Method and Device for Automatic Direction Indication

• US 20110199200A1
• Filed: 09/19/2009
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG), Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG), Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Lueke, Stefan, Happ, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 9,517,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/346 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/381 with several light sources activated in sequence, e.g. to create a sweep effect

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automatic direction indication, comprising the following steps:

• • detecting a driver activity and/or a vehicle position by means of a Lane Keeping System and/or a Lane Departure Warning System (S10); and
  • activating or deactivating a direction indication in dependence on the detected driver activity or vehicle position (S12).

Claims

1. Method for automatic direction indication, comprising the following steps:

detecting a driver activity and/or a vehicle position by means of a Lane Keeping System and/or a Lane Departure Warning System (S10); and

activating or deactivating a direction indication in dependence on the detected driver activity or vehicle position (S12).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the detection of a driver activity (S10) comprises the detection of a driver'"'"'s manual torque (S100) acting upon the steering wheel of a vehicle and/or the detection of a steering angle (S102) by means of a Lane Keeping System and/or a Lane Departure Warning System.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that

the detection of a driver'"'"'s manual torque (S100) acting upon the steering wheel of a vehicle comprises the detection of the driver'"'"'s manual torque during a predetermined period of time.

15. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that

the activation of a direction indication in dependence on the detected driver'"'"'s manual torque (S12) comprises the following steps:

comparing the detected driver'"'"'s manual torque with a predetermined driver'"'"'s manual torque (S120); and

activating the direction indication if said comparison shows that the detected driver'"'"'s manual torque exceeds the predetermined driver'"'"'s manual torque (S122).

16. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that

the activation of a direction indication in dependence on the detected steering angle (S12) comprises the following steps:

determining a deviation of the detected steering angle from a desired steering angle for tracking stability (S125); and

a activating the direction indication if the determined deviation exceeds a predetermined deviation (S126, S128).

17. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the activation of a direction indication (S12) furthermore comprises the following steps:

monitoring the surroundings of the vehicle by means of sensors of a surroundings detection system, said sensors being directed towards the back and the side of the vehicle (S130); and

disabling or enabling the automated direction indication in dependence on said monitoring (S132, S134).

18. Method according to claim 17, characterized in that

the automated direction indication is furthermore disabled or enabled in dependence on an evaluation of probability information.

19. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the activation of a direction indication furthermore comprises the following steps:

measuring the traffic lines and monitoring the relative position and the movement of the vehicle relative to the measured traffic lines; and

disabling or enabling the automated direction indication in dependence on said monitoring.

20. Method according to claim 19, characterized in that

the automated direction indication is furthermore disabled or enabled in dependence on an evaluation of probability information.

21. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the activation of a direction indication (S12) furthermore comprises the following steps:

monitoring the passenger compartment of the vehicle (S136);

detecting reactions of the driver during the monitoring of the passenger compartment (S138); and

enabling or disabling the activation of a direction indication in dependence on a detected reaction of the driver (S140).

22. Method according to claim 21, characterized in that

the automated direction indication is furthermore disabled or enabled in dependence on an evaluation of probability information.

23. Method according to claim 1, furthermore characterized by the following steps:

activating a direction indication by a flasher assistant;

detecting a change of the traffic lane by a Lane Keeping System and/or a Lane Departure Warning System and/or based on navigation information; and

deactivating the direction indication when the detection of the change of the traffic lane indicates the end of the lane changing process.

24. Method according to claim 1, furthermore characterized by one or several of the following features:

activating or deactivating the direction indication in dependence on the detected driver activity or vehicle position when the traffic lane is changed;

outputting an acoustic and/or visual warning in dependence on the detected driver activity or vehicle position if the direction indicator has not been switched off;

influencing the duration or the number of flashing processes of a direction indication in dependence on the detected driver activity or vehicle position;

outputting an acoustic and/or visual warning in dependence on the detected driver activity or vehicle position that informs about the fact that the driver has not indicated the direction;

using further surroundings information for the discrimination of spurious activations of the direction indication;

using map information of a navigation system for the discrimination of spurious activations;

restricting the availability of the automatic direction indication to specific road types in dependence on map information of a navigation system.

25. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that

furthermore information of a Traffic Sign Recognition System is evaluated and the automated direction indication is enabled or disabled in dependence thereon.

26. A device designed to carry out the method according to claim 1, wherein said device comprises control means (12) for a direction indicator (140, 142), which control means (12) are designed to receive a driver activity signal (16) and/or a vehicle position signal generated and outputted by a Lane Keeping System (18) and/or a Lane Departure Warning System (20) and to activate or deactivate the direction indicator (140, 142) in dependence on the received driver activity signal (14) or vehicle position signal.

4-14. -14. (canceled)

27. Device (10) for automatic direction indication having control means (12) for a direction indicator (140, 142), which control means (12) are designed to receive a driver activity signal (16) and/or a vehicle position signal generated and outputted by a Lane Keeping System (18) and/or a Lane Departure Warning System (20) and to activate or deactivate the direction indicator (140, 142) in dependence on a received driver activity signal (14) or vehicle position signal.