DRIVER ASSISTANCE IN OPERATING A ROOF OF A CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE

• US 20130060430A1
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: KANNING, Torsten, ILLIUM, Justus
• Application Number:
  US13/606,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060430A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/0573 power driven arrangements, e.g. electrical
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A method and a device are provided for the operating assistance of a driver of a convertible vehicle. The method includes, but is not limited to receiving weather data, for a predeterminable surroundings of a current position x_a, y_a of the vehicle and/or for a predeterminable surroundings along a current route from the current position of the vehicle to a destination, and generating a warning, as soon as the following conditions are satisfied: the roof is in the open state, or the roof is in the closed state and the roof is brought into the transition state, and in the forecast period at least one value of the forecast precipitation probability is greater than the limit value n_G.

Claims

1. A method for providing operating assistance of a driver of a vehicle with a roof that can assume a closed state, an open state, and a transition state, comprising:

receiving weather data for a predeterminable surroundings of a current position x_a, y_a of the vehicle, the weather data comprises a forecast of at least one precipitation probability for the predeterminable surroundings for a predeterminable forecast period [t₀, t₀+Δ

] extending from a current time t₀ into a future;

determining a limit value n_G of a precipitation probability; and

generating a warning upon satisfaction of at least one of a plurality of conditions, the plurality of conditions comprising;

is in the open state;

the roof is in the closed state and the roof is brought into the transition state; and

in a forecast period [t₀, t₀+Δ

], at least one value of a forecast precipitation probability is greater than the limit value n_G,

wherein the warning comprises prompt of the driver to transfer the roof into the closed state.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the precipitation probability is present as time-dependent precipitation probability field N(x, y, t), which assigns values N (x, y, t) of the forecast precipitation probability to each location x, y, of surroundings.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the outputting of the warning takes place when in the forecast period [t₀, t₀+Δ

] the values n(x, y, t) for locations x_i, y_i of the respective surroundings dependent on the current position x_a, y_a of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein based on the precipitation probability field N(x, y, t) and the current position x_a, y_a of the vehicle it is determined if and if applicable at a time t₁ a forecast precipitation probability value N(x_a, y_a, t) assigned to the current position x_a, y_a exceeds the limit value n_G in the forecast period [t₀, t₀+Δ

], and at which, provided the time t₁ was determined, at least the time t₁ is output.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein based on the precipitation probability field N(x, y, t), a current route, the current position x_a, y_a, and dynamic driving data of the vehicle operated on the current route, a time span calculated from the current time t₀ is determined which indicates when the vehicle on the current route reaches a location O₁ for a first time, whose value n(x, y, t) at a time of arrival of the vehicle at the location O₁, exceeds the limit value n_G, and at which, provided the time span was determined, at least the time span is output.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein based on precipitation probability fields N(x, y, t), a current route, the current position x_a, y_a and dynamic driving data of the vehicle operated on the current route a distance ahead, calculated from the current position x_a, y_a of the vehicle is determined which indicates a driving distance that can still be covered by the vehicle on the current route before a location O₁ is reached, whose assigned precipitation probability value N(x, y, t) at a time of arrival of the vehicle at the location O₁, exceeds the limit value n_G, and at which, provided such a distance was determined, at least the distance is output.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein on the current route, a location located before the location O₁ is determined and output which allows a safe transferring of the open state of the roof into the closed state.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein after a warning was generated and output, an alternative route from the current position x_a, y_a to a destination is determined, for surroundings of which the precipitation probability is below the limit value n_G.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein as weather data for predetermined surroundings of the current position x_a, y_a of the vehicle, rain radar data is received, which upon outputting the warning are jointly output with the current position x_a, y_a of the vehicle in form of a map representation.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the rain radar data in addition to current rain radar data also include rain radar data for a preceding period of time and the rain radar data are output in the form of a time loop including this period of time.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the vehicle is locked and a warning is generated, the warning is output as electronic message for a wireless transmission to a mobile receiving device, for example a smartphone of the driver.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the roof is brought into the closed state in an automated manner, when the state is substantially identical to a predeterminable vehicle state and a warning was generated.

13. A device for providing operating assistance of a driver of a vehicle with a roof that can assume a closed state, an open state and a transition state, comprising:

a receiver that is configured to receive weather data for a predeterminable surroundings of the vehicle;

a position determining device that is configured to determining a current vehicle position x_a, y_a;

a navigation device that is configured to navigate in a predetermined traffic route for determining a route from a current position to a destination,

a forecast determining device that is configured to forecast of at least one time-dependent precipitation probability for surroundings for a forecast period extending from a current time into a future from the weather data; and

a controller that is configured to generate a warning to the driver when the following at least one of a plurality of conditions is satisfied, the plurality of conditions comprising;

the roof is in the open state, and

in the forecast period, at least one value of a forecast precipitation probability is greater than a limit value n_G.