DE102018005421A1 - Device and method for accelerated switching from a comfort position to a driving position - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for a vehicle that can be operated at least partially autonomously, with at least one environmental control unit for a driver (12), which, in a driving mode in which the vehicle is controlled by the driver, a driving position and in a comfort mode in which the vehicle is controlled autonomously is in a comfort position, as well as with a control unit to move the at least one environmental control unit into the driving position or the comfort position,
The device comprises at least one driver sensing device (34), which is set up and configured to record position and / or movement and / or acoustic data of a driver (12) in comfort mode and to determine an intention to control and to initiate the control unit to move the at least one environmental control unit into the driving position.
In this way, the driver's intention to regain control of the vehicle guidance can be recognized at an early stage and the activation of the environmental control units can begin accordingly. This results in increased driving safety, particularly in critical driving conditions.

Description

The invention relates to a device for a vehicle that can be operated at least partially autonomously, with at least one environmental setting unit, which takes up a driving position in a driving mode in which the vehicle is controlled by the driver and a comfort position in a comfort mode in which the vehicle is controlled autonomously. as well as with a control unit to move the at least one surrounding control unit into the driving position or the comfort position. The invention further relates to a vehicle equipped therewith and to a method for operating such a device.

It is known to provide two seating positions for the driver in partially autonomous or autonomously operable vehicles, namely a driving position in which the driver assumes an optimal seating position and an optimal distance from the steering wheel and the pedals for driving and operating the devices necessary for this. This driving position is assumed when the vehicle is in the driving mode in which the driver takes over control of the vehicle. If, on the other hand, the vehicle is controlled autonomously, that is to say the vehicle is in a comfort mode, the driver should be able to assume a more relaxed position, that is to say, for example, be at a greater distance from the steering wheel and / or the pedals and / or be able to adjust a greater inclination of the backrest. For this purpose, environmental setting units, such as in particular a horizontal driver seat adjustment device in the direction of travel, vertical driver seat adjustment device, backrest adjustment device, a steering wheel adjustment device, are actuated in order to switch from the driving position to a comfort position. Both the driving position and the comfort position are preferably individually adjustable for each driver.

If the vehicle is in comfort mode, i.e. the environment control units are in the comfort position, it may be necessary to switch to driving mode as quickly as possible due to exceptional circumstances. For example, if the driver recognizes that the autonomous vehicle control system incorrectly assesses an environmental situation in comfort mode (e.g. a white wall holds the sky), it must be able to intervene as quickly as possible.

From the DE 10 2015 206 501 A1 It is known to limit the setting options of the environmental control units in comfort mode to such an extent that the driver can access at least one cockpit element such as the steering wheel or pedal in this state and to actuate a switchover to the driving mode and to activate the environmental control units which activate them bring into driving position.

The disadvantage here is that the comfort mode is only switched to the driving mode when the driver reaches one of the cockpit elements suitable for this purpose by hand or foot. Only then does the adjustment of the environmental control units into the driving position begin. The driver may therefore start to take over vehicle control in comfort mode in a critical situation.

From the DE 10 2012 216 181 A1 it is known to use a camera to observe the driver or front passenger and to record their gestures and to adjust the corresponding vehicle seat on the basis thereof.

The object of the invention is to start the changeover from the comfort position to the driving position as early as possible, so that the driver is in a possibly critical driving situation as close as possible to the driving position when the driving mode is activated and thus the vehicle control is better can perform as from the comfort position.

The invention results from the features of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments and refinements are the subject of the dependent claims. Further features, possible applications and advantages of the invention result from the following description and the explanation of exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are shown in the figures.

The object is therefore achieved according to the invention in that the device comprises at least one driver sensing device which is set up and designed to record position and / or movement and / or acoustic data of a driver in comfort mode and to determine an intention to control and the control unit therefrom to cause to move the at least one environmental control unit into the driving position.

The invention enables the driver's intention in comfort mode to regain control of the vehicle guidance to be recognized at an early stage and, accordingly, to start the driver's environmental control units early so that they can be moved from the comfort position to the driving position , This allows the driver to take control of the vehicle earlier in a better sitting position and at a better distance from the cockpit instruments. As a result of the decreasing distance, the driver is able to switch to driving mode earlier by taking suitable measures such as pressing a button or gripping the steering wheel. So take control of the vehicle yourself.
This results in increased operational safety, particularly in critical driving conditions.

The driver sensing device normally comprises an interior camera, which observes the driver and is coupled to devices which, in the simplest case, can determine distances such as the distance of the driver's head, arms or hands from the camera or enables more complex image evaluations such as distances to the steering wheel, movement speeds and -Directions, determining gestures from arms or hands. Alternatively or additionally, the driver sensing device can evaluate acoustic signals, in particular recognize key words such as “driving”.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the at least one environmental setting unit comprises one or more of the following units: horizontal driver seat adjustment device, vertical driver seat adjustment device, backrest adjustment device, steering wheel adjustment device or pedal adjustment device. All these devices are preferably controlled at the same time, because a comfort position is characterized by the fact that the driver can stretch his legs, which is possible due to the horizontal driver seat adjustment device acting in the direction of travel and possibly a pedal adjustment device, the driver seat adjustment device moving the driver seat backwards and the pedal adjustment device the pedals forward. A vertical driver seat adjustment device can be used to move the seat up or down to increase comfort. And thanks to the backrest adjustment device, the backrest of the driver's seat can be tilted backwards, which increases comfort for the driver. The steering wheel can be pulled forward so that the driver has more space in front of him. The steering wheel setting device can also bring about a vertical adjustment of the steering wheel.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the driver sensing device is set up and designed to detect one or more of the following parameters: a distance from the driver's head to the steering wheel, a distance from the driver's torso to the steering wheel, the speed of movement of the driver's head and / or the driver's torso in Direction of travel, raising at least one arm, the speed of movement of one of the arms, a distance from a hand or arm to the steering wheel, the speed of a hand towards the steering wheel, an acoustic command from the driver. By recording the distance between the driver's head and the steering wheel, it is taken into account that a driver who intends to take control of the vehicle (intention to control) will move his head forward. In addition, the speed of movement can be recorded, because a quick head movement is also an indication of this control intention. A torso movement, i.e. straightening up in the seat, is also an indication of the intention to check, supplemented by the speed of movement if necessary. Alternatively or additionally, an image evaluation can be used to check whether the arm or hand is moving in the direction of the steering wheel. Ideally, all of the above are recorded. Parameters and an evaluation with a view to determining a probability of the intention to control. For example, if only the head is moved forward, there may be other reasons, but if the hands move towards the steering wheel at the same time, and even more so if the torso also moves forward, the likelihood of an intention to control will be significantly higher as if only one parameter is noticeable. If the ascertained probability for the intention to control exceeds a threshold value, the device will activate at least a part of the surrounding control units in order to move them into the driving position.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, when a first probability threshold value is exceeded, only one surrounding setting unit, in particular the steering wheel setting device, can initially be moved into the driving position while the other steering wheel setting device remains in the comfort position. Only when a second probability threshold value is exceeded are all the other surrounding control units moved into the driving position.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the device comprises a steering wheel touch sensor, the vehicle being switched over to the driving mode after the intention to control has been ascertained when the driver detects touching the steering wheel. In other words, although the environmental control units are automatically activated by the invention in order to move them from the comfort position into the driving position, the vehicle itself remains in comfort mode, that is to say in the autonomously controlled mode. Autonomous driving is only switched off when the steering wheel touch ensures that the driver is able to take control of the vehicle.

Operational safety is further increased if, according to a preferred development, the driver sensing device comprises a viewing direction detection device for checking whether the driver's gaze is directed towards an area in front of the motor vehicle. In this case, the autonomous driving mode is only deactivated if the driver also looks ahead. Because if the driver has gripped the steering wheel but is not looking ahead, switching off autonomous driving can lead to a dangerous situation.

Further advantages, features and details emerge from the following description, in which - if necessary with reference to the drawings - at least one exemplary embodiment is described in detail. Identical, similar and / or functionally identical parts are provided with the same reference symbols.

• 1: eine schematische Ansicht eines Fahrerbereichs eines Kraftfahrzeugs mit einem Fahrer in der Fahrstellung;
• 2: die gleiche Ansicht in der Komfortstellung;
• 3: die gleiche Ansicht beim Übergang von der Komfortstellung in die Fahrstellung;
• 4: ein schematisches Blockschaltbild der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung.

Show it:

• 1 : a schematic view of a driver area of a motor vehicle with a driver in the driving position;
• 2 : the same view in the comfort position;
• 3 : the same view when changing from the comfort position to the driving position;
• 4 : a schematic block diagram of the device according to the invention.

In the 1 to 3 is a schematic side view of the driver area of a motor vehicle, not shown, with a vehicle seat 10 , a driver on it 12 and a cockpit area 14 shown. The vehicle seat 10 consists essentially of a seat part 16 and a backrest 18 , The seat part 16 is opposite a cabin floor 20 via a horizontal driver seat adjustment device 22 Can be moved forward (in the drawing to the right) or back (in the drawing to the left) in the direction of travel. The backrest 18 is opposite the seat part 16 by means of a backrest adjustment device 24 adjustable in the inclination to the rear, as out 3 results.

The cockpit area 14 includes a steering wheel 26 by means of a steering wheel adjustment device 28 is displaceable at least in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 3 results.

The cockpit area 14 further comprises at least one pedal 30 , preferably at least one accelerator and one brake pedal, alternatively still a clutch pedal, via a pedal adjustment device 32 are adjustable together.

In 1 the vehicle is in driving mode, in which the driver has control of the vehicle and, accordingly, his hands on the steering wheel 26 and the feet in the area of the pedal 30 , The vehicle seat 10 is relatively far forward (right), the backrest 18 upright and the steering wheel 26 is extended to the rear. The exact settings can be individually adjusted and saved by the driver.

If the driver has given control of the vehicle to an autonomous driving control, he only has to monitor it and can be a much more comfortable in 2 shown position, which he can set and save individually. Typically, it becomes the vehicle seat 10 Move further back (left) to stretch your legs. The backrest 18 can be tilted backwards. The steering wheel 26 is, however, by means of the steering wheel adjustment 28 forward, i.e. pulled away from the driver so that he has more space in front of him. To further increase the freedom of movement of the legs, you can also use the pedal adjustment device 32 the at least one pedal 30 either, as shown in the figures, rotated forward or translationally moved away from the driver's foot. Further changes, not shown, can be carried out, such as a height or inclination adjustment of the seat part 16 or a rearview mirror adjustment or a headrest adjustment.

In the cockpit area 14 is an indoor camera 34 arranged, which is set up to observe the driver and possibly the passenger. The interior camera 34 is coupled to an image processing unit, which detects positions and / or movements of the driver.

If the vehicle is in the 2 comfort mode shown and the interior camera 34 a movement like in 3 shown captured at which the driver 12 with his torso 36 and head 38 moved forward while arms 40 lifts and towards the steering wheel 26 moves, and based on the recorded and evaluated data determines that the driver has an intention to control, that is, the intention to regain control of the vehicle, the driver's seat 10 by means of the driver seat adjustment device 22 moved forward as shown by the direction of the arrow. Furthermore, the backrest 18 by means of the backrest adjustment device 24 ( 1 ) from the in 3 moved with solid lines, inclined position moved to the upright position shown in dotted lines. Furthermore, the steering wheel 26 by means of the steering wheel adjustment device 28 shifted towards the driver. Finally the pedal 30 by means of the pedal adjustment device 32 ( 1 ) to the driver 12 moved so that his foot can engage with it.

In 4 is the device according to the invention 42 shown schematically. The starting point is in the 1 to 3 shown interior camera 34 , whose data an image evaluation unit 44 is supplied when the vehicle is in Comfort mode. The image evaluation unit 44 analyzes the image data and determines various parameters. The image evaluation unit 44 can also with a microphone unit 46 be coupled, which is arranged in the vehicle interior and language of the driver 12 receives. So the head gap of the driver's head 38 ( 3 ) from the indoor camera 34 by means of the image evaluation unit 44 a head gap evaluation unit 48 supplied, which checks whether the distance exceeds a head gap threshold. In the same way, the image evaluation unit 44 the torso distance of the upper body 36 of the driver 12 from the interior camera 34 determined and a torso distance evaluation unit 50 supplied, which checks whether the distance exceeds a torso distance threshold.

The image evaluation unit 44 preferably also determines the speed component at which the driver's head is moving in the vehicle direction 38 towards the interior camera 34 (or away from it) moves and maintains the value of the head movement judging unit 52 to. The image evaluation unit 44 also preferably determines the speed component at which the torso moves in the vehicle direction 36 towards the interior camera 34 (or away from it) moves and maintains the value of the torso evaluation unit 54 to.

In addition, the hand and / or arm distance from the image evaluation unit 44 be evaluated. In such a case, in addition to the head gap evaluation unit 48 , the head movement evaluation unit 52 , the torso distance evaluation unit 50 and the torso motion evaluation unit 54 further units not shown, in particular a hand distance evaluation unit, a hand movement evaluation unit, an arm distance evaluation unit and an arm movement evaluation unit, can be provided. These would be parallel to the units 48 . 50 . 52 . 54 connected.

The image evaluation unit 44 can preferably also by means of the microphone unit 46 recorded sound recordings of a language assessment unit 56 which examines whether the sound recordings contain stored keywords.

The outputs of the units 48 - 56 become an evaluation and control unit 58 supplied, which determines on the basis of the data whether there is an intention to control, that is to say the driver intends to take control of the vehicle. Not only the exceeding of threshold values is taken into account, but also the size of the respective parameters with regard to the threshold values, so that a control intention can also be determined in the event that several parameters do not exceed the threshold values but approach them. Provided an intent to control by the control unit 58 is determined, the environmental control units, that is, the driver seat adjustment device 22 , the backrest adjuster 24 , the steering wheel adjuster 28 and the pedal adjustment device 32 turned on so that the driver's seat 10 stands up and moves forward and the steering wheel 26 and the pedal 30 to the driver 12 moved there ( 3 ) until the in 1 shown driving position is reached.

However, there is no switch from autonomous to manual driving. This requires that the system determine that the driver 12 at least the steering wheel 26 has taken. In addition, using the interior camera 34 be checked whether the driver is looking in a permissible direction, in particular forward, before switching to manual driving mode, that is to say the driving mode.

Although the invention has been illustrated and explained in more detail by means of preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not restricted by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention. It is therefore clear that there are a variety of possible variations. It is also clear that exemplary embodiments really only represent examples that should not be interpreted in any way as a limitation of the scope, the possible applications or the configuration of the invention. Rather, the preceding description and the description of the figures enable the person skilled in the art to specifically implement the exemplary embodiments, the person skilled in the art being able to make various changes, for example with regard to the function or the arrangement of individual elements mentioned in an exemplary embodiment, without knowing the disclosed inventive concept To leave the scope of protection, which is defined by the claims and their legal equivalents, such as further explanations in the description.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

vehicle seat

12

driver

14

cockpit area

16

Squab

18

backrest

20

cabin floor

22

Driver seat adjustment facility

24

Rückenlehnenverstelleinrichtung

26

steering wheel

28

Lenkradeinstelleinrichtung

30

pedal

32

Pedal adjustment facility

34

Interior camera

36

upper body

38

head

40

poor

42

contraption

44

Image evaluation unit

46

microphone unit

48

Gap assessment unit

50

Torso difference evaluation unit

52

Head movement assessment unit

54

Torso motion estimation unit

56

Language assessment unit

58

Evaluation and control unit

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent literature cited

• DE 102015206501 A1 [0004]
• DE 102012216181 A1 [0006]

Claims (11)

Device (42) for a vehicle that can be operated at least partially autonomously, with at least one environmental setting unit (22, 24, 28, 32) for a driver (12), which, in a driving mode in which the vehicle is controlled by the driver, has a driving position ( 1 ) and in a comfort mode in which the vehicle is controlled autonomously, a comfort position ( 2 ), as well as with a control unit (58) to move the at least one environmental setting unit (22, 24, 28, 32) into the driving position or the comfort position, characterized in that it has at least one driver sensing device (34, 44, 48, 58), which is set up and designed to record position and / or movement and / or acoustic data of the driver (12) in comfort mode and to determine an intention to control and to cause the control unit (58) to trigger at least one Move the surrounding setting unit (22, 24, 28, 32) into the driving position. Device after Claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one environmental setting unit comprises one or more of the following units: horizontal driver seat adjustment device (22), vertical driver seat adjustment device, backrest adjustment device (24), steering wheel adjustment device (28), pedal adjustment device (32). Device after Claim 2 , characterized in that several of the surrounding control units (22, 24, 28, 32) can be controlled simultaneously by the control unit. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the driver sensing device is set up and designed to detect one or more of the following parameters: a distance between the driver's head and the steering wheel, a distance between the driver's torso and the steering wheel, the speed of a movement of the driver's head or of the driver's torso in the direction of travel, lifting at least one arm, the speed of movement of one of the arms, a distance from one hand to the steering wheel, the speed of movement of a hand towards the steering wheel, a distance from an arm to the steering wheel, the speed of movement of an arm in Direction of the steering wheel, an acoustic command from the driver. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a steering wheel touch sensor, the vehicle being switchable to the driving mode after determination of the control intention upon detection of a steering wheel touch by the driver. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the driver sensing device comprises a direction-of-view detection device for checking whether the driver's gaze is directed to an area in front of the motor vehicle and the vehicle can only be switched to the driving mode if this is the case. Motor vehicle, comprising a device according to one of the preceding claims. Method for operating a device according to Claim 4 and 5 , characterized in that several parameters are recorded and evaluated and from this a probability for the existence of the control intention is determined. Procedure according to Claim 8 , characterized in that when a first probability threshold value is exceeded, at least one environmental control unit is first moved into the driving position, and when a second probability threshold value is exceeded, further environmental control units are moved into the driving position. Procedure according to Claim 8 , characterized in that when switching to the driving mode at least one of the following control variables: steering angle rate, accelerator pedal rate, brake pedal rate are adapted to the current driving state. Procedure according to Claim 8 , characterized in that it is determined whether the vehicle is in a critical state and is signaled to the driver before automatic switchover to the driving mode in a critical state that a switchover should not take place.

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