METHOD FOR DETERMINING A DRIVER-SPECIFIC BLIND SPOT FIELD FOR A DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM, DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM AND MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system (2) for a motor vehicle (1), in which a driver-specific blind spot (3) in the surroundings (4) of the motor vehicle (1) is determined, wherein at least one boundary edge (8, 9) of a driver-specific field of vision (5) of a motor vehicle driver is determined as a function of a movement behaviour of the motor vehicle driver's head and/or as a function of the visual faculty of the motor vehicle driver, and the dimension (a2) and/or a local position of the driver-specific blind spot (3) in the surroundings (4) of the motor vehicle (1) is determined as a function of the determined boundary edge (8, 9) of the driver-specific field of vision (5).

Claims

1. A method for operating a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle, in which a driver-specific blind spot in the surroundings of the motor vehicle is determined, the method comprising: determining at least one boundary edge of a driver-specific field of vision of a motor vehicle driver as a function of one selected from the group consisting of: a movement behaviour of the motor vehicle driver's head and the visual faculty of the motor vehicle driver; and determining a dimension and a local position of the driver-specific blind spot in the surroundings of the motor vehicle as a function of the determined boundary edge of the driver-specific field of vision.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driver-specific blind spot is determined in corresponding dimensions and/or in a local position adjacent to the boundary edge and/or is determined in an overlapping fashion in a predefined overlapping area with the driver-specific field of vision.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driver-specific blind spot is changed in dimensions parallel to a longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle as a function of the boundary edge of the driver-specific field of vision.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driver-specific blind spot is determined by virtue of the fact that a predefined reference blind spot is changed as a function of the determined movement behaviour of the motor vehicle driver's head and/or as a function of the determined visual faculty of the motor vehicle driver of the motor vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein in the case of a movement behaviour which is limited in comparison with the reference blind spot and/or a limited visual faculty of the vehicle driver, the reference blind spot is lengthened in the forward direction along a direction of locomotion of the motor vehicle in order to generate the driver-specific blind spot.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movement behaviour of the motor vehicle driver's head and/or the visual faculty of the motor vehicle driver are/is sensed a plurality of times, and the driver-specific field of vision is determined from an averaged movement behaviour of the head and/or from an averaged visual faculty.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensed driver-specific field of vision is stored after the motor vehicle is shut down, and is made available when the motor vehicle is driven again by the motor vehicle driver.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the driver-specific field of vision which is stored and made available is adapted to a movement behaviour of the motor vehicle driver's head and/or visual faculty of the motor vehicle driver determined while the motor vehicle is driven again.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein an object which approaches the motor vehicle from behind in the surroundings and a position of the object relative to the motor vehicle, are sensed in the surroundings, a movement reaction of the motor vehicle driver to the object and a time of the movement reaction are sensed, and a position of the driver-specific boundary edge is determined as that position which the object had at the time of the sensed movement reaction in the surroundings.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein motor vehicle which approaches a motor vehicle rear of the motor vehicle in the same direction of locomotion on an adjacent lane is sensed as the object.

11. The method according to claim 9, the object is sensed by at least one vehicle mounted radar sensor.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the movement reaction of the motor vehicle driver is sensed by at least one vehicle-mounted camera.

13. A driver assistance system which is configured to carry out a method according to claim 1.

14. A motor vehicle having a driver assistance system according to claim 13.

Description

[0033] In the text which follows the invention will now be explained in more detail by means of a preferred exemplary embodiment and with reference to the appended drawing, in which:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle with an embodiment of the driver assistance system according to the invention;

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle with a reference blind spot and a reference field of vision; and

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle with a driver-specific field of vision and a driver-specific blind spot adapted thereto.

[0037] Identical or functionally identical elements in the figures are provided with the same reference symbols.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle 1 with a driver assistance system 2. The driver assistance system 2 can be configured, for example, as a lane change assistant or a blind spot assistant. The driver assistance system 2 is also configured to determine a driver-specific blind spot 3 in the surroundings 4 of the motor vehicle 1. The driver-specific blind spot 3 is an area which cannot be seen by a motor vehicle driver or a driver of the motor vehicle 1 (not illustrated here), and said blind spot 3 is located here on a driver side next to the motor vehicle 1. In this context, the driver of the motor vehicle 1 can be warned by the driver assistance system 2, for example by a visual and/or acoustic signal, if another object, for example another vehicle 23 according to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, is located in the driver-specific blind spot 3.

[0039] Furthermore, the driver assistance system 2 is configured to determine the driver-specific blind spot 3 as a function of a driver-specific field of vision 5 of the motor vehicle driver. The driver-specific field of vision 5 is illustrated in a projection or in a section in a horizontal plane, and is therefore shown in a parallel illustration to a roadway on which the motor vehicle 1 is located. The driver-specific field of vision 5 comprises here a so-called visual field 6 and a so-called shoulder field of vision 7. The visual field 6 shows here an area which the driver can perceive in the normal position, that is to say when looking straight ahead through a front windshield of the motor vehicle 1. The visual field 6 is, in particular, dependent on the visual faculty as a physical property of the motor vehicle driver. The visual field 6 has here an angle of aperture α1, wherein a visual field of a person with an average, good visual faculty has a larger angle of aperture than a visual field of a person with a limited, poor visual faculty. This means that the angle of aperture α1 increases the better the visual faculty of the person.

[0040] The shoulder field of vision 7 is that area which the driver can additionally perceive by looking over his shoulder, that is to say by means of a turning movement of his head. The larger the turning movement or the freedom of movement of the head, the larger an angle of aperture β1 of the shoulder field of vision 7.

[0041] The visual field 6 which is shown merely as a schematic example and the shoulder field of vision 7 which is shown merely as a schematic example therefore form here the driver-specific field of vision 5 which is bounded in the planar, and therefore 2-dimensional, projection illustration by a left-side boundary edge 8 and a right-side boundary edge 9, and has an overall angle of aperture α1+β1. The driver or vehicle driver can therefore perceive visually all those objects which are located within the area bounded by the boundary edges 8 and 9, that is to say within the driver-specific field of vision 5. Those objects which are located on the other side of the boundary edges 8 and 9 in the surroundings 4, that is to say outside the driver-specific field of vision 5, cannot be perceived visually by the driver. These areas will be covered, in particular, by the driver-specific blind spot 3.

[0042] The driver-specific blind spot 3 occurs in the surroundings 4 of the motor vehicle 1 in such a way that the driver-specific blind spot 3 is adjacent to the boundary edge 8, and/or the driver-specific field of vision 5 and the driver-specific blind spot 3 overlap in a predefined overlapping area 10. Therefore, the surroundings 4 can be monitored comprehensively by the driver and the driver assistance system 2.

[0043] In order to determine the driver-specific field of vision 5, the motor vehicle 1 can have radar sensors 11 which sense the surroundings 4, in particular objects, for example the other vehicle according to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and the positions thereof relative to the motor vehicle 1.

[0044] In addition, the motor vehicle 1 can have, in a passenger compartment, a camera 12, a so-called head tracking camera, which can record a movement of the driver's head and/or a viewing direction of the driver. It is therefore possible to sense, for example, a spontaneous reaction of the driver to the object sensed by the radar sensors 11, for example the other vehicle 23, which approaches the motor vehicle 1 from behind. The spontaneous reaction of the driver occurs, in fact, in particular when the object enters the peripheral visual field, that is to say the driver-specific field of vision 5, that is to say for example passes through the boundary edge 8. The position of the object, sensed by the radar sensors 11, with respect to the time of the spontaneous reaction of the driver is determined as the position of the boundary edge 8. Likewise, the position of the boundary edge 9 can be determined. Therefore, the driver-specific field of vision 5 can be determined in a particularly simple way.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a motor vehicle 1 with a reference blind spot 13 which is predefined as a function of a reference field of vision 14 and is generally predefined at the factory. The reference field of vision 14 has a reference field of vision 15 which comprises an area which a driver with an average visual faculty can perceive visually. The reference visual field 15 has here an angle of aperture α2 of approximately 180°. The reference field of vision 14 also comprises a reference shoulder field of vision 16 with an angle of aperture β2. The reference field of vision 14 is bounded here by a left-side reference boundary edge 17 and a right-side reference boundary edge 18 and has an overall angle of aperture α2+β2.

[0046] The reference blind spot 13 is determined adjacent to the reference boundary edge 17 or in an overlapping fashion in the overlapping area 10 with the reference field of vision 14. The reference blind spot 13 has here a dimension a1 as a vertical extent.

[0047] The motor vehicle 1 moves here in a direction 19 of locomotion on a lane 20. On a lane 21 which is adjacent to the lane 20 a rear area 22 of the motor vehicle 1 is approached by another vehicle 23 which is also moving in the direction 19 of locomotion. The other vehicle 23 is already located within the reference blind spot 13 here. In this context, the driver of the motor vehicle 1 can be informed about the other vehicle 23, for example by a visual and/or acoustic signal, and can therefore be warned about a possible collision of the motor vehicle 1 with the other vehicle 23 in the case of a lane change of the motor vehicle 1 onto the adjacent lane 21. As soon as the other vehicle 23 moves further in the direction 19 of locomotion and exits, for example, a front area of the reference blind spot 13 located in the direction 19 of locomotion, the other vehicle 23 is located in the reference field of vision 14, in particular, in the reference shoulder field of vision 16, of the driver after exiting the reference blind spot 13, and can therefore be perceived visually by said driver.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a motor vehicle 1 in which the driver-specific field of vision 5 has been determined by the driver assistance system 2 as a function of the visual faculty and/or the turning capability of the motor vehicle driver's head. The driver-specific field of vision 5 which is illustrated here has a smaller overall angle of aperture α1+β1 in comparison with the overall angle of aperture α2+β2 of the reference field of vision 14 according to FIG. 2. The driver-specific field of vision 5 is therefore limited compared to the reference field of vision 14. It can be assumed, for example, that the vehicle driver in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3 has a relatively poor visual faculty and/or a smaller freedom of movement of his head than the vehicle driver in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2.

[0049] The driver-specific blind spot 3 is defined as a function of the driver-specific field of vision 5. The driver-specific blind spot 3 has here a dimension a2 as the vertical extent, with the result that the driver-specific blind spot 3 extends as far as the boundary edge 8 of the driver-specific field of vision 5, or the driver-specific field of vision 5 is covered in the overlapping area 10. However, if a blind spot which corresponds to the reference blind spot 13, that is to say has a dimension a1 as the vertical dimension, were to be made available for the vehicle driver with the driver-specific field of vision 5 which is limited compared to the reference field of vision 14, an area 24 would result which cannot be perceived or monitored either by the driver himself or by the driver assistance system 2. If the other vehicle 23 which the motor vehicle 1 overtakes, for example, on the left were then to be located in the area 24, a lane change of the motor vehicle 1 on the adjacent lane 21 would lead to a collision with the other vehicle 23, since the driver cannot see the vehicle 23, nor can he be informed about the other vehicle 23 by the driver assistance system 2.

[0050] In order to prevent such a collision, the reference blind spot 13 is lengthened in the forward direction in the direction 19 of travel in order to determine the driver-specific field of vision 5. In particular, the dimension a1 of the reference blind spot 13 is lengthened with respect to a longitudinal axis 25 of the motor vehicle 1 by the dimension a3 to form the dimension a2 as the vertical dimension, with the result that the driver-specific blind spot 3 is adjacent to the boundary edge 8 or overlaps with the driver-specific field of vision 5 in the overlapping area 10. Therefore, the driver can be informed about the other vehicle 23 by the driver assistance system 2 until the vehicle exits the driver-specific blind spot 3 in the forward direction and can be perceived visually by the driver himself in his driver-specific field of vision 5.