Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
  • B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
  • B60Q1/50—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
  • B60Q1/525—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
  • B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
  • B60Q1/30—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for indicating rear of vehicle, e.g. by means of reflecting surfaces
  • B60Q1/303—Rear fog lamps
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
  • B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
  • B60Q1/46—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic for giving flashing caution signals during drive, other than signalling change of direction, e.g. flashing the headlights or hazard lights
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q5/00—Arrangement or adaptation of acoustic signal devices
  • B60Q5/005—Arrangement or adaptation of acoustic signal devices automatically actuated

Definitions

• the present invention belongs to the field of controlling the signaling of a vehicle in driving situations where visibility is poor. It relates in particular to a method and a device for controlling the signaling of the presence of a vehicle.
• vehicle any type of vehicle such as a motor vehicle, a moped, a motorcycle, a storage robot in a warehouse, etc.
• autonomous driving of an “autonomous vehicle” is meant any process capable of assisting the driving of the vehicle.
• the method can thus consist in partially or totally steering the vehicle or in providing any type of assistance to a natural person driving the vehicle.
• the process thus covers all autonomous driving, from level 0 to level 5 in the OICA scale, for the International Organization of Automobile Manufacturers.
• ego-vehicle is used to designate the vehicle whose autonomous driving is determined.
• the invention does not apply only to an ego-vehicle but also applies to a vehicle under manual control.
• the term “road” is understood to mean any means of communication involving a physical movement of a vehicle.
• a national, departmental, local, European, international road, a national, European, international highway, a forest path, a route for autonomous storage devices of a storage warehouse, etc. are examples of routes.
• the road includes at least one carriageway.
• the term “roadway” is understood to mean any physical means capable of withstanding the movement of a vehicle.
• a highway typically comprises two carriageways separated by a central reservation.
• the roadway includes at least one lane.
• lane is understood to mean any portion of the roadway assigned to a line of vehicles.
• a highway carriageway typically has at least two lanes of traffic.
• a motorway insertion lane, a single lane in a tunnel, a one-way traffic lane located in a city, etc. are examples of ways.
• a lane can be delimited by markings on the ground but it can also correspond to a path on the roadway taken by vehicles traveling on the roadway.
• Such a lane can be called a "virtual lane” because this lane is not delimited by physical markings but is generated from past paths taken by vehicles traveling on the roadway.
• Patent application CN 107719225 describes a system for controlling the switching on or off of the lights of a vehicle based on information received in V2X. However, turning off the lights does not effectively ensure, in bad weather conditions, that the vehicle is visible to other road users.
• Patent application US20150025787 describes a method for monitoring and reporting a driving situation in the environment of a vehicle. However, this document does not specifically deal with driving situations related to bad weather conditions.
• the present invention improves the situation.
• a first aspect of the invention relates to a method for signaling the presence of a vehicle, implemented in a vehicle control device, the method comprising the following steps:
• Fog is any meteorological condition in which visibility is limited.
• the method according to the invention thus makes it possible to effectively signal the presence of the vehicle when it is barely visible due to bad weather conditions, by activating at least two presence signaling means. No restriction is attached to the presence signaling means which may be visible or audible in particular.
• the two vehicle presence signaling means can be among fog lights, hazard lights and an audible warning means.
• three presence signaling means can be activated, if the meteorological information indicates the presence of fog in the environment of the vehicle.
• the at least two presence signaling means can be activated if the meteorological information indicates the presence of a zone of fog in the environment of the vehicle, and if a condition relating to a following vehicle is detected. by the vehicle.
• the two signaling means are on in the event that another vehicle is liable to collide with the vehicle. Safety is thus improved, and the two means are activated only when the vehicle must be visible.
• two presence signaling means can be activated if the meteorological information indicates the presence of a zone of fog in the environment of the vehicle, and at least one additional presence signaling means can be activated if a condition relating to a following vehicle is detected by the vehicle.
• the signaling of the presence of the vehicle is further improved in a foggy situation and when there is a risk of collision with a following vehicle.
• condition relating to a following vehicle can be:
• a risk of collision can be assessed before triggering at least two (or at least three) vehicle presence signaling means.
• the activation of the presence signaling means can include the sequential activation:
• Sequential activation enables signaling dynamics that improve vehicle visibility to other vehicles.
• a second aspect of the invention relates to a computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method according to the first aspect of the invention, when these instructions are executed by a processor.
• a third aspect of the invention relates to a device for controlling a vehicle, the device comprising a processor configured to:
• a fourth aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle comprising the device according to the third aspect of the invention, and at least two means of signaling the presence of the vehicle.
• FIG 1 illustrates a driving situation involving a vehicle according to one embodiment of the invention
• FIG 2 is a diagram illustrating the steps of a method according to one embodiment of the invention.
• FIG 3 illustrates the structure of a control device according to one embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 1 shows a driving situation involving a vehicle 100 according to one embodiment of the invention.
• the vehicle can be an ego-vehicle as described above, in autonomous driving, or can be a vehicle piloted by a driver.
• the vehicle 100 can include at least two presence signaling means.
• the vehicle 100 is shown with three presence signaling means, namely:
• a means of sound signaling of presence such as a horn 103.
• the vehicle 100 is illustrated with three presence signaling means is given by way of illustration only, and it is understood that the invention applies to any vehicle having at least two (two or more) presence signaling means. . The invention also applies to any other means of signaling presence other than the three examples mentioned above.
• the vehicle 100 can further include at least one sensor 104.
• the sensor (s) 104 of the vehicle 100 which may include any visual technology (camera, of the multifunction video camera type, CVM, and image processing system), a radar / lidar system, or an ultrasonic sensor for example, or any combination of such technologies.
• a combination of different technologies can be used in order to perform additional functions (detection of a vehicle on the one hand, such as a following vehicle 120 shown in the figure, evaluation of the speed of another vehicle, such as that of the following vehicle 120, on the other hand ) and / or redundant (double determination of the speed of the following vehicle, in order to have redundant data and therefore more reliable).
• the vehicle 100 can include a camera in association with an image processing system and a lidar, which can be used for additional and / or redundant functions.
• the vehicle 100 may further include a communication interface 105, such as a V2X communication interface.
• a V2X interface includes any interface capable of communicating with a network, another vehicle or a piece of road infrastructure.
• the communication interface can be a WiFi, Car2X, or cellular type link (any generation, 3G, 4G, 5G or later).
• the vehicle 100 further comprises a control device 110 configured to control the presence signaling means 101, 102, 103, in particular on the basis of data received from the sensor 104 or from the communication interface 105, as detailed with reference to FIG. 2.
• a structure of the control device 110 is presented with reference to FIG. 3.
• the vehicle 100 enters a zone of fog 140 on a road 130.
• the invention also applies when the vehicle 100 is already in the zone of fog 140 or when a zone of fog is further on route 130 (in the direction of travel of vehicle 100).
• Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the steps of a method according to one embodiment of the invention.
• a step 200 the vehicle 100 obtains meteorological information.
• meteorological information can be received:
• a third-party device such as a mobile terminal on board the vehicle 100, via a wireless link such as Bluetooth or Wifi.
• meteorological information which may indicate a meteorological event such as the presence of rain, the presence of an area of fog, the presence of strong winds, etc.
• the weather event may also be accompanied by the location coordinates of the weather event.
• the vehicle 100 determines, from the meteorological information, whether a zone of fog, such as the zone of fog 140, is in the environment of the vehicle 100. "In the environment of” indicates that the vehicle 100: - is included in the fog zone 140;
• the control device 110 activates, in a step 204, at least two means of signaling the presence of the vehicle 100, in particular among the presence signaling means 101,
• the control device 110 can activate the signal lights 101 and the hazard lights 102.
• the invention is particularly advantageous in the case where the vehicle 100 is a self-powered vehicle. autonomous driving situation, insofar as the driver does not have the direct possibility of manually triggering the presence signaling means. However, even in the case of a vehicle under manual control, the invention makes it possible to signal the presence of the vehicle 100, thus improving the safety associated with the driving situation.
• the method according to the general embodiment then proceeds to step 205 described below.
• the method further comprises a step 202 of obtaining data relating to a following vehicle 120. These data can be:
• control device 110 tests a condition relating to the following vehicle 120, on the basis of the data obtained in step 202.
• the condition test can be:
• step 204 the control device 110 activates at least two presence signaling means, as detailed above.
• the activation of several presence signaling means makes it possible to effectively inform other vehicles of the position of vehicle 100 or of its potential deceleration, for example. The safety associated with the driving situation is thus improved.
• the control device 120 checks whether the fog zone 140 is still in the environment of the vehicle 100, for example on the basis of data coming from the sensor 104 or received by the communication interface 105. When the fog zone 140 is no longer in the environment of the vehicle 100, the control device 110 deactivates, in a step 206, the presence signaling means which had been activated in step 204.
• control device 210 activates, in a step 207, at least one additional presence signaling means with respect to step 204.
• the control device 210 can activate the three presence signaling means 101, 102 and 103.
• the presence signaling means are activated sequentially in step 207.
• a sequence can for example be:
• the sequence can be implemented according to predetermined time steps. For example, a predetermined duration can be applied between two successive activations.
• successive activations can be caused by different activation conditions relating to the vehicle.
• the activation conditions can be different thresholds of separation between the following vehicle 120 and the vehicle 100. Thus, the activations are carried out successively as the following vehicle 120 approaches. However, there are no restrictions on the activation conditions.
• the control device 120 determines whether the fog zone 140 is still in the environment of the vehicle 100, for example on the basis of data coming from the sensor 104 or received by the communication interface 105. When the fog zone 140 is no longer in the environment of the vehicle 100, the control device 110 deactivates, in a step 206, the presence signaling means which had been activated in step 207.
• FIG. 3 illustrates the structure of a control device 110 according to one embodiment of the invention.
• the control device 110 comprises a processor 302 configured to communicate unidirectionally or bidirectionally, via one or more buses, with a memory 403 such as a memory of the “Random Access Memory” type, RAM, or a memory of the “Read” type. Only Memory ”, ROM, or any other type of memory (Flash, EEPROM, etc.).
• the memory 304 comprises several memories of the aforementioned types.
• the memory 304 is able to store, permanently or temporarily, at least some of the data used and / or resulting from the implementation of the method according to the invention.
• the memory 304 is able to store data specific to the e-vehicle, instructions to be executed, and the data acquired from the sensor (s) 110.
• the processor 302 is able to execute instructions, stored in the memory 304. , for the implementation of the steps of the method according to the invention, illustrated with reference to Figure 2.
• the processor 304 can be replaced by a microcontroller designed and configured to perform the operations of Figure 2.
• the control device 110 may further include an input interface 301 and an output interface 303 in order to communicate with other elements of the vehicle 100.
• the input interface 400 is able to receive data from sensor 110 and the output interface 402 is able to transmit commands to the output interface 401, for transmission to the signaling system 120.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Traffic Control Systems (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
• Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=72088201

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 2020
  • 2020-03-12 FR FR2002451A patent/FR3108082B1/fr active Active
• 2021
  • 2021-02-08 EP EP21708281.7A patent/EP4117965A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2021-02-08 WO PCT/FR2021/050227 patent/WO2021181020A1/fr unknown

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