Method of operating a motor vehicle, and motor vehicle

• US 9,756,174 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Kohler, Linda, Boos, Barbara
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Mehmood B
• Application Number:
  US15/123,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20170019524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 731 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a motor vehicle which has a communications device, a navigation system, and an analysis unit, the method comprising the steps of: specifying, by means of the analysis unit, at least one position at which a demanding driving situation for the driver of the motor vehicle is expected; ascertaining, by means of the analysis unit, the distance of the motor vehicle from the specified position; assessing, by means of the analysis unit, whether the ascertained distance is shorter than a first predetermined distance if the motor vehicle is approaching the specified position and/or whether the ascertained distance is shorter than a second predetermined distance if the motor vehicle is moving away from the specified position; and preventing, by means of the communication device, communication via the communication device if the ascertained distance is shorter than either the first or the second distance.

Claims

1. A method for operating a motor vehicle which has a communication device, a navigation system coupled to the communication device, and an analysis unit, the method comprising:

a) defining a demanding driving situation for a driver of the motor vehicle based on a position (x₁, x₂, x₃, x₄) of the motor vehicle;

b) specifying, by means of the analysis unit, a position at which the demanding driving situation for the driver of the motor vehicle is expected;

c) ascertaining, by means of the analysis unit, a distance of the motor vehicle from the specified position;

d) assessing, by means of the analysis unit, whether the ascertained distance is shorter than a first predetermined distance based on the motor vehicle approaching the specified position and whether the ascertained distance is shorter than a second predetermined distance based on the motor vehicle moving away from the specified position; and

e) preventing, by means of the communication device, communication via the communication device in response to the ascertained distance being assessed at step (d) to be shorter than either the first predetermined distance or the second predetermined distance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a hands-free device and is coupled, via a data transmission interface, to a mobile telephone that is not permanently installed in the motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication via the communication device comprises at least one of the following activities:

placing or receiving a telephone call and/or receiving an e-mail and/or sending an e-mail and/or receiving some other message and/or sending some other message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the demanding driving situation for the driver of the motor vehicle is defined as a driving situation in which, for accident-free operation of the motor vehicle, a greater level of attention is required of the driver of the motor vehicle as compared with an average attention level required for operating the motor vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified position is an intersection, a merging roadway, a turn-off point or roadway exit, a construction zone, a location of at least one object in the roadway, a location of an accident, an area of traffic congestion, a location of a change in weather, or a position of another motor vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified position is exclusively specified based on a map which is stored in the navigation system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined distance is greater than the second predetermined distance.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second predetermined distances are measured distances along a route, and the first predetermined distance is between 40 meters and 50 meters and the second predetermined distance is between 2 meters and 7.5 meters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second predetermined distances are distances measured in terms of time based on a speed of the motor vehicle, and the first predetermined distance is between 4.8 seconds and 6.0 seconds and the second predetermined distance is between 0.2 seconds and 0.9 seconds.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second predetermined distances are adapted to a current speed of the motor vehicle and/or to a longitudinal acceleration and/or to a lateral acceleration and/or to a steering angle and/or to other vehicle dynamics data and/or to weather conditions and/or to a state of the driver of the motor vehicle and/or to traffic-related reports transmitted from other motor vehicles and/or to traffic-related reports transmitted from an infrastructure.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined distance is between 5% and 15% of the first predetermined distance.

12. A motor vehicle comprising:

a communication device;

a navigation system coupled to the communication device; and

an analysis unit, wherein the analysis unit is configured to;

a) specify a position at which a demanding driving situation, according to a predetermined definition, for a driver of the motor vehicle is expected,

b) ascertain a distance of the motor vehicle from the specified position, and

c) assess whether the ascertained distance is shorter than a first predetermined distance based on the motor vehicle approaching the specified position and whether the ascertained distance is shorter than a second predetermined distance based on the motor vehicle moving away from the specified position,

wherein the communication device is configured to prevent communication via the communication device in response to the ascertained distance being assessed at step (c) to be shorter than either the first predetermined distance or the second predetermined distance.

13. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the communication device comprises a hands-free device and is coupled, via a data transmission interface, to a mobile telephone that is not permanently installed in the motor vehicle.

14. The motor of claim 12, wherein the communication via the communication device comprises at least one of the following activities:

placing or receiving a telephone call and/or receiving an e-mail and/or sending an e-mail and/or receiving some other message and/or sending some other message.

15. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the specified position is an intersection, a merging roadway, a turn-off point or roadway exit, a construction zone, a location of at least one object in the roadway, a location of an accident, an area of traffic congestion, a location of a change in weather, or a position of another motor vehicle.

16. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the specified position is exclusively specified based on a map which is stored in the navigation system.

17. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first predetermined distance is greater than the second predetermined distance.

18. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first and second predetermined distances are measured distances along a route, and the first predetermined distance is between 40 meters and 50 meters and the second predetermined distance is between 2 meters and 7.5 meters.

19. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first and second predetermined distances are distances measured in terms of time based on the speed of the motor vehicle, and the first predetermined distance is between 4.8 seconds and 6.0 seconds and the second predetermined distance is between 0.2 seconds and 0.9 seconds.

20. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first and second predetermined distances are adapted to a current speed of the motor vehicle and/or to a longitudinal acceleration and/or to a lateral acceleration and/or to a steering angle and/or to other vehicle dynamics data and/or to weather conditions and/or to a state of the driver of the motor vehicle and/or to traffic-related reports transmitted from other motor vehicles and/or to traffic-related reports transmitted from an infrastructure.