Method and devices for providing data to a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle

Abstract

A method for providing data for a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle includes communicating position data concerning a position of the motor vehicle to the driver assistance system, requesting additional information from a server if the driver assistance system requires additional information with respect to the position data, and communicating, in response to the requesting, the additional information from the server to the driver assistance system.

Claims

1. A method for providing data for a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, comprising: communicating, from a navigation unit internal to the motor vehicle to a driver assistance system internal to the motor vehicle, position data, generated by the navigation unit, identifying a position of the motor vehicle; requesting, by the driver assistance system, which uses the position information in providing one or more driver assistance functions, additional information from the navigation unit, in response to receiving the position data and based on a determination that the driver assistance system requires additional information with respect to the position data to provide the one or more driver assistance functions; and communicating, in response to said requesting, the additional information from the navigation unit to the driver assistance system.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communicating position data is carried out periodically.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein requesting additional information comprises requesting map information of a digital road map, wherein the map information is associated with the position data.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the map information comprises attributes and/or topological data associated with the position data.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein requesting additional information comprises requesting topological data associated with the position data.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein communicating additional information comprises communicating topological data from map tiles of a digital road map that are associated with the position data.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein requesting additional information further comprises requesting at least one attribute associated with the topological data, and wherein the method further comprises communicating, in response to said requesting additional information, the at least one attribute from the navigation unit to the driver assistance system.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein communicating the at least one attribute is carried out in a data format adapted to the attribute.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data format comprises a unique identification of the data format and a description of data types contained in the data format.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one attribute comprises a variable attribute.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the description of the data types contained in the data format comprises an identification of a variable attribute and a validity duration assigned to the variable attribute.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising: informing the driver assistance system about a changed attribute.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said requesting at least one attribute comprises re-requesting the at least one attribute after a validity duration thereof has expired.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said requesting at least one attribute comprises re-requesting the at least one attribute after a validity duration thereof has expired.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein communicating, in response to said requesting, the additional information from the navigation unit to the driver assistance system comprises communicating between the navigation unit and the driver assistance system via a vehicle-internal bus system.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein communicating the position data comprises exclusively communicating the position data, and wherein communicating the additional information comprises exclusively communicating map information.

17. A system configured to provide data for a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, comprising: at least one driver assistance system internal to the motor vehicle, configured to: receive position data from a navigation unit internal to the motor vehicle identifying a position of the motor vehicle, the position data being generated by the navigation unit, provide one or more driver assistance functions based on at least the position data, and request additional information from the navigation unit in response to receiving the position data and based on a determination that additional information with respect to the position data is required to provide the one or more driver assistance functions.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising: the navigation unit configured to communicate the additional information to the driver assistance system in response to the request for additional information from the driver assistance system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an exemplary system for providing data for a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a sequence of a data exchange between a head unit and the driver assistance system.

(3) FIG. 3 shows one example of a possible transmission between client and server in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(4) Various exemplary embodiments will now be described more thoroughly with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating some exemplary embodiments.

(5) In the following description of the accompanying figures, which show only a few exemplary embodiments by way of example, identical reference signs may designate identical or comparable components. Furthermore, summarizing reference signs may be used for components and objects which occur multiply in an exemplary embodiment or in a drawing but are described jointly with regard to one or more features. Components or objects which are described with identical or summarizing reference signs may be embodied identically, but if appropriate also differently, with regard to individual, a plurality or all of the features, for example their dimensionings, provided that the description does not explicitly or implicitly reveal something to the contrary.

(6) Although exemplary embodiments may be modified and altered in various ways, exemplary embodiments in the figures are illustrated as examples and are described thoroughly herein. It should be clarified, however, that the intention is not to restrict exemplary embodiments to the forms respectively disclosed, rather that exemplary embodiments are intended to cover all functional and/or structural modifications, equivalents and alternatives which lie within the scope of the invention. Identical reference signs designate identical or similar elements throughout the description of the figures.

(7) It should be noted that one element which is designated as “connected” or “coupled” to another element may be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. By contrast, if one element is designated as “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, no intervening elements are present. Other terms used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a similar way (e.g. “between” vis-à-vis “directly therebetween”, “adjacent” vis-à-vis “directly adjacent”, etc.).

(8) The terminology used herein serves only to describe specific exemplary embodiments, and is not intended to restrict the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms as long as the context does not unambiguously indicate something to the contrary. Furthermore, it should be clarified that the expressions such as e.g. “includes”, “including”, “comprises” and/or “comprising”, as used herein, indicate the presence of stated features, whole numbers, steps, work sequences, elements and/or components, but do not exclude the presence or the addition of one or more features, whole numbers, steps, work sequences, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

(9) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an exemplary system 100 for providing data for a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, in particular for providing data for an electronic horizon.

(10) The system 100 comprises a vehicle-internal head unit 110 as a server and, coupled thereto, some driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 or controllers assigned thereto as clients. The head unit 110 can be assigned for example to an infotainment system of the motor vehicle. It can integrate functions from consumer electronics, Internet technology, operation of convenience features, and navigation. The various driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 can be coupled to the head unit 110 for example via a vehicle-internal data bus, such as e.g. the CAN bus. In some exemplary embodiments, the driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 can enable at least partly autonomous driving of the motor vehicle or assist the driver.

(11) To that end, the head unit 110 communicates regularly, e.g. periodically or cyclically, current vehicle position data 130 to the connected driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3. The vehicle position data represent as it were a minimum amount of information that is transmitted between the head unit 110 and the driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3. It should be mentioned that the vehicle position data (current and future) can also come from some other suitable navigation unit, which need not necessarily be fixedly installed in the vehicle.

(12) Depending on functionality, the driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 can have a varying requirement for additional information with respect to the current vehicle position data, wherein the additional information can be map information of a digital road map, said map information being associated with the position data (that is to say location-related). Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment, the driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 are each configured, if there is a respective requirement for additional information with respect to the position data, to request the additional information respectively required from the head unit 110. In other embodiments, the additional information could additionally or alternatively be requested from a vehicle-external server. The additional information is generally required not only at the vehicle position, but also in the vehicle environment, e.g. along a planned route or a path that is deemed likely to be followed. Besides position data, information regarding the planned route or the like may thus also be crucial for further requests. The corresponding requests are designated by 140-1, 140-2 and 140-3 in FIG. 1. As a reaction to the respective requests 140-1, 140-2 and 140-3 the head unit 110 communicates the additional information 150-1, 150-2, 150-3 respectively requested to the respective driver assistance system 120-1, 120-2, 120-3. A requirement-controlled or requirement-conforming exchange of individually required additional information, such as e.g. map-based data, thus takes place in each case between the driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 and the head unit. Each driver assistance system 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 can thus be individually supplied with different additional information.

(13) While the information 150-1 of the first driver assistance system 120-1 that is required in addition to the position data can concern, for example, one or more map attributes (e.g. permissible maximum speed) which are applicable at the current position, the information 150-2 of the second driver assistance system 120-2 that is required in addition to the position data can comprise for example topological data, e.g. road network elements, with respect to the position data. The third driver assistance system 120-3 can be interested for example both in additional topological data and in attributes concerning the topological data as information 150-3 required in addition to the position data and can thus have the highest individual data requirement. The driver assistance system 120-3 can implement for example a more complex driver assistance function having a higher data requirement (e.g. an adaptive cruise control system).

(14) A basic sequence of a data exchange between the head unit 110 and of the driver assistance systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 is illustrated in the schematic message sequence chart (MSC) 200 in FIG. 2.

(15) Firstly, in a step 210, position data concerning a current position of the motor vehicle are communicated from the head unit 110 to the driver assistance system (DAS) 120. If required, in a step 220, the driver assistance system (DAS) requests additional information (such as e.g. attributes and/or topological data) with respect to the position data from the head unit. In a step 230, the head unit 110 then sends the requested or required additional information to the driver assistance system (DAS).

(16) Now that a communication between head unit 110 and driver assistance system (DAS) has been schematically outlined in comparatively general terms with reference to FIG. 2, a more concrete exemplary embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 illustrates a possible communication between driver assistance system (ADAS client) 120 and head unit (server) 110 in one exemplary embodiment of the proposed protocol.

(17) Here after logging on at the server 110, the client 120 is supplied with the current vehicle position cyclically by means of messages 310. In the example illustrated, the current vehicle position is transferred to the client 120 in the form of a tile ID (TileID), a link ID (EdgeID) and an offset on the link. In this case, the tile ID designates a map segment in which the current vehicle position is situated. The link ID designates a topological element within this map segment, such as e.g. a node or an edge, at which the vehicle is currently situated. The offset designates where exactly on the topological element the vehicle is currently situated.

(18) On the basis of this basic information 310, the client 120 can interrogate additionally required topology information, see step 320. In the example shown here, on the basis of the simple position information 310, a topology tile having an exemplary tile ID 0815 is requested from the head unit 110, and is actually communicated to the client 120 in a subsequent step 330.

(19) Depending on the information requirement, the client 120 subsequently in a step 340 can interrogate further map attributes required with respect to the topology tile 0815, such as e.g. the permissible maximum speed concerning one or more edges (e.g. roads) of the topology tile. To that end, the client 120 can send to the head unit 110 a data ID (here: DataID=4711) describing the desired map attributes or data definition. With the aid of the data ID, the corresponding data definition can be identified and a significance can be assigned to primitive data types.

(20) In a subsequent step 350, the head unit 110 sends the requested attributes corresponding to the DataID=4711 in a data format determined by the corresponding data definition to the client 120. In accordance with some exemplary embodiments, communicating the at least one attribute can thus be carried out in a data format (data definition) adapted to the attribute. In this case, the data format can comprise a unique identification of the data format or of the attribute and a description of data types contained in the data format.

(21) In accordance with the examples shown, the attributes communicated by the head unit 110 in step 350 can additionally also have a classification as dynamic data (“isTemporalTile”=yes) and, if appropriate, a corresponding lifetime. In other words, the at least one attribute can thus comprise a variable or volatile attribute. In some exemplary embodiments, the description of the data types contained in the data format can thus comprise an identification of a variable attribute and a validity duration assigned to the latter.

(22) If dynamic data are among the requested data, the client 120, upon an updating of these data, can be informed of this updating. The head unit 110 in turn can be informed of the updating for example by means of Car2X communication techniques or backend services. In the example shown, in step 360, the head unit 110 informs the client 120 of a change in the attribute 4711 associated with the topology tile 0815, such that if required, in step 370, the client 120 can request the changed attribute data from the head unit 110. Finally, the head unit 110 now upon sends the requested changed attribute data to the client 120.

(23) To summarize, therefore, some exemplary embodiments differentiate between cyclic basic transmission and additional request/response. The cyclic basic transmission can be used to supply the receiver cyclically with relevant basic data requested by the receiver. This includes, in the case of the proposed ADAS protocol, the transmission of the current position and optionally a selection of map attributes that are applicable at the current position. Furthermore, the client has the possibility of directly requesting map information via the requirement-controlled additional request/response interface. Exemplary embodiments can thus achieve a higher flexibility than previously ADAS concepts.

(24) The features disclosed in the description above, the following claims and the accompanying figures may be of importance and implemented both individually and in arbitrary combination for the realization of an exemplary embodiment in the various configurations thereof.

(25) Although some aspects have been described in association with a device, it goes without saying that these aspects also constitute a description of the corresponding method, and so a block or a component of a device should also be understood as a corresponding method step or as a feature of a method step. Analogously thereto, aspects that have been described in association with or as a method step also constitute a description of a corresponding block or detail or feature of a corresponding device.

(26) Depending on specific implementation requirements, exemplary embodiments of the present invention, at least parts thereof, may be implemented in hardware or in software. The implementation may be carried out using a digital storage medium, for example a floppy disk, a DVD, a Blu-Ray disk, a CD, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, and EEPROM or a FLASH memory, a hard disk or some other magnetic or optical store on which electronically readable control signals are stored which can interact or interact with a programmable hardware component in such a way that the respective method is carried out.

(27) A programmable hardware component may be formed by a processor, a computer processor (CPU=Central Processing Unit), a graphics processor (GPU=Graphics Processing Unit), a computer, a computer system, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an integrated circuit (IC), a single-chip system (SOC=System on Chip), a programmable logic element or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) with a microprocessor.

(28) The digital storage medium may therefore be machine- or computer-readable. Some exemplary embodiments thus comprise a data carrier having electronically readable control signals that are able to interact with a programmable computer system or a programmable hardware component in such a way that one of the methods described herein is carried out. One exemplary embodiment is thus a data carrier (or a digital storage medium or a computer-readable medium) on which the program for carrying out one of the methods described herein is recorded.

(29) Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as program, firmware, computer program or computer program product comprising a program code or as data, wherein the program code or the data is or are effective to the extent of carrying out one of the methods when the program runs on a processor or a programmable hardware component. The program code or the data may for example also be stored on a machine-readable carrier or data carrier. The program code or the data may be present, inter alia, as source code, machine code or byte code and as some other intermediate code.

(30) A program in accordance with one exemplary embodiment may implement one of the methods during its performance for example by virtue of the fact that it reads memory locations or writes a datum or a plurality of data thereto, as a result of which possibly switching processes or other processes are brought about in transistor structures, in amplifier structures or in other electrical components, optical components, magnetic components or components that operate according to some other functional principle. Accordingly, by reading a memory location, it is possible for data, values, sensor values or other information to be acquired, determined or measured by a program. A program can therefore acquire, determine or measure variables, values, measurement variables and other information by reading from one or more memory locations and also, by writing to one or more memory locations, can bring about, instigate or carry out an action and also drive other apparatuses, machines and components.

(31) The exemplary embodiments described above merely constitute an illustration of the principles of the present invention. It goes without saying that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will become apparent to others skilled in the art. Therefore, the intention is that the invention shall be restricted only by the scope of protection of the following patent claims and not by the specific details that have been presented on the basis of the description and the explanation of the exemplary embodiments herein.

(32) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.