Method, Device, Computer Program and Computer Program Product for Operating a Vehicle, and Vehicle

Abstract

In a method for operating a vehicle which has a communication interface, a position-determining unit and at least one road data set-determining unit, a database road data set is received by the communication interface, which data set is presumably made available by the database which is arranged externally with respect to the vehicle and which is representative of the position-dependent, road-related property. Depending on the database road data set and a vehicle road data set which is assigned thereto in terms of position, a trust characteristic value is determined which is representative of the level of trust in further database road datasets which relate to predefinable positions of the vehicle.

Claims

1.-11. (canceled)

12. A method for operating a vehicle having a communication interface designed to interchange data with a database arranged externally to the vehicle, a position determination unit designed to ascertain a vehicle position value that is representative of a current position of the vehicle, and at least one road dataset determination unit that has at least one assigned vehicle sensor and is designed to output vehicle road datasets that are representative of a position-dependent road-related property, the method comprising: receiving a database road dataset by the communication interface, said database road dataset supposedly being provided by the database arranged externally to the vehicle and said database road dataset being representative of the position-dependent road-related property, and using the database road dataset and a vehicle road dataset to be positionally assigned to said database road dataset as a basis for ascertaining a confidence index that is representative of how high a level of confidence in at least one further database road dataset relating to predefinable positions of the vehicle is.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising using the confidence index as a basis for initiating a predefined measure, as a contribution to the safety of the vehicle.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the confidence index is ascertained by means of a predefined filtering.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising providing the confidence index to the database arranged externally to the vehicle by means of the communication interface.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the database road dataset comprises a data sharpness index, said data sharpness index being representative of how high an error bandwidth of the position-dependent road-related property represented by the database road dataset is, and the confidence index is ascertained on the basis of the data sharpness index.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the database road dataset comprises a normalization with reference to a predefinable vehicle fleet.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein during the ascertainment of the confidence index, a vehicle-individual correction value is provided that is characteristic of a predefinable vehicle characteristic of the vehicle in comparison with the predefinable vehicle fleet and/or that is characteristic of a predefinable surroundings characteristic of the vehicle in comparison with the predefinable vehicle fleet, and the confidence index is ascertained on the basis of the vehicle-individual correction value and the normalization.

19. A device for operating a vehicle having a communication interface designed to interchange data with a database arranged externally to the vehicle, a position determination unit designed to ascertain a vehicle position value that is representative of a current position of the vehicle, and at least one road dataset determination unit that has at least one assigned vehicle sensor and is designed to output vehicle road datasets that are representative of a position-dependent road-related property, the device configured to carry out the method as claimed in claim 12.

20. A vehicle, comprising: a communication interface designed to interchange data with a database arranged externally to the vehicle, a position determination unit designed to ascertain a vehicle position value that is representative of a current position of the vehicle, at least one road dataset determination unit that has at least one assigned vehicle sensor and is designed to output vehicle road datasets that are representative of a position-dependent road-related property, and the device as claimed in claim 19.

21. A computer program, wherein the computer program comprises instructions that, when the program is executed by a computer, prompt the computer to carry out the method as claimed in claim 12.

22. A computer program product comprising executable program code, wherein the program code, when executed by a data processing device, performs the method as claimed in claim 12.

23. A computer program product comprising executable program code, wherein the program code, when executed by a data processing device, performs the method as claimed in claim 13.

24. A computer program product comprising executable program code, wherein the program code, when executed by a data processing device, performs the method as claimed in claim 14.

25. A computer program product comprising executable program code, wherein the program code, when executed by a data processing device, performs the method as claimed in claim 15.

26. A computer program product comprising executable program code, wherein the program code, when executed by a data processing device, performs the method as claimed in claim 16.

27. A computer program product comprising executable program code, wherein the program code, when executed by a data processing device, performs the method as claimed in claim 17.

28. A computer program product comprising executable program code, wherein the program code, when executed by a data processing device, performs the method as claimed in claim 18.

Description

[0050] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the schematic drawings, in which:

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of the vehicle and the database arranged externally to the vehicle;

[0052] FIG. 2 shows a flowchart for operating a vehicle, and

[0053] FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of the vehicle 10 and the database 11 arranged externally to the vehicle. The database 11 arranged externally to the vehicle 10 can for example comprise a cloud or the like. The vehicle 10 has a communication interface 13 designed to interchange data with a database 11 arranged externally to the vehicle 10. Additionally, the vehicle 10 has a position determination unit 15 designed to ascertain a vehicle position value that is representative of a current position of the vehicle 10. Additionally, the vehicle 10 has at least one road dataset determination unit 17 that has at least one assigned vehicle sensor 19 and is designed to output vehicle road datasets that are representative of a position-dependent road-related property. Additionally, the vehicle 10 has a device 21 for operating the vehicle 10. The device 21 in particular comprises a program and/or data memory and a computing unit. The program and/or data memory stores a program for operating the vehicle that can be executed by the computing unit. The program and data memory and/or the computing unit can be in a form such that they are in one physical unit and/or distributed over multiple physical units.

[0054] FIG. 2 shows a flowchart for the program for operating a vehicle 10.

[0055] The program is started in a step S1, in which variables are initialized if necessary.

[0056] In a step S3, a database road dataset is received by the communication interface 13, said database road dataset supposedly being provided by the database 11 arranged externally to the vehicle and said database road dataset being representative of a position-dependent road-related property.

[0057] The communication interface 13 is designed to interchange data with the database 11 arranged externally to the vehicle.

[0058] The position-dependent road-related property is for example a vehicle-related coefficient of friction assigned to the vehicle 10 that informs the vehicle 10 about coefficient of friction conditions associated with a respective position. The coefficient of friction is a dimensionless measure of the frictional force compared with the contact force between two bodies; the coefficient of friction of a position is therefore different for every vehicle 10, since it is dependent not only on the road condition but also for example on the tires and the weight of the vehicle 10.

[0059] In an optional step S5, a check is performed to determine whether the database road dataset comprises a normalization with reference to a predefinable vehicle fleet. If this is the case, execution of the program is continued in step S7, otherwise in step S9.

[0060] The normalization is for example representative of a statistically ascertained position-dependent road-related property of the vehicle 10 with reference to a vehicle fleet.

[0061] In an optional step S7, a vehicle-individual correction value is provided that is characteristic of a predefinable vehicle characteristic of the vehicle 10 in comparison with the predefinable vehicle fleet and/or that is characteristic of a predefinable surroundings characteristic of the vehicle 10 in comparison with the predefinable vehicle fleet. Additionally, a denormalization of the database road dataset is carried out on the basis of the vehicle-individual correction value and the normalization.

[0062] The denormalization can for example comprise a transfer function, on the basis of the vehicle-individual correction value. By way of example, the vehicle road dataset is already adapted for the predefinable vehicle characteristic of the vehicle 10, and the database road dataset, comprising the normalization, is adapted for the predefinable vehicle characteristic of the vehicle 10 on the basis of the vehicle-individual correction value in the denormalization.

[0063] In a step S9, the database road dataset and a vehicle road dataset to be positionally assigned to said database road dataset are taken as a basis for ascertaining a confidence index that is representative of how high a level of confidence in further database road datasets relating to predefinable positions of the vehicle 10 is.

[0064] For the purpose of ascertaining the confidence index, for example a divergence index can be ascertained, specifically on the basis of a divergence in the respective database road dataset and the respective vehicle road dataset.

[0065] The database road dataset and the vehicle road dataset can for example comprise a main value and/or a data sharpness index and/or a tolerance band, the tolerance band being representative of the maximum level that a divergence in the main value of the database road dataset can admissibly be at. The data sharpness index is representative of how high an error bandwidth of the position-dependent road-related property represented by the database road dataset is. By way of example, the divergence index can be ascertained as the difference between the main value of the database road dataset and the main value of the vehicle road dataset. The divergence index can then be compared with one or more threshold values. By way of example, a difference between the data sharpness index of the database road dataset and the data sharpness index of the vehicle road dataset can be ascertained that is compared with the threshold value. By way of example, a difference between the tolerance band of the database road dataset and the tolerance band of the vehicle road dataset can be ascertained that is compared with the threshold value.

[0066] By way of example, the difference for the main value and the difference for the tolerance band can be taken as a basis for determining the confidence index. By way of example, a database road dataset is trusted if it comprises a tolerance band that is smaller than that of the vehicle road dataset to be positionally assigned.

[0067] The vehicle road dataset is representative of the position-dependent road-related property and is output by a road dataset determination unit 17 that has at least one assigned vehicle sensor 19.

[0068] The positional assignment comprises a position determination unit 15 designed to ascertain a vehicle position value that is representative of a current position of the vehicle. By way of example, the current position is ascertained by means of one or more global navigation satellite systems, GNSS.

[0069] Optionally, the confidence index can be ascertained by means of a predefined filtering.

[0070] The predefined filtering can for example comprise: an averaging and/or a moving averaging and/or a low-pass filtering and/or a high-pass filtering and/or a bandpass filtering and/or any other filtering. For example outliers can be taken into consideration in this case. Additionally, the filtering can for example take place over a specific period, wherein all of the positions of the vehicle 10 should be assigned to applicable times. Additionally, the filtering can comprise outliers not being taken into consideration or being taken into consideration to a lesser extent when ascertaining the confidence index. Additionally, the filtering can comprise outliers being included in the ascertainment of the confidence index to a very great extent.

[0071] In a step S11, the confidence index is taken as a basis for initiating a predefined measure, as a contribution to the safety of the vehicle 10. Optionally, the confidence index is provided to the database 11 arranged externally to the vehicle by means of the communication interface 13.

[0072] Subsequently, the program is started again in step S3.