METHOD FOR SUPPORTING A DRIVER DURING THE MONITORING OF DRIVING OF A MOTOR VEHICLE OR OF A MOTOR VEHICLE-TRAILER COMBINATION

Abstract

Method for supporting a driver by monitoring driving of a motor vehicle or a motor vehicle with trailer comprising a towing motor vehicle and at least one trailer coupled thereto, comprising at least the following steps: detection of image signals of a surroundings area of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle with trailer by at least two cameras arranged in particular on the motor vehicle or on the motor vehicle with trailer; transmission of the detected image signals of the cameras to at least one display device; display on the display device of one or more camera images based on transmitted image signals of the camera, wherein the camera images to be displayed are selected depending on the relative position and/or orientation of the driver to the motor vehicle or to the motor vehicle with trailer and/or depending on a number of driving state variables of the motor vehicle or the motor vehicle with trailer.

Claims

1. A method for supporting a driver during the monitoring of the driving of a motor vehicle or of a motor vehicle-trailer combination comprising a towing vehicle and at least one trailer which is coupled thereto, the method comprising: detecting image signals of a surrounding area of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle-trailer combination by means of at least two cameras which are arranged on the motor vehicle or on the motor vehicle-trailer combination; transmitting the detected image signals of the cameras to a display device; and displaying one or more camera images, based on the transferred image signals of the cameras, on the display device, wherein the camera images to be displayed are selected as a function of the relative position, the relative orientation, or both the relative position and the relative orientation of the driver with respect to the motor vehicle or with respect to the motor vehicle-trailer combination, as a function of a number of driving state variables of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle-trailer combination, or a combination of the foregoing.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the camera images are selected of those cameras which, in conjunction with the field of vision of the driver, permit an optimum overview of the parts of the surrounding area of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle-trailer combination which are relevant for the monitoring.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving state variables comprise a wheel steering angle of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle-trailer combination, a velocity, one or more wheel speeds, one or more bending angles between vehicles of the motor vehicle-trailer combination, positions or orientations of vehicle bodies of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle-trailer combination, or a combination of the foregoing.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle-trailer combination is implemented automatically by a control device of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle-trailer combination by means of electronic actuation of a drive device and of a steering device of the motor vehicle or of the towing vehicle.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a remote-control device comprises the display device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Variants of the functional principle of the method and exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained by way of example and in accordance with the principle with reference to the figures.

[0018] Reference is made below to motor vehicle-trailer combinations. The invention can, however, also be used in individual motor vehicles without a trailer. Functionally identical elements with the same reference symbols are provided in the figures.

[0019] In the drawings:

[0020] FIGS. 1 to 5 show schematic illustrations of a vehicle-trailer combination;

[0021] FIG. 6 shows a schematic plan view of a vehicle-trailer combination; and

[0022] FIG. 7 shows a schematic illustration of a detail of a display device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] FIG. 1 shows the position and the field of vision 1a of an operator 1 and the direction of movement (indicated by arrows in FIGS. 1 to 5) of the vehicle parts of a vehicle-trailer combination comprising a towing vehicle 2 and a trailer 3 which is coupled thereto. The wheels of the vehicle-trailer combination are provided with the reference symbol 4. The operator 1 can use e.g. a remote-control device or remote-control apparatus 5 (illustrated in highly simplified fashion) for the vehicle-trailer combination, said system or apparatus 5 having a display device on which the camera images to be selected can be displayed.

[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates by way of example various positions of cameras 20, 21, 22 on the towing vehicle, and the associated fields of vision 20a, 21a, 22a of the cameras 20, 21, 22.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows by way of example various positions of cameras 30, 31, 32 on the trailer 3, and the associated fields of vision 30a, 31a, 32a of the cameras 30, 31, 32.

[0026] The cameras which are selected by the method according to the invention and whose images are to be displayed on the display device are provided with hatching in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0027] In FIG. 4, two cameras 22, 31 are highlighted with their associated fields of vision 22a, 31a which have been selected by the method according to the invention. In the present example, the method according to the invention has selected the right-hand camera 31 located on the trailer 3, since the operator 1 is standing on the left-hand side of the vehicle, and the camera 21 on the right of the towing vehicle 2 has a field of vision which is partially concealed by the trailer 3 (not illustrated in FIG. 4)—the position of the operator 1 and the bending angle of the vehicle-trailer combination are significant here. Furthermore, the method selects the camera 22 on the left of the towing vehicle 2, since the operator 1 is looking backward and the towing vehicle 2 is swinging to the left, and the camera 22 on the left of the towing vehicle 2 has a field of vision which is partially concealed by the towing vehicle 2 (the field of vision 1a of the operator 1, the direction of movement and the bending angle of the vehicle-trailer combination are significant here).

[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates three fields of vision 20a, 22a, 31a of three cameras 20, 22, 31 which have been selected using the method according to the invention. In the present example, the respective cameras 20, 22, 31 are selected for the following reasons: the method selects the camera 31 on the right of the trailer 3, since the driver 1 is standing on the left-hand side of the vehicle, and the camera 21 on the right of the towing vehicle 2 has a field of vision which is partially concealed by the trailer 3 (the position of the operator 1 and the bending angle of the vehicle-trailer combination are significant here). The method selects the camera 22 on the left of the towing vehicle 2, since the operator 1 is looking backward and the towing vehicle 2 swings to the left, and the camera 22 on the left of the towing vehicle 2 has a field of vision which is partially concealed by the towing vehicle 2 (the field of vision 1a of the operator 1, the direction of movement of the towing vehicle and the bending angle of the vehicle-trailer combination are significant here). The method selects the camera 20 on the front of the towing vehicle 2, since the operator 1 is standing at the rear of the trailer 3 and is looking backward (the position and the field of vision 1a of the operator 1 are significant here).

[0029] The inventor has found that the number of relevant possibilities of camera combinations—even in relatively large vehicle-trailer combinations—can be reduced significantly if the driving state variables are taken into account in the selection.

[0030] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a further embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a plan view of a vehicle-trailer combination comprising a towing machine 6, a semi-trailer 7 and a central-axle trailer 8 with associated cameras on a lane 9.

[0032] The following algorithm is a possible variant for the vehicle-trailer combination with three vehicle parts and 10 cameras from FIG. 6. The algorithm switches not only between the cameras but also determines the display on the display apparatus. Bending angles are by definition positive if the vehicle is driving through a left-hand bend. In FIG. 6, the front bending angle would accordingly be positive and the rear one would be negative (not illustrated).

TABLE-US-00001 IF position == LeftOfVehicle-TrailerCombination THEN IF DirectionOfTravel = Forward THEN ScreenLayout = Camera1Top_Camera2RightCenter_Camera3RightBottom Camera1 = CameraTowingMachineFront OTHERWISE ScreenLayout = Camera1Bottom_Camera2RightCenter_Camera3RightBottom Camera1 = CameraCentral-AxleTrailerRear IF_END IF BendingAngleSemi-Trailer >= 0 THEN Camera2 = CameraSemi-TrailerFrontRight OTHERWISE Camera2 = CameraTowingMachineRight IF_END IF BendingAngleCentral-AxleTrailer >= 0 THEN Camera3 = CameraSemi-TrailerRearRight OTHERWISE Camera3 = CameraCentral-AxleTrailerRight IF_END OTHERWISE_IF Position == RightOfVehicle-TrailerCombination THEN IF DirectionOfTravel = Forward THEN ScreenLayout = Camera1Top_Camera2CenterLeft_Camera3BottomLeft Camera1 = CameraTowingMachineFront OTHERWISE ScreenLayout = Camera1Bottom_Camera2CenterLeft_Camera3BottomLeft Camera1 = CameraCentral-AxleTrailerRear IF_END IF BendingAngleSemi-Trailer >= 0 THEN Camera2 = CameraTowingMachineLeft OTHERWISE Camera2 = CameraSemi-TrailerFrontLeft IF_END IF BendingAngleCentral-AxleTrailer >= 0 THEN Camera3 = CameraCentral-AxleTrailerLeft OTHERWISE Camera3 = CameraSemi-TrailerRearLeft IF_END OTHERWISE_IF Position == InFrontOfVehicle-TrailerCombination THEN ScreenLayout = Camera1Bottom_Camera2Left_Camera3Right Camera1 = CameraCentral-AxleTrailerRear IF BendingAngleCentral-AxleTrailer >= 0 THEN Camera2 = CameraCentral-AxleTrailerLeft Camera3 = CameraSemi-TrailerRearRight OTHERWISE Camera2 = CameraSemi-TrailerRearLeft Camera3 = CameraCentral-AxleTrailerRight IF_END OTHERWISE_IF Position == ToRearOfVehicle-TrailerCombination THEN ScreenLayout = Screen1Top_Camera2Left_Camera3Right Camera1 = CameraTowingMachineFront IF BendingAngleSemi-Trailer >= 0 THEN Camera2 = CameraSemi-TrailerFrontLeft Camera3 = CameraTowingMachineRight OTHERWISE Camera2 = CameraTowingMachineLeft Camera3 = CameraSemi-TrailerFrontRight IF_END OTHERWISE_IF

[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates by way of example a schematic image of a display device. The vehicle or the vehicle-trailer combination with the vehicle parts 6, 7 and 8 are shown from a bird's eye view on the display device. Camera images 10a, 10b and 10c which are selected by the method according to the invention are indicated in simplified form. The camera images 10a, 10b and 10c are displayed relative to the depicted vehicle-trailer combination according to the arrangement of the cameras on the vehicle-trailer combination.