System for testing a driver assistance system of a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12304510-B2
Application number	US-202118002087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2021
Priority date	Jun 16, 2020
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for testing a driver assistance system of a vehicle, where the driver assistance system has at least one interior sensor and is designed to process sensor signals of the at least one interior sensor for monitoring a driver of the vehicle, the system comprising: simulation means for simulating at least one physical property of the driver which characterizes a physiological condition of the driver, in particular the driver's attentiveness, activity, fatigue, mood, state of health, and/or drug influence, and is able to be detected by the at least one interior sensor such that it can generate sensor signals as a function of the at least one simulated physical property; and an interface which interacts with the driver assistance system such that sensor signals are provided the driver assistance system as a function of the at least one simulated physical property. The invention further relates to a corresponding method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for testing a driver assistance system in a vehicle, wherein the driver assistance system has at least one interior sensor and is designed to process sensor signals of the at least one interior sensor, the system comprising:
a computing unit simulating at least one physical property of an emulated driver which characterizes a physiological condition of the emulated driver, in particular the emulated driver's attentiveness, activity, fatigue, mood, state of health and/or drug influence, and is able to be detected by the at least one interior sensor such that it can generate sensor signals as a function of the at least one simulated physical property; and
an interface which interacts with the driver assistance system such that sensor signals are provided to the driver assistance system as a function of the at least one simulated physical property.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the interface is a stimulation device configured to stimulate the interior sensor on the basis of the at least one simulated physical property.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the stimulation device is configured to generate a response signal for reception by the at least one interior sensor based on a signal emitted by the at least one interior sensor, wherein the response signal is generated based on the at least one simulated physical property, and wherein the emulated driver is emulated when generating the response signal.

4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the stimulation device is configured to be mounted on a driver's seat and/or a gear selector lever and/or steering wheel.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the computing unit is configured to generate raw sensor data and the interface is configured to inject the raw sensor data into a sensor chip of the interior sensor, in particular a perception chip of a camera.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the computing unit is configured to generate the sensor signals and the interface is configured to inject the sensor signals into the driver assistance system.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one physical property is/are selected from among the following group of properties: biometric properties, seated position, posture, position of the head, position of the hand, viewing direction, facial expression, occluded field of view, in particular due to a hat, mask or sunglasses, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, eye movement, eyelid movement, pupil size, or driver blood alcohol concentration.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one interior sensor is/are selected from among the following group of sensors:
camera, in particular stereoscopic camera, infrared camera, capacitive sensor, photodiode, mechanical force sensor or resistive sensor, steering angle sensor, steering torque sensor, or microphone.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a system of a test bench, particularly a vehicle test bench.

10. A method for testing a driver assistance system of a vehicle, wherein the driver assistance system has at least one interior sensor and is designed to process sensor signals of the at least one interior sensor, wherein, the method comprising:
simulating, by a computing unit, at least one physical property of an emulated driver which characterizes a physiological condition of the emulated driver, in particular the emulated driver's attentiveness, activity, fatigue, mood, state of health, and/or drug influence, and is able to be detected by the at least one interior sensor such that that it can generate sensor signals as a function of the at least one simulated physical property and the sensor signals are provided to the driver assistance system as a function of the at least one simulated physical property.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein simulating the emulated driver is based on recorded data of an actual person, in particular video data of the person, for which one or more physiological conditions within the data are known.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the at least physical property is simulated by means of a driver model which is trained on the basis of real data.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the driver model comprises a driver animation, in particular a 3D animation, able to emulate physiological conditions.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein an activity of the driver assistance system is monitored and an evaluation of a function of the driver assistance system is made on the basis of the activity.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one interior sensor is stimulated on the basis of the at least one simulated physical property such that it provides the sensor signals.

16. A vehicle comprising a system for testing a driver assistance system in a vehicle, wherein the driver assistance system has at least one interior sensor and is designed to process sensor signals of the at least one interior sensor, the system comprising:
a computing unit simulating at least one physical property of an emulated driver which characterizes a physiological condition of the emulated driver, in particular the emulated driver's attentiveness, activity, fatigue, mood, state of health and/or drug influence, and is able to be detected by the at least one interior sensor such that it can generate sensor signals as a function of the at least one simulated physical property; and
an interface which interacts with the driver assistance system such that sensor signals are provided to the driver assistance system as a function of the at least one simulated physical property.

Assignees

• Avl List Gmbh

Inventors

• Hettel Rolf
• Düser Tobias

Classifications

• G01M17/007 Primary

  Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles (G01M17/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60W2540/24

  Drug level, e.g. alcohol · CPC title

• B60W2540/22

  Psychological state; Stress level or workload · CPC title

• B60W40/08 Primary

  related to drivers or passengers · CPC title

• B60W2540/221

  Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs · CPC title