Method for operating a longitudinal driver assistance system of a motor vehicle and motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862272-B2
Application number	US-201214119745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2012
Priority date	May 25, 2011
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

Method for operating a longitudinal driver assistance system ( 2 ) of a motor vehicle ( 1 ), which controls, in a pure follow mode, the speed of the motor vehicle ( 1 ) such that a distance to a vehicle in front as the control object remains constant, and which, in a free travel mode, controls the speed to a desired speed, a likelihood of the vehicle ( 14 ) in front of pulling out being determined depending on sensor data of at least one ambient sensor. The control with respect to the vehicle ( 14 ) in front and/or the control in the free travel mode is modified or ended directly after termination of the follow mode depending on the pulling-out likelihood.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a longitudinal driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, comprising:
controlling with the driver assistance system a speed of the motor vehicle in one of two modes: an exclusive follow mode so that a distance to a preceding vehicle representing a control object remains constant while the speed of the motor vehicle does not exceed a desired speed, and a speed of the preceding vehicle does not exceed the desired speed, and a free-driving mode at the desired speed, the method comprising:
when driving in the follow mode, determining a pulling-out probability of the preceding vehicle as a function of sensor data of at least one environment sensor, and
terminating the follow mode depending on the pulling-out probability, and
performing a situation analysis in relation to a passing maneuver of the preceding vehicle or in relation to the preceding vehicle traveling in front in a left lane for right hand traffic or in a right lane for left hand traffic, without motivation, and determining the pulling-out probability based on the situation analysis, and
wherein the situation analysis is performed based on road user data relating to at least one of a travel lane, a speed and a position of the motor vehicle with respect to other preceding road users, and
wherein the pulling-out probability is determined by taking into consideration an overlap between a lane actually travelled by the motor vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and
measuring a traverse speed of the preceding vehicle, and predicting a position of the preceding vehicle after a predetermined period of time, and determining the pulling-out probability by taking into account the predicted position, and
modifying control of the speed of the motor vehicle in relation to the preceding vehicle by
when the pulling-out probability exceeds a preparation threshold value and when the speed of the preceding vehicle is lower than the desired speed, at least one of reducing the distance to the preceding vehicle and adding a positive acceleration value to an acceleration request determined by the driver assistance system in the follow mode.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the follow mode is completed immediately when the pulling-out probability exceeds a deplausibility threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control distance is reduced or the positive acceleration value is added depending on at least one of a current distance to the preceding vehicle and the pulling-out probability.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the situation analysis is performed by determining lane data regarding a lane actually travelled by the motor vehicle and a total number of lanes of a travelled road.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising increasing the pulling-out probability or setting the pulling-out probability to a higher fixed value when the situation analysis indicates by considering a course of the position of the preceding vehicle and of at least one of the other preceding road users who has been passed or is being passed, that the preceding vehicle has completed a passing maneuver and is able to pull in again to the right into the right lane for right hand traffic or is able to pull in again to the left into the left lane for left hand traffic.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising increasing the pulling-out probability or setting the pulling-out probability to a higher fixed value when the situation analysis indicates that the preceding vehicle travels in the lane of the motor vehicle in spite of an empty right lane for right hand traffic or an empty left lane for left hand traffic.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the pulling-out probability is increased or set to the higher fixed value only for a predetermined period of time and is thereafter reduced again.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined period of time is between about 2 and about 4 seconds.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pulling-out probability is reduced again via a ramp.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the overlap is determined by measuring with a sensor arranged on the motor vehicle respective angles of two rear outer edges of the preceding vehicle and comparing the respective angles with an angle of a lane marker located at a distance from the sensor corresponding to a distance of the two rear outer edges from the sensor, wherein the angle of the lane marker is derived from a camera image.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulling-out probability increases with decreasing overlap as an at least partially linear function.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the position is a transverse position of the preceding vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined period of time is between about 2 seconds and about 4 seconds.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
determining a plausibility value for a detected preceding object based on a vehicle path,
determining the control object based on the plausibility value, and
determining a plausibility value for the predicted position, and
determining the pulling-out probability based on the plausibility value for the predicted position.

15. A motor vehicle comprising:
at least one environment sensor, and
a longitudinal driver assistance system with a controller configured
to control a speed of the motor vehicle in one of two modes: an exclusive follow mode so that a distance to a preceding vehicle representing a control object remains constant while the speed of the motor vehicle does not exceed a desired speed, and a speed of the preceding vehicle does not exceed the desired speed, and in a free-driving mode at the desired speed,
when driving in the follow mode, to determine a pulling-out probability of the preceding vehicle as a function of sensor data from the at least one environment sensor, and
to terminate the follow mode depending on the pulling-out probability, and
to perform a situation analysis in relation to a passing maneuver of the preceding vehicle or in relation to the preceding vehicle traveling in front in a left lane for right hand traffic or in a right lane for left hand traffic, without motivation, and to determine the pulling-out probability based on the situation analysis, and
wherein the situation analysis is performed based on road user data relating to at least one of a travel lane, a speed and a position of the motor vehicle with respect to other preceding road users, and
wherein the pulling-out probability is determined by taking into consideration an overlap between a lane actually travelled by the motor vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and
to measure a traverse speed of the preceding vehicle, and to predict a position of the preceding vehicle after a predetermined period of time, and to determine the pulling-out probability by taking into account the predicted position, and
to modify control of the speed in relation to the preceding vehicle by
when the pulling-out probability exceeds a preparation threshold value and when the speed of the preceding vehicle is lower than the desired speed, at least one of reducing the distance to the preceding vehicle and adding a positive acceleration value to an acceleration request determined by the driver assistance system in the follow mode.

Assignees

• Schuberth Stefan
• Held Ralf
• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Schuberth Stefan
• Held Ralf

Classifications

• B60W2554/803

  Relative lateral speed · CPC title

• B60W30/143 Primary

  Speed control (B60W30/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60W2554/4041

  Position · CPC title

• B60W30/16 Primary

  Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle · CPC title

• B60W2554/804

  Relative longitudinal speed · CPC title