Selection of a Target Object for at Least Automated Guidance of a Motor Vehicle

Abstract

A driving system for at least automated longitudinal guidance for a motor vehicle is designed to determine or receive a virtual acceleration for the motor vehicle, to determine, for each of at least two further road users in the environment of the motor vehicle, the duration until a virtual collision of the motor vehicle with the road user in question, in each case at least in dependence on the virtual acceleration of the motor vehicle, to select one of the at least two further road users as a target object in dependence on the respective durations until a virtual collision of the motor vehicle with the respective road users, which durations were determined for the at least two further road users, and to determine the longitudinal guidance for the motor vehicle in dependence on the road user selected as the control object.

Claims

1.-9. (canceled)

10. A system for at least automated longitudinal guidance for a motor vehicle, comprising: a driving system operatively configured to: determine or receive a virtual acceleration for the motor vehicle, determine for each of at least two further road users in surroundings of the motor vehicle, a time period until a virtual collision of the motor vehicle with the respective road user, in each case at least as a function of the virtual acceleration of the motor vehicle, select one of the at least two further road users as a target object as a function of the respective time periods until a virtual collision of the motor vehicle with the respective road users, which time periods were determined for the at least two further road users, and determine the longitudinal guidance for the motor vehicle as a function of the road user which is selected as the target object.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the driving system is further configured to: select, from the at least two further road users, that road user for which a shortest time period until the virtual collision between the motor vehicle and the respective road user has been determined.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the driving system is further configured to: determine or receive, for at least one of the at least two further road users, a correction value for the time period determined for the at least one road user until the virtual collision with the motor vehicle, and correct, from the selection of a road user from the at least two further road users, the time period determined for the at least one road user until the virtual collision with the motor vehicle, as a function of the correction value.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the driving system is further configured to: correct the time period determined for the at least one road user until the virtual collision with the motor vehicle as a function of the correction value such that the time period determined for the at least one road user until the virtual collision with the motor vehicle is reduced by the correction value.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the driving system is further configured to: determine or receive a correction value, and correct the time periods determined for all further road users until the virtual collisions with the motor vehicle as a function of the same correction value.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the driving system is further configured to: determine or receive a correction value, and correct the time periods determined for all further road users until the virtual collisions with the motor vehicle as a function of the same correction value.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the driving system is further configured to: determine or receive in each case one correction value for each of the at least two further road users, and correct the time periods obtained for the further road users until the virtual collisions with the motor vehicle, in each case by the correction value which has been determined or received for the respective road user.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the driving system is further configured to: determine a lane on which the motor vehicle is located, determine, for at least one of the further road users, a lane on which the at least one further road user is located, compare, for the at least one further road user, the lane on which the motor vehicle is located, with the lane on which the at least one further road user is located, and determine the correction value for the at least one further road user as a function of the comparison.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the driving system is further configured to: determine, for a first further road user which is located on the same lane as the motor vehicle, a correction value which is lower in absolute value than for a second further road user which is not located on the same lane as the motor vehicle.

19. A method for at least automated longitudinal guidance for a motor vehicle, comprising: determining or receiving a virtual acceleration for the motor vehicle; determining, for each of at least two further road users in surroundings of the motor vehicle, a time period until a virtual collision of the motor vehicle with the respective road user, in each case at least as a function of the virtual acceleration of the motor vehicle; selecting one of the at least two further road users as a target object as a function of the time periods which are respectively determined for the at least two further road users until a virtual collision of the motor vehicle with the respective road user; and determining the longitudinal guidance for the motor vehicle as a function of the road user which is selected as the target object.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary traffic situation as an exemplary embodiment of the driving system according to the invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows exemplary speed profiles for the embodiment of the driving system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary traffic situation as an exemplary embodiment of the driving system according to the invention for at least automated longitudinal guidance for a motor vehicle EGO.

[0041] In this context, the driving system is configured to determine or receive a virtual acceleration for the motor vehicle EGO, and to determine, for at least two further road users ZO1, ZO2 in the surroundings of the motor vehicle EGO, in each case a time period VTTC1, VTTC2, VTTC3 up to a virtual collision of the motor vehicle EGO with the respective road user ZO1, ZO2, in each case at least as a function of the virtual acceleration of the motor vehicle EGO.

[0042] For the sake of simplification, in particular only one longitudinal movement and one longitudinal position of all the road users ZO1, ZO2 and of the motor vehicle KFZ will be taken into account here so that a time period up to a virtual collision of the motor vehicle EGO with the respective further road user ZO2 is also determined for the further road users ZO2.

[0043] Moreover, the driving system is configured to select one of the at least two further road users ZO1, ZO2 as a target object as a function of the time periods VTTC1, VTTC2, VTTC3, which are respectively determined for the at least two further road users ZO1, ZO2, up to a virtual collision of the motor vehicle EGO with the respective road user ZO1, ZO2.

[0044] For example, the driving system is configured here to select, from the at least two further road users ZO1, ZO2, that road user for which the shortest time period VTTC1, VTTC2, VTTC3 up to the virtual collision between the motor vehicle EGO and the respective road user ZO1, ZO2 has been determined.

[0045] Furthermore, the driving system is configured to determine the longitudinal guidance for the motor vehicle EGO as a function of the road user selected as the target object, for example as a function of the speed of the road user selected as a target object.

[0046] Moreover, the driving system is configured, in particular, to determine or receive, for at least one ZO1 of the at least two further road users ZO1, ZO2, a correction value KR for the time period VTTC2 determined for the at least one road user ZO1, up to the virtual collision with the motor vehicle EGO, and to correct, from the selection of a road user from the at least two further road users ZO1, ZO2, the time period VTTC2 determined for the at least one road user ZO1, up to the virtual collision of the motor vehicle EGO, as a function of the correction value KR, so that a corrected time period VTTC3 up to the virtual collision with the motor vehicle EGO results.

[0047] For example, the driving system is configured to correct the time period VTTC2 determined for the at least one road user ZO1, up to the virtual collision with the motor vehicle EGO, as a function of the correction value KR, in such a way that the time period VTTC2 determined for the at least one road user ZO1, up to the virtual collision with the motor vehicle EGO, is reduced by the correction value KR.

[0048] In particular, the driving system is configured to determine or receive in each case one correction value KR for each of the at least two further road users ZO1, ZO2, and to correct the time periods VTTC1, VTTC2, VTTC3 obtained for the further road users ZO1, ZO2, up to the virtual collisions with the motor vehicle EGO, in each case by the correction value KR which has been determined or received for the respective road user ZO1, ZO2.

[0049] In this context, the driving system is, for example, configured to determine a lane FS1 on which the motor vehicle EGO is located, to determine, for at least one of the further road users ZO1, ZO2, a lane FS1, FS2 on which the at least one further road user ZO1, ZO2 is located, to compare, for the at least one further road user ZO1, ZO2, the lane FS1 on which the motor vehicle EGO is located, with the lane FS1, FS2 on which the at least one further road user ZO1, ZO2 is located, and to determine the correction value KR for the at least one further road user ZO1, ZO2 as a function of the comparison.

[0050] For example, the driving system is configured here to determine, for a first further road user ZO1 which is located on the same lane FS1 as the motor vehicle EGO a correction value KR which is lower in absolute value than for a second further road user ZO2 which is not located on the same lane FS1 as the motor vehicle EGO.

[0051] FIG. 2 shows exemplary speed profiles for the execution of the driving system according to the invention. Here, the speeds v.sub.EGO, v.sub.ZO1, v.sub.ZO2 of the motor vehicle EGO and of the further road users ZO1, ZO2 are plotted against the time t.

[0052] Owing to the inventive use of the virtual acceleration for the motor vehicle EGO, the speed v.sub.EGO of the motor vehicle EGO rises continuously. The speeds v.sub.ZO1, v.sub.ZO2 of the further road users ZO1, ZO2 can be, for example, constant or can change in the course of time, but they are limited by the performance of the drive of the road users ZO1, ZO2 and the driving physics. An intersection point of the position of the motor vehicle EGO with the positions of the further road users ZO1, ZO2 results, in particular, from the aspect that object accelerations (according to whatever assumption) can be predicted only over a chronologically finite horizon. A prediction which goes beyond this has no static foundation since the probable driving behavior of the vehicle is then too far removed from reality. Therefore, the speed v.sub.EGO of the motor vehicle EGO undoubtedly exceeds the speeds v.sub.ZO1, v.sub.ZO2 of the further road users ZO1, ZO2 sooner or later, for which reason a time period VTTC1, VTTC2, VTTC3 up to a virtual collision with the motor vehicle EGO can be determined for each of the further road users ZO1, ZO2.