Method for Supporting a Traffic-Light-Sequence Assistant of a Vehicle, said Assistant Detecting Traffic Lights

• US 20150105989A1
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG), Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG), Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Lueke, Stefan, Hegemann, Stefan, Komar, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 9,409,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/18 operated by wayside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• 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: B60W 30/181 Preparing for stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18109 Braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for supporting a traffic-light-sequence assistant of a vehicle (10), said assistant detecting the traffic light sequences of traffic lights (11) by means of a camera (1). The invention provides that when traffic lights (11) are detected in the visual range (1a) of the camera (1), the length (L) of the driving path (W) in the direction of the traffic lights (11) is determined by means of a control unit (3), said driving path keeping the camera (1) in the visual range (1a) thereof, and a control signal (St) concerning the length (L) of the driving path (W) is outputted.

Claims

1. A method for supporting a traffic-light-sequence assistant of a vehicle (10), said assistant detecting the traffic light sequences of traffic lights (11) by means of a camera (1),

characterized in that

when traffic lights (11) are detected in the visual range (1a) of the camera (1), the length (L) of the driving path (W) in the direction of the traffic lights (11) is determined by means of a control unit (3), said driving path keeping the camera (1) in the visual range (1a) thereof, and

a control signal (St) concerning the length (L) of the driving path (W) is outputted.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the control signal (St) is outputted to an indicating device (4) of the vehicle (10), said indicating device producing a visual and/or acoustic indication of the end (E) of the driving path (W).

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the visual and/or acoustic indication is in the form of an indication of distance indicated in a unit of measurement of length for the length (L) of the driving path (W).

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the control signal (St) is outputted to an assistance system (5) intervening in the brake system of the vehicle (10) and the assistance system (5) is designed to take over the end (E) of the driving path (W) as the point to be reached in a targeted braking maneuver and supports the driver in this targeted braking maneuver.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the control signal (St) is outputted to an automatic vehicle control system that controls the vehicle such that the vehicle will stop at the end (E) of the driving path (W).

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the automatic vehicle control system informs the driver about a visual and/or acoustic indication.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop line (13) of the traffic lights (11) is detected by means of the camera (1) and the length (L) of the driving path (W) is determined such that the distance between the end (E) of the driving path (W) and the stop line (13) will not exceed a predetermined distance.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the geometric position and the distance between the traffic lights (11) and the vehicle (10) are determined by means of a 3D camera (1) in order to determine the length (L) of the driving path (W).

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that for determining the length of the driving path (W), the distance to the traffic lights (11) is estimated by analyzing the image data of a mono camera (1) by means of 3D scene construction.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that for determining the length (L) of the driving path (W), the distance to the traffic lights (11) is estimated by analyzing the image data of a mono camera (1) with respect to the angle change of the traffic lights (11) in the image data.