DRIVING ASSISTANCE APPARATUS FOR ASSISTANCE WITH DRIVING ALONG NARROW ROADWAYS

• US 20130035821A1
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: BONNE, Uwe, MOEBUS, Marco, ARMBRUST, Markus
• Application Number:
  US13/567,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20130035821A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically

Abstract

A driving assistance apparatus for a motor vehicle for assistance with driving along narrow roadways is provided. The apparatus includes a data acquisition unit for acquiring route data on the route to be obtained from wheel and steering angle sensors, a trajectory storage unit for recording the route data of the data acquisition unit, and a triggering unit for triggering the motor vehicle on a basis of the data recorded route data recorded by the trajectory storage unit. A satellite navigation unit determines an absolute position of the motor vehicle and digital map data with position attribute data for checking whether the motor vehicle is located in a vicinity of road areas with restricted scope for navigation and in such a case suggests recording of a trajectory to a driver of the motor vehicle or executes the recording of the trajectory in an automated manner.

Claims

1. A driving assistance apparatus for a motor vehicle for assistance with driving along narrow roadways, the driving assistance apparatus comprising:

a data acquisition unit configured for acquiring route data on a route to be obtained from wheel and steering angle sensors;

a trajectory storage unit configured for recording the route data of the data acquisition unit;

a triggering unit configured for triggering the motor vehicle on a basis of the route data recorded by the trajectory storage unit, for driving along the route in the same or reverse direction;

a satellite navigation unit configured for determining an absolute position of the motor vehicle and digital map data with position attribute data for checking whether the motor vehicle is located in a vicinity of road areas with restricted scope for navigation and in such a case suggests recording of a trajectory to a driver of the motor vehicle or executes the recording of the trajectory in an automated manner.

2. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising environmental detection sensors configured for recording environmental data when driving along the route and wherein a storage device stores the environmental data for corresponding route data.

3. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein boundary value position data at a time of a commencement and/or end of the route is determined by the satellite navigation unit and the storage device stores the boundary value position data for the route data and further comprising an approach checking unit configured to check whether the motor vehicle is approaching the commencement or end of the route stored and to generate a position approach signal of the motor vehicle is approaching the commencement or end of the route stored.

4. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving assistance apparatus communicates with a driver identification unit and wherein, in the storage device, individual route data is stored for an individual driver and, when specific states arise, the individual route data stored for the individual driver is retrieved.

5. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the environmental detection sensors comprise optical sensors and further comprising an image processing unit configured to create object data of objects located in a vicinity of the route by the environmental data, wherein the storage device stores the object data on the corresponding route data.

6. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a digital map unit that contains the digital map data.

7. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a wireless telecommunications device for reloading the digital map data.

8. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an environmental data matching unit configured to match object data determined by the environmental detection sensors with the environmental data determined by the digital map unit.

9. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the trajectory storage unit comprises an additional circular buffer region configured to store the route data during motion of the motor vehicle and optionally additionally the environmental data and/or the object data and deletes oldest data in each case.

10. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the environmental detection sensors further comprise a trailer sensor configured to produce a trailer signal that indicates whether the motor vehicle is towing a trailer in a route recording and wherein the trailer signal is stored when recording a route.

11. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position approach signal is supplied to a driver communication unit, which provides the driver of the motor vehicle with an option for activating an automatic driving of a corresponding route and optionally activates the triggering unit for autonomous driving of the route by the motor vehicle.

12. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a trajectory introducing unit that is configured to determine a suitable route on which the motor vehicle can be moved in a selected trajectory.

13. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a time unit configured to store a recording time for the route recorded.