Assistance when driving a vehicle

• US 10,295,360 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Heimrath, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US15/594,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20170248441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09

Abstract

In order to support the driving of an ego-vehicle, the following steps are carried out: gathering information from the environment of the ego-vehicle; processing the gathered information, in such a way that it is detected whether a neighboring vehicle is in the environment of the ego-vehicle, and if a neighboring vehicle is detected, additionally gathering and/or processing information relating to the neighboring vehicle in order to assign at least one typical attribute to the neighboring vehicle; and, according to the at least one typical attribute of the neighboring vehicle, providing control information for driving the ego-vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for providing assistance when driving an ego vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

gathering information from an environment of the ego vehicle;

processing the information gathered such that it is detected whether there is a neighboring vehicle in the environment of the ego vehicle and, if a neighboring vehicle is detected, also gathering and/or processing information in relation to the neighboring vehicle in order to assign at least one typical attribute to the neighboring vehicle; and

based on the at least one typical attribute of the neighboring vehicle, providing control information for driving the ego vehicle,

wherein the at least one typical attribute comprises one or more of the following attributes;

driving safety in relation to an owner or assumed driver of the neighboring vehicle,

driving style in relation to the owner or assumed driver of the neighboring vehicle, or

an overall condition of the neighboring vehicle.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

a sensor system, which comprises an optical camera, an infrared camera, a radar system, an ultrasound system, a mobile radio system and/or a Wireless Local Area Network system, is used for gathering the information from the environment.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the driving of the ego vehicle is performed fully or partially automatically.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein

the driving of the ego vehicle is performed in a highly automated manner.

2. A method for providing assistance when driving an ego vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

gathering information from an environment of the ego vehicle;

processing the information gathered such that it is detected whether there is a neighboring vehicle in the environment of the ego vehicle and, if a neighboring vehicle is detected, also gathering and/or processing information in relation to the neighboring vehicle in order to assign at least one typical attribute to the neighboring vehicle; and

based on the at least one typical attribute of the neighboring vehicle, providing control information for driving the ego vehicle,

wherein, by way of at least part of the information gathered in relation to the neighboring vehicle, data with further information in relation to the neighboring vehicle are loaded from a vehicle-external data source into the ego vehicle and provided for driving the ego vehicle.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the data with the further information in relation to the neighboring vehicle are processed and used for the assignment of the at least one typical attribute to the neighboring vehicle.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the data with the further information in relation to the neighboring vehicle are provided from a vehicle-external computer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the vehicle-external computer is one of a backend server, a server of a social network, or an external database.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the data with the further information are loaded from the vehicle-external computer into the ego vehicle by way of a radio connection and used for driving the ego vehicle.

11. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the driving of the ego vehicle is performed fully or partially automatically.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein

the driving of the ego vehicle is performed in a highly automated manner.

10. An electronic system for assisting driving of an ego vehicle, the electronic system comprising a processor and associated memory having stored thereon program code that, when executed by the processor, carries out the acts of:

gathering information from an environment of the ego vehicle;

processing the information gathered such that it is detected whether there is a neighboring vehicle in the environment of the ego vehicle and, if a neighboring vehicle is detected, also gathering and/or processing information in relation to the neighboring vehicle in order to assign at least one typical attribute to the neighboring vehicle; and

based on the at least one typical attribute of the neighboring vehicle, providing control information for driving the ego vehicle,

wherein the at least one typical attribute comprises one or more of the following attributes;

driving safety in relation to an owner or assumed driver of the neighboring vehicle,

driving style in relation to the owner or assumed driver of the neighboring vehicle, or

an overall condition of the neighboring vehicle.

13. The electronic system as claimed in claim 10, wherein, by way of at least part of the information gathered in relation to the neighboring vehicle, data with further information in relation to the neighboring vehicle are loaded from a vehicle-external data source into the ego vehicle and provided for driving the ego vehicle.