Method and device for assisting a vehicle operator

• US 8,401,758 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Sthlin, Ulrich, Grotendorst, Thomas, Swoboda, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANG, MICHAEL DEAN
• Application Number:
  US12/747,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A method for assisting an operator of a vehicle which is approaching a set of traffic lights which permits a stop line to be crossed in at least one first operating state and does not permit the stop line to be crossed in a second operating state. The method provides that (i) a signal which describes the current operating state of traffic lights and the time period until the operating state changes is received in the vehicle, (ii) in the vehicle, verification is carried out on the basis of the received signal as to whether the vehicle can reach the stop line at a speed from a predefined speed range while the set of traffic lights is in the first operating state, and (iii) a speed of the vehicle is influenced and/or a recommendation for influencing the speed is generated as a function of the result of the verification.

Claims

1. A method for assisting an operator of a vehicle which is approaching a set of traffic lights which permits a stop line to be crossed in at least one first operating state and does not permit the stop line to be crossed in a second operating state, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor in the vehicle, a signal which describes a current operating state of the set of traffic lights and a time period until the operating state changes,

verifying, by the processor, whether the vehicle can reach the stop line at a speed from a predefined speed range while the set of traffic lights is in the first operating state based on the received signal, and

controlling, by the processor, a speed of the vehicle based on a result of the verification as long as a measured distance between the vehicle and an object located in front of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a threshold value,

wherein the speed of the vehicle is controlled to maintain a predefined distance between the vehicle and the object located in front of the vehicle when the measured distance is less than the threshold value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which a setpoint speed at which the vehicle can reach the stop line when the set of traffic lights is in the first operating state is calculated.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, in which the setpoint speed which is determined is set by automatic activation of the brakes and/or by automatic adaptation of a drive torque of the vehicle.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, in which an operator control device, which can be operated by an operator of the vehicle and has a purpose of influencing a drive torque of the vehicle, is subjected to a controllable restoring force as a function of the result of the verification.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, in which the operator control device is subjected to a controllable restoring force when the vehicle can reach the stop line with a reduced speed when the set of traffic lights is in the first operating state.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, in which the controllable restoring force is determined as a function of a difference between a detected vehicle speed and the setpoint speed.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, in which the operator control device is subjected to a controllable restoring force if the vehicle cannot reach the stop line on the basis of a current vehicle speed or a reduced vehicle speed when the set of traffic lights is in the first operating state.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, in which a predefined restoring force is set if the vehicle cannot reach the stop line at a speed from the predefined speed range when the set of traffic lights is in the first operating state.

9. The method as claimed in claim 4, in which the controllable restoring force for acting on the operator control device is reduced if a position of the operator control device has been changed in a direction counter to the restoring force.

10. The method as claimed in claim 4, in which the controllable restoring force for acting on the operator control device is reduced if the operator control device is used to request, over a time period which exceeds a predefined period, a larger drive torque than the drive torque before the operator control device was subjected to the controllable restoring force.

11. The method as claimed in claim 4, in which the controllable restoring force for acting on the operator control device is reduced if a position of the operator control device is changed in a direction counter to the restoring force with a rate of change which exceeds a predefined value.

12. The method as claimed in claim 4, in which the operator control device is configured as an accelerator pedal.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the signal is transmitted by a transmitting device assigned to the set of traffic lights, and is received within the vehicle by a radio interface of the vehicle.

14. A system for assisting an operator of a vehicle which is approaching a set of traffic lights which permits a stop line to be crossed in at least one first operating state, and does not permit the stop line to be crossed in a second operating state, said system comprising:

a communication interface which is configured to receive a signal which describes a current operating state of the set of traffic lights and a time period until the operating state changes,

an evaluation unit which is configured to verify, on a basis of the received signal, whether the vehicle can reach the stop line at a speed from a predefined speed range while the set of traffic lights is in the first operating state, and

a control unit which is configured to influence a speed of the vehicle and/or to control generation of a recommendation for influencing the speed as a function of a result of the verification as long as a measured distance between the vehicle and an object located in front of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a threshold value,

wherein the speed of the vehicle is controlled to maintain a predefined distance between the vehicle and the object located in front of the vehicle when the measured distance is less than the threshold value.