SE542096C2

SE542096C2 - Method and control arrangement for emergency braking adaption

Info

Publication number: SE542096C2
Application number: SE1751282A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Jenny Eriksson; Johannes Slettengren; Jonny Andersson; Joseph Ah-King
Original assignee: Scania Cv Ab
Priority date: 2017-10-16
Filing date: 2017-10-16
Publication date: 2020-02-25
Also published as: SE1751282A1; DE102018007581A1

Abstract

SUMMARYMethod (300) and control arrangement (210) in a vehicle (100) for adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system (110) of the vehicle (100). The method (300) comprises: detecting (301 ) that a module of an advanced driver assistance system (120) of the vehicle (100) is activated; obtaining (302) information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system (120) of the vehicle (100); determining (303) driver alertness based on the attention support data of the emergency braking system (110), adapted with regard to the detected (301) module and the obtained (302) information related to driver alertness; and adapting (304) a time period before intervention of the emergency braking system (110), based on the determined (303) driver alertness.

Description

METHOD AND CONTROL ARRANGEMENT FOR EMERGENCY BRAKING ADAPTION TECHNICAL FIELD This document relates to a method and a control arrangement in a vehicle. More particularly, a method and a control arrangement is provided for adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND An Advanced Emergency Brake (AEB), is a safety system that automatically alerts and brakes for vehicles/ obstacles in front when there is no driver response. The timing of its intervention is based on driver activity, where a driver that has previously been active, e.g. with gas and brake pedal, will get a delayed warning, since he or she is determined to be responsive to the surrounding traffic. It is important to correctly determine when to warn the driver. A system that warns too late will leave too little time for the driver to react, while a system that warns prematurely can cause distress.

An Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) function is designed to assist the driver in order to increase safety and improve driver comfort. ADAS may comprise adaptive features such as e.g. provide adaptive cruise control, incorporate GPS/ traffic warnings, keep the driver in the correct lane, automated lighting, etc. When ADAS is engaged, less input is required from the driver, since several systems can themselves partially maneuver the vehicle. This makes the old methods of measuring driver activity insufficient when determining delay time of the AEB.

At the same time, when the use of ADAS is growing the drivers tend to take less responsibility in how the vehicle is driven. They become more relaxed, trusting the system to make its job for them. The unfortunate result is that the driver responsiveness to the surrounding traffic decreases. Therefore, the need of more advanced solutions on how to determine the driver activity/ alertness increases.

Document DE10163967 describes a method where an emergency brake system adjusts the time period before alerting the driver of an appearing obstacle ahead of the vehicle, based on the driver’s activity. The activity of the driver may be based e.g. on sensors on pedals.

The vehicle described in DE10163967 does not have an ADAS, and for that reason, the above described problem does not evolve.

Document DE102016204878 describes a method where an emergency brake system alerts a driver earlier when the driver is considered inattentive or tired. The driver condition is estimated by capturing images of the driver via a camera.

This document does not concern a vehicle with an ADAS. Further, the solution comprises adding a driver directed camera which brings additional costs.

Document US9047780 describes a method where an emergency brake system, which intervenes earlier when the driver is considered inattentive. The driver’s condition is assessed by checking how active the driver is, e.g. via usage of radio, direction indicators and / or steering wheel.

Neither this document concerns a vehicle with an ADAS.

Document EP3100927 describes a method in which a system, e.g. an assistive braking systern or a collision failure system, adjusts its actions (time, frequency, intensity) based on whether the driver is deemed to be sleepy or not. The driver's condition assessment is done by means of sensors in the vehicle, e.g. camera, position sensor and biosensors.

Again, the vehicle described in the document does not have an ADAS. Further, the solution comprises adding various sensors to the vehicle, which brings additional costs.

Document DE102012112802 describes a method where a driver is warned for a certain amount of time before the driver has to take control of the vehicle. The length of time before the warning is given depends on whether the driver is deemed to be attentive or not. The assessment of the driver's condition is done with camera and by watching the steering wheel.

The described solution concerns activation of warning alerts, not activation of an emergency brake.

Document JP2016058090 describes a method of assessing how attentive a driver is in connection with the use of a driver assistance system such as lane keep assist. The assessment of the driver's condition is done by registering the driver's eye movements and the driver’s usage of the driving wheel.

The assessment of the driver’s attention is not used by an emergency braking system. Further, there is a difference in driver behaviour in a driver assistance system such as lane keep assist in comparison with an ADAS, i.e., the driver could relax more in ADAS, leading to that traditional methods of estimating driver alertness are not applicable.

It would thus be desired to improve adaption of time period before intervention of the emergency braking system of the vehicle.

SUMMARY It is therefore an object of this invention to solve at least some of the above problems and improve traffic security by adapting intervention of an emergency braking system of a vehicle.

According to a first aspect of the invention, this objective is achieved by a method in a vehicle for adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system of the vehicle. The method comprises detecting that a module of an advanced driver assistance system of the vehicle is activated. Further, the method also comprises obtaining information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system of the vehicle. The method in addition comprises determining driver alertness based on the attention support data of the emergency braking system, adapted with regard to the detected module and the obtained information related to driver alertness. The method comprises adapting a time period before intervention of the emergency braking system, based on the determined driver alertness.

According to a second aspect of the invention, this objective is achieved by a control arrangement in a vehicle. The control arrangement aims at adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system of the vehicle. The control arrangement is configured to detect that a module of an advanced driver assistance system of the vehicle is activated. Further, the control arrangement is configured to obtain information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system of the vehicle. Also, the control arrangement is furthermore configured to determine driver alertness based on the attention support data of the emergency braking system, adapted with regard to the detected module and the obtained information related to driver alertness. The control arrangement is also configured to adapt a time period before intervention of the emergency braking system, based on the determined driver alertness.

Thanks to the described aspects, by obtaining information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system when activation of the advanced driver assistance system is detected, the problems of determining driver alertness only by the attention support module of the emergency braking system are circumvented. When Lane Keep Assist is activated, the driver is not required to keep his/ her hands on the steering wheel while when the Adaptive Cruise Control is activated, the driver is not required to keep his/ her feet on the pedals. Thereby, the lack of input for the attention support module may be compensated for by the driver alertness information obtained from the advanced driver assistance system. By estimating driver alertness with high precision, also when the advanced driver assistance system is activated, the time period before intervention of the emergency braking system may be better adapted to the alertness of the driver, leading to less distress and annoyance, higher acceptance of the emergency braking system and yet providing enough time for the driver to react. Thereby traffic security is enhanced.

Other advantages and additional novel features will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description, FIGURES Embodiments of the invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1A illustrates a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 1B illustrates a top view of a vehicle according to an embodiment; Figure 2 illustrates a vehicle interior according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the method; Figure 4 is an illustration depicting a system according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the invention described herein are defined as a method and a control arrangement, which may be put into practice in the embodiments described below. These embodiments may, however, be exemplified and realised in many different forms and are not to be limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these illustrative examples of embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

Still other objects and features may become apparent from the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the herein disclosed embodiments, for which reference is to be made to the appended claims. Further, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

Figure 1A illustrates a scenario with a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is driving on a road in a driving direction 105.

The vehicle 100 may comprise a means for transportation in broad sense such as e.g. a truck, a car, a motorcycle, a trailer, a bus, a bike, a train, a tram, an aircraft, a watercraft, a cable transport, an aerial tramway, a drone, a spacecraft, or other similar manned means of conveyance.

The vehicle 100 comprises an emergency braking system 110 and an advanced driver assistance system 120.

The emergency braking system 110 comprises an Attention Support module. Attention Support is a functionality of the emergency braking system 110 using sensors and / or algorithms describing fatigue and irresponsiveness to warn the driver when he/ she seems inattentive. An example of how to measure the driver activity may be through measuring driver torque on the steering wheel. Another example may be to measure and estimate driver activity on any, some or all of the pedals in the vehicle 100. These measurements may be made via various sensors.

The Advanced driver assistance system 120 is configured to automate/ adapt/ enhance vehicle systems for safety and better driving. Safety features are designed to avoid collisions and accidents by offering technologies that alert the driver to potential problems, and / or to avoid collisions by implementing safeguards and taking over control of the vehicle 100. Adaptive features may comprise automate lighting, provide adaptive cruise control, automate braking, incorporate GPS/ traffic warnings, connect to smartphones, alert driver to other vehicles or dangers, keep the driver in the correct lane, or show what is in blind spots around the vehicle 100.

The Advanced driver assistance system 120 relies on inputs from multiple data sources, comprising e.g. automotive imaging, LiDAR, radar, image processing, computer vision, and in-car networking. Additional inputs are possible from other sources separate from the vehicle 100, such as other vehicles, referred to as Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), or Vehicle-to-lnfrastructure (such as mobile telephony or Wi-Fi data network) systems.

However, when the any, some or all modules of the advanced driver assistance system 120 is activated, such as e.g. Lane Keep Assist, or Adaptive Cruise Control, the driver attention level may be adjusted with regard to information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system 120 of the vehicle 100. The reason is that when the Lane Keep Assist is activated, the vehicle 100 detects the driving lane markings via sensors and keep the vehicle 100 within the driving lane markings without intervention of the driver. Thus the driver may not keep his/ her hands on the driving wheel, why there may be no input signals for the Attention Support to use as input for estimating driver attention. When the Adaptive Cruise Control is active, the driver is not required to keep his/ her feet on any of the vehicle pedals, again providing no input signals for the Attention Support of the emergency braking system 110.

For that reason, driver activity as estimated by the Attention Support is adapted by information obtained from the driver assistance system 120, for determining driver alertness, according to embodiments of the invention.

Information from the advanced driver assistance system 120 on how the vehicle 100 is operated and may thus be made available to the emergency braking system 110.

This information can be used in the emergency braking system 110 to make a qualified decision on when to commence interaction such as collision warnings and / or emergency brake. For example, when driving on a highway with lane keep assist enabled and the measured driver activity is low it is likely that the driver will be less responsive to surrounding traffic and the emergency braking system 110 should warn early. Similarly, when driving on a multi lane road with congested traffic the driver is less likely to have full attention to the traffic ahead. On the other hand, when maneuvering in city traffic, the driver is likely to be more attentive to surrounding obstacles, especially stationary vehicles. In those cases, later interventions may be appropriate.

When the driver uses advanced driver assistance system 120 functionality to operate the vehicle 100, as the previously known methods of measuring driver responsiveness are no longer sufficient. This solution comprises information on how the driver is using the advanced driver assistance system 120 functions to make more qualified decisions on when to engage the emergency braking system 110.

Figure 1B schematically illustrates a scenario, similar to the previously discussed scenario illustrated in Figure 1A, but with the vehicle 100 seen from an above perspective.

The emergency braking system 110 comprises one or several sensors, such as e.g. a laser, a radar, a camera, etc. The sensor may detect an appearing object within a sensor detection distance 130, at a sensor detection width 140. The appearing object may be e.g. another vehicle, an animal, a human, a structure, etc.

The emergency braking system 110 may be adapted with regard to a time period before intervening. The intervention may comprise an alert, which may comprise an auditive signal and / or a visual message. Further, the intervention may also in addition; or alternatively comprise automatic activation of the brakes, in case the driver does not react within a time period. The time period may be predetermined or configurable and / or may be dependent e.g. on velocity of the vehicle 100.

The time period before intervening may be adapted with regard to attention support data, based on estimation of the driver alertness. The estimation of the attention support may comprise e.g. determining eye movements of the driver; determining driving seat position of the driver; detecting non-driving activity of the driver such as detecting that the driver makes a telephone call, plays a game, reads an internet article, watch a movie, etc.

Figure 2 illustrates an example of a vehicle interior of the vehicle 100 and depicts how the previously scenario in Figure 1A and / or Figure 1B may be perceived by the driver of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 comprises a control unit 210, for adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system 110 of the vehicle 100.

The emergency braking system 110 comprises an attention support module for surveying driver activity, e.g. via sensors on the steering wheel 220 and / or pedals 221, 222, 223. The vehicle 100 may also comprise other sensors such as e.g. a camera 250 for capturing eye direction of the driver. It may thereby be determined if the driver keeps the eyes on the road, or if he/ she keeps looking at something else, or e.g. have the eyes closed.

Based on detected driver activity, the attention support module may estimate driver attention, an information which may be used for adjusting a time period before intervention of the emergency braking system 110. This time period is then modified when a module of the advanced driver assistance system 120 of the vehicle 100 is detected.

The control unit 210 may communicate with the other vehicle internal units such as the sensors 250, the emergency braking system 110, the advanced driver assistance system 120, etc., via e.g. a communication bus. The communication bus may comprise e.g. a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) bus, or similar. However, the datalink may alternatively be made over a wireless connection comprising, or at least be inspired by any wireless communication technology such as e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.

The geographical position of the vehicle 100 may be determined by the positioning unit 230 in the vehicle 100, which may be based on a satellite navigation system such as the Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging (Navstar) Global Positioning System (GPS), Differential GPS (DGPS), Galileo, GLONASS, or the like.

The determined geographical position of the vehicle 100 may be used, in some embodiments, to estimate the location of the vehicle 100. The vehicle environment may then be determined e.g. based on map data using the determined geographical vehicle position as an input value. Thereby, the traffic environment of the vehicle 100 may be estimated and an indirect estimation of the driver’s attention may be made, which may be used for adapting/ modifying the time period before intervention of the emergency braking system 110.

The geographical position of the positioning unit 230, (and thereby also of the vehicle 100) may be made continuously with a certain predetermined or configurable time intervals according to various embodiments.

Positioning by satellite navigation is based on distance measurement using triangulation from a number of satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d. In this example, four satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d are depicted, but this is merely an example. More than four satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d may be used for enhancing the precision, or for creating redundancy. The satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d continuously transmit information about time and date (for example, in coded form), identity (which satellite 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d that broadcasts), status, and where the satellite 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d are situated at any given time. The GPS satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d sends information encoded with different codes, for example, but not necessarily based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). This allows information from an individual satellite 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d distinguished from the others' information, based on a unique code for each respective satellite 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d. This information can then be transmitted to be received by the appropriately adapted positioning device comprised in the vehicle 100.

Distance measurement can according to some embodiments comprise measuring the difference in the time it takes for each respective satellite signal transmitted by the respective satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d to reach the positioning unit 230. As the radio signals travel at the speed of light, the distance to the respective satellite 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d may be computed by measuring the signal propagation time.

The positions of the satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d are known, as they continuously are monitored by approximately 15-30 ground stations located mainly along and near the earth's equator. Thereby the geographical position, i.e. latitude and longitude, of the vehicle 100 may be calculated by determining the distance to at least three satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d through triangulation. For determination of altitude, signals from four satellites 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d may be used according to some embodiments.

The geographical position of the vehicle 100 may alternatively be determined, e.g. by having transponders positioned at known positions around the route of the vehicle 100 and a dedicated sensor in the vehicle 100, for recognising the transponders and thereby determining the position; by detecting and recognising Wi-Fi networks (Wi-Fi networks along the route may be mapped with certain respective geographical positions in a database); by receiving a Bluetooth beaconing signal, associated with a geographical position, or other signal signatures of wireless signals such as e.g. by triangulation of signals emitted by a plurality of fixed base stations with known geographical positions. The position may alternatively be entered by a driver or a passenger of the vehicle 100.

Having determined the geographical position of the positioning unit 330 (or in another way), it may be presented on the presentational device 200, e.g. on a map where the position of the vehicle 100 may be marked, in some embodiments.

The geographical position of the vehicle 100 may then be used for estimating driver attentiveness of the driver in the vehicle 100. For example, the driver may be assumed to be less attentive when driving on a highway; or in a traffic jam queue while being more attentive when driving in city traffic.

Another possible input for adapting the time period before intervention of the emergency braking system 110 may be time, such as time of the day (the driver may be assumed to be less attentive in the evening or at night time), passed time since last break (the driver may be less attentive the longer he/ she is driving in a row since the last break), passed time since the beginning of the journey (the driver may be assumed to be more alert in the beginning of the journey), passed time since the module of the advanced driver assistance system 120 was activated (the driver may be assumed to be less attentive the longer he/ she is driving with the driver assistance system 120 activated), and / or time information extracted from a tachograph of the vehicle 100.

The tachograph in the vehicle 100 automatically records speed and distance of the vehicle 100, together with the driver's activity selected from a choice of modes. The drive mode may be activated automatically when the vehicle 100 is in motion, and typically switch to work mode when the vehicle 100 stops. The driver may also select rest and availability modes manually when the vehicle 100 is stationary. It may be assumed that the driver is less attentive when the tachograph has been set into drive mode for a time period exceeding a predetermined or configurable time limit.

Figure 3 illustrates an example of a method 300 according to an embodiment. The flow chart in Figure 3 shows the method 300 for use in a vehicle 100. The method 300 aims at adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system 110 of the vehicle 100, e.g. when an advanced driver assistance system 120 is activated in the vehicle 100.

The vehicle 100 may be e.g. a truck, a bus, a car, or similar means of conveyance as previously mentioned.

In order to correctly be able to adapt interpretation of attention support data intervening the emergency braking system 110, the method 300 may comprise a number of steps 301-304. However, some of these steps 301-304 may be performed in various alternative manners. Some method steps may only be performed in some optional embodiments; such as e.g. steps 303-304. Further, the described steps 301-304 may be performed in a somewhat different chronological order than the numbering suggests. The method 300 may comprise the subsequent steps: Step 301 comprises detecting that a module of the advanced driver assistance system 120 of the vehicle 100 is activated.

The detected module may comprise e.g. Lane Keep Assist, and / or Adaptive Cruise Control, of the advanced driver assistance system 120 in the vehicle 100.

Step 302 comprises obtaining information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system 120 of the vehicle 100.

The obtained information concerns direct information based on driver monitoring, or indirect information based on time and / or geographical position of the vehicle 100.

The indirect information may comprise at least one of: time of the day; passed time since commencement of the journey; passed time since last break; passed time since the module of the advanced driver assistance system 120 was activated; tachograph information; estimation of driving environment.

The obtained information of the advanced driver assistance system 120 may thus be extracted from the advanced driver assistance system 120 and be used for adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening the emergency braking system 110.

Step 303 comprises determining driver alertness based on the attention support data of the emergency braking system 110, adapted with regard to the detected 301 module and the obtained 302 information related to driver alertness.

The determined driver alertness lower than a threshold level may be associated with a first time period before intervention, and the determined driver alertness exceeding the threshold level may be associated with a second time period before intervention, in some embodiments. The first time period may be longer than the second time period.

Step 304 comprises obtaining adapting a time period before intervention of the emergency braking system 110, based on the determined 303 driver alertness.

The adaptation of the time period may comprise disregarding attention support data based on driver torque on the steering wheel 220, when the Lane Keep Assist module is detected 301 to be activated.

In some embodiments, the adaptation of the time period before intervention comprises disregarding attention support data based on pedal activity of the driver is disregarded when the Adaptive Cruise Control module is detected 301 to be activated.

Thereby, the interaction of the emergency braking system 110, although based on the attention support module thereof may be adapted to the modified activity of the driver when using the advanced driver assistance system 120, or a module thereof.

Figure 4 illustrates an embodiment of a system 400 in a vehicle 100 for adapting intervention of an emergency braking system 110 of the vehicle 100. The system 400 may perform at least some of the previously described method steps 301-304 according to the method 300 described above and illustrated in Figure 3.

The system 400 comprises at least one control unit 210 in the vehicle 100, for vehicle selfdiagnosis by visual inspection. The control unit 210 is configured to adapt interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system 110 of the vehicle 100. Further the control unit 210 is configured to detect that a module of an advanced driver assistance system 120 of the vehicle 100 is activated. The control unit 210 is also configured to obtain information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system 120 of the vehicle 100. In addition, the control unit 210 is also configured to determine driver alertness based on the attention support data of the emergency braking system 110, adapted with regard to the detected module and the obtained information related to driver alertness. The control unit 210 is furthermore configured to adapt a time period before intervention of the emergency braking system 110, based on the determined driver alertness.

In some embodiments, the control arrangement 210 may be further configured to detect a Lane Keep Assist module or an Adaptive Cruise Control module. In addition, the control arrangement 210 may also be configured to disregard attention support data based on driver torque on the steering wheel 220 when the Lane Keep Assist module is detected to be activated. Also, alternatively or in addition, the control arrangement 210 may also be configured to disregard attention support data based on pedal activity of the driver when the Adaptive Cruise Control module is detected to be activated.

The control arrangement 210 may also be additionally configured to obtain information concerning direct information based on driver monitoring, or indirect information based on time and / or geographical position of the vehicle 100. Such indirect information may comprise at least one of: time of the day; passed time since commencement of the journey; passed time since last break; passed time since the module of the advanced driver assistance system 120 was activated; tachograph information; estimation of driving environment.

Further, the control arrangement 210 may be configured to associate a first time period before intervention when driver alertness lower than a threshold level is determined; and / or associate a second time period before intervention when driver alertness exceeding the threshold level is determined. The first time period is longer than the second time period.

The control arrangement 210 comprises a receiving circuit 410 configured for receiving a signal from the advanced driver assistance system 120 and / or the sensors of the emergency braking system 110.

Further, the control arrangement 210 comprises a processing circuitry 420 configured for performing at least some method steps 301-304 of the above described method 300, according to some embodiments.

Such processing circuitry 420 may comprise one or more instances of a processing circuit, i.e. a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a processing unit, a processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, or other processing logic that may interpret and execute instructions. The herein utilised expression “processing circuitry” may thus represent a processing circuitry comprising a plurality of processing circuits, such as, e.g., any, some or all of the ones enumerated above.

Furthermore, the control arrangement 210 may comprise a memory 425 in some embodiments. The optional memory 425 may comprise a physical device utilised to store data or programs, i.e., sequences of instructions, on a temporary or permanent basis. According to some embodiments, the memory 425 may comprise integrated circuits comprising siliconbased transistors. The memory 425 may comprise e.g. a memory card, a flash memory, a USB memory, a hard disc, or another similar volatile or non-volatile storage unit for storing data such as e.g. ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable PROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), etc. in different embodiments.

Further, the control arrangement 210 may comprise a signal transmitter 430 in some embodiments. The signal transmitter 430 may be configured for transmitting a signal to e.g. the emergency braking system 110.

Further, the system 400 in addition also comprises the emergency braking system 110. The emergency braking system 110 in turn comprises an attention support module, for estimating alertness of the driver.

The system 400 also comprises the advanced driver assistance system 120.

The above described method steps 301-304 to be performed in the vehicle 100 may be implemented through the one or more processing circuits 420 within the control arrangement 210, together with computer program product for performing at least some of the functions of the steps 301 -304. Thus a computer program product, comprising instructions for performing the steps 301-304 in the control arrangement 210 may perform the method 400 comprising at least some of the steps 301-304 for vehicle diagnosis by visual inspection, when the computer program is loaded into the one or more processing circuits 420 of the control arrangement 210.

Further, some embodiments of the invention may comprise a vehicle 100, comprising the control arrangement 210, for vehicle diagnosis by visual inspection, according to at least some of the steps 301 -304.

The computer program product mentioned above may be provided for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing at least some of the steps 301-304 according to some embodiments when being loaded into the one or more processing circuits 420 of the control arrangement 210. The data carrier may be, e.g., a hard disk, a CD ROM disc, a memory stick, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device or any other appropriate medium such as a disk or tape that may hold machine readable data in a non-transitory manner. The computer program product may furthermore be provided as computer program code on a server and downloaded to the control arrangement 210 remotely, e.g., over an Internet or an intranet connection.

The terminology used in the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the described method 300; the control arrangement 210; the computer program; the system 400 and / or the vehicle 100. Various changes, substitutions and / or alterations may be made, without departing from invention embodiments as defined by the appended claims.

As used herein, the term "and/ or" comprises any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The term “or” as used herein, is to be interpreted as a mathematical OR, i.e., as an inclusive disjunction; not as a mathematical exclusive OR (XOR), unless expressly stated otherwise. In addition, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are to be interpreted as “at least one”, thus also possibly comprising a plurality of entities of the same kind, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "includes", "comprises", "including" and / or "comprising", specifies the presence of stated features, actions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, actions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. A single unit such as e.g. a processor may fulfil the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. A computer program may be stored/ distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms such as via Internet or other wired or wireless communication system.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A method (300) in a vehicle (100) for adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system (110) of the vehicle (100); wherein the method (300) comprises: detecting (301) that a module of an advanced driver assistance system (120) of the vehicle (100) is activated; obtaining (302) information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system (120) of the vehicle (100); determining (303) driver alertness based on the attention support data of the emergency braking system (110), adapted with regard to the detected (301) module and the obtained (302) information related to driver alertness; characterized in that: adapting (304) a time period before intervention of the emergency braking system (110), based on the determined (303) driver alertness.

2. The method (300) according to claim 1 , wherein the detected (301) module comprises Lane Keep Assist, or Adaptive Cruise Control; and wherein the adaptation (304) of the time period before intervention comprises disregarding attention support data based on driver torque on the steering wheel (220), when the Lane Keep Assist module is detected (301 ) to be activated; and the adaptation (304) of the time period before intervention comprises disregarding attention support data based on pedal activity of the driver is disregarded when the Adaptive Cruise Control module is detected (301) to be activated.

3. The method (300) according to any one of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the obtained (302) information concerns direct information based on driver monitoring, or indirect information based on time and / or geographical position of the vehicle (100).

4. The method (300) according to claim 3, wherein the indirect information comprises at least one of: time of the day; passed time since commencement of the journey; passed time since last break; passed time since the module of the advanced driver assistance system (120) was activated; tachograph information; estimation of driving environment.

5. The method (300) according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein a determined (303) driver alertness lower than a threshold level is associated with a first time period before intervention, and a determined (303) driver alertness exceeding the threshold level is associated with a second time period before intervention; and wherein the first time period is longer than the second time period.

6. A control arrangement (210) in a vehicle (100) for adapting interpretation of attention support data intervening an emergency braking system (110) of the vehicle (100); wherein the control arrangement (210) is configured to: detect that a module of an advanced driver assistance system (120) of the vehicle (100) is activated; obtain information related to driver alertness from the advanced driver assistance system (120) of the vehicle (100); determine driver alertness based on the attention support data of the emergency braking system (110), adapted with regard to the detected module and the obtained information related to driver alertness; characterized in that: adapt a time period before intervention of the emergency braking system (110), based on the determined driver alertness.

7. The control arrangement (210) according to claim 6, further configured to detect a Lane Keep Assist module or an Adaptive Cruise Control module; and also configured to disregard attention support data based on driver torque on the steering wheel (220) when the Lane Keep Assist module is detected to be activated; and disregard attention support data based on pedal activity of the driver when the Adaptive Cruise Control module is detected to be activated.

8. The control arrangement (210) according to any one of claim 6 or claim 7, further configured to obtain information concerning direct information based on driver monitoring, or indirect information based on time and / or geographical position of the vehicle (100).

9. The control arrangement (210) according to any one of claims 6-8, wherein the indirect information comprises at least one of: time of the day; passed time since commencement of the journey; passed time since last break; passed time since the module of the advanced driver assistance system (120) was activated; tachograph information; estimation of driving environment.

10. The control arrangement (210) according to any one of claims 6-9, wherein a determined driver alertness lower than a threshold level is associated with a first time period before intervention, and a determined driver alertness exceeding the threshold level is associated with a second time period before intervention; and wherein the first time period is longer than the second time period.

11. A computer program comprising program code for performing a method (300) according to any of claims 1-5 when the computer program is executed in a processor (420) in a control arrangement (210), according to any of claims 6-10.

12. A system (400) in a vehicle (100) for adapting intervention of an emergency braking system (110) of the vehicle (100), which system (400) comprises: a control arrangement (210) according to claims 6-10; the emergency braking system (110); and an advanced driver assistance system (120).

13. A vehicle (100) comprising a system (400) according to claim 12.