Method and device for assisting in returning a vehicle after leaving a roadway

• US 9,283,958 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Ulbricht, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): TISSOT, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US14/387,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/23, 701/300, 701/36, 701/41, 701/45, 701/70, 303/191, 340/436, 702/167
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A method for assisting a driver in returning a vehicle to a roadway from a periphery or shoulder of the roadway includes the following steps. Data is received from a sensor that monitors a region ahead of the vehicle. The data is analyzed to detect a transition between the roadway and the periphery, and to detect a free space ahead of the vehicle on the roadway. It is assessed whether the transition at a transition point is suitable for returning the vehicle to the roadway, and a corresponding first signal is issued. It is assessed whether the free space is sufficient for returning the vehicle and/or whether obstacles are present, and a corresponding second signal is issued. An output signal is generated based on the first and second signals, and alerts the driver or autonomously or semi-autonomously controls the vehicle to return the vehicle onto the roadway.

Claims

1. A method of operating a driver assistance system of a vehicle for assisting in returning the vehicle (10) to a roadway after the vehicle has at least partially left the roadway (12) and is driving at least partially on a roadway periphery (18) laterally adjacent to the roadway, wherein the driver assistance system comprises an analyzation unit, and wherein the method comprises the following steps performed by the driver assistance system:

receiving data from one or more driving environment sensors (14) of the vehicle that monitor a region ahead of the vehicle (S10),

in the analyzation unit, analyzing the data to detect a transition (16) between the roadway and the roadway periphery (18;

S12),

analyzing the data to detect a free space (20) ahead of the vehicle (S14),

checking whether the transition is suitable for returning the vehicle to the roadway, which includes checking whether a detected height difference or a detected width of the transition is smaller than a respective pre-defined threshold value, and issuing a corresponding first signal (22;

S16),

checking whether the free space is sufficient for returning the vehicle to the roadway, and checking whether obstacles (28b) are present on the roadway periphery (18) or on the transition (16), and issuing a corresponding second signal (24;

S18), and

generating a feedback signal (26) if the first signal indicates that the transition is suitable and the second signal indicates that the free space is sufficient, or if the second signal indicates that obstacles (28b) are present on the roadway periphery (18) or on the transition (S20).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the analyzing of the data for detecting the transition (16) includes detecting the height difference between the roadway periphery (18) and the roadway (12) and/or detecting a width of the roadway periphery.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the checking of whether the transition is suitable for returning the vehicle to the roadway further includes:

classifying the transition as to an influence thereof on driving stability when being driven over by the vehicle, and

the first signal is issued if the transition is classified as having less influence on the driving stability when being driven over by the vehicle than a predefined maximum influence.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that a steering assist signal, a brake intervention signal and/or an acceleration signal is or are generated and issued as a function of the feedback signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the data include information for detecting and evaluating a surface contour of the ground ahead of the vehicle and the free space ahead of the vehicle.

6. A device in a driver assistance system of a vehicle for assisting in returning the vehicle to a roadway after the vehicle has at least partially left the roadway and is driving at least partially on a roadway periphery laterally adjacent to the roadway, comprising an analyzation unit configured and adapted to:

receive data from one or more driving environment sensors of the vehicle that monitor a region ahead of the vehicle,

analyze the data to detect a transition between the roadway and the roadway periphery,

analyze the data to detect a free space ahead of the vehicle,

check whether the transition is suitable for returning the vehicle to the roadway, which includes checking whether a detected height difference or a detected width of the transition is smaller than a respective pre-defined threshold value, and issue a corresponding first signal,

check whether the free space is sufficient for returning the vehicle to the roadway, and issue a corresponding second signal, and

generate a feedback signal if the first signal indicates that the transition is suitable and the second signal indicates that the free space is sufficient.

7. A driver assistance system comprising a device according to claim 6.

8. The driver assistance system according to claim 7, further comprising a signaling device configured and arranged to emit the feedback signal to the driver.

9. The driver assistance system according to claim 7, further comprising a device configured and arranged to generate control signals for a drive control system and/or a steering system of a vehicle as a function of the feedback signal such that the drive control system or the steering system of the vehicle is controlled by the control signals to return the vehicle to the roadway semi-autonomously or autonomously.

10. A method of operating a driver assistance system of a vehicle to assist in returning the vehicle onto a roadway after the vehicle has at least partially left the roadway and is driving at least partially on a roadway periphery laterally adjacent to the roadway, comprising the following steps performed by the driver assistance system:

receiving data from an environment sensor of the vehicle that monitors a region of the roadway and the roadway periphery ahead of the vehicle;

analyzing the data to detect a transition between the roadway and the roadway periphery by detecting at least one of a height difference, a surface structure variation, a step formation, or a color variation, between the roadway and the roadway periphery;

evaluating the data to determine whether at least one first area along the transition is suitable for driving the vehicle over the transition onto the roadway at the first area, and based on the evaluating making a determination that the first area is suitable issuing a first signal indicating that the transition is suitable at the first area;

in response to and dependent on at least the first signal indicating that the transition is suitable at the first area, with the driver assistance system performing at least one assistance function selected from the group consisting of;

issuing to a driver of the vehicle an alert indicating that the transition is suitable for driving the vehicle over the transition onto the roadway at the first area,

performing a semi-autonomous control assistance to assist the driver in controlling the vehicle to drive the vehicle over the transition onto the roadway at the first area, or

performing an autonomous control of a control system of the vehicle to drive the vehicle over the transition onto the roadway at the first area.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of analyzing the data to detect the transition comprises the detecting of the height difference between the roadway and the roadway periphery.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of evaluating the data to determine whether the first area is suitable comprises comparing the height difference to a maximum permissible value.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of analyzing the data to detect the transition comprises the detecting of the surface structure variation or the step formation between the roadway and the roadway periphery.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of evaluating the data to determine whether the first area is suitable comprises classifying the transition at the first area as to an influence thereof on driving stability of the vehicle when driving over the transition, and comparing the influence to a maximum permissible influence.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the following steps performed by the driver assistance system:

analyzing the data to detect an unoccupied space on the roadway ahead of the vehicle,

evaluating the data to determine whether the unoccupied space is sufficient for the vehicle to return onto the roadway into the unoccupied space, and if so then issuing a second signal indicating that the unoccupied space is sufficient, and

wherein the at least one assistance function is performed only in response to and dependent on at least the first signal indicating that the transition is suitable at the first area, the second signal indicating that the unoccupied space is sufficient, and the first area being adjacent to the unoccupied space.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the roadway is a paved roadway, the roadway periphery is an unpaved shoulder, and the transition comprises a height step between the paved roadway and the unpaved shoulder.