ROUTE GUIDANCE ASSISTANCE BY MOMENT SUPPORT AT THE STEERING WHEEL

• US 20100280713A1
• Filed: 12/11/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Stählin, Ulrich, Strauss, Mattias
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering

Abstract

A device and a method for route guidance assistance in a vehicle that is connected to a navigation system. In order to make it easier for the driver to follow a route calculated by a navigation system, an assisting device is provided for route guidance. The assisting device includes a control unit for generating a control signal for haptic feedback to the driver of the vehicle. As haptic feedback, the control unit can output an additional moment on the steering system of the vehicle, for example, the additional moment being negative when the vehicle departs from the travel route while being positive when the vehicle follows the calculated direction of the navigation route.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. An assisting device for route guidance of a vehicle connected to a navigation system, the assisting device comprising:

a control unit for generating a control signal for a haptic feedback to a driver of the vehicle, the haptic feedback making it easier for the driver to follow a route calculated by the navigation system.

20. An assisting device according to claim 19, the haptic feedback comprising a vibration of the steering wheel.

21. An assisting device according to claim 19, the haptic feedback comprising an additional moment (M_Z) on a steering system of the vehicle.

22. An assisting device according to claim 19, the control unit adding a negative additional moment (M_Z<

0) on a steering system of the vehicle when departing from the calculated route in such a manner that for maintaining or increasing a steering moment a higher manual moment is transmitted into the steering system.

23. An assisting device according to claim 19, the control unit being configured to add a positive additional moment (M_Z>

0) on a steering system of the vehicle in direction of the calculated route to facilitate the steering of the vehicle.

24. An assisting device according to claim 19, the control unit being configured to output a positive additional moment (M_Z>

0) before and during maneuvers calculated by the navigation system, the maneuvers being selected from the group consisting of;

a steering angle (δ

) larger than a user-defined limit value;

a turning maneuver; and

a lane change.

25. An assisting device according to claim 19, further comprising:

a navigation system interface, which is embodied as an input interface for receiving current travel route parameters (X_N, Y_N, X_N′

, Y_N′

, X_N″

, Y_N″

) calculated by the navigation system; and

a vehicle parameter interface, which is embodied as an input interface for receiving vehicle parameters including location-time-condition information (X_F, Y_F, X_F′

, Y_F′

, X_F″

, Y_F″

), a steering angle δ

_F, and/or a steering moment M_F of a vehicle.

26. An assisting device according to claim 25, further comprising:

a surrounding field sensor interface, which is embodied to receive location-time-condition information (X_U, Y_U, X_U′

, Y_U′

, X_U″

, Y_U″

) of a potential obstacle.

27. An assisting device according to claim 26, the control unit being configured to evaluate th vehicle parameters (X_F, Y_F, X_F′

, Y_F′

, X_F″

, Y_F″

;

δ

_F, M_F and data of a potential obstacle (X_U, Y_U, X_U′

, Y_U′

, X_U″

, Y_U″

) relative to the calculated travel route parameters (X_N, Y_N, X_N′

, Y_N′

, X_N″

, Y_N″

) and to determine steering parameters and to output only one control signal to an actuator of a steering system of the vehicle via an output interface, if the surrounding field sensor data (X_U, Y_U, X_U′

, Y_U′

, X_U″

, Y_U″

) have not determined an obstacle on the calculated travel route.

28. An assisting device according to claim 26, wherein the steering parameters include a route-specific steering angle δ

_N and an additional moment M_Z.

29. An assisting device according to claim 19, the control unit being configured to block an output of a positive additional moment (M_Z>

0) to an output interface, if a maximum speed (X_max′

, Y_max′

) was exceeded.

30. An assisting device according to claim 19, the haptic feedback comprising a vibration of an active accelerator.

31. An assisting device according to claim 19, the haptic feedback comprising an additional force on an accelerator of the vehicle.

32. An assisting system comprising:

an assisting device according to claim 19;

a navigation system;

a position indicating system;

vehicle sensors; and

a servo-motor.

33. A motor vehicle comprising:

an assisting device according to claim 19.

34. An assisting method for route guidance of a vehicle connected to a navigation system, the assisting method comprising generating a control signal for a haptic feedback to a driver of the vehicle, the haptic feedback making it easier for the driver to follow a travel route calculated by the navigation system.

35. An assisting method according to claim 34, the assisting method comprising the steps of:

detecting a location-time-condition information calculated according to the travel route of the vehicle by the navigation system (X_N, Y_N, X_N′

, Y_N′

, X_N″

/Y_N″

);

detecting a location-time-condition information (X_F, Y_F, X_F′

, Y_F′

, X_F″

, Y_F″

) as well as steering parameters (δ

_F, M_F) of a vehicle;

evaluating the detected location-time-condition information of the navigation system (X_N, Y_N, X_N′

, Y_N′

, X_N″

, Y_N″

) and of vehicle parameters (X_F, Y_F, X_F′

, Y_F′

, X_F″

, Y_F″

;

δ

_F, M_F;

determining and outputting an additional moment (M_i) on a steering system of the vehicle, the additional moment being negative when the vehicle departs from the travel route (M_Z<

0) and being positive when the vehicle follows the calculated direction of the navigation route (M_Z>

0).

36. A computer program element, which, if implemented by a processor, instructs the processor to generate a control signal for a haptic feedback to a driver of the vehicle, the haptic feedback making it easier for the driver to follow a route calculated by a navigation system of the vehicle.

37. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program element is stored, which, if implemented on a processor, instructs a processor to generate a control signal for a haptic feedback to a driver of the vehicle, the haptic feedback making it easier for the driver to follow a route calculated by a navigation system of the vehicle.