METHOD FOR OPERATING AT LEAST ONE SENSOR OF A VEHICLE AND DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE

• US 20120150386A1
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: ARMBRUST, Markus
• Application Number:
  US13/315,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20120150386A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4026 Antenna boresight
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/403 in azimuth, i.e. in the horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4034 in elevation, i.e. in the vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4091 during normal radar operation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A method is provided for operating at least one first sensor of a vehicle traveling on a roadway. The first sensor is configured for detecting objects within a detection range and the method includes, but is not limited to determining a course of the roadway in a region of an instantaneous environment of the vehicle with map data stored in a storage apparatus. In addition, it is determined whether the roadway in the direction of travel of the vehicle has a bend based on the determined course of the roadway. If is determined that the roadway has a bend in the direction of travel of the vehicle, the at least one first sensor is adapted in such a manner that the detection range of the at least one first sensor in the region of the determined bend is aligned in the direction of the course of the bend.

Claims

1. A method for operating a first sensor of a vehicle traveling on a roadway, the first sensor configured to detect objects within a detection range and the method comprises:

determining a course of the roadway in a region of an instantaneous environment of the vehicle with map data stored in a storage apparatus;

determining whether the roadway in a direction of travel of the vehicle has a bend based on the course of the roadway,

adapting the first sensor in such a manner that the detection range of the first sensor in the region of the bend is aligned in a direction of the course of the bend if the bend is in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adapting the first sensor comprises adapting an angular alignment of the first sensor with an adjusting apparatus.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting apparatus comprises an electric motor.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adapting of the first sensor comprises adapting a beam path of electromagnetic waves emitted by the first sensor.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the adapting the beam path of electromagnetic waves emitted by the first sensor comprises adapting an irradiation field of an antenna of the first sensor.

6. The method according to claim 1,

wherein a radius of curvature of the bend is additionally determined with the map data stored in the storage apparatus, and

wherein the adapting of the first sensor is accomplished such that the detection range of the first sensor in an area of the bend in the direction of the course of the bend is tracked by a value that is at least partially based on the radius of curvature.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adapting of the first sensor is accomplished such that the detection range of the first sensor in an area of the bend in the direction of the course of the bend is tracked by a predetermined value.

8. A driver assistance system for a vehicle comprising:

a first sensor that is configured to detect an object within a detection range;

a first determination apparatus that is configured to determine a course of a roadway in a region of an instantaneous environment of the vehicle with map data stored in a storage apparatus;

a second determination apparatus that is configured to determine whether the roadway in a direction of travel of the vehicle has a bend based on the course of the roadway; and

an adaptation apparatus that is configured to adapt the first sensor in such a manner that the detection range of the first sensor in the region of the bend is aligned in a direction of the course of the bend if is determined that the roadway has the bend in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

9. The driver assistance system according to claim 8, wherein the first sensor is configured as an acoustic sensor.

10. The driver assistance system according to claim 8, wherein the first sensor is configured as an electromagnetic sensor.

11. The driver assistance system according to claim 8,

wherein the first determination apparatus is configured to determine the course of the roadway with a second sensor, and

wherein the second determination apparatus is configured to determine whether the roadway has the bend in the direction of travel of the vehicle based on the course of the roadway determined with the map data and with the second sensor.

12. The driver assistance system according to claim 11, wherein the second sensor is a yaw rate sensor.

13. The driver assistance system according to claim 8,

wherein the first determination apparatus is further configured to determine the course of the roadway with data received by a receiving apparatus,

wherein the receiving apparatus is part of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication apparatus, and

wherein the second determination apparatus is configured to determine whether the roadway has the bend in the direction of travel of the vehicle based on the course of the roadway determined with the map data and with the data received by the receiving apparatus.

14. The driver assistance system according to claim 8, wherein the driver assistance system is an adaptive cruise control.

15. A computer readable medium embodying a computer program product, said computer program product comprising

an operating program configured to operate a first sensor of a vehicle traveling on a roadway, the first sensor configured to detect objects within a detection range, the operating program configured to:

determine a course of the roadway in a region of an instantaneous environment of the vehicle with map data stored in a storage apparatus;

determine whether the roadway in a direction of travel of the vehicle has a bend based on the course of the roadway,

adapt the first sensor in such a manner that the detection range of the first sensor in the region of the bend is aligned in a direction of the course of the bend if the roadway has the bend in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

16. The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the operating program is further configured to adapt an angular alignment of the first sensor with an adjusting apparatus.

17. The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 16, wherein the adjusting apparatus comprises an electric motor.

18. The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the operating program is further configured to adapting a beam path of electromagnetic waves emitted by the first sensor.

19. The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the operating program is further configured to adapt the beam path of electromagnetic waves emitted by the first sensor with an adaptation of an irradiation field of an antenna of the first sensor.

20. The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 19,

wherein the operating program is further configured to determine a radius of curvature of the bend with the map data stored in the storage apparatus, and

wherein the operating program is further configured to adapt the first sensor such that the detection range of the first sensor in an area of the bend in the direction of the course of the bend is tracked by a value that is at least partially based on the radius of curvature.