DE102013000203A1 - Method for determining type of steering movement for monitoring state of driver of motor car, involves differentiating between driver-induced and non-driver induced steering movements based on relative movement between ends of steering - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves differentiating between a driver-induced steering movement and a non-driver induced steering movement based on an acquired relative movement between two ends of a steering, where the ends face a steering wheel and steering gears, respectively. A measure of severeness of inattentiveness and/or tiredness of a driver is determined based on steering pattern recognition. A mechanical active connection is made between the steering wheel and a steering pinion by a handlebar of the steering, where the relative movement is detected by a torsion bar between the ends of the steering. An independent claim is also included for a method for monitoring a state of a driver of a vehicle.

Description

The invention relates to a method for determining a type of steering movement and a method for monitoring a driver state of a driver of a vehicle based on a steering pattern recognition, wherein by means of the steering pattern recognition a measure of the severity of inattentiveness and / or fatigue of the driver is determined.

• – Erfassen einer Bewegung eines Lenkrades des Fahrzeuges in Form eines Lenkradwinkels;
• – Erkennen einer Lenkruhephase und Ermitteln der Größe der Ausprägung der Lenkruhephase durch Auswerten des erfassten Lenkradwinkels und/oder dessen zeitlicher Änderung;
• – Erkennen einer sich an die Lenkruhephase anschließenden Lenkaktion und Ermitteln der Größe der Ausprägung der Lenkaktion durch Auswerten der zeitlichen Änderung des Lenkradwinkels; und
• – Ermitteln eines Maßes für die Schwere der Unaufmerksamkeit des Fahrers beim Lenken des Fahrzeuges durch Bewerten des Ergebnisses einer Verknüpfung der Ausprägung der Lenkruhephase und der Ausprägung der Lenkaktion.

From the DE 103 55 221 A1 is a method and a computer program for detecting inattentiveness of the driver of a vehicle, in particular motor vehicle known. The method comprises the following steps:

• - Detecting a movement of a steering wheel of the vehicle in the form of a steering wheel angle;
• Detecting a steering rest phase and determining the magnitude of the characteristic of the steering rest phase by evaluating the detected steering wheel angle and / or its change over time;
• - Recognizing a subsequent to the steering rest phase steering action and determining the size of the expression of the steering action by evaluating the temporal change of the steering wheel angle; and
• - Determining a measure of the severity of the inattentiveness of the driver when steering the vehicle by evaluating the result of a combination of the expression of the steering rest phase and the expression of the steering action.

The invention has for its object to provide a comparison with the prior art improved method for determining a type of steering movement of a vehicle and an improved method for monitoring a driver state of a driver of a vehicle.

The object is achieved by the features specified in claim 1.

A method for determining a type of steering movement of a vehicle provides that, for example, an activated transverse guidance system based on a detected relative movement between a steering wheel facing first end of a steering, in particular a steering rod of a steering of the vehicle and a steering gear facing the second end of the steering between a driver-induced and a non-driver-induced steering movement is distinguished. Another type of steering is z. As in a steer-by-wire steering, where there is no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and steering gear. A handlebar is thus not absolutely necessary for the application of the method according to the invention.

In addition, the invention relates to a method for monitoring a driver state of a driver of a vehicle based on a steering pattern recognition, wherein by means of the steering pattern recognition a measure of the severity of inattention and / or fatigue of the driver is determined. According to the invention, a detected relative movement between a steering wheel facing first end of a steering rod of a steering of the vehicle and a steering gear facing the second end of the handlebar between a driver-induced and a non-driver-induced steering movement distinguished, the determined type of steering movement in the monitoring of the driver state is taken into account. The same applies, for example, for road disturbances or unilateral braking intervention.

Due to the distinction between the steering movements, it is possible in a particularly advantageous manner to increase the availability of assistance systems which respond to driver-induced steering movements, as a result of which the reliability, in particular in the monitoring of the driver's condition, can be increased.

In this case, the term driver-induced in extreme cases means that there is a steering wheel movement, while a rack of the steering of the vehicle remains stationary. By non-driver-induced contrast, in the extreme case, the movement of the rack or of the driving gear with a fixed steering wheel to understand.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to drawings.

Showing:

1 1 schematically shows a first method sequence for determining a driver-induced or non-driver-induced steering movement of a vehicle;

2 schematically a second procedure for determining a driver-induced or non-driver-induced steering movement of a vehicle and

3 schematically a third process sequence for determining a driver-induced or non-driver-induced steering movement of a vehicle mutually corresponding parts are provided in all figures with the same reference numerals.

The 1 to 3 each show a procedure for determining a driver-induced or non-driver-induced steering movement of a vehicle. In 1 is a first, in 2 is a second and in 3 a third process flow for distinguishing occurring steering movements is shown.

In particular, the method is provided for use in monitoring a driver state of a driver of a vehicle, wherein a measure of the severity of inattention and / or fatigue of the driver is determined by means of a steering pattern recognition. If the vehicle has a transverse guidance system, for example an assistance system for tracking, there is a risk that the monitoring of the driver's condition will be restricted or invalidated by automatically performed steering interventions. In order to substantially avoid this, a distinction is made between driver-induced or non-driver-induced steering movements.

To distinguish a relative movement between components of a steering of the vehicle is detected. In particular, it is provided to detect the relative movement between a steering wheel of the vehicle and a rack or a pinion designated as driving gear as components of the steering.

The relative movement between the components of the steering is detected by means of a rotary element, in particular a torsion bar, by means of which a torque can be measured.

A driver-induced steering movement during normal driving of the vehicle is present when a steering wheel angle is greater in magnitude than a pinion angle. With regard to the monitoring of the driver state are comparatively slow and / or smaller steering movements of interest, as a slow steering movement, a steering movement with a Lenkradwinkelgeschwindigkeit v _L of, for example, less than 20 ° / s and a small steering movement, a steering movement with a steering wheel angle smaller than 30 ° is, is viewed. A deviation between the steering wheel angle and the pinion angle is detected by the rotation resulting from the deviation of the rotary element.

In the absence of a precise deviation between the steering wheel angle and the pinion angle, it is possible to consider an angle change at the beginning of the steering movement. This is possible because at the beginning of the steering movement, the steering wheel angle change on the steering wheel of the vehicle is greater than on the pinion. The steering wheel angle change is preferably detectable by means of a steering wheel angle sensor. In an extreme case, a steering wheel angle sensor mounted on the steering column and viewed from the position of the rotary member is on the side of the steering wheel indicating an angle change, with no or only a slight change in the angle of the pinion.

A non-driver-induced steering movement is detected when the steering wheel angle, in particular for slow and / or small steering movements amount is smaller than the pinion angle, which is also assumed to be a normal drive. In the absence of a precise deviation between the steering wheel angle and the pinion angle, it is possible to consider an angle change at the beginning of the steering movement. This is possible because at the beginning of the steering movement, the steering wheel angle change on the steering wheel of the vehicle is smaller than on the pinion. The steering wheel angle change is preferably detectable by means of a steering wheel angle sensor. In an extreme case, a steering wheel angle sensor mounted on the steering column and viewed from the position of the rotary member is on the side of the steering wheel indicating an angle change, with no or only a slight change in the angle of the pinion.

It is also possible that during operation of the vehicle opposite movements between the steering wheel and pinion angle occur, which can be detected both as driver-induced and non-driver-induced steering movements. There may be an opposing pinion angle movement caused by the pothole passage and a driver's steering wheel angular direction. In general, such opposing movements can occur in any type of roadway disturbances and / or unilateral braking intervention.

The pinion angle is directly measurable or indirectly z. B. from the steering wheel angle, an instantaneous torque and a corresponding rotational element stiffness calculable and / or is z. B. directly size by an electromechanical power steering of the vehicle available.

A pinion angle change can be determined via a momentary torque change and the corresponding rotational element stiffness and / or the pinion angle change is determined by the derivative A of an available angle signal by the electromechanical power steering, wherein the derived signal is further processed taking into account the sign. This analyzes the steering and not the steering back. The angle signal represents the steering wheel angular velocity or the pinion angular velocity, so it is a speed signal. In a steer-by-wire steering, the pinion angle change can be determined from a control deviation.

Here is a difference between the steering wheel angle and the pinion angle and / or the two Angle changes a measure of the strength of the induction.

In the 1 to 3 In each case, a relatively fault-prone implementation for distinguishing the steering movement is shown, the other criteria for increasing the robustness of a determination module, by means of which the distinction of the steering movement is performed include.

As a result of the respective process _sequence , an output signal NFA _aktiv1 to NFA _{aktiv3 is} obtained, wherein a non-driver-induced steering movement is present when the output signal NFA _aktiv1 to NFA _{aktiv3 takes} the value 1.

In the respective method sequence, the pinion angular velocity v _R and the steering wheel angular velocity v _L are detected as signals and respectively supplied to a low-pass filter TP, the filtering by means of the low-pass filter TP not being absolutely necessary.

Subsequently, the difference between detected pinion angular velocity v _R and detected steering wheel angular velocity v _{L is} formed, as in a second analysis part AT2 in FIG 1 is shown and multiplied by the sign of the pinion angular velocity v _R. This sign-taking deviation between the pinion angular velocity v _R and the steering wheel angular velocity v _L is subsequently compared with a first limit value G ₃ .

Alternatively, the difference may be formed from the amounts u of the two velocities v _R , v _L , as in the second method sequence according to FIG 2 is shown.

A further alternative for distinguishing the steering movements consists in the difference formation from a respective analysis part AT1, AT2 of pinion angular velocity v _R and steering wheel angular velocity v _L , wherein a first analysis part AT1 relate to the pinion and a second analysis part AT2 to the steering wheel. The respective subsequent limit analysis with the limit values G ₄ to G ₆ differs with respect to the size of the limit values G ₄ to G ₆ . The limit values G ₄ to G ₆ also differ in their size from the first limit value G ₃ .

In 3 in fact the articulation is evaluated.

To increase the robustness of the respective output signal NFA _aktiv1 to NFA _aktiv3 is possibly due to environmental influences such. As road roughness and / or engine vibrations, noise occurring, which acts on the steering of the vehicle, reduced.

For this, the following should be in 1 A first condition is that the amount u of the pinion angular velocity v _{R should be} greater than a second limit value G ₂ .

A second condition to be met is that a link speed x in the first analysis part AT1 is greater than a third limit value G ₁ .

Angling is present when the respective angle increases in amount.

All limit considerations and the subsequent AND operation can also be implemented as fuzzy logic.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely 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.

Cited patent literature

• DE 10355221 A1 [0002]

Claims (8)

Method for determining a type of steering movement of a vehicle, characterized in that based on a detected relative movement between a steering wheel facing first end of a steering of the vehicle and a steering gear facing the second end of the steering between a driver-induced and a non-driver-induced steering movement is distinguished. A method for monitoring a driver state of a driver of a vehicle based on a steering pattern recognition, wherein by means of the steering pattern recognition a measure of the severity of inattention and / or fatigue of the driver is determined, characterized in that based on a detected relative movement between a steering wheel facing first end of a steering of the vehicle and a steering gear facing the second end of the steering between a driver-induced and a non-driver-induced steering movement distinguished the determined type of steering movement is taken into account in the monitoring of the driver state. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the relative movement is detected by means of a rotary element arranged between the first end and the second end, in particular a torsion bar. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that a torque of the rotary element is detected as a relative movement. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the steering comprises a handlebar which produces a mechanical operative connection between the steering wheel and steering pinion. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method is applied to an activated transverse guidance system. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method is used exclusively in an activated transverse guidance system. A method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the method is applied to a one-sided braking intervention.

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