METHOD AND DEVICE FOR WARNING AGAINST CROSS TRAFFIC WHEN LEAVING A PARKING SPACE

• US 20160272115A1
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: BAUMANN, Peter, MAX, Stephan, KATZWINKEL, Reiner
• Granted Patent: US 9,630,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/006 using a distance sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9317 Driving backwards

Abstract

A method for warning the driver of a vehicle against cross traffic when leaving a parking space, wherein the motor vehicle has far-field sensors at least in the region of the rear-end corners for detecting possible cross traffic and lateral near-field sensors for detecting the near surroundings of the vehicle and wherein the warning is generated if at least one of the far-field sensors detects cross traffic. The method surveys the nearby lateral surroundings of the driver'"'"'s vehicle while leaving the parking space, determines from the results of the near-field detection whether the far-field sensors have a free view of the cross traffic, and generates a notification to the driver if one or both far-field sensors do not have a free view of the cross traffic.

Claims

1. A method for warning a driver of a first-party vehicle against cross traffic when leaving a parking space, the first-party vehicle having, at least in the region of the rear vehicle corners, long-range sensors for detecting possible cross traffic and lateral short-range sensors for detecting the nearby vehicle environment, the method comprising:

measuring the nearby lateral environment using the short-range sensors to generate a short range-detection when the first-party vehicle is leaving the parking space;

detecting possible cross traffic and the nearby vehicle environment using the long-range sensors; and

generating a warning if at least one of the long-range sensors detects cross traffic,

wherein the results from the short-range detection are used to determine whether the long-range sensors have a clear view of the cross traffic, and an indication is generated for the driver if one or both long-range sensor(s) does not have a clear view of the cross traffic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the driver is informed of which long-range sensor does not have a clear view of the cross traffic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of long-range sensors without a clear view is optically presented in a display.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the display generates a representation of the first-party vehicle and its nearby environment such that it is optically represented which long-range sensor does not have a clear view of the cross traffic.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining and entering distances to obstacles from the short-range detection in an environment map and evaluating the environment map in the region of the assumed visual contact between the long-range sensors and possible cross traffic.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the likelihood of when there is visual contact of a blocked long-range sensor is calculated.

7. The method as of claim 3, wherein the indication of blocked visual contact is effected by a symbol which is inserted in the representation of the vehicle environment in the region of the blocked long-range sensor.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication is removed when the visual blocking of the long-range sensor is removed.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein both the blocked long-range sensors and the long-range sensors having visual contact are represented in the display.

10. A device for carrying out the method for warning a driver of a first-party vehicle against cross traffic when leaving a parking space as claimed in claim 1, having long-range sensors which are arranged at least in the region of the rear corners of a motor vehicle and detect possible cross traffic, having lateral short-range sensors for sensing the nearby motor vehicle environment and having a warning device for warning against cross traffic, wherein the device has a display which displays which long-range sensor does not have visual contact with the cross traffic.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the device has an apparatus for generating an environment map from the measurement results from the short-range sensors, the likelihood of a clear view of the long-range sensors is determined from the environment map in the region of the assumed visual contact with possible cross traffic.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed when the first-party vehicle leaves the parking space by reversing from the parking space.