Method for operating a vehicle with an automatic driving mode

• US 9,342,092 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2015
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syngenta Participations AG (China National Chemical Corporation), Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Baur, Elmar, Hackenberg, Linn, Bendewald, Lennart
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, DREW J
• Application Number:
  US14/640,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20150253804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 23/02 for main transmission clutches
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/40 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/42 non-pivoting, e.g. sliding
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/44 pivoting

Abstract

A method for operating a vehicle that can be operated in a manual driving mode and in an automatic driving mode and has at least one foot actuation device, which in the manual driving mode projects from a plane of a resting surface and can be actuated by a vehicle driver, wherein a switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode is detected and thereupon the at least one foot actuation device and/or the resting surface are moved relative to one another in such a way that the at least one foot actuation device and the resting surface form a substantially continuous plane or the resting surface forms a substantially continuous plane and the foot actuation device is covered by the plane of the resting surface.

Claims

1. A method for operating a vehicle that is operable in a manual driving mode and in an automatic driving mode and has at least one foot actuation device, which in the manual driving mode projects from a plane of a resting surface and actuated by a vehicle driver, the method comprising:

detecting a switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode; and

moving the at least one foot actuation device and/or the resting surface relative to one another such that in the automatic driving mode, the at least one foot actuation device and the resting surface form a substantially continuous plane or the resting surface forms the substantially continuous plane and the foot actuation device is covered by the plane of the resting surface,

wherein the substantially continuous plane forms an obtuse angle relative to a floor of a legroom section of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode is detected by a control unit.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the control unit during the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode triggers the foot actuation device and/or the resting surface.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle is adjusted during the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switch from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is detected and thereupon the at least one foot actuation device and/or the resting surface are moved relative to one another such that the foot actuation device protrudes from the plane of the resting surface and the foot actuation device is actuatable again.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the foot actuation device and/or the resting surface during the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode is a rotation.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, during the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the resting surface is pivoted in a direction of the foot actuation device.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein, during the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the foot actuation device is pivoted in a direction of the resting surface.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the foot actuation device and/or the resting surface during the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode is a translation.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, during the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the foot actuation device is shifted in the direction of the resting surface.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the manual driving mode, the resting surface forms an end of a footwell relative to an engine compartment.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the manual driving mode, the resting surface is disposed above the foot actuation device in a vertical direction of the vehicle.

13. A method for operating a vehicle that is operable in a manual driving mode and in an automatic driving mode and has at least one foot actuation device, which in the manual driving mode projects from a plane of a resting surface and is actuated by a vehicle driver, the method comprising:

detecting a switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode; and

moving the at least one foot actuation device and/or the resting surface relative to one another such that the at least one foot actuation device and the resting surface from a substantially continuous plane of the resting surface forms the substantially continuous plane and the foot actuation device is covered by the plane of the resting surface,

wherein, during the switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the resting surface is shifted in a direction of the foot actuation device.

14. A device for a vehicle comprising:

a foot actuation device;

a resting surface; and

a support device for moving the foot actuation device and/or resting surface relative to one another so that in the automatic driving mode, a substantially continuous plane is formed by the foot actuation device and the resting surface or the substantially continuous plane is formed by the resting surface and the foot actuation device is covered at least partially by the resting surface,

wherein the substantially continuous plane forms an obtuse angle relative to a floor of a legroom section of the vehicle.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the device further comprises a control unit for detecting a driving mode of the vehicle.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the control unit triggers the foot actuation device and/or the resting surface.

17. The device according to claim 14, wherein the resting surface has recesses that correspond substantially to a cross section of the foot actuation device.

18. The device according to claim 14, wherein the support device for moving the foot actuation device and/or resting surface comprises a track.

19. The device according to claim 14, wherein the support device for moving the foot actuation device and/or resting surface comprises a swivel joint.

20. The device according to claim 14, wherein the support device for moving the foot actuation device and/or resting surface comprises an actuator or a motor.