Device for the automated driving of a motor vehicle, motor vehicle having such a device and method for operating a motor vehicle

• US 9,182,759 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Meurle, Juergen, Sacher, Heike, Scheiffert, Fabian, Ehrhart, Franziska, Wimmer, Martin, Siedersberger, Karl-Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US14/377,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20150006013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/300, 701/400, 701/117, 701/118, 340/933, 340/937, 340/907, 340/901
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1868 according to driving situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/25 using haptic output
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0006 Digital architecture hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• 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: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

A driver assistance system for the fully automated driving of a motor vehicle has a control device for generating control signals for actuators of the motor vehicle, which are designed to drive the motor vehicle. The control device forms a slave of a master-slave arrangement. A user interface of the device forms the master. The user interface receives as an input from a user, a selection of a driving maneuver that is to be performed by the slave and/or a driving parameter value for a driving parameter with respect to a driving maneuver which is currently carried out by the slave. After completion of the input, the user interface activates the slave as a function of the input. The user interface has a representation of the motor vehicle, arranged in a field, wherein an edge represents a maximum permissible change in the driving parameter value.

Claims

1. A device for automated driving of a motor vehicle, comprising:

actuators to drive the motor vehicle;

a control unit to generate control signals for the actuators, to carry out transverse and longitudinal driving of the motor vehicle independently during a journey of the motor vehicle, the control unit acting as a slave in a master-slave arrangement; and

a user interface acting as a master in the master-slave arrangement, to receive an input from a user and to activate the slave in a manner dependent on the input, the input comprising a selection of a new driving maneuver to be performed by the slave and/or a driving parameter to alter a driving maneuver currently being performed by the slave, wherein

the user interface comprises a representation of the motor vehicle, the representation of the motor vehicle being configured as a handle, an image or a symbol arranged in a field, the field having an edge that represents a maximum permissible change in the driving parameter, and

the user interface receives the input from the user such that shifting the representation of the motor vehicle within the field sets the driving parameter and shifting the representation of the motor vehicle beyond the edge of the field selects the driving maneuver.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the driving maneuver is selected from at least two potential maneuvers comprising overtaking a vehicle ahead, turning, parking the motor vehicle in a parking space, changing a lane, starting the motor vehicle, performing a kick-down acceleration, and stopping the motor vehicle.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving parameter is input to alter at least one of a distance to a vehicle ahead, a transverse offset of the motor vehicle from an edge of a lane in which the motor vehicle is currently travelling, and a set speed of a driving speed control.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the user interface is a display device, and

the representation of the motor vehicle and the edge of the field are graphically displayed on the display device.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the user interface comprises a touch-screen.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the user interface represents the motor vehicle by a handle, and

the user interface has an actuator to generate a force-displacement characteristic curve for a deflection of the handle to thereby haptically communicate the edge of the field to the user while the user deflects the handle.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein acting as the slave, the control unit generates control signals to modify driving of the motor vehicle to alter the driving maneuver currently being performed and/or to switch to a new driving maneuver, thereby tracking a change in position of the representation of the motor vehicle.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein driving is modified only after a new position of the representation of the motor vehicle has been maintained by the user for a latency period.

9. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein driving is modified only after the user confirms validity of the input at the user interface.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface positions the representation of the motor vehicle with respect to the edge of the field in a manner dependent on at least one of:

a position of the motor vehicle with respect to an object along a route, the object being selected from the group consisting of a lane marking and a vehicle ahead, and

information concerning traffic control.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information concerning traffic control is a prescribed maximum speed.

12. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the object along the route is identified in a vicinity of the motor vehicle by an identification unit of the motor vehicle.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the slave identifies objects in a vicinity of the motor vehicle, and

the slave decides independently of the master, based on the objects in the vicinity of the motor vehicle, whether and when it will modify driving of the motor vehicle in accordance with the input from the user.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises at least one of a gesture recognition device and a voice recognition device.

15. A motor vehicle, comprising a device as claimed in claim 1.

16. A method for operating a motor vehicle, comprising:

providing a user interface to present a field and to present a representation of the motor vehicle in the field, the field having an edge;

using the representation of the motor vehicle in the field to present potential driving maneuvers and to present potential driving parameter values to alter a driving maneuver currently being performed;

receiving an input from a user at the user interface, the input specifying a new driving maneuver to be performed or specifying a selected driving parameter value to alter the driving maneuver currently being performed;

generating control data in a manner dependent on the input and transmitting the control data to a control unit; and

independently, without assistance of the user, changing driving of the motor vehicle by the control unit in accordance with the control data if a predetermined criterion concerning surroundings of the motor vehicle is fulfilled, wherein

the user interface receives the input from the user such that shifting the representation of the motor vehicle within the field specifies the selected driving parameter value and shifting the representation of the motor vehicle beyond the edge of the field selects the new driving maneuver.