WO2007082828A1

WO2007082828A1 - Method and apparatus for warning of collision when vehicles change lane

Info

Publication number: WO2007082828A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/050240
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Edling
Original assignee: Continental Teves Ag & Co. Ohg
Priority date: 2006-01-12
Filing date: 2007-01-11
Publication date: 2007-07-26
Also published as: DE102007002220A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for warning of collision for motor vehicles when changing lane, where a first ascertainment unit is provided for ascertaining whether the vehicle is travelling on a road with a plurality of lanes, a second ascertainment unit is provided for ascertaining whether the vehicle wishes to change lane, a third ascertainment unit is provided for ascertaining whether the lane is occupied by another vehicle, and an output unit is provided which outputs a visual, haptic or audible warning on the basis of the driving situations ascertained in the three ascertainment units.

Description

Method and device for collision warning in the case of lane changes of vehicles

The invention relates to a method and a device for collision warning in lane changes of vehicles.

EP 0 473 866 A2 discloses a collision avoidance system in which a sensor acquires a multiplicity of potential collision objects and predicts a possible collision with the aid of the acquired data. To avoid the collision, it is proposed that braking means and / or steering means are activated by a vehicle control unit in order to avoid a collision. It is not stated how a control unit decides whether the steering means, the braking means or both must be used to avoid the collision.

From US Pat. No. 6,049,295 A1, a method is known which is intended to prevent collisions between vehicles which drive on an intersection without traffic signs or a road section which is difficult to see. This method requires a road-solid device and vehicle-mounted devices that communicate with each other by radio.

From DE 198 30 547 Al a crossing warning system is also known, which is also dependent on roadside and on-board facilities.

The known methods and devices for collision avoidance use in the interpretation of a present Driving situation individual driving situation-typical information to carry out a subsequent assessment. The disadvantage here is that further information to improve the driving situation assessment can not be flexibly and easily evaluated.

In critical traffic situations such. B. impending collisions with other vehicles, a driver often can not respond quickly enough or not appropriate to the situation. For example, when driving on multi-lane roads, this is the case when changing lanes to an already "occupied" lane, which can occur if the driver is inattentive or if the vehicle is on the "occupied" lane in the "blind spot" of the exterior mirror located.

For this reason, a method is needed by which the vehicle can prepare the necessary steps, such as evasion or braking, and warn the driver when he is about to change to a busy lane and thus possibly cause an accident.

The invention has for its object to provide a method and an apparatus to make a change of lane to a vehicle safer.

This object is solved by the features of claims 1 and 9.

In an advantageous embodiment, a classification of the traveled road is performed by the first determination in-vehicle driver assistance and / or vehicle safety systems.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the signal of a speed sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor and a yaw rate sensor is evaluated for classifying the busy road and the lateral acceleration and the yaw rate are set in relation to the current speed. Furthermore, a radius of curvature R is determined for the classification of the busy road.

In a further advantageous embodiment, an analysis of the environment of the vehicle is carried out, wherein it is determined whether there are other vehicles in the area and how the direction of travel of the vehicles located in the environment, which is determined depending on the environment analysis, if the vehicle is on a single or multi-lane road.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, a second determination is made whether the driver intends to change the lane. This is done based on an analysis of the signal generator and / or based on an analysis of the steering profile.

In a further particularly preferred embodiment, upon detection of an intended change of the lane and upon detection of an occupancy of this lane, a warning message is issued which is sent to the driver via a man-machine interface. A particularly advantageous embodiment of the collision warning device according to the invention for lane changes of vehicles comprises a first determination unit for determining whether the vehicle is traveling on a road with multiple lanes, a second determination unit for determining whether the vehicle wants to change the lane, a third determination unit for determining whether the Lane is occupied by another vehicle, and an output unit that outputs an optical, haptic or audible warning depending on the determined in the three detection units driving situations.

In an advantageous embodiment, the output unit is designed as a human machine interface.

Advantageous developments are specified in the subclaims.

By interpreting the information from different systems, all functional advantages of the individual subsystems are maintained and, in addition, their overall performance is increased. While the individual subsystems, such as the vehicle safety systems, can reduce accidents by minimizing the risk of certain dangers that apply only to one's own vehicle, complex dangerous situations can be solved according to the invention, in which numerous vehicles are involved in particular. It also reduces risks associated with a vehicle collision because it is not focused on specific cases, such as avoiding rear-end collisions. By the method and the device for warning of collisions when changing lanes of a motor vehicle accident avoidance can be achieved by timely warning of the driver from the risk of collision when changing lanes. Advantageously, an environment sensor installed in the vehicle, which is used in driver assistance systems and vehicle safety systems, can be used, so that the method according to the invention and the device according to the invention can be implemented cost-effectively.

As vehicle safety systems, all braking systems available in the vehicle can be used with electronic control. Vehicle safety systems may include Electronic Break System (EBS), Engine Management System (EMS), Anti-lock Braking System, Traction Control, Electronic Stability Program, Electronic Differential Lock, Transmission Control Unit (TCU), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBV) and / or or engine drag torque control (MSR).

Driver assistance systems are electronic ancillary devices in vehicles to assist the driver in certain driving situations. Here are often safety aspects, but also the increase in ride comfort in the foreground. These systems partly autonomously or autonomously intervene in drive, control (eg gas, brake) or signaling devices of the vehicle or warn the driver shortly before or during critical situations by means of suitable man-machine interfaces. Such driver assistance systems are, for example, parking aid (sensor arrays for obstacle detection and distance detection), brake assist (BAS), cruise control, adaptive cruise control or cruise control (ACC), distance control. swarner, turn assistant, traffic jam assistant, lane detection system, lane departure warning / lane departure assistant (lane departure warning), lane keeping support), lane change assistance, intelligent speed adaptation (ISA), adaptive cure radiation, tire pressure monitoring system , Driver status detection, traffic detection, automatic emergency braking (ANB), headlight dipping and dipping lights, night vision system.

In motor vehicles with brake systems which have an ABS control, a vehicle dynamics control or the like, a variety of methods for detecting driving situations by a microprocessor are usually carried out in electronic control devices. In virtually all methods for detecting the driving situation, input signals from wheel speed sensors for detecting the driving situation are evaluated either alone or together with other sensors (yaw rate, lateral acceleration, etc.) if these other sensors (so-called ESP sensors) are present in the vehicle.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the startup of the method according to the invention. The sequence of the method according to the invention consists of the following phases:

1. Determination of multi-lane road and road shape (1)

2. Determination of lane change (2)

3. Determination occupied target track (3)

4th edition lane change warning (4) The results and the evaluation of the individual phases are output to a data memory (5) and further processed by means of an evaluation unit (6). In this context, the data memory can be embodied as a real data memory, as well as a virtual data memory. For all process steps, an important prerequisite is that these real-time criteria suffice.

Advantageously, the method has the following method steps:

1) Determination of multi-lane road (1)

a) Current speed

In order to determine whether it is a multi-lane road, a situation recognition by means of the driver assistance and / or vehicle safety system is performed to determine the type of road currently the vehicle is driven by the driver. This avoids generating an unnecessary warning to the driver when the vehicle is driven, for example, in city traffic or on a single-lane country lanes. A feature when driving on multi-lane roads is that a high speed of, for example> 80 km / h is driven. By reading in the information from, for example, the speed sensors, it is possible to check the current speed (10). If a high speed of eg> 80 km / h, according to the invention, this information is written to a data memory. Thus, the information for further evaluation of the phases 2-4 is provided. b) street shape

The type of road, whether it is, for example, a winding or elongated road is evaluated by evaluating the small changes in the lateral acceleration (11) and the yaw rate (12) in relation to vehicle speed compared to narrow-curved roads. A further advantageous determination of the road type may Example ^¬ / done speed yaw rate (13), by the direct calculation of the turning radius R = Ge ^¬. Another advantage ^¬ exemplary determination process for curve radii can be derived from the ABS wheel speed signals.

The determined curve radius R is preferably averaged and / or filtered. Be over long periods of a "long ^¬ solid curve" recognized (14) or "straight-ahead" (15), the information is "Straight Street" in the already genann ^¬ th data storage transfer

If a narrow curve is determined in the course of the procedure, which is not recognized as a lane change that causes a change in sign of the ^lateral acceleration, the information " ^device road" is replaced by the information "tight curve". Such a case occurs when, for example, the driver leaves a highway, because when driving off a highway, a tight turn is made.

c) determination of the direction of travel of the neighboring vehicles

If there are other vehicles in the immediate vicinity, it is determined via the environmental sensor system that a vehicle movement in the same direction on the adjacent lane is detected. follows, a detection is performed. Here fol ^¬ gen models are reviewed:

I) The own vehicle drives on the extreme right lane and on the right standing objects are recognized and on the left other vehicles drive slower, faster or equally fast

(16)

II) The host vehicle is traveling on a middle lane and the left and right drive other vehicles slower fast ^¬ ler or the same speed (17)

III) The own vehicle drives on the extreme left lane and on the left standing objects or oncoming objects are detected and on the right other vehicles drive slower, faster or equally fast (18)

Is one of the models I-III to be detected, the informa tion ^¬ "Multiple Lane Street detected" is stored in the data storage ge ^¬.

Be right stationary objects and recognized left quickly counter ^¬ coming traffic as in the case of a running track ^¬ in any direction is present, is "recognized Motorway road" information reset. If the left and right stationary objects detected as the recognition of a ^¬ lane road, the information "Multilane road detected" is also reset. If the information "tight curve" exists in the data memory, the information "multi-lane road detected" is also reset.

If none of this model is recognized, as in the case of a single vehicle on the highway, that of no If the vehicle is surrounded by other vehicles, the information "Criterion multi-lane non-evaluable road" (19) is transferred to the data memory, in which case no other vehicles are detected in the same direction on the adjacent lane.

The evaluation of the information in the data memory takes place. If the information "high speed" and "straight road" and "multi-lane road detected" is present, the information "driver drives on multi-lane road" is set, which is used in the following as basic information.

If the information "Criterion multi-lane road can not be evaluated" is available in the data memory, the information "Multi-lane road detected" is not evaluated.

All information should preferably be generated and determined by statistical considerations, since individual events may have been incorrectly determined by disturbances. Additional information criteria and perturbations are specified by empirically determined values, preferably these are determined by experiments.

2. Determination of lane change (2)

Subsequently, the phase "Determination lane change" is run through.

It is a detection of the lane change request of the driver and the target lane, in which he wants to change, determined by the fact that the signal of the operated "turn signal lever" (20) is evaluated and the direction request and intention to change lanes are recognized. The information "change to the right" or "change to the left" (21) is transferred depending on the operated turn signal lever in the data memory Ü.

A particularly advantageous way of determining a lane change is determined by the analysis of the steering profile (22), as described e.g. with ever slower steering movement at higher speeds. From this it is ruled out that it does not concern corrections for lane keeping and based on this steering profile, the information "change to the right" or "change to the left" can be transferred to the data memory.

3. Determination occupied target track (2)

The environmental sensors determine the neighboring vehicles located in the rear side room in the environment. Upon detection that there is already a vehicle on the lane to be changed, the information "vehicle left" (20) or "vehicle right" (21) is transmitted to the data memory

4th issue of lane change warning (4)

From the continuous phases of points 1 to 3, an output of a warning is made when certain information states in the data memory are present.

Is detected in this phase that the vehicle with the information "high speed" on a multi-lane Road is located, and to change to a busy lane, then a warning is issued to the driver. This is done via various output options by means of a human-machine interface. In one embodiment, the output of the warning takes place, for example, via the CAN data bus or hardwired to a display unit, which is designed, for example, in the form of an instrument cluster. Here, a warning tone and a display message or a warning lamp is activated. Alternatively, a vibration alarm can also be output via the driver's seat. In a further refinement, a head-up display or a specific region of the interior mirror of the vehicle can function as a reproduction unit, which is only viewed by the vehicle driver. Alternatively, a projection of the warning situation on the windscreen and / or rear window can be visualized.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the environmental sensors, such as e.g. Infrared sensors from the driver assistance system Parking assistance used on both sides of the vehicle. These detect at least the range of the area not visually discernible by the driver via the vehicle mirrors, the so-called "blind spot." Particularly advantageous is the use of a central processing unit that performs the situation recognition, which is preferably already present in the vehicle, as it is In addition, this central processing unit, the control of the output unit, which warns the driver, for example by means of a warning sound, warning lamp and display message takes over the case

The above description relates to an embodiment of the invention that is used in land vehicles, for example used in trucks, buses or passenger cars. It is understood, however, that the underlying method of the invention and the underlying device of the invention is not limited to use in land vehicles, but - may be extended to other vehicles, such as rail vehicles, watercraft and aircraft - possibly in slightly modified form.

Claims

claims

1. A method for warning against collisions when changing lanes of motor vehicles, characterized by a first determination whether the vehicle is traveling on a road with several lanes, a second determination of whether the vehicle wants to change the lane, a third determination whether the lane by another Vehicle is occupied, and an optical, haptic or audible warning depending on the three determined driving situations.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the first determination of a classification of the busy road is done by located in the vehicle driver assistance and / or vehicle safety systems.

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the signal of a speed sensor, a transverse acceleration sensor and a yaw rate sensor is evaluated for classifying the busy road and the lateral acceleration and the yaw rate are set in relation to the current speed.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a radius of curvature R is determined for the classification of the busy road.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an analysis of the environment of the vehicle is performed, it being determined whether there are other vehicles in the area and how the direction of travel of the surrounding vehicles is, depending on the Environment analysis is determined whether the vehicle is on a single or multi-lane road.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second determination of whether the vehicle wants to change the lane, based on an analysis of the signal generator and / or based on an analysis of the steering profile.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the third determination by means of an environmental analysis, which detects the rear lateral space and the adjacent vehicles takes place.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that upon detection of an intended change of the lane and upon detection of an occupancy of this lane, a warning message via a man-machine interface is output to the driver.

9. A collision warning device for lane change of vehicles, characterized by comprising a first determining unit for determining whether the vehicle is traveling on a multi-lane road, a second determining unit for determining whether the vehicle wants to change the lane, a third determining unit for determining whether Lane is occupied by another vehicle, and an output unit that outputs an optical, haptic or audible warning depending on the determined in the three detection units driving situations.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the output unit is a human machine interface.

11. Computer program product, characterized in that it defines an algorithm which comprises a method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.