Method for assisting a user of a vehicle, control device for a driver-assistance system of a vehicle and vehicle having such a control device

• US 8,615,357 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2008
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Simon, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US12/735,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/300, 701/96, 701/78, 340/903, 340/901, 340435-437, 340/425.5, 180/167, 180/169, 180/170, 180/179, 348/116, 348/117, 348/148, 342/455, 342/118, 342/70, 342/71, 315/134, 315/129, 303/121, 367/909
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/089 using optical detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A method for assisting a user of a vehicle, in which driving-condition variables (v, a, q, ω, n) are sensed or ascertained via sensors of the vehicle, and a camera of the vehicle covers a coverage area of a road scene at least in front of the vehicle and outputs image signals. Based on the image signals, it is determined whether a further vehicle which is outputting blinking signals is in the coverage area. As a function of the ascertained driving-condition variables (v, a, q, ω, n) of the vehicle and as a function of the determination as to whether other vehicles are indicating a change of direction, information signals, particularly warning signals, are able to be output to the user and/or an automatic driver-assistance control is able to be implemented in which control signals for interventions in a vehicle control for a longitudinal control and/or lateral control, especially a distance control, are output. In this context, in each case different possible control interventions are able to be ascertained and carried out. Furthermore, a corresponding control device and the vehicle thereby made possible are provided.

Claims

1. A method for assisting a user of a first vehicle, comprising:

imaging a coverage area of a road scene at least in front of the first vehicle using a camera of the first vehicle and outputting image signals;

sensing, by at least one sensor, driving-condition variables which describe a driving condition of the first vehicle;

ascertaining, by at least one computer processor, a driving path which represents an anticipated distance and time function of the first vehicle in a present driving condition of the first vehicle;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, whether a further vehicle which is outputting light signals is in the coverage area, based on the image signals;

in a case of a positive result of the determining, further determining, by the at least one computer processor and from at least one of a blinking frequency and a pulse duration of the light signals, whether the further vehicle is indicating a change of direction;

in a case of a positive result of the further determining, ascertaining, by the at least one computer processor, whether the further vehicle indicating the change of direction will enter or leave the ascertained driving path with the change of direction; and

outputting, by the at least one computer processor, at least one output signal as a function of the driving-condition variables of the first vehicle, the determination as to whether the further vehicle is indicating a change of direction, and the ascertainment of whether the further vehicle, when changing direction, will enter or leave the ascertained driving path.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an automatic driver-assistance control is carried out, and control signals for interventions in a vehicle control for at least one of longitudinal and lateral control are output as output signals.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the first vehicle measures a distance to at least one vehicle in front, and the driver assistance control includes a distance control method for adjusting the distance.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein information signals to at least one of a visual display device user interface and an acoustic or haptic output device user interface are output as output signals.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the information signals indicate at least one ascertained further possible intervention in the driving condition of the first vehicle as an input prompt.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein warning signals are output as information signals in response to recognition of a dangerous situation.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein external output signals to at least one of the further vehicle and a traffic management system external receiver are output as output signals.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of a control signal for an engine management to increase the acceleration and an information signal to indicate an acceleration to be carried out is output.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining whether both lateral turn-signal lights of the further vehicle are blinking synchronously or only one of the lateral turn-signal lights is blinking;

if synchronous blinking of both lateral turn-signal lights is ascertained, a hazard warning blinking is recognized and a hazard warning blinking light signal is output; and

if only one lateral turn-signal light is ascertained, a directional blinking indicating a change of direction is recognized and a directional blinking signal is output, and the output signal is output as a function of the ascertainment of the blinking state.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of brake signals and blinking signals are also ascertained from the image signals in image areas in which no vehicle is detected, and at least one additional vehicle is subsequently assigned to the brake signals or blinking signals ascertained from the image signals in image areas in which no vehicle is detected.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the further vehicle is ascertained from the image signals by a pattern-recognition method, with aid of segmentation and edge extraction.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the further vehicle determined from the image signals is ascertained using geometrical regions, including at least one of areas and partial areas to which a high probability for a presence of a brake light or a turn-signal light is assigned.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein brake lights, turn-signal lights and taillights are differentiated in the image signals based on a spectral composition or color of the light signals.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein light sources in the image signals are differentiated as brake lights, turn-signal lights and taillights based on a signal behavior of the light signals over time.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein a light source is recognized as turn-signal light if the light source exhibits a periodic signal behavior over time with constant pulse duration and pulse frequency within predefined values.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein a light source is recognized as brake light if the light source exhibits a variable signal behavior over time with non-periodic signal change or a rapidly pulsed signal behavior with higher frequency than a predefined blinking-pulse frequency.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein a different braking action of the recognized vehicle is assigned to a recognized braking-pulse frequency or a variable signal strength of the recognized brake light.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in response to a detected direction-change blinking, at least one of map-data signals and position data are utilized to ascertain whether there is a high probability that the further vehicle will turn.

19. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the driving-condition variables are also ascertained from the image signals of the camera.

20. A method for assisting a user of a first vehicle, comprising:

imaging a coverage area of a road scene at least in front of the first vehicle using a camera of the first vehicle and outputting image signals;

sensing, by at least one sensor, driving-condition variables which describe a driving condition of the first vehicle;

determining, by at least one computer processor, whether a further vehicle which is outputting light signals is in the coverage area, based on the image signals;

in a case of a positive result of the determining, further determining, by the at least one computer processor, from at least one of a blinking frequency and a pulse duration of the light signals, whether the further vehicle is indicating a change of direction; and

outputting, by the at least one computer processor, at least one output signal as a function of the driving-condition variables of the first vehicle and as a function of the determination as to whether the further vehicle is indicating a change of direction;

wherein, when a brake light or a directional blinking of one turn-signal light of the further vehicle is detected and that there is a high probability of a collision with the further vehicle is ascertained, a braking procedure of the first vehicle is ascertained and at least one of a control signal for an automatic brake intervention and an information signal for indication to the user is output by the at least one computer processor; and

wherein, when a brake light or a directional blinking of one turn-signal light of the further vehicle is detected and that, because of the change in the driving condition of the further vehicle, there is a high probability that a driving condition of a third vehicle will be altered is ascertained, and thus there is a high probability for a collision with the third vehicle or another object, a braking procedure of the first vehicle is ascertained and at least one of a control signal for an automatic brake intervention and an information signal for indication to the user is output by the at least one computer processor.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein a braking is ascertained targeted to another vehicle or another object, and the output signal is output for the targeted braking.

22. A method for assisting a user of a first vehicle, comprising:

imaging a coverage area of a road scene at least in front of the first vehicle using a camera of the first vehicle and outputting image signals;

sensing, by at least one sensor, driving-condition variables, which describe a driving condition of the first vehicle;

determining, by at least one computer processor, whether a further vehicle which is outputting light signals is in the coverage area, based on the image signals;

in a case of a positive result of the determining, further determining, by the at least one computer processor, from at least one of a blinking frequency and a pulse duration of the light signals, whether the further vehicle is indicating a change of direction;

outputting, by the at least one computer processor, at least one output signal as a function of the driving-condition variables of the first vehicle and as a function of the determination as to whether the further vehicle is indicating a change of direction;

wherein, when a brake light or a directional blinking of one turn-signal light of the further vehicle is detected and that there is a high probability of a collision with the further vehicle is ascertained, an evasion possibility is ascertained for the first vehicle by changing from a current lane of the first vehicle to an adjacent lane, and at least one of an information signal for indication to the user and a control signal for an automatic lane change is output by the at least one computer processor.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein when a brake light or a directional blinking of one turn-signal light of the further vehicle is detected and that, because of the change in the driving condition of the further vehicle, there is a high probability that a driving condition of a third vehicle will be altered is ascertained, and thus there is a high probability for a collision with the third vehicle or another object, an evasion possibility for the vehicle by changing from a current lane of the first vehicle to an adjacent lane is ascertained, and the output signal is output.

24. A control device of a first vehicle that receives at least (a) image signals from a camera of the first vehicle, which image signals correspond to a coverage area of a road scene in front of the first vehicle, and (b) signals which describe driving-condition variables of the first vehicle, the control device configured for implementing a method for assisting a user of the first vehicle, the method comprising:

ascertaining a driving path which represents an anticipated distance and time function of the first vehicle in a present driving condition of the first vehicle;

determining whether a further vehicle which is outputting light signals is in the coverage area, based on the image signals;

in a case of a positive result of the determining, further determining, from at least one of a blinking frequency and a pulse duration of the light signals, whether the further vehicle is indicating a change of direction;

in a case of a positive result of the further determining, ascertaining whether the further vehicle indicating the change of direction will enter or leave the ascertained driving path with the change of direction; and

outputting at least one output signal as a function of the driving-condition variables of the first vehicle, the determination as to whether the further vehicle is indicating a change of direction, and the ascertainment of whether the further vehicle, when changing direction, will enter or leave the ascertained driving path.

25. The control device as recited in claim 24, wherein the signals, which describe driving-condition variables of the first vehicle are received from intrinsic-state sensors of the first vehicle.

26. The control device as recited in claim 24, wherein signals are received from driving-environment sensors of the first vehicle.

27. A method for assisting a user of a first vehicle, comprising:

imaging a road scene using a camera of the first vehicle, wherein the road scene includes a further vehicle that is generating light signals;

determining, by at least one computer processor and based on at least one of a blinking frequency and a pulse duration of the light signals from the imaged scene, which of brake lights, turning lights, and hazard lights are the light signals; and

outputting, by the at least one computer processor, at least one user warning or driving intervention signal as a function of the determination.

28. A vehicle control device configured to implement a method of assisting a user of the vehicle, the method comprising:

obtaining image signals corresponding to a road scene imaged by a camera of the vehicle, wherein the road scene includes a further vehicle that is generating light signals;

determining, based on at least one of a blinking frequency and a pulse duration of the light signals from the imaged scene, which of brake lights, turning lights, and hazard lights are the light signals; and

outputting at least one user warning or driving intervention signal as a function of the determination.