Method for the Operation of a Driver Assistance System of a Vehicle

• US 20100256898A1
• Filed: 04/01/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: GASSNER, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence

Abstract

A method for the operation of a driver assistance system of a vehicle (C1, C2), particularly of a motor vehicle and/or a commercial vehicle is provided. A message produced by a central computer (ZR), the message having traffic data (VD) and a confidence parameter (CL) which represents a measure for the reliability of the traffic data (VD) is received by a computer (R1, R2) of the vehicle (C1, C2). According to the magnitude of the confidence parameter, the transmission of a traffic status message (VZD), having at least one time stamp as well as coordinates of the vehicle (C1, C2), is directed to the central computer.

Claims

1. A method for the operation of a driver assistance system of a vehicle, comprising the acts of:

receiving, by a computer of the vehicle, a message sent by a central computer, the message containing traffic data and a confidence parameter which represents a measure for the reliability of the traffic data; and

transmitting a traffic status message, including a time stamp and coordinates of the vehicle, to the central computer, based upon the value of the confidence parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer checks whether the confidence parameter contained in the message exceeds a prespecified threshold value, wherein

the transmission of the traffic status message to the central computer is suppressed if the confidence parameter exceeds the prespecified threshold value, and

the traffic status message is transmitted to the central computer if the confidence parameter is less than the prespecified threshold value.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer of the vehicle compares the traffic data contained in the message to the traffic data detected by the computer of the vehicle, and if a difference is identified, the traffic status message is transmitted to the central computer, independently of whether the confidence parameter exceeds the prespecified threshold value or not.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message sent by the central computer is received by a receiving unit of the vehicle, the receiving unit being designed to receive broadcast messages.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message sent by the central computer is received by a receiving unit of the vehicle, the unit being designed to receive mobile communications messages.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message sent by the central computer is constructed according to a protocol of the TPEG TAP standard.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the prespecified threshold value lies above an additional threshold value of the confidence parameter, and the additional threshold value is used to decide whether a modification must be carried out for the route planning for the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the threshold is greater than 80%.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the confidence parameter is a flag.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the traffic status message is transmitted via a mobile communications interface to the central computer.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program, which can be loaded directly into the internal memory of a digital computer of a vehicle and has software code segments which can be used to carry out the steps according to claim 1 when the computer program runs on the computer of the vehicle.

12. A method for operation of a communication infrastructure for detecting and producing road traffic data, comprising the acts of:

sending, by a vehicle participating in road traffic, a traffic status message including a time stamp and coordinates of the vehicle to a central computer in prespecified intervals or upon occurrence of a detected, prespecified event;

producing, by the central computer, a message from the received traffic status message, said message having traffic data and a confidence parameter which represents a measure for the reliability of the traffic data, and transmitting said message to the vehicle;

receiving, by a computer of the vehicle, the message produced by the central computer including the traffic data and the confidence parameter; and

transmitting the traffic status message by the vehicle to the central computer, based upon the magnitude of the confidence parameter.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the computer of the vehicle checks whether the confidence parameter contained in the message exceeds a prespecified threshold value, and

if the confidence parameter exceeds the prespecified threshold value, the transmission of the traffic status message to the central computer is suppressed, and

if the confidence parameter is less than the prespecified threshold value, the traffic status message is transmitted to the central computer.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the computer of the vehicle compares the traffic data contained in the message with traffic data detected by the computer of the vehicle, and if a difference is identified, the traffic status message is transmitted to the central computer, independently of whether the confidence parameter exceeds the prespecified threshold value or not.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the central computer broadcasts the message using a broadcast method.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the central computer transmits the message to the vehicle as a dedicated mobile communications message.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the central computer transmits the message according to a protocol of the TPEG TAP standard.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein the central computer transmits the message in periodic intervals to the vehicle, and the confidence parameter is adjusted each time to the reliability of the traffic data.

19. A computer of a driver assistance system of a vehicle, comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a message produced by a central computer, the message having traffic data and a confidence parameter which represents a measure for the reliability of the traffic data; and

a control unit for directing the transmission of a traffic status message, having at least one time stamp and coordinates of the vehicle, to the central computer according to a magnitude of the confidence parameter.

20. The computer according to claim 19, which is further designed for carrying out the method according to claim 2.