Driving assistance apparatus for assistance with driving along narrow roadways

• US 9,346,467 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Hahne, Uwe, Moebus, Marco, Armbrust, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Rocca, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeagley, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/567,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20130032421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 180/204, 180/446, 340/435, 340/436, 340/465, 342/70, 342/71, 382/103, 382/104, 701/1, 701/23, 701/25, 701/26, 701/41, 701/408, 701/412, 701/446, 701/468, 701/469, 701/472, 701/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0051 from occupants to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A driving assistance apparatus for a motor vehicle for assistance with driving along narrow roadways is provided. The apparatus includes a data acquisition unit for acquiring route data while driving on a route obtained from wheel and steering angle sensors, a trajectory storage unit for recording the route data, and a triggering unit for triggering the vehicle based on the route data. The apparatus is coupled to a satellite navigation receiver for determining boundary value position data at the time of commencement and/or end of the route. A storage unit stores the boundary value position data for the route data. An approach checking unit checks whether the vehicle is approaching the commencement or end of the route based on the boundary value position data and generates a position approach signal if the motor vehicle is approaching the commencement or end of the route.

Claims

1. A driving assistance apparatus for a motor vehicle for assistance with driving along narrow roadways, the driving assistance apparatus comprising:

a data acquisition unit configured for acquiring route data while driving on a route to be obtained from wheel and steering angle sensors;

a trajectory storage unit configured for recording the route data of the data acquisition unit, wherein the driving assistance apparatus is coupled to a satellite navigation receiver for determining boundary value position data at a time of commencement and/or end of the route and the trajectory storage unit is configured for storing the boundary value position data for the route data;

a triggering unit configured for triggering the motor vehicle on a basis of the route data recorded by the trajectory storage unit, for driving along the route in the same or reverse direction; and

an approach checking unit configured to check whether the motor vehicle is approaching a commencement or end of the route based on the boundary value position data and to generate a position approach signal if the motor vehicle is approaching the commencement or end of the route, and

wherein the position approach signal is supplied to a driver communication unit, which is configured to provide a driver of the motor vehicle with an option for activating an automatic driving of a corresponding route and optionally activates the triggering unit for autonomous driving of the route by the motor vehicle, and

wherein, when selecting a route to be driven, the driver communication unit selects accessibility of a door and/or a trunk of the motor vehicle.

2. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driver communication unit is configured to enable input of route name and/or route explanations when storing the route.

3. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a digital map unit with road map information that, by reference to current position data delivered by the satellite navigation receiver, is configured to produce road class data and/or environmental data from the road map information.

4. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the digital map unit comprises map data with position attribute data for checking whether the motor vehicle is located in a vicinity of road areas with restricted scope for navigation and in such a case suggests the recorded route data that is recorded by the trajectory storage unit acquired by the data acquisition unit, wherein the recorded route data is activated as a trajectory by a driver or is executed using the triggering unit in an automated manner.

5. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising environmental detection sensors configured for recording the environmental data when driving along the route and wherein the trajectory storage unit stores the environmental data for corresponding route data.

6. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the environmental detection sensors comprise optical sensors and further comprising an image processing unit configured to create object data of objects located in a vicinity of the route by the environmental data, wherein the trajectory storage unit stores the object data on the corresponding route data.

7. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the trajectory storage unit comprises an additional circular buffer region configured to store the route data during motion of the motor vehicle and optionally additionally the environmental data and/or the object data and deletes the oldest data in each case.

8. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the environmental detection sensors further comprise a trailer sensor configured to produce a trailer signal that indicates whether the motor vehicle is towing a trailer in a route recording and wherein the trailer signal is stored when recording a route.

9. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an environmental data matching unit, which is configured to match object data determined by the environmental detection sensors with the environmental data located in the digital map unit.

10. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the environmental detection sensors are configured to detect curbstones and the triggering unit is further configured for determining whether a lateral offset can be driven based on data from the environmental detection sensors.

11. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance apparatus communicates with a driver identification unit that is configured to produce an individual identification signal for an individual driver and wherein, in the trajectory storage unit, individual route data is stored for each respective individual driver and when specific states arise, the individual route data stored for the relevant individual driver is retrieved.

12. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a trajectory introducing unit that is configured to determine a suitable route on which the motor vehicle can be moved in a selected trajectory.

13. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a time unit configured to store a recording time for each route recorded.

14. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance apparatus can be automatically deactivated when predetermined road classes occur.