METHOD FOR OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE AND MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20150170511A1
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: BAUER, Stefan, KLEIN, Steffen
• Application Number:
  US14/109,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20150170511A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/14 Tractor-trailers, i.e. combinations of a towing vehicle and one or more towed vehicles, e.g. caravans; Road trains
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/146 Speed limiting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence

Abstract

A method is provided for operating a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle includes, but is not limited to a coupling device designed for connecting the motor vehicle to a trailer. The method comprises determining as to whether there is a connection between the motor vehicle and a trailer with the coupling device takes place. In addition, detecting a traffic sign arranged in a surrounding region with the first sensor takes place, in the case that it is determined that there is a connection between the motor vehicle and the trailer with the coupling device, a determining as to whether the detected traffic sign includes a specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with a trailer takes place, based on data determined by a first sensor.

Claims

1. A method for operating a motor vehicle that comprises a coupling device that is configured to connect the motor vehicle to a trailer, the method comprising:

determining whether there is a connection between the motor vehicle and a trailer with the coupling device;

detecting a traffic sign arranged in a surrounding region of the motor vehicle with a first sensor of the motor vehicle;

determining whether the detected traffic sign includes a specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with a trailer based on data determined by the first sensor if there is a connection between the motor vehicle and the trailer with the coupling device; and

transmitting information including the determined specific traffic regulation to an interface of the motor vehicle if the at least one detected traffic sign includes a specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with a trailer.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising additionally determining if the detected traffic sign includes a value of a speed limit.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising outputting the determined value of the speed limit with a message if the detected traffic sign includes a specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with a trailer and a value of a speed limit.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising transmitting the determined value of the speed limit to the driver assistance system of the motor vehicle if the detected traffic sign includes the specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with the trailer and the value of a speed limit.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein an operation of the driver assistance system is a function of the transmitted value of the speed limit.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

additionally determining a current speed of the motor vehicle; and

automatically actuating of the motor vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor comprises a first optical camera.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein determining whether the detected traffic sign comprises evaluating images recorded by the first optical camera with a sample recognition method.

9. The method according to claim 1,

wherein determining if there is a connection between the motor vehicle and the trailer with the coupling device takes place based on data determined by a second sensor of the motor vehicle, and

wherein the second sensor is an electromagnetic sensor.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining if there is a connection between the motor vehicle and the trailer with the coupling device comprises determining if there is an electrical coupling between the motor vehicle and the trailer.

11. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a first determining device that is configured to determine if there is a connection between the motor vehicle and a trailer with a coupling device of the motor vehicle;

a first sensor that is configured to detect objects in a surrounding region of the motor vehicle;

a second determining device that is configured to determine if a traffic sign detected by the first sensor comprises a specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with the trailer, in the event that it is determined that there is a connection between the motor vehicle and at least one trailer with the coupling device; and

a transmission device that is configured to transmit information comprising the determined specific traffic regulation to an interface of the motor vehicle, in the case that it is determined that the detected traffic sign includes the specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with the trailer.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the second determining device is additionally configured to determine if the detected traffic sign includes a value of a speed limit.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the transmission device is additionally configured to transmit the determined value of the speed limit to an output device in the case that it is determined that the detected traffic sign includes the specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with the trailer and a value of a speed limit.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program product, said computer program product comprising:

a program, the program configured to;

determine whether there is a connection between a motor vehicle and a trailer with the coupling device;

detect a traffic sign arranged in a surrounding region of the motor vehicle with a first sensor of the motor vehicle;

determine whether the detected traffic sign includes a specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with the trailer based on data determined by the first sensor if there is a connection between the motor vehicle and a trailer with the coupling device; and

transmit information including the determined specific traffic regulation to an interface of the motor vehicle if the detected traffic sign includes at least one specific traffic regulation for motor vehicle combinations with the trailer.

15. (canceled)