Vehicle control system and method

• US 10,017,105 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Onica, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/098,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20160325740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 701 41
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/176 Camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/177 Augmented reality
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/191 Highlight information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/146 : Speed limiting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 : Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 : Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 : Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 : Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/04 : Systems determining presence of a target

Abstract

A vehicle control system for a vehicle having a driver assistance system includes sensors configured to acquire data about surroundings of the vehicle, a user interface configured to display user information and acquire user input from a user, and a processing unit coupled to the sensors, the driver assistance system and the user interface. The processing unit is configured to produce and provide adapted parameters to the driver assistance system based on acquired user input about sensor data and/or actions performed by the driver assistance system. In a corresponding method, the parameters are adapted based on the acquired user input.

Claims

1. An apparatus including a vehicle control system and a driver assistance system for a vehicle, the control system comprising:

a sensor configured to acquire sensor data regarding surroundings of the vehicle;

a user interface configured to display user information and to acquire a user input from a user; and

a processing unit coupled directly or indirectly to the sensor and the user interface, wherein the processing unit is configured to obtain object information about an object in the surroundings that was detected and recognized from the sensor data, to produce the user information comprising a query to the user about whether or not the object was correctly detected or recognized, to produce an adapted parameter by changing a current parameter in response to and dependent on the acquired user input comprising a user reply to the query, and to provide the adapted parameter to the driver assistance system to perform a driver assistance function;

wherein the changing of the current parameter comprises at least one of to increase or decrease a value of the current parameter, to reset the value of the current parameter to a predefined value, and/or to widen or narrow a range indicated by the current parameter;

wherein the driver assistance system is configured to automatically control a vehicle operation by performing the driver assistance function using and dependent on the adapted parameter; and

wherein the driver assistance function comprises at least one of;

an automatic control of a steering of the vehicle,

an automatic control of a braking of the vehicle,

an automatic control of an acceleration of the vehicle,

an automatic control of lights of the vehicle,

an automatic traffic sign detection, and/or

an automatic pedestrian detection.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is connected directly to the processor unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driver assistance system is configured to detect and recognize the object from the sensor data and to produce the object information, and wherein the processing unit is connected to the driver assistance system and is configured to obtain the object information from the driver assistance system.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is connected to the driver assistance system, and through the driver assistance system is connected indirectly to the processing unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driver assistance system is configured to detect and recognize the object from the sensor data using the current parameter, and wherein the processing unit is configured to receive the current parameter from the driver assistance system.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driver assistance function comprises the traffic sign detection and/or the pedestrian detection, and an automatic control of a driving operation of the vehicle in response thereto.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driver assistance function comprises the automatic control of the steering, the automatic control of the braking and/or the automatic control of the acceleration of the vehicle.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to present the user information further comprising a question about an action performed by the driver assistance system to the user via the user interface and to acquire from the user interface the user input further comprising a user feedback in relation to the action performed by the driver assistance system.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is configured to present the question about the action performed by the driver assistance system as a question about at least one of:

whether the action performed by the driver assistance system was performed early or in time or late; and

/or

whether an intensity of the action performed by the driver assistance system was too high or correct or too low.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor comprises a camera configured to acquire the sensor data as image data regarding the surroundings of the vehicle,

the processing unit is configured to display the user information further comprising information about the object that was detected in the image data,

the current parameter is an object detection parameter, and

the processing unit is configured to produce the adapted parameter by changing the object detection parameter when the user reply indicates that the object was not correctly detected or recognized.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the user interface comprises a head-up display of the vehicle configured to display the user information; and

/or

the user interface comprises a speech recognition device and/or a number of buttons and/or an image recognition device to acquire the user input.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to produce the query when the user pushes a predefined button of the user interface and/or issues a predefined voice command and/or provides a predefined gesture, which the user interface is configured to detect.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing of the current parameter comprises to widen or narrow the range indicated by the current parameter.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing of the current parameter comprises the resetting of the value of the current parameter to the predefined value.

15. A method of controlling a vehicle having a driver assistance system, the method comprising:

a sensor acquiring sensor data regarding surroundings of the vehicle;

a processing unit obtaining object information about an object in the surroundings that was detected and recognized from the sensor data, and producing user information comprising a query to a user about whether or not the object was correctly detected or recognized;

a user interface displaying the user information to the user, and acquiring from the user a user input comprising a user reply to the query;

the processing unit producing an adapted parameter by changing a current parameter in response to and dependent on the acquired user input, and providing the adapted parameter to the driver assistance system for performing a driver assistance function, wherein the changing of the current parameter comprises at least one of increasing or decreasing a value of the current parameter, resetting the value of the current parameter to a predefined value, and/or widening or narrowing a range indicated by the current parameter; and

the driver assistance system, using and dependent on the adapted parameter, automatically controlling a vehicle operation by performing the driver assistance function comprising at least one of;

a steering control of the vehicle,

a braking control of the vehicle,

an acceleration control of the vehicle,

a light control of the vehicle,

a traffic sign detection, and/or

a pedestrian detection.

16. The method according to claim 15,

further comprising the driver assistance system detecting and recognizing the object from the sensor data, and producing the object information;

and

the processing unit obtaining the object information from the driver assistance system.

17. The method according to claim 16,

wherein the driver assistance system performs the detecting and recognizing of the object from the sensor data using the current parameter, and

comprising the processing unit receiving the current parameter from the driver assistance system.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the user information further comprises a question about an action performed by the driver assistance system.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the question about the action performed by the driver assistance system is a question about at least one of:

whether the action performed by the driver assistance system was performed early or in time or late; and

/or

whether an intensity of the action performed by the driver assistance system was too high or correct or too low.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the producing and the displaying of the user information comprising the query begins when the user pushes a predefined button of the user interface and/or issues a predefined voice command and/or provides a predefined gesture, which the user interface detects.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein the changing of the current parameter comprises the widening or the narrowing of the range indicated by the current parameter.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein the changing of the current parameter comprises the resetting of the value of the current parameter to the predefined value.

23. The method according to claim 15, wherein the driver assistance function comprises performing the traffic sign detection and/or the pedestrian detection, and controlling a driving operation of the vehicle in response thereto.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein the driver assistance function comprises performing the steering control, the braking control and/or the acceleration control of the vehicle.