SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING WELL DISTINGUISHABLE WARNING LEVELS FOR OBSTACLES IN DIFFERENT VISIBILITY AREAS IN THE VICINITY OF A VEHICLE

Abstract

A driver assistance system for a vehicle and a method are provided, being adapted to provide alerts to a driver in certain situations, e.g. if a foreign object is invisible for the driver or if there is an increased danger for a collision. The alert level is adapted to depend on the position and/or the direction of movement of the at least one foreign object and/or the direction of movement of the vehicle, which are measured by at least one sensor.

Claims

1. A driver assistance system for a vehicle, comprising: at least one sensor to monitor a vicinity of the vehicle; a control unit to process data of the at least one sensor to identify at least one potential foreign object; and an alert unit to alert a driver of the vehicle in case of a potential collision with an foreign object; wherein the alert unit is adapted to select and output different levels of an alert, wherein the alert level depends on a position, a motion and/or a direction of movement of the at least one foreign object and/or the motion and/or direction of movement of the vehicle.

2. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the alert unit is adapted to output a low level alert if a foreign object is visible for the driver, and to output a high level alert if a foreign object is invisible for the driver.

3. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the alert unit is adapted to output a medium level alert.

4. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein a high level alert includes a visual alert of higher intensity compared to a low level alert.

5. The driver assistance system of claim 2, wherein there is an additional flashing visual, acoustic and/or haptic, and/or a vibration alert when there is an increased danger of a collision with the at least one potential foreign object based on the data of the at least one sensor.

6. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the alert unit includes a display unit to provide visual alerts to a driver of the vehicle and/or an acoustic and/or a vibration alarm device.

7. The driver assistance system of claim 6, wherein the display unit includes a right-side intensity indicator to indicate potential collisions with foreign objects on the right side of the vehicle, and a left-side intensity indicator to indicate potential collisions with foreign objects on the left side of the vehicle.

8. The driver assistance system of claim 7, wherein the right-side intensity indicator and/or the left-side intensity indicator are adapted to display different levels of an alert on the respective side of the vehicle.

9. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes a camera, a radar sensor, a lidar sensor or a motion sensor.

10. A method for warning of potential collisions of a vehicle with at least one foreign object, the method comprising: monitoring a vicinity of the vehicle by at least one sensor; and processing, via a control unit, data of the at least one sensor and evaluates object information of at least one foreign object, wherein the object information includes a position, a motion and/or motion direction of the at least one foreign object in the vicinity of the vehicle, wherein an alert unit is adapted to select and output different levels of an alert, wherein the alert level depends on the position and/or the direction of movement of at least one foreign object and/or the direction of movement of the vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the alert unit outputs a low level alert when a foreign object is visible for the driver, and outputs a high level alert when a foreign object is invisible for the driver, and optionally outputs a medium level alert when a foreign object indirectly visible for the driver.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein a high level alert includes a visual alert of higher intensity compared to a low level alert.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein an additional flashing visual, acoustic and/or haptic alert is provided if there is an increased danger of a collision with at least one potential foreign object based on the data of the at least one sensor.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the alert unit includes a display unit providing visual alerts to a driver of the vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the display unit includes a right-side intensity indicator, which indicates potential collisions with foreign objects on the right side of the vehicle, and a left-side intensity indicator, which indicates potential collisions with foreign objects on the left side of the vehicle.

16. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the alert unit is adapted to output a medium level alert, when a foreign object is indirectly visible for the driver, via a mirror.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle and foreign object (which is also a vehicle), and further a scheme of a display unit within the vehicle.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a vehicle and a foreign vehicle, wherein the foreign vehicle is visible for the driver of the vehicle and a collision is unlikely.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a vehicle and a foreign vehicle, wherein the foreign vehicle is in the visible area of the driver of the vehicle, wherein a collision is possible.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows a vehicle and a foreign vehicle, wherein the foreign vehicle is in the non-visible area of the driver of the vehicle, and a collision is unlikely.

[0040] FIG. 5 shows a vehicle and a foreign vehicle, wherein the foreign vehicle is in the non-visible area of the vehicle, and a collision between the vehicle and the foreign vehicle is possible.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 100, comprising a sensor 300, a control unit 200, and an alert unit 800. Furthermore, the moving direction 110 of the vehicle 100 is indicated. Furthermore, a scheme of the display unit 900 is shown in FIG. 1, wherein a right-side intensity indicator 110 and a left-side intensity indicator 920 are present in the display unit 900. In the present configuration, the moving direction 110 of the vehicle is curved to the right. Furthermore, a foreign object 400 is shown, which is also a vehicle. The driving direction 410 of the foreign object 400 is straight forward. When the vehicle 100 and the foreign object 400 are driving further, a collision might occur with increased danger, as the moving direction 110 of the vehicle and the moving direction 410 of the foreign object 400 will cross at some point. The foreign vehicle 400 is visible for the driver of the vehicle 100. In the display unit, on the left-side intensity indicator 920, a low intensity warning is shown, whereas on the ride-side intensity indicator 910, a high intensity warning is shown, however without an acoustic collision warning.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a situation where the moving direction 110 of one vehicle 100 and the moving direction 410 of the foreign object 400 are parallel, hence there is no acute danger of collision. Hence, no visual warning is provided in the left-side intensity indicator 920, and only a low level alert is provided on the right-side intensity indicator 910 due to the visibility of the foreign object 400. No acoustic warning is provided.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a situation where the vehicle 100 has a moving direction 110 which is curved left, and the foreign object 400, e.g. the other vehicle, has a straight forward moving direction. Hence, a collision is likely. On the left-side intensity indicator 920, no warning is provided. On the right-side intensity indicator 910, a low-level flashing visual alert is provided, and furthermore, an acoustic alert is provided. The foreign object 400 is visible for the driver of the vehicle 100hence, the flashing and acoustic warning are provided because of an increased collision danger, but the low-level alert is provided due to the visibility of the foreign object 400 for the driver.

[0044] In FIG. 4, a situation is shown where the moving direction 110 of the vehicle 100 and the moving direction 410 of the foreign object 400 are about parallel. Furthermore, the driver of the vehicle 100 cannot see the foreign object 400. Hence, on the left-side intensity indicator 920, no alert is provided, whereas on the right-side intensity indicator of the vehicle, a high level warning alert is provided (doe to the non-visibility of the foreign object 400 for the driver).

[0045] FIG. 5 shows the situation where the moving direction 110 of the vehicle 100 is curved to the right, whereas the moving direction 410 of the foreign object 400 is straight forward. Hence, a collision is likely. Furthermore, the foreign object 400 is not visible for the driver of the vehicle 100. Hence, in the left-side intensity indicator 920, no warning is provided, whereas a flashing high level alert is provided on the right-side intensity indicator 910, and furthermore, an acoustic alert is provided.

[0046] Hence, it can be followed that an acoustic warning and a flashing visual warning are only provided if a collision is likely. Furthermore, specific visual warnings (high level alert) are provided if the driver of the vehicle 100 does not see the foreign object 400, i.e. the foreign object 400 is in the non-visible are of the driver. If it is visible, a low-level alert is provided. In the display 900, there are two boxes in the right-side intensity indicator 910 and the left-side intensity indicator 920. One of these boxes being lighted means a low level alert, and two of these boxes being lighted means a high level alert.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments as described above.

[0048] The display 900 can look differently, the display unit 900 can also only consist of lights or LEDs. Furthermore, different alerts (optic, acoustic, haptic) can be provided in different combinations.

[0049] In addition, or alternative, other alarms can be provided, e.g. a vibration alarm at the steering wheel so that the driver will be made aware of the alerts. Or, further in addition or alternative, a voice alarm can be used, wherein a voice talks to the driver drawing his attention to the alerts.

[0050] A driver assistance system 1 for a vehicle 100 and a method are provided, being adapted to provide alerts to a driver in certain situations, e.g. if a foreign object 400 is invisible for the driver or if there is an increased danger for a collision. The alert level is adapted to depend on the position and/or the direction of movement 410 of the at least one foreign object 400, which are measured by at least one sensor 300.

THE LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS IS AS FOLLOWS

[0051] 1 Driver assistance system [0052] 100 vehicle [0053] 110 moving direction of vehicle [0054] 200 control unit [0055] 300 sensor [0056] 400 foreign object [0057] 410 moving direction of foreign object [0058] 800 alert unit [0059] 900 display unit [0060] 910 right-side intensity indicator [0061] 920 left-side intensity indicator