time period (d) has elapsed within a predetermined time interval (Δt) and/or before the end the predefined period of time (d) is manually deactivated. procedure after claim 4 , whereby the duration of the turn signal is automatically adjusted if the number of events where the flash duration was too short and the turn signal was therefore activated several times manually, and/or the number of events where the flash duration was too long and the turn signal was activated manually deactivated, a predefined proportion of the total number of blinking events recorded has been exceeded. procedure after claim 4 or 5 , whereby the duration of the turn signal is automatically extended if the number of events where the blink duration was too short and the blinker was therefore manually activated several times, the number of events where the blink duration was too long and the blinker was manually deactivated , is exceeded by a predefined factor and/or automatically reduced if the number of events where the blink duration was too short and the blinker was therefore manually activated several times, the number of events where the blink duration was too long and the blinker manually deactivated is below a predefined factor. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the direction indicators are designed as turn signals (24) which flash after activation for a predefined flashing cycle and when the duration of the direction indicator is adjusted, the number of light phases of the flashing cycle is adjusted. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein individual operating patterns are recognized for different users of the vehicle and the duration of the direction indicator is adjusted based on the individual operating pattern of the current user. Device that is set up, a method according to one of Claims 1 until 8th to execute. Motor vehicle that is set up, a method according to one of Claims 1 until 8th perform or a device according to claim 9 having.

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