CN115698633A

CN115698633A - Method for operating an auxiliary function for guiding a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN115698633A
Application number: CN202180040236.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·R·埃韦特
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 2020-06-02
Filing date: 2021-05-21
Publication date: 2023-02-03
Also published as: DE102020206830A1; WO2021244879A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating an auxiliary function for guiding a motor vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: determining the position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle taking into account non-optical locating methods; virtually locating an ascertained position and/or orientation of a motor vehicle on a digital road map, the road map comprising at least available lanes at the ascertained position and/or orientation; obtaining the lateral guide driving maneuver to be implemented; the measures for supporting the laterally guided driving maneuver are defined based on the located position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle on the digital road map. Furthermore, the invention proposes a device which is designed to carry out the method.

Description

Method for operating an auxiliary function for guiding a motor vehicle

Technical Field

Background

The following applications are known from the prior art: in these applications, functions for lane recognition and lane keeping are represented in motor vehicles by means of optical sensors, such as video cameras or lidar sensors. In this case, for example, images are recorded with a camera and subsequently analyzed in real time by means of an algorithm. These images are also searched for lines belonging to the lane, and the vehicle is then held in the lane by means of an automated steering intervention. However, in such systems, the use of optical sensor systems can lead to incorrect lane recognition. Due to the weakness in the algorithm, it may happen that the algorithm cannot identify the line or erroneously identifies the line. This may result in the vehicle leaving the road if the driver does not intervene with the correction.

Disclosure of Invention

In contrast, the method according to the invention advantageously enables a safe implementation of the transverse guidance of the motor vehicle. Incorrect lateral guidance can be recognized both in the manual driving mode and in the automated driving mode. A lateral deviation of the vehicle from the road is avoided, as is an unplanned deviation from the own lane. This is achieved by the features of the invention which are specified in the independent patent claims. Further configurations of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The method according to the invention for operating an auxiliary function for guiding a motor vehicle is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

determining the position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle taking into account non-optical positioning methods;

virtually locating the determined position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle on a digital road map, the digital road map comprising at least available lanes at the determined position and/or orientation;

finding the lateral guiding driving manoeuvre to be implemented;

defining measures for supporting the laterally guided driving manoeuvre based on the located position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle on the digital road map.

In this context, it is understood that the assistance function can be designed as a driver assistance function for assisting the driver in manual vehicle guidance. The auxiliary function can also be used for supporting in (highly) automated vehicle guidance. A laterally guided driving maneuver may be understood as a lane keeping function or lane change. The support of the lateral guidance of the driving maneuver can be performed as an independent lateral guidance or as a correction to the lateral guidance performed.

The sought position is understood to be the actual position in the real world based on global coordinates, for example a world coordinate system. Of course, in addition to (or instead of) the position, the orientation of the motor vehicle can also be determined and taken into account.

The position is determined (at least substantially) on the basis of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). A GNSS is a system for position determination and navigation on earth and in the air by receiving signals from navigation satellites. GNSS is a generic term for use with existing and future Global satellite systems, such as NAVSTAR GPS (Global Positioning System) or galileo.

Alternatively or additionally, the position determination by means of non-optical locating methods can also be carried out by means of vehicle-to-X communication. In particular, the processing vehicle-to-X signal propagation time is evaluated. This may be done, for example, by vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. However, vehicle-to-vehicle communication connections are also conceivable.

A digital road map is understood in particular to be a highly accurate map comprising virtual coordinates corresponding to global coordinates. Such maps are also referred to as feature maps. The defined map contains at least one or more lanes at the determined vehicle position. In particular, the map also includes boundaries of individual lanes. Virtual positioning is understood to mean the transformation of the global coordinates obtained to a virtual position in a digital map. The vehicle is therefore virtually projected into a highly accurate map corresponding to its highly accurate position and/or orientation.

Furthermore, measures for supporting a laterally guided driving maneuver are defined on the basis of the positioned position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle on the digital road map. If a curve is actually present ahead of the motor vehicle from the virtual position of the motor vehicle on the digital map, the steering maneuver can be limited to a measure, so that the motor vehicle follows the course of the curve and an automated lane guidance can be maintained. In order to set the required steering angle precisely, the orientation of the motor vehicle should be taken into account in addition to the position. In addition to the current position and/or orientation, a time-dependent change in position or position progression is advantageously determined and taken into account when defining the measure. In addition to defining measures for assisting driving maneuvers, it is of course also possible to provide for the defined measures to be introduced and implemented, for example, as separate method steps.

In an advantageous embodiment, the method is characterized in that an evaluation is carried out as to whether the lateral guidance driving manoeuvre is correctly carried out on the basis of the located position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle on the digital road map.

In this context, it is understood that it is checked whether a currently performed driving maneuver, for example a lane keeping function, is performed in accordance with the request, depending on the virtual position of the motor vehicle on the map. For this purpose, the virtual position of the motor vehicle on the map is compared with the ambient conditions stored in the map. The analysis here was: which precise location on the lane that the virtual vehicle is in is saved in a highly accurate map. If the virtual vehicle is located, for example, on the edge of a virtual lane, it can be deduced therefrom that a steering correction measure is actually required. For example, if the position of the motor vehicle deviates from the ideal position or the ideal lane by more than a defined threshold value, for example by more than 50cm from the center of the lane, a "correct implementation" can be denied.

In one possible embodiment, the method is characterized in that at least one of the following features is further taken into account for evaluating the implementation:

-the type of laterally guided driving manoeuvre;

-a defined embodiment of laterally guiding a driving maneuver;

-static ambient conditions;

-dynamic ambient conditions.

This is understood to be the evaluation performed as to whether the currently implemented laterally guided driving maneuver was properly performed. For this evaluation, in addition to the position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle, further aspects are checked. For example, it is checked whether the execution corresponds to the type of driving maneuver to be executed. It is therefore possible to conclude at an early stage from the changing position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle: which type of laterally guided driving maneuver is currently introduced or performed. Furthermore, it can be checked whether the implementation has been carried out according to the defined type and manner of implementation. For example, the driver may select between sporty and comfortable driving style among a plurality of vehicles. Accordingly, limit values for implementing the longitudinal dynamics and the transverse dynamics can also be defined and monitored.

Of course, static ambient conditions can also be taken into account for checking the correct execution of the lateral guidance driving maneuver. The static ambient conditions can be understood, for example, as the current lane width, the boundary of the current lane, the boundary of the road, the lane reduction, etc. Such ambient conditions may be stored in a highly accurate road map, for example. In addition to static ambient conditions, dynamic ambient conditions can also advantageously be taken into account in order to evaluate whether the transverse guiding manoeuvre to be implemented is currently being implemented correctly. For example, the driving trajectory of another traffic participant can be considered as a dynamic ambient condition. These driving trajectories may be defined by position data and (expected) time stamps. Such information may also be integrated into the digital road map and taken into account when evaluating the implementation of the current lateral guidance driving maneuver. For example, such information can be transmitted to the motor vehicle by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication or also by means of a separate infrastructure.

In a preferred embodiment, the method is characterized in that, in the event of an incorrect execution of the laterally guided driving maneuver, a measure for correcting the lateral guidance of the motor vehicle is executed.

In an alternative embodiment, the method is characterized in that, in the event of an incorrect execution of the lateral guidance driving maneuver being recognized, at least one of the following method steps is executed:

-outputting a warning to a driver of the motor vehicle;

-requesting the driver of the motor vehicle to take over lane guidance;

-carrying out a steering intervention, in particular in order to follow a road course, taking into account the located position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle (1) on the digital road map;

carrying out a reverse steering by means of an automated steering intervention, in particular in order to return to the lane;

intervening in the longitudinal guidance of the vehicle, in particular automatically braking the vehicle;

-suspending the automated driving function implemented;

-informing a vehicle occupant, in particular a driver, of the motor vehicle of an error condition;

-creating an error entry in an error memory of the motor vehicle (1).

In this context, it is understood that suitable measures for supporting a correct implementation are defined and implemented in the case of a manual implementation and/or suitable measures for correcting incorrect implementation are defined and implemented in the case of a manual and (highly) automated implementation of the transverse guidance of the motor vehicle.

In one possible embodiment, the method is characterized in that the non-optical locating method is supported by non-optical technology on the motor vehicle, in particular when using a vehicle movement locating sensor.

It is understood that, in addition to satellite data, for example, other technologies are also used to determine the position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle. The technology used for this purpose is non-optical in the context of this method. That is, no camera is required and no image data is used to find the position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle. Vehicle Motion Positioning Sensors (VMPS) can be used for automated driving and to calculate highly accurate vehicle positions by means of navigation satellite data (GPS, GLONASS, beidou, galileo) and other sensors (e.g. inertial sensors) and algorithms (e.g. dynamic models and kalman filters). Here, the correction data from the correction service and the complementary technology is used together in the VMPS in order to calculate the position of the vehicle more accurately and reliably. Highly accurate time, such as universal time, is also read in the VMPS along with the received GNSS data and used for accurate position determination.

In a preferred embodiment, the method is characterized in that an optical sensor system of the motor vehicle is checked for plausibility by means of the method and/or the optical sensor system is replaced by means of the method, in particular temporarily.

This is understood to mean that the method is used to verify the plausibility of a lane keeping system, which is mounted on a vehicle, for example, and which is based on camera data. If the respective lane keeping system deviates too much from the highly accurate vehicle position on the highly accurate map, the lane keeping system is deactivated or the highly accurate vehicle position is used only in the lane keeping system. In addition to the plausibility check, a continuous fusion of the two data (video and road map position) can also be considered in order to achieve an optimized result quality. It is of course also conceivable to temporarily replace the camera-based lateral guidance by the method described here, depending on the situation. In particular in bad weather, the corresponding lane marking is only difficult to identify or not at all identifiable by the camera. The use of this method is therefore advantageous in such situations. In an alternative embodiment, a lateral guidance function, such as a lane keeping system, is implemented entirely by the method described herein. Accordingly, it is not necessary to use a camera for implementing these functions.

In a further embodiment, the method is characterized in that it comprises a lateral guidance of the motor vehicle, in particular a lateral guidance and a longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle.

It is understood in this connection that the method not only monitors whether the laterally guided driving manoeuvre is correctly implemented. The method is advantageously configured for being able to also carry out laterally guided driving maneuvers by themselves and in the correct manner. For example, appropriate lateral guidance is sought in consideration of relevant factors for implementing lateral guidance driving maneuvers. Furthermore, possible lateral guiding maneuvers can be implemented accordingly, i.e. implemented. For example, in the case of partially or highly automated driving, the control of the lane change can be carried out using highly accurate desired position data.

In an advantageous embodiment, the method is characterized in that the driver input is taken into account for determining the lateral guidance maneuver to be performed.

This is understood to mean that the lateral guiding driving maneuver desired by the driver is determined. For example, in the case of manual vehicle guidance, a flashing light desired by the driver as a maneuver for carrying out a lane change or a passing-through may be interpreted as a driver input. In the case of (partially) automated driving, the vehicle may present the driving manoeuvre required for the current driving situation to the driver for confirmation, for example in case of a question. Confirmation-or selection alternatives-may be made by driver input. The driver input is made, for example, acoustically. Other inputs can of course also be implemented, for example by means of button confirmation.

The method may be implemented in software or hardware or in a mixture of software and hardware, for example, in a controller. The solution proposed herein also proposes an apparatus configured for carrying out, manipulating or implementing the steps of the variants of the solution proposed herein in the respective devices. The object on which the invention is based can also be solved quickly and efficiently by means of this embodiment variant of the invention in the form of a device.

In this context, a device can be understood as an electrical device which processes a sensor signal and outputs a control signal and/or a data signal on the basis of the sensor signal. The device may have an interface, which may be configured in hardware and/or in software. In a hardware embodiment, the interface can be part of a so-called system ASIC, which contains the various functions of the device. However, it is also possible for the interface to be a dedicated integrated circuit or to be formed at least partially from discrete components. In the case of a software configuration, the interface can be, for example, a software module which is present on the microcontroller together with other software modules. Driver assistance systems (for example for carrying out fully automated vehicle guidance of partial or complete driver assistance systems, in particular for carrying out lateral control), non-optical sensor systems such as VMPS, digital road maps, devices for supporting or carrying out lateral and/or longitudinal guidance, and controllers provided for carrying out the method, for example, can therefore also be counted as such devices.

It is also advantageous to have a computer program product or a computer program with a program code, which can be stored on a machine-readable carrier or storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk memory or an optical memory, and in particular when the program product or the method is implemented on a computer or a device, for carrying out, carrying out and/or manipulating the steps of the method according to one of the embodiments described above.

Drawings

It should be noted that the features listed individually in the description can be combined with one another in any technically meaningful way and illustrate further configurations of the invention. Further features and the corresponding objects of the invention result from the description of the embodiments on the basis of the drawings.

The figures show:

FIG. 1: a motor vehicle at an outer edge of the roadway; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram: a schematic view of the motor vehicle in a situation where it is about to deviate from the lane; and

FIG. 3: a schematic view of the motor vehicle after a lane change is carried out in the event of an imminent departure from the driving route; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of: a schematic view of the motor vehicle before implementing the planned lane change; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of: method steps of one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a view of a motor vehicle on the outer edge of a roadway. Shown here is a driving road 12 with three lanes 13. The driving road 12 is bounded on both sides by driving road boundaries 15. For example, there is a central barrier guardrail on the left and a curb, not shown, on the right. On the center lane 13, a center line 14 of the lane is drawn. Furthermore, the motor vehicle 1 is located on the center lane 13. The vehicle is driven at a speed v in the direction of the arrow shown. It is also clearly visible that the motor vehicle 1 is positioned at the left-hand edge of the center lane 13, clearly away from the center line 14. The motor vehicle 1 comprises a driver assistance system 2, which is configured in particular for carrying out lateral guidance, for example for an automated lane keeping function and/or an automated lane change.

The motor vehicle 1 furthermore has a position determination unit 3 for satellite-supported positioning/orientation. Where for example data from a plurality of satellites 10 is received and evaluated by an analysis process. The global position data 11 is symbolically represented by a dashed line. Furthermore, a non-optical Sensor system 4 is present, for example a so-called VMPS (Vehicle-Motion-Position Sensor), which receives data from the Position determination unit 3. The position determination unit 3 may also be implemented as part of the non-optical sensor system 4. The non-optical sensor system 4 may support satellite-supported positioning/orientation and provide as output a fused vehicle position in the world coordinate system. Furthermore, a digital road map 5 is present. The motor vehicle 1 transforms its currently determined, highly accurate global position and/or orientation from the position-determining unit 3 and/or from the non-optical sensor system 4 onto a highly accurate road map and evaluates the situation currently existing in reality, in particular whether the currently occurring lateral guidance is carried out correctly, on the basis of its virtual position/orientation in the road map.

The figure also shows an optical sensor system 6, for example a front camera. Furthermore, a device 7, for example a steering actuator, is provided for supporting and/or automating the lateral guidance of the motor vehicle 1. A device 8 for supporting and/or automating the longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle 1 is also provided. Such a device 8 may be a brake device or a drive device, or also a control device for actuating these brake devices or drive devices. Furthermore, the motor vehicle 1 comprises a control unit 9 which is provided for carrying out the method according to the invention. Of course, the controller 9 may be integrated as a function in other controllers, for example in a central controller for implementing automated driving maneuvers. The controller 9 receives highly accurate positions on the lanes of the highly accurate map 5 and calculates deviations or control commands for devices for supporting or automating the lateral guidance 7 and the longitudinal guidance 8.

Fig. 2 shows a view of the motor vehicle when it is about to deviate from the lane. In fig. 2 to 4, the digital road map is symbolically shown. The difference from reality is, for example, that the object shown is a virtual object and the coordinates of the motor vehicle are virtual coordinates. In fig. 2, the motor vehicle 1 is shown in a position already close to the left edge of the center lane 13. The deviation of the motor vehicle 1 from the center of the lane 13 exceeds a defined threshold value. It is therefore assumed that: lateral guidance, for example automated lane guidance, is not carried out correctly. Accordingly, the method introduces countermeasures in the situation. It can also be seen that the orientation of the motor vehicle 1 is also offset from the normal driving direction. It is therefore expected that crossing the edge of the driving road will occur soon. The travel track of the vehicle 1 is symbolically indicated by a dashed arrow.

Fig. 3 shows a view of a motor vehicle after a lane change has been carried out and immediately after a lane departure. The dashed arrow behind the motor vehicle 1 symbolically indicates that the motor vehicle 1 has just performed a lane change from the center lane to the left lane 13. However, the position and orientation of the motor vehicle 1 show that lateral guidance is not currently carried out correctly. The dashed arrow in front of the vehicle 1 depicts the expected trajectory of the vehicle. It can be seen here that the motor vehicle 1 immediately crosses the driving road boundary 15 in the direction of the balustrade. Accordingly, the method introduces countermeasures in the situation.

Fig. 4 shows a representation of a motor vehicle before a planned lane change is carried out. The motor vehicle 1 here travels on the center lane toward the vehicle 16 traveling ahead. The driving path for the planned lane change is symbolically shown here by means of a dashed arrow in front of the motor vehicle 1. These data can be transmitted, for example, in the form of highly accurate position data and/or orientation, with a time stamp expected over time, to the following vehicle 17.

In one embodiment, the highly accurate vehicle position and orientation is forwarded to the surrounding traffic participants and/or to the traffic infrastructure via a vehicle-to-X communication connection. When a lane change of the vehicle 1 is to be performed in a manual or autonomous driving mode, the current position, orientation, vehicle speed, vehicle dynamics and route path are taken into account in the trajectory planning. The motor vehicle 1 thus plans how an upcoming lane change should be made over time depending on a highly accurate vehicle position. The resulting trajectory has a start position, a target position, and a start time and a target time. Additionally, the trajectory may also include a plurality of intermediate positions and time points. These highly accurate future position profiles are forwarded via the vehicle-to-X communication link to the surrounding traffic participants, for example to the following motor vehicle 17 and/or to the preceding motor vehicle 16, and/or to the traffic infrastructure. The other traffic participants therefore know not only the intention of the lane change of the motor vehicle 1 but also the corresponding planned trajectory based on the world coordinate system, which has the planned vehicle position and orientation of the corresponding vehicle in the future. The other traffic participants can therefore take their own trajectory with the position data of the vehicle changing over time during a lane change into account in their own trajectory planning on the basis of the received information. In addition, other traffic participants can plan corresponding avoidance maneuvers in time mainly in a manual mode. In the manual mode, the lane change is evaluated in the background, both with regard to position technology and with regard to time, as a function of the current steering angle, the current vehicle speed and the route profile, and is transmitted to the other traffic participants via a vehicle-to-X communication link. In this way autonomous driving is made safer in both manual and autonomous modes.

Fig. 5 shows method steps of an embodiment of the invention. In a first step S1, the method is started, for example, by activating a partially autonomous driving mode, for example, highway cruising. In step S2, the position and/or orientation of the vehicle is determined by means of a satellite-supported positioning method, for example. The positioning of the motor vehicle can be supported by a non-optical sensor system of the motor vehicle. The positioning of the motor vehicle is usually carried out continuously.

In a next step S3, the ascertained highly accurate position and orientation of the motor vehicle in global coordinates is transformed onto a digitized, likewise highly accurate road map. Therefore, the motor vehicle is virtually positioned on the digital road map. The road map includes, for example, lanes at the location of the motor vehicle. The road map is in particular a highly accurate road map, for example comprising the center and width of the current lane and the number of lanes and/or the driving road boundaries at the location of the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle 1 therefore converts its currently determined, highly accurate global position and/or orientation to a highly accurate road map.

In a next step S4, the lateral guidance driving maneuver to be currently performed is determined. For example, when the driver switches on the flashing light in a partially autonomous driving mode, a desired overtaking process is recognized. However, the derivation of a laterally guided driving maneuver may also be understood as follows: automatically obtaining: what driving manoeuvres are to be implemented next in order to implement or continue a highly automated ride.

In a next step S5, measures for supporting the implementation of the lateral guidance driving maneuver are defined. This measure is used for correct implementation of a manual or (partially) automated driving maneuver — or for correcting an incorrect implementation. The definition of the measure is based on the position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle on the digital road map.

For example, automated lane guidance is carried out by means of an optical sensor system. The method now analyzes the satellite-supported vehicle position transformed into a highly accurate road map. If it is determined that the virtual position of the motor vehicle deviates from the desired position of the motor vehicle on the digital road map, a steering intervention is carried out in reality in order to bring the motor vehicle to the desired position.

The defined measures are implemented in the next step S6. For example, the steering is intervened by means of a steering actuator in order to guide the vehicle back into the lane. In condition B1 it is checked whether the termination criterion of the method is fulfilled. If this is the case (Y branch), the method ends with step S7. If this is not the case (N branch), the method continues with step S2.

Claims

1. A method for operating a driver assistance function for guiding a motor vehicle (1),

characterized in that the method comprises the steps of:

determining the position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle (1) taking into account non-optical positioning methods;

-virtually locating the determined position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle (1) on a digital road map (5) comprising at least available lanes (13) at the determined position and/or orientation;

finding the lateral guiding driving manoeuvre to be implemented;

-defining measures for supporting the laterally guided driving manoeuvre based on the located position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle (1) on the digital road map (13).

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein,

characterized in that an assessment is carried out as to whether the lateral guidance driving manoeuvre is correctly implemented on the basis of the located position and/or orientation of the motor vehicle (1) on a digital road map.

3. The method of claim 2.

Characterized in that at least one of the following features is further taken into account for evaluating the implementation:

-a type of laterally guided driving maneuver;

-laterally guiding a defined implementation of a driving maneuver;

-static ambient conditions;

-dynamic ambient conditions.

4. Method according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that in the event of an implementation of the laterally guided driving manoeuvre being identified as incorrect, measures for correcting the lateral guidance of the motor vehicle (1) are implemented.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that in the event of the implementation of the laterally guided driving manoeuvre being identified as incorrect, at least one of the following method steps is implemented:

-outputting a warning to a driver of the motor vehicle (1);

-requesting a driver of the motor vehicle (1) to take over lane guidance;

-carrying out a reverse steering by means of an automated steering intervention, in particular in order to return to the lane (13);

-intervening on the longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle (1), in particular automatically braking the motor vehicle (1);

-suspending the automated driving function implemented;

-informing a vehicle occupant, in particular a driver, of the motor vehicle (1) of an error condition;

-creating an error entry in an error memory of the motor vehicle (1).

6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the non-optical localization method is supported by non-optical technology on the motor vehicle (1), in particular in case of using a vehicle motion localization sensor.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an optical sensor system (6) of the motor vehicle (1) is checked for plausibility by means of the method and/or an optical sensor system (6) is replaced by means of the method, in particular the optical sensor system (6) is temporarily replaced.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method comprises performing transverse guidance of the motor vehicle (1), in particular comprising performing transverse guidance and longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle (1).

9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that driver input is taken into account for seeking a lateral guiding driving maneuver to be implemented.

10. An apparatus (2, 3,4,5,6,7,8, 9) arranged for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A computer program arranged for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 when the program is executed by the apparatus according to claim 10.

12. A machine-readable storage medium on which the computer program according to claim 11 is stored.