Method and Device for an Assistance System in a Vehicle for Performing an Autonomous or Semi-Autonomous Driving Maneuver

• US 20140379197A1
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Eckert, Alfred, Bayer, Ronald, Lueke, Stefan, Piller, Bernd, Halasy-Wimmer, Georg
• Granted Patent: US 9,511,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/28
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/00 Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for devices for protecting vehicle occupants in case of accidents B60R21/00; safety belts B60R22/00; central door locking E05B49/00, E05B77/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/80 characterised by the intended use of the viewing arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 Propelling the vehicle
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/586 of parking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for an assistance system that serves to perform an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving maneuver of a vehicle, e.g., a parking assistance system in a vehicle, wherein by means of a camera system, image data are generated from the surroundings of a vehicle and processed in order to perform the driving maneuver.

The assistance system is put in a safe state if the image data show that a restriction is present.

Claims

1. A method for an assistance system that serves to perform an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving maneuver of a vehicle, particularly a maneuver performed in order to get into or out of a parking space, and in which, by a camera system, image data are generated from the surroundings of a vehicle and processed in order to perform the driving maneuver,

characterized in that

the assistance system is put in a safe state if the image data and/or information delivered by internal vehicle sensors show that a restriction or impediment is present.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the camera system of the assistance system is a system in which individual images from various regions of the surroundings of the vehicle are acquired by several cameras and suitably transformed by image processing devices in order to generate an overall image of the surroundings of the vehicle thereby, and

the overall image is processed in order to perform the driving maneuver and in order to determine the restriction or impediment.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the restriction or impediment is present if at least one region of the surroundings of the vehicle is not illuminated at all or is illuminated below a particular brightness threshold value.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the restriction or impediment is present if an alignment of at least one camera of the camera system deviates from a defined alignment.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the restriction or impediment is present if at least one of the following operating conditions is present:

vehicle door open

vehicle trunk open

vehicle hood open

vehicle mirror swung out

vehicle mirror swung in

passengers present in the vehicle

people present in an immediate vicinity of the vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that

the presence of the at least one operating condition is detected by image processing of the image data acquired by the camera system.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

in the safe state of the assistance system, the vehicle is stopped.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

in the safe state of the assistance system, the vehicle and/or the assistance system is respectively put in an initial state.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising signaling a driver of the vehicle that the restriction or impediment is present and/or that the assistance system is put in the safe state.

10. An assistance system for a vehicle and for performing an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving maneuver of the vehicle, particularly a maneuver performed in order to get into or out of a parking space, comprising

a camera system that acquires individual images from various regions of the surroundings of a vehicle by several cameras and suitably transforms said individual images by image processing devices to generate an overall image of the surroundings of the vehicle thereby, characterized in that

the overall image of the surroundings of the vehicle is processed to perform the driving maneuver and to determine existence of a restriction or an impediment,

the assistance system is put in a safe state in the event of the presence of the restriction or impediment in an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving maneuver.

11. A method of carrying out an autonomous or semi-autonomous parking maneuver by which a motor vehicle moves into or out of a parking space, comprising:

using at least one electronic sensor, acquiring data from and indicative of surroundings in an environment outside of said motor vehicle including said parking space in said environment;

using a processor arrangement, processing said data to produce control information;

using a driver assistance system of said motor vehicle, receiving said control information, and dependent thereon controlling said motor vehicle autonomously or semi-autonomously to perform said parking maneuver by which said motor vehicle moves into or out of said parking space;

using said processor arrangement, evaluating said data to determine whether at least one restriction exists, wherein said restriction is determined to exist if said evaluating determines existence of at least one restriction condition selected from the following group;

an area of said surroundings exhibits an illumination level below a minimum required brightness threshold value,

at least one camera of a camera system included among said at least one electronic sensor is oriented deviating from a predefined alignment,

a door or a trunk or a hood of said vehicle is open,

a side mirror of said vehicle is not in a proper predefined position,

at least one passenger is present in said vehicle,

at least one person is present in said parking space or in an immediate vicinity of said vehicle in said environment; and

if said restriction exists, then using said processor arrangement, switching said driver assistance system to a safe state, wherein said safe state comprises at least one operation selected from the group consisting of stopping said vehicle, returning said driver assistance system to an initial state, and returning controls of said vehicle to an initial state.