Method and device for assisting a driver

Abstract

A method for assisting a driver of a two-wheeled vehicle. The method includes sensing and evaluating a driving environment of the motorcycle as a function of a driving state of the motorcycle, especially an inclination of the motorcycle, in order to detect objects in the driving environment; determining a hazard potential as a function of the detected objects and the driving state; and warning the driver and/or triggering a driver assistance system and/or a vehicle safety system of the motorcycle as a function of the determined hazard potential.

Claims

1. A method for assisting a driver of a two-wheeled vehicle, which is a motorcycle, comprising: sensing and evaluating a driving environment of the motorcycle as a function of a driving state of the motorcycle to detect an object in the driving environment, the driving state including an inclination of the motorcycle; determining a hazard potential as a function of the detected object and the driving state; and at least one of: i) warning the driver as a function of the determined hazard potential, and ii) triggering a driver assistance system and/or a vehicle safety system of the motorcycle as a function of the determined hazard potential; wherein in the determining, trajectories of the detected objects are ascertained, and the hazard potential of the objects is determined as a function of the ascertained trajectories, a prediction of the inclination being taken into account for ascertaining the trajectory.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the inclination of the motorcycle is determined as a function of image information of an image acquisition system disposed on the motorcycle, structures having at least one horizontal line being ascertained in the image information, and the ascertained structures being combined to form a horizon line, the structures ascertained in the image information being tracked, and a rotation of the horizon line being determined from detected rotations of the structures, the rotation of the horizon line representing the inclination of the motorcycle.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein other structures having at least one vertical line are ascertained in the image information, the ascertained structures being confirmed by the ascertained other structures.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein other structures having at least one vertical line are ascertained in the image information, the ascertained other structures being taken into account in the combining of the structures to form the horizon line.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein lines of the road course are detected, and the horizon line is determined from the detected lines of the road course, a vanishing point being determined from the lines of the road course.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in the sensing and evaluating, objects are detected based on lines of the objects, the lines of the objects being determined as a function of the inclination.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising: a program code arrangement having program code for assisting a driver of a two-wheeled vehicle, which is a motorcycle, by performing the following: sensing and evaluating a driving environment of the motorcycle as a function of a driving state of the motorcycle to detect an object in the driving environment, the driving state including an inclination of the motorcycle; determining a hazard potential as a function of the detected object and the driving state; and at least one of: i) warning the driver as a function of the determined hazard potential, and ii) triggering a driver assistance system and/or a vehicle safety system of the motorcycle as a function of the determined hazard potential; wherein in the determining, trajectories of the detected objects are ascertained, and the hazard potential of the objects is determined as a function of the ascertained trajectories, a prediction of the inclination being taken into account for ascertaining the trajectory.

8. A device for assisting a driver of a two-wheeled vehicle, which is a motorcycle, comprising: an assistance unit configured to perform the following: sense and evaluate a driving environment of the motorcycle as a function of a driving state of the motorcycle to detect an object in the driving environment, the driving state including an inclination of the motorcycle; determine a hazard potential as a function of the detected object and the driving state; and at least one of: i) warning the driver as a function of the determined hazard potential, and ii) triggering a driver assistance system and/or a vehicle safety system of the motorcycle as a function of the determined hazard potential; wherein in the determining, trajectories of the detected objects are ascertained, and the hazard potential of the objects is determined as a function of the ascertained trajectories, a prediction of the inclination being taken into account for ascertaining the trajectory.

9. The device as recited in claim 8, wherein the inclination of the motorcycle is determined as a function of image information of an image acquisition system disposed on the motorcycle, structures having at least one horizontal line being ascertained in the image information, and the ascertained structures being combined to form a horizon line, the structures ascertained in the image information being tracked, and a rotation of the horizon line being determined from detected rotations of the structures, the rotation of the horizon line representing the inclination of the motorcycle.

10. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein other structures having at least one vertical line are ascertained in the image information, the ascertained structures being confirmed by the ascertained other structures.

11. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein other structures having at least one vertical line are ascertained in the image information, the ascertained other structures being taken into account in the combining of the structures to form the horizon line.

12. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein lines of the road course are detected, and the horizon line is determined from the detected lines of the road course, a vanishing point being determined from the lines of the road course.

13. The device as recited in claim 8, wherein in the sensing and evaluating, objects are detected based on lines of the objects, the lines of the objects being determined as a function of the inclination.

14. The storage medium as recited in claim 7, wherein the inclination of the motorcycle is determined as a function of image information of an image acquisition system disposed on the motorcycle, structures having at least one horizontal line being ascertained in the image information, and the ascertained structures being combined to form a horizon line, the structures ascertained in the image information being tracked, and a rotation of the horizon line being determined from detected rotations of the structures, the rotation of the horizon line representing the inclination of the motorcycle.

15. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein other structures having at least one vertical line are ascertained in the image information, the ascertained structures being confirmed by the ascertained other structures.

16. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein other structures having at least one vertical line are ascertained in the image information, the ascertained other structures being taken into account in the combining of the structures to form the horizon line.

17. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein lines of the road course are detected, and the horizon line is determined from the detected lines of the road course, a vanishing point being determined from the lines of the road course.

18. The storage medium as recited in claim 7, wherein in the sensing and evaluating, objects are detected based on lines of the objects, the lines of the objects being determined as a function of the inclination.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of one specific embodiment of the method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

(2) FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a specific embodiment of the method of the present invention.

(3) In step 101, the driving environment of the two-wheeled vehicle is sensed and evaluated. In so doing, the driving state of the two-wheeled vehicle, especially the inclination of the two-wheeled vehicle, is taken into consideration.

(4) Hereinafter, starting from an image acquisition system or a video sensor, the method is described by way of example in practical application on a motorcycle.

(5) For instance, an algorithm according to the present method may be implemented on a device of the image acquisition system, e.g., on the control unit of the video system, the algorithm determining the banking of the motorcycle based on the image information.

(6) According to one preferred specific embodiment, in the rear section or in the region of the mirror of the two-wheeled vehicle, a sensor system is mounted which monitors the area to the side and/or to the rear of the motorcycle and is suited to detect objects in this area.

(7) This sensor system may be the image acquisition system just described. However, it may also be a separate system based on a different technology described at the outset.

(8) To that end, the video image is analyzed and checked for structures which have horizontal structures or lines in the image. For example, these lines are a horizon line, horizontal lines of an object, e.g., of another vehicle or other objects, for instance, buildings. The algorithm searches for such structures in purposeful manner, aggregates them, and from them, determines the horizon line.

(9) In a further step, the road course is determined, for example, with the aid of an algorithm for the detection of lines. The course of the road lines may likewise be utilized as input for the algorithm for determining the horizon line.

(10) In so doing, the fact may be utilized that the road lines have their vanishing point in the horizon line. This may be used as starting point for the algorithm, since as a rule, the motorcyclist is setting off when the motorcycle is upright.

(11) In a further step, it is examined how these lines change in the course of time and rotate in the image of the camera. Depending on the rotations, the ascertained or virtual horizon line is tracked correspondingly.

(12) From the tracking of the horizon line, a roll rate of the motorcycle may be determined, and finally, the inclination or banking of the motorcycle during cornering may be ascertained.

(13) In the case of extreme driving maneuvers, the inclination may be up to approximately 50.

(14) If the banking of the motorcycle is now determined with the aid of the procedure indicated above, then in a next step, the objects or vehicles are determined which are located on the roadway and are approaching the motorcycle or moving away from the motorcycle. In doing this, it is taken into account that the object lines are inclined by the banking angle, and thus lines inclined in this way must also be sought for new objects.

(15) The inclination or the banking of the motorcycle must also be considered in the trajectory calculation and prediction.

(16) In step 102, the hazard potential is determined based on the ascertained objects and in due consideration of the driving state of the two-wheeled vehicle or the inclination of the motorcycle.

(17) Thus, by the consideration also of extreme bankings, it is possible to determine whether or not the object is becoming critical for the motorcyclist.

(18) If another vehicle draws closer and enters into the blind spot of the two-wheeled vehicle, this is detected.

(19) In step 103, the driver is warned, or driver assistance systems or vehicle safety systems are triggered as a function of the ascertained hazard potential.

(20) For example, if a vehicle to the side of the two-wheeled vehicle is detected, then a display is activated on the motorcycle, e.g., in the mirror.

(21) If a suitable helmet is available and if it is equipped with a connection interface, e.g., Bluetooth, then an acoustic or visual warning is transmitted to the helmet, for example, via an interface integrated in the blind-spot system or in the motorcycle, and in this way, the vehicle in the blind spot is indicated to the driver of the motorcycle.