Method and apparatus for operating a vehicle

• US 10,336,268 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Schroeder, Christoph, Pink, Oliver, Nordbruch, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US15/517,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20170291560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0234 related to maintenance or repairing of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/18 Safety devices; Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/22 Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/402 Back-up
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/885 using electrical circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/92 automatically taking corrective action
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0215 Sensor drifts or sensor failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18054 at stand still, e.g. engine in idling state hill holding B60W30/18118
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/029 Adapting to failures or work around with other constraints, e.g. circumvention by avoiding use of failed parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0015 specially adapted for safety
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0059 Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/007 : Emergency override Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 : with safety arrangements

Abstract

A method for operating a vehicle, the vehicle being guided in fully automated fashion, and if an error is detected during the fully automated guidance, a safe state being selected from a plurality of safe states as a function of one parameter, the vehicle being guided in fully automated fashion into the selected safe state. Also described is an apparatus for operating a vehicle, as well as to a computer program.

Claims

1. A method for operating a vehicle, the method comprising:

guiding the vehicle in a fully automated and driverless manner;

selecting, if an error is detected during the fully automated guidance, a safe state from a plurality of safe states as a function of one parameter; and

guiding the vehicle in a fully automated and driverless manner into the selected safe state, wherein the parameter describes a failure of a rear sensor system of the vehicle, and wherein, in response to the failure of the rear sensor system of the vehicle, the guidance of the vehicle is adapted to a guidance of a vehicle driving in front of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter describes a traffic situation and/or a sensor availability and/or a hardware availability and/or a state of health of a driver of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of safe states includes elements from the following group of safe states:

standstill on a roadway, standstill in its own lane, standstill in a breakdown lane, standstill in a rest stop, standstill in a parking area, adapting the guidance of the vehicle to a guidance of a vehicle driving in front of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the parameter describes a loss of the driver, and the vehicle is parked in a rest stop or in a parking area.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the parameter describes a failure of an electronic stability program of the vehicle, and the vehicle is stopped in its own lane.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the parameter describes a failure of a vehicle electronic stability program and of a vehicle steering system, and the vehicle is stopped on the roadway.

7. An apparatus for operating a vehicle, including:

a guidance device to guide the vehicle in a fully automated and driverless manner;

a detection device for detecting an error; and

a selection device, which is configured, upon detection of an error during the fully automated guidance, to select a safe state from a plurality of safe states as a function of one parameter;

wherein the guidance device is configured to guide the vehicle in a fully automated and driverless manner into the selected safe state, wherein the parameter describes a failure of a rear sensor system of the vehicle, and wherein, in response to the failure of the rear sensor system of the vehicle, the guidance of the vehicle is adapted to a guidance of a vehicle driving in front of the vehicle.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for operating a vehicle, by performing the following;

guiding the vehicle in a fully automated and driverless manner;

selecting, if an error is detected during the fully automated guidance, a safe state from a plurality of safe states as a function of one parameter; and

guiding the vehicle in a fully automated and driverless manner into the selected safe state, wherein the parameter describes a failure of a rear sensor system of the vehicle, and wherein, in response to the failure of the rear sensor system of the vehicle, the guidance of the vehicle is adapted to a guidance of a vehicle driving in front of the vehicle.