DE102022201791A1 - Method for operating a driver assistance system of a vehicle, and electronic driver assistance system and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system (2) of a vehicle (1), wherein
- During a maneuvering process (3) of the vehicle (1), depending on an environmental situation in an area (7) of the vehicle (1), the driver assistance system (2) at least partially folds in at least one side mirror (14, 15) of the vehicle (1). will, and
- at least one item of information relating to the folded in at least one side mirror (14, 15) is generated by an evaluation unit (5) of the driver assistance system (2),
- the generated at least one piece of information is stored in a storage unit (20) and is made available for potential use for a subsequent and specific shunting operation (22) of the vehicle (1) on the current shunting operation (3) of the vehicle (1).
The invention also relates to an electronic driver assistance system (2) and a vehicle (1).

Description

The invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system of a vehicle, with at least one side mirror of the vehicle being at least partially folded in by the driver assistance system during a maneuvering operation of the vehicle depending on a situation in the surroundings of the vehicle, and at least one item of information relating to the folded in at least one side mirror is generated by an evaluation unit of the driver assistance system.

Furthermore, the invention relates to an electronic driver assistance system with at least one detection unit and one evaluation unit. The invention also relates to a vehicle with an electronic driver assistance system.

Driver assistance systems, such as parking assistance systems, can support the driver in controlling the vehicle. For example, with my parking assistance system, an automatic parking and exiting process can be carried out autonomously. For this purpose, the surroundings of the vehicle can be detected with the aid of sensors, so that, for example, the side mirrors of the vehicle are automatically folded in or out depending on the surrounding situation. In particular, when parking in narrow transverse parking spaces or garages forwards or backwards, the risk of collisions with the exterior mirrors of the parking vehicle on objects bordering parking spaces is dangerous. For this purpose, the exterior mirrors are folded in and out automatically.

For example, disclosed in this regard DE 10 2013 019 792 A1 a method for controlling automatically folding and unfolding side mirrors for a vehicle, with at least one image acquisition unit being used to capture an area surrounding the vehicle. Depending on a target environment, the side mirrors can be automatically folded or retracted.

Furthermore, from the DE 199 06 667 A1 a method for adjusting a position of a mirror housing of an exterior mirror of a motor vehicle is known. The housing of the exterior mirror can be automatically folded or retracted.

For example, from the DE 10 2011 106 821 A1 a method and a device for operating a vehicle with automatically folding and unfolding side mirrors are known.

Furthermore, the DE 10 2013 103 744 A1 a mirror arrangement, wherein a mirror housing of exterior mirrors can be folded relative to a mirror base by means of a drive, a control unit also being provided which controls the drive.

A disadvantage of the prior art is that the automatic folding and unfolding of the side mirrors takes place temporarily for a current point in time.

One object of the present invention is therefore to make information relating to past maneuvers available to a driver assistance system of a vehicle, so that a subsequent maneuver can be carried out better.

This object is achieved by a method, an electronic driver assistance system and a vehicle according to the independent patent claims. Useful further developments result from the dependent patent claims.

• - bei einem Rangiervorgang des Fahrzeugs in Abhängigkeit von einer Umgebungssituation in einer Umgebung des Fahrzeugs durch das Fahrerassistenzsystem zumindest ein Seitenspiegel des Fahrzeugs zumindest teilweise eingeklappt wird, und
• - zumindest eine Information betreffend den eingeklappten zumindest einen Seitenspiegel durch eine Auswerteeinheit des Fahrerassistenzsystems erzeugt wird,
• - die erzeugte zumindest eine Information in einer Speichereinheit abgespeichert wird und für einem auf den aktuellen Rangiervorgang des Fahrzeugs nachfolgenden und dazu eigenen Rangiervorgang des Fahrzeugs zur potenziellen Nutzung bereitgestellt wird.

One aspect of the invention relates to a method for operating a driver assistance system of a vehicle, wherein

• - When the vehicle is maneuvered, depending on a situation in the surroundings of the vehicle, at least one side mirror of the vehicle is at least partially folded in by the driver assistance system, and
• - at least one item of information relating to the folded in at least one side mirror is generated by an evaluation unit of the driver assistance system,
• - the generated at least one piece of information is stored in a storage unit and is made available for potential use for a subsequent to the current shunting operation of the vehicle and its own shunting operation.

The proposed method allows the subsequent maneuvering process to be carried out better, in particular more safely, since the at least one item of information from the current maneuvering process can be taken into account by the driver assistance system, for example. Thus, for example, a wide variety of information regarding the maneuvering process currently being carried out and in particular the folded-in side mirrors can be used for the subsequent maneuvering process or further maneuvering processes. Thus, for example, the driver assistance system can learn independently based on the information of the current maneuver and the following Ran carry out the yawing process more efficiently. This is particularly advantageous for machine learning of the driver assistance system with regard to a maneuvering process. With the help of the evaluation unit of the driver assistance system, the at least one piece of information or more pieces of information relating to the folded side mirror or several folded side mirrors can be prepared or processed in such a way that this information can be used advantageously for the subsequent maneuvering.

For example, storing the at least one item of information relating to the folded-in side mirror is advantageous if, after the current maneuver, the vehicle is restarted for the subsequent maneuver. Thus, when the vehicle is started, the at least one piece of information can be called up by the driver assistance system or other vehicle systems, whereby the state of the side mirrors during the current maneuver can be maintained or adjusted for the subsequent maneuver. For example, the at least one piece of information can be used to decide for the subsequent maneuvering process whether the folded-in state of the at least one side mirror is to be maintained or whether the folded state of the at least one side mirror needs to be adjusted or adjusted due to an adapted or changed situation in the area surrounding the vehicle .

For example, the at least one piece of information can be made available to a vehicle fleet server or a fleet server or some other backend, so that the at least one piece of information can be called up by other vehicles, in particular fleet vehicles, and taken into account during shunting processes.

For example, the environmental situation in the vicinity of the vehicle can be made available to the driver assistance system. This can be done, for example, via external information sources through communications technology connections. Likewise, the environmental situation or the surroundings can be detected or monitored by a detection unit of the driver assistance system or of the vehicle.

For example, the driver assistance system can be an electronic system. Specifically, the driver assistance system is a maneuvering system or a parking assistance system.

Maneuvering is to be understood as forward or reverse travel of the vehicle at a maximum speed of 20 km/h, in particular at a maximum speed of 30 km/h. In particular, the maneuvering process can be carried out at walking speed. In particular, when the vehicle is maneuvering, the surroundings of the vehicle must be carefully observed and taken into account, since the risk of a collision with an object in the vicinity is great during a maneuver. For this purpose, the maneuvering process of the vehicle can be supported by the driver assistance system. For example, the driver assistance system can carry out the maneuvering process at least partially autonomously, in particular fully autonomously.

Depending on the surrounding situation, the at least one side mirror or all side mirrors of the vehicle can be automatically at least partially folded in. For example, the at least one side mirror or all side mirrors of the vehicle can be partially or completely folded in or out.

The side mirror is an exterior mirror of the vehicle.

When the at least one side mirror is folded in, the side mirror can be pivoted closer to the vehicle, starting from a current position. In a basic position or initial position of the side mirror, the side mirror, in particular a longitudinal direction of the side mirror, is arranged essentially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In a fully folded state, the longitudinal direction of the side mirror can be oriented essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In particular, the side mirror can be adjusted individually depending on the surrounding situation between a fully unfolded state and a fully folded state. In particular, an angle between the longitudinal direction of the side mirror and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can be variably adjusted. The at least one side mirror can thus assume different states, in particular alignment states. For this purpose, a drive unit and/or control unit can be provided, for example, which carries out the, in particular automatic, at least partial folding in of the at least one side mirror. This drive and/or control unit can in turn be controlled or operated by the driver assistance system.

The evaluation unit can be an electronic evaluation unit, for example. In particular, the evaluation unit can be an electronic evaluation system. Specifically, the evaluation unit can be referred to as an arithmetic unit.

The at least one generated or generated information can be stored in the memory unit. The memory unit is, for example, a digital memory or computer memory unit, which is either part of the driver assistance system or another vehicle system of the vehicle. In particular, the storage unit is a backend external to the vehicle or a data cloud (cloud).

The subsequent shunting process takes place at the same time as the current shunting process. The subsequent shunting process is therefore carried out after the current shunting process.

For example, the proposed method can be a computer-implemented method.

In one exemplary embodiment, it is provided that during the subsequent maneuvering of the vehicle, a position, in particular a folding position, of the at least one side mirror is adjusted by the driver assistance system as a function of the at least one piece of information. In this case, for example, the at least one piece of information can first be called up in the memory unit with the aid of the evaluation unit and evaluated or assessed with regard to the subsequent maneuvering process. For this purpose, immediately before or during the subsequent maneuvering process, the area surrounding the vehicle can be monitored again with regard to a new environmental situation. The evaluation unit can then be used to check or assess whether the surrounding situation during the subsequent maneuver differs from or is similar to the surrounding situation during the previous, ie the current, maneuvering operation. If the surrounding situation during the subsequent maneuvering process is essentially identical to the surrounding situation of the previous maneuvering process, the folded-in state of the previous maneuvering process can be retained for the subsequent maneuvering process. In particular, the position or the folded position of the at least one side mirror during the previous maneuver can also be retained for the subsequent maneuver. However, if the subsequent maneuvering process differs from the previous maneuvering process, the current situation can be reassessed with regard to the subsequent maneuvering process and the position or the folded position, in particular the folded state, of the at least one side mirror can be adjusted. For this purpose, the at least one piece of information and/or new piece of environmental information can be taken into account. Thus, for example, the driver assistance system can use the information from the previous maneuver in order to be able to decide more efficiently, in particular more quickly, whether the position of the side mirror needs to be adjusted for the subsequent maneuver or whether this position of the side mirror can be maintained. However, if it is determined that the position of the at least one side mirror should be adjusted during the subsequent maneuvering operation, this can in turn be carried out using the driver assistance system. The position of the at least one side mirror can be adjusted or set or adjusted.

In particular, the driver assistance system can evaluate whether the state of the at least one side mirror is retained during the current maneuver and the state of the current or previous maneuver is therefore adopted as the current state for the subsequent maneuver. This can be done, for example, by the evaluation unit.

In one exemplary embodiment, it is also provided that at least one collision object in the vicinity of the vehicle is detected as the environmental situation with a detection unit of the driver assistance system, with the evaluation unit determining a collision probability of the at least one side mirror with the at least one collision object and the determined collision probability for the Folding of the at least one side mirror is taken into account. A warning regarding the probability of a collision is output acoustically, visually and/or haptically to a user of the vehicle with an output unit in the vehicle or with an output unit of a mobile terminal device.

The collision probability can therefore be used to decide whether the at least one side mirror or all side mirrors of the vehicle would collide with at least one collision object before, during or after the maneuvering process. A prediction can thus be made as to the extent to which a collision with the collision object is likely and this is taken into account for the folding. For example, with a very high probability of collision of the at least one side mirror with the at least one collision object, the at least one side mirror can be folded in completely. In this way, collisions can be prevented at an early stage. With the help of the detection unit of the driver assistance system or an environment sensor system of the vehicle, the environment of the vehicle can be detected or monitored to determine whether potential collision objects or disturbing objects are present in the environment of the vehicle. This can be, for example, other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle, which pose a potential hazard during the maneuvering process. Otherwise, collision objects can be understood to mean solid objects such as pillars, walls, trees, high roadway edges, curbs, crash barriers, roadway bottlenecks or other objects in road traffic. These examples are not intended to be exhaustive, but merely to provide a brief overview.

A collision probability can be determined or predicted with the aid of the evaluation unit as a function of the surrounding situation and in particular the at least one collision object. The at least one side mirror can be folded in, in particular automatically, as a function of the collision probability and in particular of a risk potential or level of risk of the collision probability.

The warning can be issued in order in particular to draw the driver's attention to the potential danger, which is characterized by the probability of a collision, at an early stage. This can be output, for example, by an output unit in the vehicle, for example an infotainment system in the vehicle, or with a smartphone as a mobile terminal device.

If several collision objects have been detected in the vicinity of the vehicle, they can be prioritized using the evaluation unit based on a risk potential.

This can be taken into account for the subsequent folding of the at least one side mirror.

Furthermore, depending on the collision probability, the driver assistance system, for example, or the user of the vehicle can decide whether the maneuvering process should be specifically aborted or ended, or not even started. This could be considered the worst case scenario. The safety of the vehicle and in particular of the user of the vehicle can thus be increased.

In one exemplary embodiment, a check is carried out immediately before the subsequent maneuver to determine whether the at least one collision object is still present in the vicinity of the vehicle, and this check is used to adjust the at least one side mirror during the subsequent maneuver. For example, the check takes place when the user intends to carry out the subsequent maneuvering or is initiated by the driver assistance system. It is thus possible to check or assess in advance, before the subsequent maneuvering process is carried out, whether the at least one collision object is still present in the vicinity of the vehicle and whether in particular the at least one collision object still poses a risk of collision. If the at least one collision object is still present, the folded-in state of the at least one side mirror is retained. If the at least one collision object is no longer present in the area surrounding the vehicle, the surrounding situation can be reassessed during the subsequent maneuvering process and a position and/or a state of the at least one side mirror can be readjusted or set. In particular, this check can be carried out by the evaluation unit.

In one exemplary embodiment, it is also provided that the check also checks whether there is another collision object in the area; if so, then this is taken into account when adjusting the at least one side mirror during the subsequent maneuvering process. A position and/or a type and/or an extent of the further collision object is/are detected with the detection unit. The additional check can be carried out using the evaluation unit, in particular automatically. The area surrounding the vehicle can be re-recorded with the aid of the detection unit and it can then be assessed whether another, ie an additional, collision object or a new potential collision object is located in the area surrounding the vehicle. This additional check takes place immediately before the subsequent shunting process and/or during the subsequent shunting process. A check is made as to whether a potential collision and/or a potential hazard of the further collision object represents a hazard for the subsequent maneuvering process. In particular, it can be checked whether the side mirrors or at least one side mirror of the vehicle with the other col lision object can collide. If this is the case, ie a collision appears potentially possible, the at least one side mirror can be set or adjusted again before or during the subsequent maneuvering process.

If it is determined during the check that the further collision object matches the position and/or the type and/or the extent of the previous collision object, the settings of the at least one side mirror can be retained.

In particular, the further collision object can be assessed with the aid of the detection unit in terms of the type of object and the position of the further collision object in relation to the vehicle. Furthermore, the extent or the dimension of the further collision object can be detected with the aid of the detection unit. This information can then be used by the evaluation unit, for example to determine or predict the probability of a collision of the at least one side mirror with the other collision object.

Similarly, a type and/or an extent and/or a position of a respective collision object in the vicinity of the vehicle can also be determined during a maneuver that is currently being performed or during any desired maneuver. This information can be used to determine whether a collision between the at least one side mirror and the other collision object is possible and which measures must be taken with regard to setting the side mirror in order to reduce or eliminate the collision probability. For example, depending on the position and/or type and/or extent of a respective collision object, it can be decided how the maneuvering process should be carried out and how the at least one side mirror or all side mirrors should be folded in.

For example, the position and/or the type and/or the extent of the further collision object can be determined using the position and/or the type and/or the extent of the collision object with the aid of the evaluation unit. This comparison can be used, for example, to determine the collision probability with regard to the further collision object.

In one exemplary embodiment, it is also provided that the at least one item of information generated is provided to a locking system of the vehicle, with a state of the at least partially folded in at least one side mirror being determined by the locking system during operation and/or remote operation of the vehicle as a function of the at least one item of information is adjusted. This can prevent the at least one side mirror from unintentionally folding out again, although this would lead to damage to the at least one side mirror due to the current environmental situation.

For example, the vehicle can be parked and switched off after the maneuvering process. In this switched-off state, the state of the at least one side mirror can be stored and transmitted or made available to the locking system of the vehicle, in particular a central locking system of the vehicle. When the vehicle is subsequently started or unlocked, in particular to carry out a subsequent maneuver, the locking system can be informed that the previous state of the at least one side mirror should be retained, otherwise there would be a collision between the side mirror and an object in the vehicle surroundings of the vehicle. A respective folding state of the at least one side mirror can thus be made available to the locking system at any time, so that the locking system does not unintentionally unfold the side mirror again, although this would lead to a collision. In this way, the state of the folded-in side mirror can be maintained over a longer period of time in an intelligent manner, until the folding out of the side mirror is enabled by the user or by the system.

The at least one piece of information can therefore be used to tell the locking system the type of folding in of the side mirror and/or the reason for the folding in of the at least one side mirror and/or the cause for the folding in of the side mirror and/or a length of time for how long the side mirror is to be folded in , or other informative information can be provided.

In one exemplary embodiment, it is provided that a parking maneuver in a parking space is carried out with the maneuvering process, a parking space dimension and/or a parking space orientation being detected with a detection unit, the parking space dimension and/or the parking space orientation being used as a decision criterion for folding in the at least one side mirror becomes. Thus, a parking process can be carried out without collisions between the side mirrors of the vehicle and other objects and/or vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle. Furthermore, by intelligently folding in the at least one side mirror, improved utilization of a parking space or parking space can be achieved. An optimization with regard to vehicles parked next to each other can be carried out by the respective adapted folding in of the side mirrors of the vehicle. For example, the side mirror on the driver's side of the vehicle can also be folded in as an advantageous option, so that the driver of the vehicle can get in and out of the vehicle more easily, in particular without the side mirror colliding with other objects.

For example, the parking process in the parking space can be carried out automatically, in particular fully autonomously or at least partially autonomously, with the aid of the driver assistance system. It is also conceivable that the user of the vehicle carries out a remote-controlled parking process (“remote parking”) with the aid of a remote control. Furthermore, the maneuvering process can also be used to carry out a parking space maneuver.

In a particularly advantageous example, the current maneuvering process can be a parking process in a parking space and the subsequent maneuvering process can be a parking process from the parking space. It would be particularly advantageous here if the settings of the at least one side mirror when parking are also taken into account or maintained when leaving a parking space. For this purpose, it can be determined during the check whether there are other vehicles next to the vehicle or whether they are parked here.

For example, the parking process can be used to park in a conventional parking lot or in a multi-storey car park.

Furthermore, the maneuvering process can be used to slowly drive through or maneuver the vehicle through bottlenecks or in narrow entrances, such as property entrances.

The various parameters relating to the parking space can be recorded with the aid of the recording unit of the driver assistance system or of the vehicle. The parking space size, ie the width and/or length of the parking space, can be used to compare the width of the vehicle including side mirrors with the parking space size. It can thus be determined whether one or both side mirrors have to be folded in at least partially in order to be able to carry out an optimal parking process. The alignment of the parking space can be used, for example, to determine whether it is a parallel parking space or a transverse parking space, ie a parking space at the side. This information, which serves as a decision criterion, can be made available to the evaluation unit.

In one exemplary embodiment, it is provided that the at least one item of information generated is used to determine a reason for the folding in of the at least one side mirror and/or a type of folding in the at least one side mirror and/or a number of side mirrors to be folded in and/or a point in time when the at least one side mirror was folded in Side mirror and / or a duration of the folded state of the at least one side mirror and / or the degree of folding of the side mirror is provided. In particular, this information can be made available to the evaluation unit of the driver assistance system. In particular, this information can be recorded or determined independently by the vehicle or driver assistance system or can be made available to the evaluation unit via external information points. The possible examples of the information just mentioned are not to be understood as conclusive, but are intended to give a small insight into the possibilities of different information.

The degree of folding in can be understood to mean, for example, a swivel distance or an angle of folding in the side mirror.

For example, the driver assistance system can have a machine learning unit with which the driver assistance system can be mechanically trained using the information generated just listed, as a result of which the driver assistance system can fold in the at least one side mirror more efficiently and, in particular, more quickly in future maneuvers, adapted to the respective situation.

For example, the driver assistance system can be used to carry out an automated parking process of the vehicle in the parking space, with information relating to the parking space being recorded using a detection unit and information relating to a vehicle width, in particular vehicle width including the dimensions of the exterior mirrors, of the vehicle being provided to the driver assistance system. The information relating to the parking space and the information relating to the vehicle width can be made available to the evaluation unit. Depending on the information relating to the parking space, a parking space width of the parking space can be determined. The evaluation unit can then be used to Comparison of the vehicle width of the vehicle with the parking space width of the parking space can be carried out. With the aid of the evaluation unit, a difference between the vehicle width and the parking space width can be determined depending on the comparison that has been carried out. The evaluation unit can be used to assess the determined difference between the vehicle width and the parking space width as a function of the at least one side mirror or exterior mirror of the vehicle. An automatic adjustment or adjustment or folding in of the at least one side mirror can then be carried out as a function of the assessment.

In particular, with the aid of the method according to the invention, the exterior mirrors of the vehicle can be folded in and out automatically in narrow parking spaces or parking garages.

A further aspect of the invention relates to an electronic driver assistance system with at least one detection unit and one evaluation unit, the electronic driver assistance system being designed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding exemplary embodiments of the preceding aspect. In particular, a method according to the previous aspect or an advantageous development thereof can be carried out or executed with the aid of the electronic driver assistance system.

The electronic driver assistance system can be a vehicle guidance system or a parking assistance system. In particular, the electronic driver assistance system can be an autonomous, in particular partially autonomous, system of the vehicle. The electronic driver assistance system can be used, for example, to carry out an automatic parking process for the vehicle or an automatic maneuvering process. It is also conceivable for the electronic driver assistance system to support a driver of the vehicle during a parking or maneuvering maneuver.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle with an electronic driver assistance system according to the previous aspect.

For example, the vehicle can be a passenger car or a truck or a motor vehicle. In particular, the vehicle can be a highly automated vehicle. Specifically, the vehicle is a semi-autonomously, in particular fully autonomously operated vehicle.

Advantageous exemplary embodiments of one aspect are to be regarded as advantageous exemplary embodiments of the other aspects and vice versa.

In particular, advantageous exemplary embodiments of the method could be regarded as advantageous exemplary embodiments of the electronic driver assistance system and of the vehicle.

An environment sensor system, in particular a detection unit, can be understood here and below as a sensor system that is able to generate sensor data or sensor signals that map, represent or reproduce an environment of the motor vehicle. In particular, the ability to detect electromagnetic or other signals from the environment is not sufficient to consider a sensor system as an environment sensor system. For example, cameras, radar systems, lidar systems or ultrasonic sensor systems can be understood as surroundings sensor systems.

The invention also includes developments of the electronic driver assistance system according to the invention and of the vehicle according to the invention, which have features as have already been described in connection with the developments of the method according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding developments of the electronic driver assistance system according to the invention and the vehicle according to the invention are not described again here.

The invention also includes the combinations of features of the described embodiments.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung eines Fahrzeugs mit einem Fahrerassistenzsystem;
• 2 eine schematische Darstellung eines Rangiervorgansg des Fahrzeugs in eine Parklücke; und
• 3 eine schematische Darstellung eines bezüglich der 2 nachfolgenden Rangiervorgangs des Fahrzeugs aus der Parklücke.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. For this shows:

• 1 a schematic representation of a vehicle with a driver assistance system;
• 2 a schematic representation of a shunting operation of the vehicle into a parking space; and
• 3 a schematic representation of a respect 2 subsequent maneuvering of the vehicle out of the parking space.

The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the components described are each individual, independent of one another nother features of the invention to be considered, which each also develop the invention independently of one another and are therefore also to be regarded as part of the invention individually or in a combination other than that shown. Furthermore, the exemplary embodiments described can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

Elements with the same function are each provided with the same reference symbols in the figures.

The 1 shows a vehicle 1, which may be a motor vehicle. The vehicle 1 has an in particular electronic driver assistance system 2 . With the help of driver assistance system 2, for example, an autonomous, in particular automated, maneuvering process 3 (cf 2 ) be performed. In particular, the maneuvering process 3 can be a parking process, parking process, exiting a parking space, driving manoeuvre, maneuvering in bottlenecks or maneuvering in narrow driveways.

It is also conceivable that with the help of the driver assistance system 2 the user 4 of the vehicle 1 is supported by the system when performing the maneuvering process 3 .

In order to carry out the maneuvering process 3 automatically or to support it at least partially, the driver assistance system 2 has an evaluation unit 5 , in particular an electronic one, and at least one detection unit 6 . The detection unit 6 is a sensor system or an environment sensor system or environment sensor system. With the help of the detection unit 6, in particular an environment 7 of the vehicle can be detected by sensors. For example, a parking space dimension 8 (cf 2 ) and/or a parking space alignment 9 (cf 2 ) are recorded. The parking space dimension 8 can be, for example, the length and/or width of the parking space P2 (cf 2 ) act. In the case of the parking space alignment 9, it can be described, for example, whether the parking space P2 is a perpendicular parking space or a parallel parking space. This information can, for example, be transmitted or made available to the evaluation unit 6 . The parking space orientation 9 and/or the parking space dimension 8 can be compared with a vehicle width 10 using the evaluation unit 6, for example. The vehicle width 10 can reflect the actual width of the vehicle 1 . The vehicle width 10 can be made up of the track width 11 or track width and a respective side mirror width or side mirror width 12, 13 of side mirrors or exterior mirrors 14, 15 of the vehicle 1. For example, the side mirror 14 is the passenger-side side mirror and the side mirror 15 is the passenger-side side mirror.

Depending on the comparison between the vehicle width 10 and the parking space dimension 8, it can be decided, for example, whether the vehicle 1 fits into the parking space P2. This comparison can also be used to determine whether it would be necessary or advantageous, for example, for at least one side mirror 14, 15 to be folded in at least partially in order to obtain more free space within the parking space P2.

For example, by comparing the vehicle width 10 and the parking space width or the parking space dimension 8, the system can decide whether both side mirrors 14, 15 or only one of the two side mirrors 14, 15 are at least partially folded in. Another criterion that has an influence here can be an offset specified by the system. With this, for example, a buffer distance or safety distance between the driver's side and/or the passenger side to the other parking spaces P1 and P3 (cf 2 ) or other parked vehicles 16, 17 (cf 2 ) are understood. For example, an offset or buffer of 40 centimeters can be provided on the driver's side and on the passenger's side. This is intended in particular to ensure that, for example, the passengers of the vehicle 1 can exit without any problems.

Furthermore, for example, the driver assistance system 2 or the vehicle 1 can have further detection units 18 . With these, in particular an environment detection, in particular an all-round environment detection, can be carried out. In particular, these can be embodied as parking sensors and can be arranged on the vehicle 1 at the front, rear and sides.

For example, an environmental situation in the area 7 can be detected with the aid of the detection unit 6 and this can be transmitted to the evaluation unit 5 . This environmental situation can in turn be used to determine whether one or both side mirrors 14, 15 have to be folded in and whether this or these are to be folded in completely or at least partially.

For this purpose, for example, the driver assistance system 2 can be used to determine whether depending on the environmental situation and/or at least one side mirror 14, 15 is folded in at least partially or completely by the parking space dimension 8.

In a folded state, for example, the side mirrors 14, 15 are aligned parallel to a longitudinal direction 19 of the vehicle with regard to their longitudinal alignment or with regard to their side mirror width 12, 13. In a non-folded or unfolded state, the side mirrors 14, 15 are arranged perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal direction 19.

Optionally, when the side mirrors 14, 15 are folded in, in particular at least partially folded in, information can be generated with which in particular the state or folded state of the side mirrors 14, 15 is characterized. This takes place with the aid of the evaluation unit 5. This information can be stored or filed in a memory unit 20, for example. Storage unit 20 can be an external unit that is different from vehicle 1 , in particular a data cloud or cloud or a backend. For example, the memory unit 20 can be part of a vehicle fleet management system. Alternatively, storage unit 20 is part of vehicle 1. Storage unit 20 is accessible to driver assistance system 2 for retrieving the information stored therein.

A reason for the folding and/or a type of folding and/or a number of side mirrors 14, 15 to be folded and/or a time of folding and/or a duration of the folded state and/or a pivoting width or Degree of collapse can be saved. In particular, the stored information can be made available to a locking system 21 or a central locking system of the vehicle 1 . Thus, when the vehicle 1 is unlocked and/or locked by the locking system 21, the state of the at least partially folded side mirror 14, 15 can be retained or adapted to a new situation.

In particular, the stored information can be used for a separate shunting operation 22 (cf 3 ) be used. In the subsequent maneuvering process 22, for example, compared to the maneuvering process 3, which was a parking process, it can be a parking maneuver out of the parking space P2.

The 2 shows the exemplary embodiment in which the maneuvering process 3 is a parking process in a parking space P2. Additional parking spaces P1 and P3 are located adjacent to the parking space P2.

At least one potential collision object 16, 17 can be detected as the environmental situation for the maneuvering process 3. In this case, the collision objects 16, 17 are, for example, other parked vehicles adjacent to the parking space P2. Likewise, the collision object can be a pillar or a wall or a solid object. The evaluation unit 5 can be used to determine whether there is a risk of collision between the at least one side mirror 14, 15 and the at least one collision object 16, 17. For this purpose, a collision probability can be determined or predicted. This probability of collision can be used in particular for folding in the at least one side mirror 14, 15, so that the mirrors 14, 15 can be folded in at least partially in advance of driving into the parking space P2. If the probability of a collision is very high or dangerous, for example, the user 4 can also be given acoustic, visual and/or haptic information via an output unit 23 in the vehicle 1 or an output unit 24 of a mobile terminal device 25 of the user 4 .

The output unit 23 can be an infotainment system of the vehicle 1, for example. The mobile terminal device 25 can in turn be in the form of a tablet or smartphone.

In the 3 the subsequent shunting process 22 is again shown. In this exemplary embodiment, this is a parking maneuver from the parking space P2. For this purpose, immediately before the subsequent maneuvering process 22, a check can be carried out as to whether the at least one collision object 16, 17 is still present in the surroundings 7 of the vehicle 1. This check can be used to set or adjust or control the at least one side mirror 14, 15. If the at least one collision object 16, 17, in particular at least one collision object 16, is still present in the surroundings 7, the driver assistance system 2 decides that the state or the folded state of the side mirror 14, 15 is maintained, so that it can be switched off during a parking maneuver no collision can occur.

In particular, during the subsequent maneuvering process 22, a position, in particular a folding position, of the at least one side mirror 14, 15 can be adjusted as a function of the at least one piece of information. In this case, it can be decided with the aid of the evaluation unit 5 whether the state or the position is retained or whether the surrounding situation has changed in such a way that a renewed adjustment or setting of the side mirror 14, 15 is necessary.

Furthermore, during the subsequent maneuvering process 22 or during further subsequent maneuvering processes, it can also be checked whether there is another collision object 17 in the area 7 and, if so, this is then taken into account when setting or adjusting the at least one side mirror 14, 15.

In particular, the position and/or type and/or extent of the collision objects 16, 17 can be checked or detected using the detection unit 6 or the detection units 18. It can thus be determined, for example, whether the distance between the collision objects 16, 17 or objects protruding from the collision objects 16, 17 represent a direct danger or risk of collision for the vehicle 1. This can be determined using the evaluation unit 5 .

In particular, the at least one side mirror 14, 15 can be folded in such that during the maneuvering process 3 into the parking space P2 in the end position of the vehicle 1 within the parking space P2, the driver or user 4 of the vehicle 1 can open a driver's door without a collision and thus can exit easily. It is also conceivable that at least one of the side mirrors 14, 15 is temporarily at least partially folded in during the maneuvering process 3 or the subsequent maneuvering process 22, depending on the situation in the surroundings 7.

Likewise, when the end position in the parking space P2 is reached, the side mirrors can be automatically folded in completely, so that the passengers of the vehicle 1 can get in or out without any problems.

For example, when driving past the parking spaces P1, P2, P3, the vehicle 1 can use the detection units 6, 18 to capture or detect a parking space width or parking space dimension 8. The parking space P2 can thus be measured. If the parking space P2 is a narrow parking space, the specified offset can be taken into account by the system to protect the side mirrors 14, 15. If the width of the parking space or the parking space dimension 8 is not sufficient to enable collision-free parking or parking space exiting, the side mirrors 14, 15 can be at least partially folded in by the system, so that the side mirrors 14, 15 do not collide with the collision objects 16, 17. Likewise, a point in time for folding in the side mirrors 14, 15 can be parameterized in the driver assistance system 2. The completed parking process or maneuvering process 3 can be stored in the memory unit 20 . This can be made available to the locking system 21 in order to prevent the side mirrors 14, 15 from being folded out again by the central locking system when the vehicle 1 is unlocked, for example. Driver assistance system 2 can be activated by locking system 21, for example.

The detection unit 6 can be used, for example, to determine a distance from the parking boundary objects or collision objects 16, 17. It can be checked whether it is possible to unfold the side mirrors 14, 15. If the measured lateral distance does not allow this, the side mirrors 14, 15 are only folded out again when the driver assistance system 2 detects a parameterizable minimum distance to the parking space objects via lateral detection units 18, for example, or a parameterized distance depending on the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 has been covered. It can also be decisive, for example, if a minimum speed has been reached in order to fold out the side mirrors 14, 15 again.

The user 4 can optionally fold in or fold out the side mirrors 14, 15 manually via a remote control or via a mirror adjustment switch in the vehicle. This mechanism can be used, for example, both in an automatic and in a manual shunting process 3 or subsequent shunting process 22 . During the automatic parking process with automatic folding in of the side mirrors 14, 15, this can be checked or carried out by the system. When parking manually with an acoustic and visual message, the user can be asked, for example, whether the side mirrors 14, 15 should be folded in. This could, for example, be accepted, rejected or ignored by the user 4 with the aid of the output unit 23 or 25 .

Reference List

1

vehicle

2

driver assistance system

3

shunting process

4

user

5

evaluation unit

6

registration unit

7

Vicinity

8th

parking space dimension

9

parking space alignment

10

vehicle width

11

track width

12

side mirror width

13

side mirror width

14

side mirror

15

side mirror

16

collision object

17

another collision object

18

registration units

19

vehicle longitudinal direction

20

storage unit

21

locking system

22

subsequent shunting process

23

output unit

24

output unit

25

mobile device

P1 to P3

parking spaces

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was 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.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 102013019792 A1 [0004]
• DE 19906667 A1 [0005]
• DE 102011106821 A1 [0006]
• DE 102013103744 A1 [0007]

Claims (10)

Method for operating a driver assistance system (2) of a vehicle (1), wherein - during a maneuvering operation (3) of the vehicle (1) depending on an environmental situation in an area (7) of the vehicle (1) by the driver assistance system (2) at least a side mirror (14, 15) of the vehicle (1) is at least partially folded in, and - at least one item of information relating to the folded in at least one side mirror (14, 15) is generated by an evaluation unit (5) of the driver assistance system (2), characterized in that that - the generated at least one item of information is stored in a storage unit (20) and is made available for potential use for a subsequent and specific maneuvering process (22) of the vehicle (1) following the current maneuvering process (3) of the vehicle (1). procedure after claim 1 , characterized in that during the subsequent maneuvering (22) of the vehicle (1), a position, in particular a folded position, of the at least one side mirror (14, 15) is adjusted as a function of the at least one piece of information by the driver assistance system (2). procedure after claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that at least one collision object (16) in the surroundings (7) of the vehicle (1) is detected as the environmental situation with a detection unit (6, 18) of the driver assistance system (2), with the evaluation unit (5) determining a collision probability of the at least one side mirror (14, 15) with the at least one collision object (16) is determined, and the determined probability of collision for folding in the at least one side mirror (14, 15) is taken into account, in particular a warning regarding the probability of a collision is given to a user (4) of the Vehicle (1) with an output unit (23) in the vehicle (1) or with an output unit (24) of a mobile terminal (25) is output acoustically, optically and/or haptically. procedure after claim 3 , characterized in that immediately before the subsequent maneuvering process (22) a check is carried out as to whether the at least one collision object (16) is still present in the area (7) of the vehicle (1), and this check is used to adjust the at least one side mirror ( 14, 15) is used in the subsequent shunting process (22). procedure after claim 4 , characterized in that the check also checks whether there is another collision object (17) in the area (7) of the vehicle (1), and if so, then this is checked when the at least one side mirror (14, 15) taken into account during the subsequent maneuvering process (22), in particular with the detection unit (6, 18) a position and/or a type and/or an extent of the further collision object (16) is detected. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one piece of information generated is provided to a locking system (21) of the vehicle (1), wherein when the vehicle (1) is unlocked and/or locked by the locking system (21) a state of the at least partially folded in at least one side mirror (14, 15) is adjusted as a function of the at least one piece of information. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a parking process in a parking space (P2) is carried out with the maneuvering process (3), a parking space dimension (8) and/or a parking space alignment (9) being recorded with a detection unit (6, 18). is detected, the parking space dimension (8) and/or the parking space orientation (9) being used as a decision criterion for folding in the at least one side mirror (14, 15). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one item of information generated is used to determine a cause of the folding in of the at least one side mirror (14, 15) and/or a type of folding in of the at least one side mirror (14, 15) and/or a Number of side mirrors (14, 15) to be folded and/or a point in time at which the at least one side mirror (14, 15) is folded in and/or a duration of the folded state of the at least one side mirror (14, 15) and/or the degree of folding of the Side mirror (14, 15) is provided. Electronic driver assistance system (2) with at least one detection unit (6, 18) and an evaluation unit (5), the electronic driver assistance system (2) for carrying out a method according to one of the preceding Claims 1 until 8th is trained. Vehicle (1) with an electronic driver assistance system (2). claim 9 .

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