Driver assistance system and method for outputting at least one piece of information

• US 8,232,873 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Sturm, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, JACK K
• Application Number:
  US11/926,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20080084287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A driver assistance system and method outputs, as a function of certain conditions, at least one piece of information, in particular a warning, to the driver of a motor vehicle. The driver assistance system can be transferred into a demonstration and/or learning mode, in which the conditions applied for outputting the piece of information are different from the normal mode of operation.

Claims

1. A system for a driver of a motor vehicle, comprising:

a driver assistance system that outputs, as a function of certain conditions, at least one piece of information to the driver of the motor vehicle;

wherein the driver assistance system has a normal mode of operation and at least one of a demonstration and learning mode of operation, the driver assistance system being transferable into the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation in which the conditions applied for outputting the at least one piece of information to the driver are different from the conditions applied for outputting the at least one piece of information to the driver in the normal mode of operation.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one piece of information is warning information.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the conditions for outputting information in the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode are selected such that a probability for outputting the information is higher than in the normal mode of operation.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the conditions for outputting information in the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode are selected such that a probability for outputting the information is higher than in the normal mode of operation.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein in the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation, certain parameters of a signal processing process employed by the driver assistance system are varied compared to the normal mode of operation of the driver assistance system.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein in the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation, certain parameters of a signal processing process employed by the driver assistance system are varied compared to the normal mode of operation of the driver assistance system.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an operating element operatively coupled with the driver assistance system to allow for manual activation of the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation of the driver assistance system.

8. The system according to claim 2, further comprising an operating element operatively coupled with the driver assistance system to allow for manual activation of the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation of the driver assistance system.

9. The system according to claim 3, further comprising an operating element operatively coupled with the driver assistance system to allow for manual activation of the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation of the driver assistance system.

10. The system according to claim 5, further comprising an operating element operatively coupled with the driver assistance system to allow for manual activation of the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation of the driver assistance system.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one parameter of a signal processing process employed by the driver assistance system is variable continuously or in discrete gradations via an operator.

12. The system according to claim 3, wherein at least one parameter of a signal processing process employed by the driver assistance system is variable continuously or in discrete gradations via an operator.

13. The system according to claim 5, wherein at least one parameter of a signal processing process employed by the driver assistance system is variable continuously or in discrete gradations via an operator.

14. A method of operating a driver assistance system that outputs, as a function of certain conditions, at least one piece of information to a driver of a motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

operating the driver assistance system in a normal mode of operation, in which the at least one piece of information is output to the driver as a function of certain conditions; and

transferring the driver assistance system into at least one of a demonstration and learning mode of operation, in which at least one of the certain conditions applied for outputting the piece of information to the driver differs from its condition in the normal mode of operation.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the at least one piece of information is a warning to the driver of the motor vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the act of selecting the at least one condition for the output of information in the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation such that a probability for outputting the information is higher than in the normal mode of operation.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the act of varying certain parameters of a signal processing process employed by the driver assistance system in the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation in comparison to the normal operating mode of the driver assistance system.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the act of activating the at least one of the demonstration and learning mode of operation in a targeted manner.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the act of varying either continuously or in discrete gradations one or more parameters of a signal processing process employed by the driver assistance system.