METHOD AND DEVICE IN A MOTOR VEHICLE FOR MINIMIZING DAMAGE IN THE CASE OF ACCIDENT SITUATIONS

Abstract

A device and method for triggering an automatic response of a motor vehicle to an imminent accident situation by using data in a processing unit to create a traffic situation model of the existing traffic situation, analyzing a traffic situation and ascertaining response options, determining sequences to be expected beyond the primary accident incorporating subsequent movements of the road users and objects involved leading to secondary accidents or further subsequent accidents or potentially arising further hazardous situations, computing a probability distribution and/or an extent of injuries to persons and/or damage to objects of the road users and objects involved as a function of the response options, selecting that response option that is expected to have the smallest total degree of probability or the smallest extent of injury to persons and/or damage to objects overall for all road users and objects, and outputting control signals to initiate the selected response option.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A method comprising: a processor creating a model of an existing traffic situation using data from sensor and/or information systems of a motor vehicle; the processor analyzing the model of the existing traffic situation; the processor identifying an imminent primary accident and ascertaining response options for responding to the primary analysis based on the analysis; the processor predicting sequences to possibly occur beyond a primary accident, the sequences incorporating subsequent movements of road users and objects involved up to secondary accidents or hazardous situations; the processor computing for the response options and based on the predicted sequences a probability or extent of injury to persons and/or damage to objects of the road users and the involved objects involved; the processor determining which of the response options has been computed to have, compared to all others of the response options, a smallest of the probabilities or extents of injury; and the processor outputting control signals to trigger the motor vehicle to initiate the determined one of the response options to automatically respond to the imminent primary accident.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more of the response options includes one or more of an automatic steering, a braking, and/or an accelerating performed simultaneously or in a sequence.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein surroundings information are incorporated into the prediction of the sequences.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the surroungings information includes information about areas in surroundings of the motor vehicle that are hazardous for subsequent movements.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the probability or extent computation includes consideration of possible hazards arising in stop positions that are predicted to occur following the respective sequences as a result of the primary accident and/or the predicted following sequences, in which stop positions road users and/or objects involved come to a standstill following the respective sequences.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein measuring inaccuracies of the sensor and/or information system and/or inaccuracies of other information of the motor vehicle are taken into account by weighting their effect in the computation of the probability or extent.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein mechanical and dynamic properties of the motor vehicle are taken into account in the computation of the probability or extent.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein available information about properties of the road users involved and their possible responses to the sequences are taken into account in the computation of the probability or extent.

21. A device of a motor vehicle comprising: a processor; and at least one interface; wherein the processor is configured to: create a model of an existing traffic situation using data obtained via the at least one interface from sensor and/or information systems of the motor vehicle; analyze the model of the existing traffic situation; identify an imminent primary accident and ascertain response options for responding to the primary analysis based on the analysis; predict sequences to possibly occur beyond a primary accident, the sequences incorporating subsequent movements of road users and objects involved up to secondary accidents or hazardous situations; compute for the response options and based on the predicted sequences a probability or extent of injury to persons and/or damage to objects of the road users and the involved objects involved; determine which of the response options has been computed to have, compared to all others of the response options, a smallest of the probabilities or extents of injury; and output via the at least one interface control signals to trigger the motor vehicle to initiate the determined one of the response options to automatically respond to the imminent primary accident.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to create the model, predict the sequences, and/or compute the probability or extent based on data obtained from a navigation system.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to create the model, predict the sequences, and/or compute the probability or extent based on data obtained from an anticipatory surroundings sensor system.

24. The device of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to perform risk assessments for different stop positions at which the road users are predicted to come to a standstill.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium on which are stored instructions that are executable by a processor and that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising: creating a model of an existing traffic situation using data from sensor and/or information systems of a motor vehicle; analyzing the model of the existing traffic situation; identifying an imminent primary accident and ascertaining response options for responding to the primary analysis based on the analysis; predicting sequences to possibly occur beyond a primary accident, the sequences incorporating subsequent movements of road users and objects involved up to secondary accidents or hazardous situations; computing for the response options and based on the predicted sequences a probability or extent of injury to persons and/or damage to objects of the road users and the involved objects involved; determining which of the response options has been computed to have, compared to all others of the response options, a smallest of the probabilities or extents of injury; and outputting control signals to trigger the motor vehicle to initiate the determined one of the response options to automatically respond to the imminent primary accident.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The FIGURE shows a schematic sequence of a method according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The FIGURE shows a schematic sequence of a method in a safety system of a motor vehicle 19. A processing unit 1 is supplied with data from a navigation system 2, from an anticipatory surroundings sensor system 3 and with surroundings data 4, so that the processing unit 1 is capable of creating a model of the instantaneous traffic situation in the instantaneous surroundings. In a connected classifier 5 that is preferably connected to a database 18, detected road users are identified and/or classified. Together with classifier 5, the model of processing unit 1 illustrates the traffic situation between all detected road users. A connected analysis unit 6 analyzes the traffic situation based on the model and detects potentially hazardous situations. Based on a response options catalog 15, possible measures, in particular steering, braking, accelerating, and combinations thereof, are checked with regard to their effect on the hazardous situation. In the vast majority of cases, measures will be available, using which a hazard can be avoided and which will then be applied.

[0025] If, however, analysis unit 6 detects that an accident is inevitable, the sequence of the primary accident to be expected is simulated and analyzed in a primary accident analysis 7 for the case that no measures whatsoever are initiated. In this case, it is also ascertained, whether the road users will still be in motion following the primary accident and what secondary accidents will occur. The latter are then simulated in a secondary accident analysis 8 that is carried out for all road users and objects involved. The subsequent accidents following thereafter are also simulated and analyzed in a subsequent accident analysis 9, in fact within the scope of the available data, preferably until all involved vehicles, road users, and objects have come to stand or lie. The accuracy of the simulations can naturally decrease in the case of a larger number of steps, however all scenarios and stop positions can be assigned a probability or a probability distribution. The above-described method is also characterized in that the stop positions of all accident participants are each linked to a risk assessment in a prognosis unit 10. A vehicle that comes to a standstill sideways on an oncoming lane, for example, is exposed to a higher risk of further collisions than a vehicle at the roadside. A lying pedestrian is in greater danger on a road than on a sidewalk. Therefore, a first risk assessment 11 assigns a risk to a first stop position, a second risk assessment 12 assigns a different risk to a different accident participant in a second stop position, a third risk assessment 13 assigns a risk to a third stop position of a third accident participant, and so forth until nth risk assessment 14 for an nth stop position. Prognosis unit 10 stores all damage to persons and objects to be expected in the primary accident and the secondary and following accidents and links it to the weighted risks of the stop positions of the other parties/persons in order to ascertain a total damage therefrom.

[0026] After that, at least one measure or a combination of measures is selected from response options catalog 15 as the response option, using which the accident situation can be influenced. The entire computation is repeated assuming that this measure/these measures is/are applied, so that a different sequence of the accident results, including a different total damage to be expected. This process is carried out for a plurality, for example all, selections of response options of the response options catalog, so that in the end, the particular total damage is computed for a plurality, for example all, different accident scenarios. A decision unit 16 selects therefrom the scenario involving the most favorable total damage according to predefined standards (possibly also taking into account ethical points of view), so that corresponding control signals are output by a control unit 17 and the corresponding response option that results in the most favorable scenario is carried out on motor vehicle 19.

[0027] At multiple points, the above-described sequences can result in the situation that an absolutely precise sequence cannot be ascertained, but only a probability distribution for certain incidents or locations. Whether an injury to a person that is expected at a certain probability actually occurs and how the probability distribution actually manifests itself for the different stop positions of a road user, is however of subordinate importance to the method as long as a scenario entailing the smallest degree of probability of damage or injuries can be selected and brought about.