DE102022119838A1 - Method for operating a driver assistance system, driver assistance system and motor vehicle with a driver assistance system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system (16) for a motor vehicle (10). Here, a connection established between an interface (20) internal to the vehicle and an electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle is first detected and an electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle is determined. This results in a residual amount of electrical energy (24) which is still available for operation of the motor vehicle (10), taking into account the electrical energy requirements of the external consumer (22). The energy requirement of the external consumer (22), the remaining amount of electrical energy (24) and a first boundary condition are included in the determination of a first consumption scenario for the motor vehicle (10), with information relating to the energy requirement of the external consumer (22) and/or relating to the residual electrical energy quantity (24) and/or relating to the first consumption scenario are displayed on a display device (18) of the motor vehicle (10).

Description

The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle. Another aspect of the invention relates to such a driver assistance system. In addition, the invention relates to a motor vehicle with such a driver assistance system.

A large number of electrical consumers are used in modern motor vehicles. An electrical consumer can be an in-vehicle entertainment system, an air conditioning system or an in-vehicle electrical auxiliary device, such as an electric window regulator. Every electrical consumer has a specific electrical energy requirement. This is usually covered by the energy source present in the motor vehicle, which also provides drive energy for the motor vehicle. In the case of a motor vehicle powered by a fossil fuel, the driving energy can be an amount of energy stored in the fuel. In the case of an at least partially electrically driven motor vehicle, the drive energy can be an amount of electrical energy stored in a vehicle battery. In any case, the operation of one or more electrical consumers in the motor vehicle affects the amount of energy present in the motor vehicle, so that when one or more electrical consumers and a drive device of the motor vehicle are operated at the same time, only a residual amount of energy remains for the drive device.

It is known to monitor the energy requirement of electrical consumers internal to the vehicle and to inform a vehicle driver about the energy requirement. In this context the describes DE 20 2015 006 585 U1 a system for monitoring an electrical device in a vehicle.

From the EP 2 759 439 A1 a user interface system of a vehicle is known, which determines a vehicle range as a function of energy consumption, wherein the energy consumption includes a power consumption of at least one environmental consumer, in particular a lighting unit, a heater and / or a cooling system.

Also the DE 10 2012 211 407 A1 deals with calculating an electrical load that is consumed by a plurality of auxiliary machines internal to the vehicle.

In many modern motor vehicles it is possible to connect external consumers or devices to a motor vehicle energy supply in addition to the vehicle's internal electrical consumers. Such an external device can be, for example, a smartphone, a games console, an air filter or even a software application, such as operating a streaming service. The disadvantage is that these electrical consumers external to the motor vehicle are not taken into account when monitoring the amount of residual energy available to drive the motor vehicle. It is therefore not clear to the driver of a motor vehicle what effects the operation of external electrical consumers has on the operation of the motor vehicle.

One object of the present invention is to improve energy management for a motor vehicle if one or more electrical consumers external to the motor vehicle participate in a total amount of energy available to the motor vehicle.

The task is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are described in the dependent claims, the following description and the figures.

The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle. In particular, the motor vehicle is an at least partially electrically powered motor vehicle. In other words, the motor vehicle preferably has an electrical energy storage device for storing electrical drive energy for the motor vehicle. In particular, a total amount of energy available for operating the motor vehicle is held in reserve by the electrical energy storage device.

According to the invention, a connection established between a vehicle-internal interface and an electrical consumer external to the vehicle is recognized by the driver assistance system. The driver assistance system therefore includes a monitoring unit for monitoring the interface. The vehicle-external electrical consumer can be a smartphone and/or a tablet computer and/or a games console and/or an air filter. In particular, the electrical consumer external to the vehicle can also involve the operation of a software application, for example the use of a streaming service. For the purposes of the invention, an electrical consumer external to the vehicle is also considered to be when using a Strea ming service a connection for data transmission between a motor vehicle-internal computing unit and a motor vehicle-external server device, for example an app server, which provides the aforementioned streaming service, is operated.

After the driver assistance system has recognized the connection, in a further step it determines an electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer external to the vehicle. On the motor vehicle side, this can be done, for example, by monitoring an electrical voltage curve within an electrical power network of the motor vehicle. From the determined electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer external to the vehicle, an amount of energy consumed by the consumer during its operation can be determined.

Based on the electrical energy requirement or the amount of energy consumed, a residual amount of electrical energy is then determined, which is still available for operation of the motor vehicle, taking into account the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer external to the vehicle. This can be done by simply subtracting the amount of energy consumed by the electrical consumer from the total amount of energy available in the motor vehicle.

According to the invention, a first consumption scenario for the motor vehicle is determined taking into account the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer external to the vehicle, the amount of residual electrical energy and a first boundary condition. A variety of consumption scenarios can be determined by taking a variety of boundary conditions into account.

The boundary condition can be specified to the driver assistance system, for example by a user of the motor vehicle. For example, it can be specified as a boundary condition that a predetermined minimum driving speed for the motor vehicle should not be exceeded or should be maintained. For this specific case, the consumption scenario can describe which distance can be covered by the motor vehicle, taking into account the electrical energy requirements of the electrical consumer external to the vehicle and the amount of remaining electrical energy, provided that the predetermined minimum driving speed should not be undershot or should be maintained.

Furthermore, it is provided according to the invention that information relating to the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer external to the vehicle and/or relating to the residual electrical energy amount and/or relating to the first consumption scenario is displayed on a display device of the motor vehicle. In other words, the driver assistance system provides the information mentioned for display on the display device of the motor vehicle. The display device can be a screen in a center console of the motor vehicle, so that occupants of the motor vehicle can clearly see the effects of the operation of the external electrical consumer.

The invention has the advantage that external electrical consumers are taken into account in an energy balance of a motor vehicle. There is also the advantage that a vehicle user has access to information regarding energy consumption of the electrical consumers external to the vehicle and information regarding the effects of operation of such consumers in the form of various consumption scenarios for the motor vehicle. This advantageously improves energy transparency and energy management in the motor vehicle.

The invention also includes embodiments that result in additional advantages.

One embodiment provides that at least one further consumption scenario is determined, taking into account at least one further boundary condition, in particular different from the first boundary condition, with information relating to the at least one further consumption scenario also being displayed on the display device. In other words, an additional boundary condition that is different from the first boundary condition can be taken into account. The first and at least one further boundary condition can be taken into account at the same time or one after the other. By taking several possible boundary conditions into account, the number of options for action that are made available to the user of the motor vehicle to improve the energy management in the motor vehicle is advantageously increased. The various consumption scenarios, which are determined taking into account the various boundary conditions, can be displayed simultaneously, in particular next to one another, or one after the other on the display device. For example, the different consumption scenarios can be displayed in a menu that the user can scroll through.

As said, a boundary condition can be a predetermined or predetermined driving speed for the motor vehicle. In other words The determination of one of the consumption scenarios can be based on the electrical energy requirement of the external consumer, the remaining amount of electrical energy and a specified driving speed. If the specified driving speed is to be maintained, the display device can show how much the range of the motor vehicle is reduced as a result of the operation of the external electrical consumer as part of the consumption scenario determined.

Alternatively or additionally, the boundary condition can be a predetermined or predetermined operating time and/or a predetermined range and/or a predetermined duration of an electrical charging process of an electrical energy storage device for storing electrical drive energy for the motor vehicle. In the case of a predetermined or constant range, the information can include how much a current driving speed of the motor vehicle must be reduced in order to maintain the range. In the event that the boundary condition relates to a predetermined or desired duration of an electrical charging process, the information displayed on the display device can include how much the charging duration will have been extended by the continued operation of the external consumer when a desired charging device is reached.

According to a further embodiment, a respective consumption scenario is selected taking into account the information presented. In other words, not only are consumption scenarios presented or displayed on the display device of the motor vehicle, but a selection of a consumption scenario is also made possible. The driver assistance system then operates the motor vehicle according to the selected consumption scenario.

The consumption scenario is preferably selected by a user of the motor vehicle. The user can make the selection, for example, through a user input, the user input comprising a voice input command and/or a touch input command, in particular a touch command on a touch-sensitive surface of the display device. The user input can, for example, trigger an automated program of the driver assistance system that supports or carries out the operation of the motor vehicle according to the boundary condition that underlies the selected consumption scenario. For example, if the user decides on a consumption scenario that was determined taking a predetermined route into account, the driver assistance system can automatically reduce the maximum driving speed of the motor vehicle in such a way that the predetermined route can be completed despite the operation of the external electrical consumer.

If there is no selection, only an expected reduction in the remaining range for the motor vehicle can preferably be displayed. By providing this information, the user of the motor vehicle can advantageously decide whether he wants to continue operating the external consumer or not.

A further development provides that the feasibility of the selected consumption scenario is determined and that if impracticability is detected, a haptic and/or acoustic and/or visual warning is sent to the user of the motor vehicle. For example, if the selected consumption scenario stipulates that a driving speed should be kept constant, and at the same time it is stipulated that a charging station should only be approached at a certain distance, this may be impossible if the external electrical consumer continues to operate. In other words, the operation of the external electrical consumer can reduce the amount of remaining energy in such a way that the desired charging device can no longer be reached when the travel speed is kept constant because it is too far away. In this case, the warning mentioned can be issued to the user. Alternative consumption scenarios can preferably be output which meet or at least better meet the desired boundary conditions. For example, the user can decide on a different consumption scenario or adapt a boundary condition of the selected consumption scenario. For example, he can change the desired charging device to a closer charging device. If the external electrical consumer continues to operate, it can reach the charging station at the same speed. However, under certain circumstances, the expected charging time at the new charging station may be extended due to the operation of the electrical consumer.

The display device is preferably a head-up display of the motor vehicle or includes it. This has the advantage that the information described is presented in an easily accessible manner for a user of the motor vehicle.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a driver assistance system that is designed to carry out the method according to the invention. The driver assistance system can be part of a control device of the motor vehicle. Alternatively, to carry out the method according to the invention rens a data connection between the control device and the driver assistance system can be operated.

The invention also includes developments of the driver assistance system according to the invention, which have features as have already been described in connection with the developments of the method according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding developments of the driver assistance system according to the invention are not described again here.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle with such a driver assistance system. The invention therefore also includes further developments of the motor vehicle according to the invention, which have features as have already been described in connection with the further developments of the driver assistance system according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding developments of the motor vehicle according to the invention are not described again here.

The motor vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a passenger car or truck, or as a passenger bus or motorcycle.

For use cases or application situations that may arise with the method and that are not explicitly described here, it can be provided that an error message and/or a request to enter user feedback and/or a standard setting and/or a predetermined one can be issued according to the method Initial state is set.

The invention also includes the control device for the motor vehicle. The control device can have a data processing device or a processor device that is set up to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. For this purpose, the processor device can have at least one microprocessor and/or at least one microcontroller and/or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and/or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Furthermore, the processor device can have program code that is designed to carry out the embodiment of the method according to the invention when executed by the processor device. The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor device.

As a further solution, the invention also includes a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer or a computer network, cause it to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. The storage medium can, for example, be designed at least partially as a non-volatile data storage (e.g. as a flash memory and/or as an SSD - solid state drive) and/or at least partially as a volatile data storage (e.g. as a RAM - random access memory). . The computer or computer network can provide a processor circuit with at least one microprocessor. The instructions may be provided as binary code or assembler and/or as source code of a programming language (e.g. C).

The invention also includes the combinations of the features of the described embodiments. The invention therefore also includes implementations that each have a combination of the features of several of the described embodiments, provided that the embodiments have not been described as mutually exclusive.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung eines zumindest teilweise elektrisch angetriebenen Kraftfahrzeugs mit einer Verbindung zu einem kraftfahrzeugexternen elektrischen Verbraucher,
• 2 eine schematische Darstellung einer Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens zum Betreiben eines Fahrerassistenzsystems, und
• 3 eine schematische Darstellung einer Anzeigeoberfläche einer Anzeigevorrichtung für ein Kraftfahrzeug.

Examples of embodiments of the invention are described below. This shows:

• 1 a schematic representation of an at least partially electrically driven motor vehicle with a connection to an electrical consumer external to the vehicle,
• 2 a schematic representation of an embodiment of the method according to the invention for operating a driver assistance system, and
• 3 a schematic representation of a display surface of a display device for a motor vehicle.

The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual features of the invention that are to be considered independently of one another and which also further develop the invention independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure is intended to include combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention that have already been described.

In the figures, the same reference numerals designate functionally identical elements.

1 shows a motor vehicle 10 with an electrical energy storage 12. In the motor vehicle Vehicle 10 can be an at least partially electrically powered motor vehicle 10. Electrical drive energy can be provided by the electrical energy storage 12. In addition, further components of the motor vehicle 10 can obtain electrical energy from the electrical energy storage 12. At the in 1 The components shown are a control device 14, a driver assistance system 16 that can be controlled by the control device 14, and a display device 18 of the motor vehicle 10 that can be controlled by the control device 14 and/or the driver assistance system 16.

The control device 14 can have an interface 20 internal to the vehicle. The interface 20 can be, for example, a connection socket, in particular a plug connection socket, for connecting an electrical consumer 22 external to the vehicle. The plug connection socket can be integrated into a trailer hitch of the motor vehicle 10. Another possible implementation of such an interface 20 consists, for example, in a coupling option for the electrical external consumer 22 via a cigarette lighter and/or a USB connection socket of the motor vehicle 10 and/or an inductive charging device for a mobile terminal. Alternatively or additionally, the vehicle-internal interface 20 can also be a wireless interface. For example, using the interface 20, a software application as an external electrical consumer 22 can be downloaded from a data storage device external to the vehicle, not shown here, in particular a cloud, via a wireless Internet connection.

In the event that the external electrical consumer 22 establishes a connection to the motor vehicle 10 via the interface 20, this connection can be recognized by the control device 14. An electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer 22 external to the vehicle can then be determined. For this purpose, for example, the external consumer 22 can transmit corresponding identification data to the control device 14 and/or the control device 14 can request corresponding identification data from the consumer 22.

In the event that electrical energy for operating the external consumer 22 is provided by the electrical energy storage 12 of the motor vehicle 10, the electrical energy stored in the electrical energy storage 12, which is still available for operating the motor vehicle 10, is reduced accordingly. The electrical energy reduced in this way can be transmitted to the control device 14 as the available residual electrical energy quantity 24 by a battery management system of the electrical energy storage 12, not shown here. Information regarding the available remaining amount of energy 24 can be passed on from the control device 14 to the driver assistance system 16.

The driver assistance system 16 can be given a boundary condition for operating the motor vehicle 10, for example by a user of the motor vehicle 10. The boundary condition can, for example, relate to a motor vehicle speed that must be maintained. Taking into account this at least one boundary condition, the electrical energy requirement of the external electrical consumer 22 and the available residual energy amount 24, the driver assistance system 16 can determine at least one consumption scenario for the motor vehicle 10. A schematic representation of various consumption scenarios is detailed in connection with 3 described.

The driver assistance system 16 and/or the control device 14 can be set up to control the display device 18 of the motor vehicle 10 in such a way that information regarding the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer 22 external to the vehicle and/or regarding the remaining amount of electrical energy 24 and/or regarding the at least one consumption scenario be displayed on the display device 18 of the motor vehicle 10. Advantageously, all relevant information regarding a current energy management situation in the motor vehicle 10 is bundled and clearly displayed for a user of the motor vehicle 10.

In 2 an embodiment of the method according to the invention for operating a driver assistance system 16 for a motor vehicle 10 is shown schematically. In the following description of the figures reference is made to those in connection with 1 designated and described components. In a step S1, a connection established between a vehicle-internal interface 20 and an electrical consumer 22 external to the vehicle is recognized. This can be done, for example, by a control device 14 of the motor vehicle 10 or by a monitoring unit of the driver assistance system 16. An electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer 22 external to the vehicle is then determined in a step S2. In a step S3, a residual amount of electrical energy 24 is determined, which is still available for operation of the motor vehicle 10, taking into account the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer 22 external to the vehicle. In a step S4, taking into account A first consumption scenario for the motor vehicle 10 can be determined by considering the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer 22 external to the vehicle, the residual electrical energy quantity 24 and a first boundary condition. Finally, in a step S5, a display device 18 of the motor vehicle 10 can be controlled in such a way that information regarding the electrical energy requirement of the external consumer 22 and/or regarding the residual electrical energy amount 24 and/or regarding the determined first consumption scenario is displayed on a display surface of the display device 18 .

The display surface of the display device 18 can, for example, be a touch-sensitive surface, so that a user of the motor vehicle 10 can select one from the consumption scenarios shown, which, for example, provides as a boundary condition that a driving speed of the motor vehicle 10 should be maintained despite additional energy consumption by the external consumer 22 . A correspondingly coordinated driving style can then be carried out automatically or autonomously by the motor vehicle 10. Maintaining the driving speed can result in a possible travel distance for the motor vehicle 10 being reduced due to the additional energy consumption of the external consumer 22. A corresponding scenario is in 3 , in the middle, pictured.

In 3 A display device 18 is shown schematically, which represents information regarding the effects of the operation of an external consumer 22 on the operation of a motor vehicle 10. In the case shown here, the electrical consumer 22 can have an energy requirement of one kilowatt hour, which can correspond to a CO ₂ equivalent of 0.5 kilograms.

Left in 3 A consumption scenario is shown, which sets as a boundary condition that a range for the motor vehicle 10 should remain constant despite the operation of the external consumer 22. The operation of the external consumer 22 can be compensated for while driving by adjusting the speed from 90 km/h to 85 km/h. This results in an extended journey time of 1 hour and 15 minutes instead of 1 hour and 10 minutes.

In the middle 3 A consumption scenario is shown, which is based on the boundary condition that a driving speed of the motor vehicle 10 should be kept constant despite the operation of the external consumer 22. This can be achieved by reducing the range of the motor vehicle 10 from 290 kilometers to 280 kilometers.

Right in 3 is shown how a charging time of the motor vehicle 10 on an electrical charging device is extended from 25 minutes to 26 minutes due to the operation of the external consumer 22.

The surface of the display device 18 can be designed as a touch surface, so that a user of the motor vehicle 10 can select one from the three options shown here as an example. Based on this selection, the driver assistance system 16 can cause the motor vehicle 10 to carry out the corresponding operation semi-autonomously or autonomously.

Overall, the examples show how the electrical consumption of external electrical consumers can be presented more transparently for a user of a motor vehicle.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed 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.

Cited patent literature

• DE 202015006585 U1 [0003]
• EP 2759439 A1 [0004]
• DE 102012211407 A1 [0005]

Claims (10)

Method for operating a driver assistance system (16) for a motor vehicle (10), wherein the driver assistance system (16) - a connection established between an interface (20) internal to the vehicle and an electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle is detected, - an electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle is determined, - a residual amount of electrical energy (24) is determined which is still available for operation of the motor vehicle (10), taking into account the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle, - a first consumption scenario for the motor vehicle (10) is determined, the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle, the residual amount of electrical energy (24) and a first boundary condition being taken into account in the determination, - Information regarding the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle and/or regarding the remaining amount of electrical energy (24) and/or regarding the first consumption scenario is displayed on a display device (18) of the motor vehicle (10). Procedure according to Claim 1 , taking into account at least one further boundary condition, in particular different from the first boundary condition, at least one further consumption scenario is determined, with information relating to the at least one further consumption scenario being displayed on the display device (18). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a predetermined driving speed and / or a predetermined operating time and / or a predetermined range and / or a predetermined duration of an electrical charging process of an electrical energy storage (12) for storing electrical drive energy for the motor vehicle (10) is taken into account as a boundary condition becomes. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a respective consumption scenario is selected taking the information into account, the driver assistance system (16) carrying out the operation of the motor vehicle (10) according to the selected consumption scenario. Procedure according to Claim 4 , wherein the consumption scenario is selected by a user input from a user of the motor vehicle (10). Procedure according to Claim 5 , wherein the user input comprises a voice input command and/or a touch input command, in particular a touch command on a touch-sensitive surface of the display device (18). Procedure according to one of the Claims 4 until 6 , wherein a feasibility of the selected consumption scenario is determined and if it is not feasible, a haptic and/or acoustic and/or visual warning is sent to the user. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (18) comprises a head-up display of the motor vehicle (10). Driver assistance system (16), designed to - to recognize a connection established between an interface (20) internal to the vehicle and an electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle, - to determine an electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle, - to determine a residual amount of electrical energy (24) that is still available for operation of the motor vehicle (10), taking into account the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle, - to determine a first consumption scenario for the motor vehicle (10), the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle, the residual electrical energy quantity (24) and a first boundary condition being taken into account in the determination, - To display information regarding the electrical energy requirement of the electrical consumer (22) external to the vehicle and/or regarding the remaining amount of electrical energy (24) and/or regarding the first consumption scenario on a display device (18) of the motor vehicle (10). Motor vehicle (10) with a driver assistance system (16). Claim 9 .

Images