Method for assisting a user of a motor vehicle when driving the motor vehicle, navigation apparatus and motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11079247-B2
Application number	US-201815991352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2018
Priority date	May 29, 2017
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for assisting a user of a motor vehicle when driving the motor vehicle. A travel route is provided by a navigation apparatus, and a route actually being driven by the motor vehicle is ascertained. A comparison is made between the actual driving route ascertained and the travel route provided, and if a deviation criterion is met, it is ascertained that the motor vehicle has left the travel route provided. As a function of the ascertained departure from the travel route provided, at least one geo-object from a predefined category of geo-objects is established, the established geo-object is predefined as a geo-object having a user-specific interest and, as a function of the predefined geo-object, the established travel route is changed to an alternative route to the destination with the predefined geo-object as an intermediate destination.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for assisting a user of a motor vehicle when driving the motor vehicle, comprising the following steps performed by a navigation apparatus:
providing a travel route which describes a journey from a starting point to a destination;
evaluating a position signal, received from a GPS receiver, and determining the position of the motor vehicle from the position signal;
ascertaining a route actually being driven by the motor vehicle;
comparing the actual driving route ascertained with the travel route provided;
in response to the result of the comparison being that the actual driving route being driven by the motor vehicle meets a deviation criterion: ascertaining that the motor vehicle has departed the travel route provided;
defining a category of geo-objects as a function of at least one traffic sign detected by a sensor apparatus of the motor vehicle;
as a function of the ascertained departure from the travel route provided: determining at least one geo-object from the defined category of geo-objects; wherein
the at least one geo-object is a geo-object having a user-specific interest; and
as a function of the at least one geo-object: changing the established travel route to an alternative route to the destination with the at least one geo-object as an intermediate destination.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deviation criterion describes:
an exceeding of a predefined threshold of a level of a deviation between the actual driving route and the travel route provided; and/or
ascertaining a driving maneuver currently being performed by the motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one geo-object is defined as the geo-object having the user-specific interest as a function of:
a location of the at least one geo-object within a predetermined radius around a current position of the motor vehicle; and/or
an operating signal from an operating apparatus, wherein the operating signal describes a user-specific selection of the at least one geo-object; and/or
a traffic sign detected by the sensor apparatus of the motor vehicle and/or by the navigation apparatus; and/or
a user-specific preference recorded in a user profile.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the following step, performed by the navigation apparatus:
defining the category additionally as a function of:
a value of an operating parameter of a motor vehicle system received from the motor vehicle system of the motor vehicle; and/or
a user-specific preference recorded in a user profile.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the following steps, performed by the navigation apparatus:
as a function of the ascertained departure from the travel route provided: establishing another geo-object from a different category than the defined category of geo-objects;
producing an information output signal for each of the at least one geo-objects and/or for each of the categories;
transferring respective information output signal to an output apparatus of the motor vehicle in order to output the respective information output signal; and
receiving a selection signal from the operating apparatus, wherein the selection signal describes a user-specific selection of one of the at least one geo-objects and/or one of the categories;
wherein the geo-objects are defined as geo-objects having user-specific interest as a function of the selection described by the selection signal.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the following step, performed by the navigation apparatus:
as a function of the ascertained departure from the travel route provided: detecting a traffic situation having a geographical propagation of an adverse effect of a traffic flow on the travel route provided;
wherein the at least one geo-object is a merging of the travel route provided with a drivable infrastructure, and wherein the alternative route leads via the drivable infrastructure and at a point of the merging of the travel route provided, and wherein the travel route provided is changed to the alternative route as a function of the geographical propagation.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the following step, performed by the navigation apparatus:
receiving a selection signal from an operating apparatus, wherein the selection signal describes a sequence of multiple geo-objects and/or a rejection of a geo-object as a possible destination;
wherein the established travel route is changed to the alternative route as a function of the received selection signal.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor apparatus comprises at least one camera.

9. A navigation apparatus having a processor and storage medium, wherein the processor is configured to perform the method according to claim 1 when executing program code stored on the storage medium.

10. The motor vehicle with the navigation apparatus according to claim 9 .

11. The motor vehicle of claim 10 , further comprising a GPS receiver to provide the position signal.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Bader Viktor

Classifications

• G01C21/3415 Primary

  Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents · CPC title

• G06V20/582

  of traffic signs · CPC title

• G01C21/3617

  using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement · CPC title

• G01C21/3476 Primary

  using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs · CPC title

• G01C21/3492

  employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) · CPC title