WO2017006015A1

WO2017006015A1 - Driver assistance method that suggests a driving position according to a driving situation

Info

Publication number: WO2017006015A1
Application number: PCT/FR2016/051617
Authority: WO
Inventors: Celine TACCORI DUVERGEY; Vincent LAINE; Stephane Feron
Original assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles Sa
Priority date: 2015-07-03
Filing date: 2016-06-29
Publication date: 2017-01-12
Also published as: FR3038281A1; CN107735301A; EP3317156A1; FR3038281B1; CN107735301B

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for assisting the activation of modes of assistance for helping a driver with the driving of a vehicle, said method being implemented by a unit for controlling a driver assistance system, and comprising a step of: determining (210) at least one mode of assistance available on the basis of a certain driving situation, said method being characterised in that it also comprises steps of: determining (220) a driving position associated with the determined available mode of assistance; transmitting (230) a signal to the driver of the vehicle, indicating the determined driving position; receiving (240) an activation request; and in response to said request, activating (250) the mode of assistance associated with the selected position.

Description

METHOD FOR ASSISTING A DRIVER PROVIDING A DRIVING POSITION ACCORDING TO A CONTEXT OF DRIVING.

The present invention relates to the field of driver assistance systems for motor vehicles.

Driver assistance systems are now widely used in recent motor vehicles and are growing rapidly.

Adaptive Cruise Control, better known by the acronym ACC (for "Adaptive Cruise Control" or "Autonomous Cruise Control"), is known, for example. Such an assistance mode automatically adjusts the speed to maintain a constant safety interval with the preceding vehicle from the information collected on this vehicle (including distance and approach speed) using a or several sensors of the radar, lidar or infrared type.

Also known, in particular from US patent application US 2013/0096767, dynamic systems anti-crossing involuntary line. These are commonly referred to as ALKA (for Active Lane Keep Assist), LKAS (for Lane Keep Assistance System), ALA (for Active Lane Assist) or ALC (for Active Lane Control). lines of markings on the ground using sensors and / or optical cameras, and intervene dynamically on the vehicle when the latter deviates from its lane. In such a case, the driver assistance system will then automatically correct the direction of the vehicle and / or activate the braking.

The driving assistance modes mentioned above are each independently activatable via a dedicated command button, located for example on the steering wheel, a control arm or under the steering wheel. dashboard of the vehicle. Recently, new driver assistance systems have appeared in high-end motor vehicles.

This is particularly the case of traffic jam assistants (better known by the acronym TJC for "Traffic Jam Chauffeur") intended to relieve the driver in situations of heavy traffic or traffic jams (speed below 50/70 km / (h) on divided highways (motorways and expressways). These are able to automatically regulate the speed to a stop to maintain a desired distance with the previous vehicle while ensuring the control of the direction, so that the driver can release the steering wheel and the pedals to go to d 'other activites.

Also mentioned are the assistance systems for driving on motorways commonly known by the acronyms HAD (for "Highway Automated Driving") or AHDA (for "Automatic Highway Driving Assist") and able to completely unload the driver in situations of fluid traffic (speed close to the regulatory limit) on separated highways.

In use, the multiplication of these driver assistance modes separately activatable tends to "lose" users who often give up using them for lack of knowing how to select the appropriate mode depending on the circumstances.

The present invention therefore aims to facilitate the activation of the various modes of assistance to the driving of a motor vehicle.

It proposes more specifically for this purpose a method of assisting the activation of modes of assistance of a driver to the driving of a vehicle, said method being implemented by a control unit of a control system. driving assistance, and comprising a step of:

determining at least one assistance mode available from a driving context,

said method being characterized in that it further comprises steps of:

determination of a driving position associated with the determined available assistance mode, - transmission of a signal to the driver of the vehicle, indicating the determined driving position,

- receiving an activation request,

in response to said request, activating the determined assistance mode.

The invention simplifies the activation of assistance modes for driving a vehicle. Instead of selecting an assistance mode, the driver selects a driving position in which he or she eventually escapes certain driving tasks. The invention makes it possible to determine a driving position compatible with an available assistance mode.

Advantageously, the step of determining an assistance mode associated with the selected driving position comprises reading a table associating the positions and the assistance modes.

Advantageously, the driver assistance system comprises at least one of the following modes of assistance:

- A first mode of assistance controlling neither the longitudinal displacement of the vehicle nor its lateral displacement, said first mode of assistance being associated with a first driving position in which the driver of the vehicle positions his hands on the wheel, his feet on the pedals and his gaze towards the road;

- A second assistance mode controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle, but not its lateral displacement, said second mode of assistance being associated with a second driving position in which the driver of the vehicle positions his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes towards the road ;

- A third mode of assistance controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle and its lateral movement, under the supervision of the driver, said third mode of assistance being associated with a third driving position in which the driver of the vehicle positions his eyes towards the road ;

- A fourth assistance mode controlling the longitudinal displacement of the vehicle and its lateral displacement, without the supervision of the driver said fourth assistance mode being associated with a fourth driving position in which the driver is not forced in the position of these hands, these feet and his gaze.

Advantageously, the method according to the invention further comprises a preliminary step of starting assistance to the activation of assistance modes by a pressure on a key by the driver of the vehicle.

Advantageously, during the step of determining the assistance mode, if several assistance modes are available then the assistance mode that supports the largest number of driving tasks is selected.

Advantageously, during the step of determining the assistance mode, if several assistance modes are available then the step of determining a position comprises for each available assistance mode the determination of an associated position, each said positions being then indicated to the driver.

The invention also relates to a driving assistance system comprising an evaluation module, a control unit, characterized in that said control unit comprises:

means for determining the assistance modes available from a driving context,

means for determining a driving position associated with the determined assistance mode,

means for receiving a command for selecting a driving position of the driver of the vehicle,

means for activating the assistance mode associated with the selected position.

The invention also relates to a vehicle characterized in that it comprises a driving assistance system according to the preceding claim.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a functional diagram of an automated system driving assistance for a vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the method according to the invention;

- Figure 3 shows an example of display of driving positions proposed to the driver.

- Figure 4 shows an example of display indicating unavailable pipe positions.

The attached drawings may not only serve to complete the invention, but also contribute to its definition, if any.

With reference to FIG. 1, the automated driving assistance system 1 comprises a driver monitoring module 10, a driving context evaluation module 20, a driving unit 30, an operating mode module. driving assistance 40, as well as an information and warning module 50.

The driver monitoring module 10 comprises for example a sub-module 1 1 for detecting the presence of the driver's hands on the steering wheel 10, and a sub-module 12 for detecting that of its feet on the pedals of the driver. acceleration, braking and clutch. The driver monitoring module 10 may also include a camera pointed towards the driver's face so as to determine his level of attention and / or the direction of his gaze.

The driving context evaluation module 20 comprises a camera, for example of CCD type (for "Load Coupling Sensors") oriented towards the front of the vehicle and delivering images making it possible to determine the type of road taken (highway, fast lane or secondary road) based on certain characteristic parameters such as track width, ground marking (color, width and line spacing) and the possible presence of a barrier or a median separation between the two directions of circulation. The analysis of the images provided by this camera also makes it possible to establish the level of fluidity of the road traffic.

The module 20 also comprises a plurality of sensors measuring certain internal driving parameters such as speed the vehicle and the steering angle of the steering wheel.

The data collected by the two driver monitoring modules 10 and driving context assessment 20 are routed in real time to the control unit 30 to which these two modules are connected.

The control unit 30, preferably constituted by the intelligent service housing (BSI) of the vehicle, comprises a computer 31 and a storage module 32 comprising non-volatile memory type EEPROM or FLASH and RAM .

The non-volatile memory stores a process for assisting activation of the motor vehicle driving assistance modes whose flowchart is shown in FIG. 2 and which is implemented cyclically according to a predetermined period of time inclusive of preferably between 100 ms and 1000 ms.

All the information contained in this non-volatile memory can be updated by means of communication or reading means of a data medium.

The control unit 30 is connected to the actuation module 40 to which it is able to transmit the command to activate or deactivate one of the modes of assistance to driving.

This actuation module 40 comprises a plurality of actuators able to control certain vehicle components such as steering, acceleration, braking and gearbox to ensure the implementation of the various modes of assistance to driving. with which the vehicle is equipped, namely in this case:

a first mode of assistance in which the vehicle does not control the longitudinal displacement or the lateral displacement of the vehicle,

- A second mode of assistance for adaptive speed control, ensuring only the control of the longitudinal movement of the vehicle and wherein the control of the lateral movement remains the responsibility of the driver via the steering wheel;

- a third mode of assistance, for example for driving on motorway, ensuring both lateral and longitudinal control of the vehicle in situations of fluid traffic (speed close to the statutory limit) on separated highways and in which the driver is required to keep his eyes fixed on the road as the guidance can only be maintained for a short period of 1 to 3 seconds in case of loss of information (disengagement with rapid transition).

A fourth mode of assistance, for example for driving in a traffic jam, ensuring both control of the lateral and longitudinal displacement of the vehicle in situations of heavy traffic or traffic jams (speed below a predetermined threshold value, for example between 50 and 70 km / h) and on roads with separate carriageways and in which driver is not required to keep his eyes fixed on the road and can go about other occupations because the guidance can be maintained over a period of a few seconds (for example between 5 and 15 s) in case of loss of information (disengagement with normal transition).

The information and warning module 50 comprises a first information screen 51 integrated in the central console of the dashboard of the vehicle (the latter being preferably constituted by the display screen of the information device. entertainment) and able to broadcast visual messages indicating the driving position or positions proposed to the driver according to the available modes of assistance. For better legibility, this information is preferably displayed in the form of luminous pictograms such as those shown in FIG.

The module 50 also preferably includes a second warning screen 52 integrated in the instrument cluster of the vehicle and intended to display visual messages.

This module 50 is also provided with a siren 53 adapted to emit an acoustic warning signal when the driver must take control of the steering wheel.

The various steps of the first variant of the method according to the invention will now be described in detail and in support of the flowchart of FIG. During an optional first step 200, the control unit 30 receives a command that starts the process of assisting the activation of the driver assistance modes. This command is for example consecutive to a pressure of a dedicated key by the driver of the vehicle.

In the absence of such a step, it is assumed that the process of assisting the activation of the modes of assistance to driving is active as soon as the vehicle is started.

The method also comprises a step 210 of determining the assistance modes available from a driving context. During this step, the control unit 30 determines, using the data transmitted by the driving context evaluation module 20, the driving assistance mode or modes that can be activated in the current configuration. .

For example, if the module 20 detects that the vehicle is traveling at a speed of 1 10 km / h on a fast track on which the traffic is fluid, the control unit 30 will deduce that the second mode (adaptive speed control ) and the third mode (assistance with driving on the motorway) can be activated.

In another case where the vehicle is traveling at a reduced speed (40 km / h) on a portion of the motorway that is bottled, the driving unit will determine that the second mode and the fourth mode (driving assistance in traffic jam). can be activated.

The method also comprises a determination step 220 of a driving position associated with the determined assistance mode. The determination step 220 of a driving position associated with the determined assistance mode comprises the consultation of a table associating each driving mode with a driving position.

For a given assistance mode, the associated driving position allows the driver to perform driving tasks that are not provided by the assistance mode. In the example, the driver assistance system 1 comprises:

A fourth assistance mode controlling the longitudinal displacement of the vehicle and its lateral displacement, without the supervision of the driver said fourth assistance mode being associated with a fourth driving position in which the driver is not forced into the position of those hands, those feet, and his look.

The table associating the position of the driver and the assistance mode is stored in a non-volatile memory of the control unit 30.

For example, it is assumed that the third mode of assistance is available. The control unit 30 determines that the third driving position is associated with the third assistance mode.

The method also comprises a step 230 for transmitting a signal to the driver of the vehicle, the signal indicating the determined position. According to an advantageous embodiment, this step comprises the display of a pictogram representing the driving position. An example of pictograms is shown in Figure 4. The control unit 30 means to the module 50 to display an informative visual message on the screen 51 indicating the available driving position.

For example, and in the case of activation of the third mode, this screen 51 will display the pictogram 403 shown in FIG. 4 which indicates to the driver that he can remove the hands from the steering wheel and the pedals while keeping his eyes fixed. on the road so as to be able to quickly regain control of the orders if necessary (disengage with short transition).

The method also comprises a step 240 for receiving an activation request. The driver can accept or not the position proposed by the assistance device. The acceptance is made via a human-machine interface, by means of an activation key, a voice command or gesture recognized and interpreted by a gesture recognition system.

In response to the acceptance of the driver, the control unit 30 controls the activation 250 of the determined assistance mode.

Figure 3 shows examples of driving position displays. In particular, Figure 3 illustrates:

- A first pictogram 401 indicating that the driver of the vehicle must position his hands on the wheel, his feet on the pedals and his eyes towards the road;

A second pictogram 402 indicating that the driver of the vehicle must position his hands on the steering wheel and his gaze towards the road;

- A third pictogram 403 indicating that the driver of the vehicle must position his eyes towards the road;

- A fourth pictogram shows a position in which the driver is not forced in the position of these hands, these feet and his gaze.

According to one embodiment, during the assistance mode determining step 210, if several assistance modes are available, then the assistance mode that supports the largest number of service tasks is driving is selected.

According to another embodiment, during the assistance mode determination step 210, if several assistance modes are available then the position determination step 220 comprises for each available assistance mode the determination of an associated position, each of said positions then being indicated 230 to the driver.

Figure 4 shows an example of a display indicating that the first 401 and the second 402 position are available while the third 403 and the fourth 404 position are unavailable. The unavailability of a position is indicated by a particular display, for example, a cross blocking the position.

Claims

1. A method of assisting the activation of driver assistance modes for driving a vehicle, said method being implemented by a control unit (30) of a system (1) for assisting a driver driving, and comprising a step of:

determination (210) of at least one assistance mode available from a driving context,

said method being characterized in that it further comprises steps of:

determination (220) of a driving position associated with the determined available assistance mode,

- emission (230) of a signal, to the driver of the vehicle, indicating the determined driving position,

receiving (240) an activation request,

in response to said request, activating (250) the assistance mode associated with the selected position.

2. A method of assisting activation according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of determining (220) an assistance mode associated with the selected driving position comprises reading a table associating the positions and modes of assistance.

3. A method of assisting activation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the system (1) for driving assistance comprises at least one of the following modes of assistance:

- A first mode of assistance controlling neither the longitudinal displacement of the vehicle nor its lateral displacement, said first mode of assistance being associated with a first driving position in which the driver of the vehicle positions his hands on the wheel, his feet on the pedals and his gaze towards the road; - A second assistance mode controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle, but not its lateral displacement, said second mode of assistance being associated with a second driving position in which the driver of the vehicle positions his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes towards the road ;

4. A method of assisting activation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a preliminary step of starting the assistance to the activation of modes of assistance by a pressure on a touch by the driver of the vehicle.

5. A method of assisting activation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, during the step of determining (210) the mode of assistance, if several modes of assistance are available then the mode help desk that supports the largest number of driving tasks is selected.

6. A method of assisting activation according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, during the step of determining (210) the mode of assistance, if several modes of assistance are available then the step of determining (220) a position comprises for each available assistance mode the determination of an associated position, each of said positions are then indicated (230) to the driver.

7. A driving assistance system (1) comprising an evaluation module, a control unit (30), characterized in that said control unit (30) comprises:

means for determining the assistance modes available from a driving context,

means for activating the assistance mode associated with the selected position.

8. Vehicle characterized in that it comprises a system (1) for driving assistance according to the preceding claim.