METHOD FOR ALERTING THE DRIVER OF A VEHICLE OF A HAZARD

Abstract

 In a method for alerting the driver (21) of a second vehicle (20) of a hazard, a warning light signal and/or a braking light signal (17) of a first vehicle (10) that is driving ahead of the second vehicle (20) is communicated to the second vehicle (20) via radiocommunication.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for alerting the driver of a vehicle of a hazard. Moreover, the invention relates to a computer program, to a machine-readable storage medium and to an electronic control unit.

Prior art

[0002] While driving in environment conditions with low visibility, for example in fog, heavy rain or snow, the risk of chain accidents is very high because a driver observes too late the braking or warning signals emitted by the vehicles upfront. Currently, the drivers rely on visual signals to trigger the reactions in order to avoid accidents. However, in conditions of bad visibility, the visual signals are either detected too late or not detected at all.

[0003] The US 2007/0096892 A1 discloses a method for alerting a hazard. In response to an activation of a crash sensor on a vehicle or through some other features such as from a rapid deceleration or stopping operation occurring with respect to the vehicle which may be tracked through on-vehicle devices a warning signal is generated to inform other vehicles. This warning signal is communicated to oncoming vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Disclosure of the invention

[0004] A method is provided for alerting the driver of a vehicle of a hazard. When a first vehicle is driving ahead of a second vehicle, a warning light signal and/or a braking light signal of the first vehicle is communicated to the second vehicle via radiocommunication to alert the driver of the second vehicle of a hazard. Low visibility conditions may hinder or suppress the visibility of the warning light signal and/or braking light signal by the driver of the second vehicle. The provided method brings the signal closer to the driver of the second vehicle in real time so that the signal triggered by the driver of the first vehicle is always detected by the driver of the second vehicle regardless of the driving conditions. Moreover, the reaction time of the driver of the second vehicle is increased. The signal may not only be communicated to a second vehicle driving directly behind the first vehicle but also to further vehicles behind the first vehicle. This allows fast propagation of the signal reducing the risk of chain accidents.

[0005] The signal may be a warning light signal that may be manually triggered by the driver of the first vehicle via the emergency button available in the first vehicle in case of an emergency. Moreover, the signal may be a braking light signal of the first vehicle that is automatically triggered by braking of the first vehicle.

[0006] In one preferred embodiment of the method the signal is communicated from the first vehicle to the second vehicle using direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Especially, the signal will be sent with a certain frequency to all vehicles within a certain neighborhood of the first vehicle. The signal may be received as long as a second vehicle is within the reach of the transmission device disposed on the first vehicle which triggers the signal. However, the method may include limiting the vehicle-to-vehicle communication as a function of vehicle-to-vehicle distance.

[0007] In another preferred embodiment of the method, the signal is firstly communicated from the first vehicle to a remote warning service. The remote warning service may especially be localized in a cloud. Secondly, the remote warning service communicates the signal to vehicles in a neighborhood of the first vehicle. The neighborhood may be a region comprising all vehicles in a defined distance from the first vehicle.

[0008] Preferably, a second vehicle is identified to be driving in a neighborhood of a first vehicle using position data of the first vehicle and the second vehicle from a global navigation satellite system. The global navigation satellite system may especially be GPS, GLONASS, Galileo or Beidou.

[0009] More preferably, the signal is communicated to the vehicles in the neighborhood of the first vehicle together with the position data of the first vehicle. The second vehicle identifies the first vehicle to be driving ahead of it using position data of the first vehicle and the second vehicle. This preferred embodiment of the method allows avoiding unnecessary warnings to the driver of the second vehicle in case a first vehicle that is driving in the neighborhood of it but not ahead of the second vehicle is communicating a warning signal.

[0010] When receiving the signal a warning is preferably communicated to the driver of the second vehicle. The warning may especially be displayed as a visual warning and/or may be communicated as an auditive warning.

[0011] Moreover, it is preferred that at least one automatic safety procedure is initiated in the second vehicle when receiving the signal. For example, automatic braking may be initiated in case the driver of the second vehicle will not react to the warning within a predefined time period. This refers increased traffic safety if the driver of the second vehicle is distracted from driving.

[0012] A second vehicle that receives a warning and reacts to the warning by braking will trigger at its turn a braking light signal that may be further communicated to following vehicles using the method. Therefore, the signal propagates hence reducing the risk of chain accidents.

[0013] Moreover, a computer program is provided comprising commands which when the computer program is run by a computer cause the latter to execute the method. The computer program allows to implement the method on an electronic control unit without doing any physical changes to it. The computer program may be stored on a machine-readable storage medium.

[0014] By implementing the computer program on a conventional electronic control unit, an electronic control unit is provided which is designed to execute all the steps of the method.

Short description of the figures

[0015] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in greater detail in the following description.

Figure 1 schematically shows a vehicle that may be operated by a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows how the driver of a vehicle is alerted of a hazard in an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 shows how the driver of a vehicle is alerted of a hazard in a further embodiment of the invention.

Embodiments of the invention

[0016] Figure 1 shows a first vehicle 10 that is driven by a driver 11. The vehicle 10 is controlled by an electronic control unit 12. A GPS receiver 13 allows a vehicle 10 to receive position data from a global navigation satellite system. This position data is communicated to the electronic control unit 12. Visual warnings may be shown to the driver 11 on a display 14. The first vehicle 10 further comprises a radio receiver 15 and a radio transmitter 16 to transmit and receive signals via radiocommunication.

[0017] Figure 2 shows how the driver 21 of a second vehicle 20 is alerted of a hazard in a first embodiment of the method. The second vehicle 20 is equipped with an electronic control unit 22, a GPS receiver 23, a display 24, a radio receiver 25 and a radio transmitter 26. Therefore, it comprises the same components as the first vehicle 10. In the situation shown in Figure 2, the first vehicle 10 is driving directly ahead of the second vehicle 20. Visibility is limited due to fog 30. When the driver 11 of the first vehicle 10 is forced to violently brake due to a hazard directly before him, the braking light signals 17 of the first vehicle 10 are activated. At the same time, the radio transmitter 16 communicates the signal 17 via direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication 41. This communication 41 is received by the radio receiver 25 of the second vehicle 20. A warning is shown on the display 24 of the second vehicle 20 allowing the driver 21 of the second vehicle 20 to decelerate even if he has not recognized the braking lights of the first vehicle 10 due to the fog 30.

[0018] In both vehicles 10, 20 the method is implemented on the respective electronic control unit 12, 22 as a computer program. The steps executed by this computer program are shown in Figure 3. After the start 50 of the method, there will be a first check 51 if a warning light signal or a braking light signal 17 of the vehicle 10, 20 is active. If this check 51 is positive, the signal 17 is communicated 52 via the radio transmitter 16, 26 of the vehicle 10, 20. Regardless of whether the first check 51 is positive or negative, there will be a second check 53 if the vehicle 10, 20 has received a warning signal 17 via its radio receiver 15, 25. If such a signal 17 is received, there will be a third check 54 if the signal comes for a first vehicle 10 that is driving ahead of the receiving vehicle. Only if this third check is positive, a warning 55 is shown on the display 24 of the receiving second vehicle 20. If a fourth check 56 results in no reaction to the warning 55 by the driver 21 of the second vehicle 20, an automated safety procedure will be initiated by automatically braking the second vehicle 20. Whenever no further action is required after the second, third or fourth check 53, 54, 56 or after the automatic safety procedure has been initiated 57, the method returns to the first check 51.

[0019] Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the invention. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the signal 17 is not directly communicated from the first vehicle 10 to the second vehicle 20. Instead, a message 42 that comprises the signal 17 and the position data of the first vehicle 10 is sent via the radio transmitter 16 of the first vehicle 10 to a remote warning service 60. Even in case where no warning light signal or braking light signal 17 is generated by any of the vehicles 10, 20, the remote warning service 60 continuously receives position data from all vehicles 10, 20 using the method. Therefore, the second vehicle 20 also sends a message 43 to the remote warning service 60 via its radio transmitter 26 that only contains its position data. Using the position data of both vehicles 10, 20, the remote warning service 60 identifies the second vehicle 20 to be in the neighborhood of the first vehicle 10. Therefore, it sends the signal 17 together with the position data of the first vehicle 10 to the second vehicle 20. During the third check 54, the second vehicle 20 may identify the first vehicle 10 to be driving directly ahead of it concluding that the signal 17 is relevant to the driver 21 of the second vehicle 20. Therefore, the further steps 55 to 57 will be executed by the electronic control unit 22 of the second vehicle 20.

[0020] Both embodiments of the method reduce the risk of a crash between the second vehicle 20 and the first vehicle 10 in low visibility conditions, therefore increasing traffic safety.

Claims

1. Method for alerting the driver (21) of a second vehicle (20) of a hazard, wherein a warning light signal and/or a braking light signal (17) of a first vehicle (10) that is driving ahead of the second vehicle (20) is communicated to the second vehicle (20) via radiocommunication.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal (17) is communicated from the first vehicle (10) to the second vehicle (20) using direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication (41).

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal (17) is communicated (42) from the first vehicle (10) to a remote warning service (60) and the remote warning service (60) communicates (44) the signal (17) to vehicles in a neighborhood of the first vehicle (10).

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that a second vehicle (20) is identified to be driving in a neighborhood of the first vehicle (10) using position data of the first vehicle (10) and the second vehicle (20) from a global navigation satellite system.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the signal (17) is communicated (44) to the vehicles in the neighborhood of the first vehicle (10) together with the position data of the first vehicle (10) and the second vehicle (20) identifies (54) the first vehicle (10) to be driving ahead of it using position data of the first vehicle (10) and the second vehicle (20).

6. Method according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a warning (55) is communicated to the driver (21) of the second vehicle (20), when receiving the signal (17).

7. Method according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one automated safety procedure is initiated (57) in the second vehicle, when receiving the signal (17).

8. Computer program comprising commands which, when the computer program is run by a computer, cause the latter to execute a method according to any of claims 1 to 7.

9. Machine-readable storage medium on which the computer program according to claim 9 is stored.

10. Electronic control unit (12, 22) which is designed to execute all the steps of a method according to any of claims 1 to 7.

Drawing