Device and Method for Interacting Between a Vehicle Capable of Being Driven in an at Least Partially Automated Manner and a Vehicle User

Abstract

A device and operating method are provided for an interaction between a vehicle, which can travel in an at least partially automated manner, with an operator control element, which can be operated by the user of the vehicle for influencing at least the transverse guidance of the vehicle. A wheel positioning angle and/or a drive torque or braking torque at at least one wheel of the vehicle can be controlled in response to an operator control action at the operator control element or as a function of a control unit for controlling at least partially automated travel. Depending on the degree of haptic contact between the user of the vehicle and the operator control element, at least one movement of the vehicle can be executed on the basis of one or more operator control actions of the user and/or on the basis of data of the control unit for controlling the at least partially automated travel.

Claims

1.-18. (canceled)

19. A device for an interaction between a vehicle that is capable of being driven in an at least partially automated manner with an operating element that is capable of being operated by a user of the vehicle for influencing at least lateral guidance of the vehicle, wherein the device is configured such that: a wheel-setting angle and/or a driving torque or braking torque on at least one wheel of the vehicle is controllable in response to an operating action on the operating element or in a manner depending on a control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving, and at least one movement of the vehicle is executable, depending on a degree of haptic contact between the user of the vehicle and the operating element, on the basis of the operating action of the user and/or on the basis of data from the control unit for controlling the at least partially automated driving.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein the device is further configured to: decide, depending on the degree of the haptic contact, whether and, where appropriate, to what extent a movement of the vehicle is to be executed on the basis of the one or more operating actions of the user and/or whether and, where appropriate, to what extent a movement of the vehicle is to be executed on the basis of the data from the control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving.

21. The device according to claim 19, wherein one or more movement parameters of the at least one movement of the vehicle is/are capable of being ascertained by a predetermined first mathematical function on the basis of the data from one or more operating actions of the user and/or on the basis of the data from the control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving.

22. The device according to claim 19, wherein the device is further configured to: take into account, determine or change one or more decision criteria for a decision between a vehicle movement that is based at least predominantly on the data of one or more operating actions of the user or a vehicle movement that is based at least predominantly on a movement preset from the control unit for controlling the at least partially highly automated driving, depending on the degree of the haptic contact.

23. The device according to claim 19, wherein a decision is made about a movement of the vehicle on the basis of the one or more operating actions and/or depending on a movement preset from the control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving, depending on a global or local minimum of a function that represents a measure of a disadvantage depending on the movement of the vehicle and/or on a global or local maximum of a function that represents a measure of an advantage depending on the movement of the vehicle.

24. The device according to claim 19, wherein a decision is made about a movement of the vehicle on the basis of the one or more operating actions and/or depending on a movement preset from the control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving, depending on a variable representing an available degree of automation.

25. The device according to claim 19, wherein the device is further configured to: evaluate one or more operating actions of the user in a first time-interval and compare a movement of the vehicle that would result on the basis of the data from one or more operating actions of the user with a movement of the vehicle that would result on the basis of the movement preset from the control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving, whereupon a movement of the vehicle is brought about in a second time-interval which differs from the first time-interval.

26. The device according to claim 25, wherein the data relating to a movement preset from the control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving are ascertained on the basis of environment data from one or more time-intervals that have been ascertained prior to the second time-interval and/or prior to the first time-interval.

27. The device according to claim 19, wherein the device is further configured to: decide, depending on a currently relevant driving situation or on a roadway section currently to be driven along and/or on traffic rules applying currently or locally, to execute a movement of the vehicle on the basis of the one or more operating actions and/or to execute a movement of the vehicle depending on a movement preset from the control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving.

28. The device according to claim 22, wherein a degree of coupling between at least a first part of the operating element and at least one wheel-angle regulator of the vehicle is capable of being set or changed, depending on the decision as to whether and, where appropriate, to what extent a movement of the vehicle is to be executed on the basis of the one or more operating actions of the user and/or whether and, where appropriate, to what extent a movement of the vehicle is to be executed on the basis of a movement preset from a control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving.

29. The device according to claim 28, wherein one or more operating actions of the user representing a desired movement of the vehicle are capable of being captured with the at least partially decoupled operating element.

30. The device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one operating element is a steering handle that is capable of being operated with one or two hands of one or more users and has been configured for controlling at least the lateral guidance of the vehicle in an at least partially manual driving mode and has also been configured for influencing longitudinal guidance of the vehicle in an at least partially automated driving mode.

31. The device according to claim 19, wherein a movement of the vehicle is capable of being executed on the basis of the one or more operating actions and/or depending on a movement preset from the control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving, depending on one or more of the following parameters, the parameters being characteristic of: a state of attentiveness of the user, a direction of vision or accommodation of vision, and a state of the user.

32. The device according to claim 19, wherein the device is further configured to: output driver information that characterizes at least one decision reason for the at least one movement of the vehicle on the basis of the operating action of the user and/or on the basis of the data of the control unit for at least partially automated driving.

33. An operating method for an interaction between a vehicle that is capable of being driven in an at least partially automated manner with an operating element that is capable of being operated by a user of the vehicle for influencing at least lateral guidance of the vehicle, the method comprising: controlling a wheel-setting angle and/or a driving torque or braking torque on at least one wheel of the vehicle in response to an operating action of the user on the operating element or in a manner depending on a control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving, and executing at least one movement of the vehicle, depending on a degree of haptic contact between the user of the vehicle and the operating element, on the basis of the one or more operating actions of the user and/or on the basis of the data from the control unit for controlling the at least partially automated driving.

34. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code which, when executed in a computational unit, controls a wheel-setting angle and/or a driving torque or braking torque on at least one wheel of the vehicle in response to an operating action of the user on the operating element or in a manner depending on a control unit for controlling at least partially automated driving, and executes at least one movement of the vehicle, depending on a degree of haptic contact between the user of the vehicle and the operating element, on the basis of the one or more operating actions of the user and/or on the basis of the data from the control unit for controlling the at least partially automated driving.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0131] FIG. 1 shows exemplary components of a device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0132] FIG. 2 shows exemplary components of a device according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0133] The appended FIGS. 1, 2 show, merely for the sake of completeness, exemplary components of a device according to an embodiment of the invention. According to FIG. 1, a steering wheel 1 of a vehicle, for instance a passenger car, is functionally connected to the steerable front wheels 2 of the vehicle. As is shown at one of the two vehicle wheels 2, these are steerable, for instance, by an angle that is to say, the toe angle of the wheel 2 is capable of being changed, for instance by the angle . This is initiated by an electromotive wheel-angle regulator 3, for instance, which in accordance with rotary arrow 4 can twist a steering spindle which acts in conventional manner on a steering trapeze assigned to the steerable vehicle wheels 2. A twisting movement initiated by the driver (or user) of the vehicle with his/her steering wheel 1 can also act on the wheel-angle regulator 3 via a steering-wheel rotary shaft 1c, this being represented by rotary arrow 5. Above the steering wheel 1 a twist angle (or driver steering angle ) showing the steering wheel clearly is represented figuratively in FIG. 1.

[0134] In FIG. 2, the steering wheel 1 of the vehicle is shown once again, and furthermore an electronic control unit 10. The latter receives, on the one hand, signals from another control unit 11 which controls an at least partially automated driving of the vehicle. Furthermore, control unit 10 (according to the invention) receives signals from an ascertainment unit 13 which ascertains a degree of the haptic contact of a driver or user with a part of the steering wheel 1, here the steering-wheel rim 1a (and generally an operating element for the lateral guidance of the vehicle). Control unit 10, in turn, not only drives the wheel-angle regulator 3 suitably, this being represented by a control line leading into the center of the steering wheel 1 or, to be more exact, to a rotary shaft 1c emanating centrally from the steering wheel, but the control unit 10 can also drive an element 1d, not represented in any detail, in the steering-wheel rim 1a of the steering wheel 1 in such a way that the degree of the coupling between the operating element or steering wheel 1 (represented by the steering-wheel rim 1a) and the wheel-angle regulator 3 is changed. (In the case of a complete coupling, a twisting movement which has been preset on the steering-wheel rim 1a by the user/driver would be transmitted completely via the spokes 1b of the steering wheel 1 to the rotary shaft 1c of the steering wheel 1 and hence to the wheel-angle regulator 3.)