DE102023205046A1 - Method for operating at least one functional unit of a vehicle based on sensor data from other vehicles, as well as control device, computer program and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating at least one functional unit (2) of a vehicle (1), comprising: - providing position information relating to a position (7) of the vehicle (1) to an electronic evaluation unit (8), - providing type information of the at least one functional unit (2) to the electronic evaluation unit (8), - defining an area (6) in an environment (5) of the vehicle (1) on the basis of the position information and the type information by the electronic evaluation unit (8), - providing sensor data (11) from several vehicles (10) which are located within the defined area (6) to the electronic evaluation unit (8), wherein the functional units (12) of the several vehicles (10) which are functionally identical to the at least one functional unit (2) can be operated on the basis of the sensor data (11), - operating the at least one functional unit (2) on the basis of the provided sensor data (11) of the several vehicles (10). Furthermore, the invention relates to a control device (9), a computer program and a vehicle (1).

Description

The invention relates to a method for operating at least one functional unit of a vehicle, wherein the functional unit can be operated on the basis of sensor data.

The invention further relates to a control device for a vehicle with an electronic evaluation unit and a communication unit. The invention further relates to a computer program. The invention also relates to a vehicle with a control device.

From the US 2008 / 0 189 009 A1 A method for monitoring an environment detection unit of a vehicle is known. The vehicle is equipped with a communication unit in order to communicate with other vehicles. The method involves comparing analog signals with regard to the environment detection unit of the other vehicles.

For example, the DE 10 2015 103 971 A1 a vehicle system having a communication interface in communication with a processing device. The communication interface is configured to receive ambient light information from a remote server via a communication network. The processing device is configured to selectively activate a vehicle lighting system in accordance with the ambient light information.

Furthermore, the WO 2017/189361 A1 a method for calibrating a vehicle sensor based on communication between the vehicle and other vehicles.

An object of the present invention is to be able to operate functional units and/or vehicle functions of a vehicle more efficiently by better preparing or providing sensor data which are required to operate the functional unit and/or the vehicle function.

This object is achieved by a method, a control device, a computer program and a vehicle according to the independent patent claims. Useful further developments arise from the dependent patent claims.

• - Insbesondere Bereitstellen einer Positionsinformation betreffend einer Position des Fahrzeugs an eine elektronische Auswerteeinheit,
• - Insbesondere Bereitstellen einer Typinformation der zumindest einen Funktionseinheit an die elektronische Auswerteeinheit,
• - Insbesondere Festlegen eines Bereichs in einer Umgebung das Fahrzeugs auf Basis der Positionsinformation und der Typinformation durch die elektronische Auswerteeinheit,
• - Insbesondere Bereitstellen von Sensordaten von mehreren Fahrzeugen, welche sich innerhalb des festgelegten Bereichs befinden an die elektronische Auswerteeinheit, wobei die Funktionseinheiten der mehreren Fahrzeuge, welche zu der zumindest einen Funktionseinheit funktionsgleich sind, auf Basis von den Sensordaten betreibbar sind,
• - Insbesondere Betreiben der zumindest einen Funktionseinheit auf Basis der bereitgestellten Sensordaten der mehreren Fahrzeugen.

One aspect of the invention relates to a method for operating at least one functional unit of a vehicle, wherein the functional unit is operable on the basis of sensor data, comprising:

• - In particular, providing position information concerning a position of the vehicle to an electronic evaluation unit,
• - In particular, providing type information of the at least one functional unit to the electronic evaluation unit,
• - In particular, defining an area in an environment of the vehicle on the basis of the position information and the type information by the electronic evaluation unit,
• - In particular, providing sensor data from several vehicles which are located within the specified area to the electronic evaluation unit, wherein the functional units of the several vehicles which are functionally equivalent to the at least one functional unit can be operated on the basis of the sensor data,
• - In particular, operating the at least one functional unit on the basis of the sensor data provided by the plurality of vehicles.

The proposed method enables the at least one functional unit of the vehicle to be operated more efficiently and, in particular, more precisely, since the sensor data provided in several vehicles means that extensive input variables or input data are available for the at least one functional unit. The sensor data of the several vehicles are provided or processed for the functional unit in such a way that, on the one hand, only those sensor data are taken into account that are suitable for operating the functional unit and that were provided by vehicles that are within the area and thus in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. In other words, the sensor data from vehicles that are in the specified or predetermined area around the vehicle, i.e. the ego vehicle, are taken into account. This means that only those sensor data are provided for operating the functional unit that match a current situation of the vehicle, since the sensor data from sensors of other vehicles in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle are taken into account. It is thus possible to ensure that the sensor data of the several vehicles was recorded or recorded under similar or essentially the same conditions. The defined range means that only those sensor data from vehicles can be taken into account that were recorded under similar weather conditions, traffic situations, temperature conditions and/or other environmental conditions. This means that the sensor data from several vehicles can be used to benefit the vehicle and its functional unit or several functional units.

To define the area, which is a virtual or system-defined area, a virtual area can be set up around the vehicle within which vehicles can provide sensor data or corresponding sensor data can be retrieved. To define the area, the position information of the vehicle, i.e. a current position of the vehicle, can be taken into account. The position of the vehicle can be determined using GPS or GNSS, for example. The position information can also be provided using map data or navigation data. Furthermore, the type information regarding the functional unit can be provided. This can be done independently by the electronic evaluation unit, which can be a computing unit. Or the vehicle or the functional unit transmits the respective type information to the electronic evaluation unit via a communication connection. Using the type information, information regarding the type and/or type of functional unit can be provided. Furthermore, using the type information, information regarding the functionality and/or the required sensor data can be provided.

The electronic evaluation unit can, for example, transmit a corresponding signal to the vehicles within the specified area in order to instruct these vehicles to provide the required sensor data and in particular to transmit or transmit it to the electronic evaluation unit and/or to the vehicle. It is also conceivable that the vehicles located within the area receive an initial signal in order to automatically transmit sensor data relating to their functional units and in particular sensor data that they have recorded to the electronic evaluation unit for data collection.

Specifically, the vehicles located within the defined area are informed or instructed to only provide or transmit the sensor data that is required for the functional unit. For example, the vehicles can be informed using the type information to check whether they have functional units that are functionally identical or similar to the at least one functional unit of the vehicle. This can prevent computing power from being wasted unnecessarily due to a large amount of data. This means that the vehicles within the area that have functional units that are functionally similar or similar to the at least one functional unit can provide or transmit the corresponding sensor data to the electronic evaluation unit.

The sensor data received or provided by the multiple vehicles can optionally be processed by the electronic evaluation unit so that at least one functional unit can be operated on the basis of this sensor data. For this purpose, the corresponding sensor data can be transmitted or transmitted to the vehicle and/or to the functional unit by the electronic evaluation unit.

The at least one functional unit can be a hardware-based or software-based unit in the vehicle. The at least one functional unit can be used to activate functions or vehicle functions of the vehicle. For example, the functional unit can be a windshield wiper, an infotainment system, an air conditioning system, a driver assistance system, a temperature display unit, a lighting device or a security system. These examples are intended to reflect only a small overview of the possible types of functional unit.

The sensor data is data from sensors, sensor systems, camera units or other recording units. The sensor data is recorded or captured in particular by means of sensors in and/or on the vehicle.

The electronic evaluation unit can be a central or decentralized unit. The evaluation unit can be part of the vehicle and can retrieve and transmit the relevant information via communication connections. It is also conceivable that the electronic evaluation unit is at least partially integrated in the vehicle and that a separate part is designed as a server outside the vehicle. It is also conceivable that the electronic evaluation unit is a backend, server unit or a data cloud.

In particular, the proposed method may be a computer-implemented method.

In one embodiment, it is provided that the defined range depends on a current traffic situation in the area surrounding the vehicle and/or a current environmental situation in the area surrounding the vehicle. Consequently, a current area that is particularly adapted to the respective situation can be continuously defined, so that appropriate, particularly current, sensor data can be provided for the at least one functional unit to suit the respective situation. In particular, the area can be continuously adapted to the movement, i.e. to the changed current position, of the vehicle, so that the defined area is not a static area, but a dynamic area that is adapted to the vehicle.

To determine the area, the electronic evaluation unit can be provided with information regarding the current traffic situation and/or the current environmental situation. For example, in the case of traffic situations, information regarding a traffic jam, the type of road on which the vehicle is located, information as to whether the vehicle is in a rural or urban area or other traffic-related information can be provided. This is important because if it is determined that the vehicle is in a "rush hour", for example, it can be assumed that there are a large number of vehicles in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. Here, it would be advantageous, particularly for reasons of computing capacity, not to expand the area too much, as otherwise there could be a large flood of data and thus computing power. If, on the other hand, the vehicle is in a rural area, it can be assumed that there will be few vehicles in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. Here, it would be advantageous to expand the area further in order to be able to obtain enough or several vehicles to provide the sensor data.

In this way, a situation-dependent area can be defined that is particularly adapted to the respective situation.

The environmental situation can be used, for example, to provide information about whether it is raining, snowing, foggy, dark or icy in the area surrounding the vehicle. Furthermore, information about the environmental situation can be used to provide a temperature, an amount of precipitation or air humidity. This information can influence the sensors used to record sensor data. It would be advantageous to be able to include as many different sensors as possible when providing sensor data in order to be able to rule out possible fluctuations or deviations. Furthermore, by taking the environmental situation into account, care can be taken to ensure that sensor data and vehicles are taken into account that have the same environmental situation as the vehicle. If, for example, the vehicle is in an area where there is at least temporary heavy precipitation or dense fog, vehicles that are in a similar situation should be taken into account with regard to sensor data. As in this example, it would not be advisable for the functional unit to use sensor data that was recorded under ideal conditions. This can be negative for the situation at hand with regard to the vehicle and the functional unit.

In one embodiment, it is provided that sensor data from a sensor unit of the vehicle is compared with the sensor data from the multiple vehicles and, if the sensor data from the sensor units of the vehicle differ from the sensor data from the multiple vehicles, the at least one functional unit is operated exclusively on the basis of the sensor data from the multiple vehicles. In other words, the sensor data from the multiple vehicles can be used to check and/or verify the plausibility of the vehicle's own sensor data. By taking multiple sensor data into account, it is possible to efficiently check whether the sensor data from one's own vehicle is plausible. This comparison can prevent errors in the operation of the functional unit because if a difference or deviation is found between the sensor data from one's own vehicle and the sensor data from the other vehicles, the faulty sensor data is not taken into account for the operation of the functional unit.

For example, the comparison of the sensor data can be carried out on the system side, in particular by the electronic evaluation unit, taking into account a specified tolerance or a specified limit range. If the sensor data of the vehicle's sensor unit is outside the tolerance in relation to the sensor data of the multiple vehicles, it can be assumed that the vehicle's sensor unit is faulty or has errors and that only the sensor data of the multiple vehicles should be used for safe and, in particular, efficient operation of the functional unit. This allows errors in the sensor data of the vehicle's sensor unit and thus a faulty sensor unit to be detected or identified.

In other words, a plausibility check can be carried out by comparing the sensor data of the vehicle with the sensor data of the other vehicles.

In one embodiment, if the sensor data of the sensor unit of the vehicle differs from the sensor data of the multiple vehicles, the sensor data of the sensor unit is checked for abnormalities and/or anomalies and the functionality of the sensor unit. This makes it possible to check the functionality of the sensor unit and/or other systems of the vehicle so that a cause for this faulty sensor data can be determined. Furthermore, if it is determined that the sensor data differs from the sensor data of the vehicle, a corresponding safety function can be activated in the vehicle, since it cannot be ruled out that the error has already spread to multiple components and/or systems of the vehicle. Based on the sensor data of the sensor unit with regard to the comparison of the sensor data of the other sensor units of the other vehicles, abnormalities and/or anomalies and/or fluctuations can be determined in order to be able to carry out an error analysis.

In one embodiment, a result of the checked sensor data and/or the checked sensor unit is provided to a user of the vehicle visually and/or acoustically on an output unit. This allows the user, such as the driver of the vehicle, to be informed that one or more sensor units of the vehicle are faulty or defective and that repair measures should be carried out in this regard. Furthermore, the user is informed that the functional unit is operated based on the sensor data of the other vehicles and that their own vehicle has at least one fault or one fault.

In one embodiment, it is provided that a warning signal is generated on the basis of the result and transmitted to a location outside the vehicle. With the help of the warning signal generated, in particular on the system side, information can be communicated or transmitted to a vehicle manufacturer of the vehicle, a service provider, a workshop, a fleet management system or another unit outside the vehicle that the sensor unit is faulty and that sensor units of the same type in other vehicles could also be faulty.

In one embodiment, if it is determined that the vehicle cannot provide its own sensor data to operate the at least one functional unit, the sensor data of the multiple vehicles are automatically provided and the at least one functional unit is operated exclusively on the basis of the sensor data of the multiple vehicles. For example, it may be the case that the vehicle does not have the corresponding sensor unit or that the sensor unit is defective or inoperable. Thus, in normal cases, the functional unit would not be able to be operated because corresponding sensor data is missing as input variables. This is where the present invention is particularly effective, since the functional unit can still be operated using the sensor data provided by the other or multiple vehicles. In other words, vehicles that have no or only inadequate sensors can still be supplied with sensor data so that corresponding functional units and/or vehicle functions can be operated. This allows the vehicles to be expanded in terms of their functionality. Likewise, a vehicle can be equipped with fewer sensors to save costs or components, since the sensor data from other or multiple vehicles can be used to still operate functional units.

For this purpose, the vehicle can inform the evaluation unit accordingly, for example via a communication connection, that no sensor data of its own is available for the respective functional unit, at least not currently.

In one embodiment, it is provided that the sensor data of the multiple vehicles provided to the electronic evaluation unit are checked taking into account a tolerance range that is determined on the basis of the type information. In other words, the sensor data provided is prepared or analyzed so that not just any sensor data is used to operate the functional unit. The sensor data is thus selected or pre-checked before it is provided or transmitted to the functional unit in particular. Depending on the functional unit, different tolerances or limit ranges can be specified with regard to the sensor data and its values.

If the functional unit is a safety-critical unit of the vehicle, the tolerance or the To keep the tolerance range small. If, for example, the functional unit is an infotainment unit, a larger tolerance range can be specified. This can be determined by the electronic evaluation unit depending on the case or situation. In particular, the type information, i.e. the type and/or type of functional unit, can be taken into account in order to specify or determine the tolerance range.

In one embodiment, it is provided that such sensor data from the sensor data of the multiple vehicles that are within the tolerance range are taken into account for the operation of the at least one functional unit. The sensor data can therefore be selected based on the tolerance range, so that only such sensor data from the multiple vehicles that are within the tolerance range are taken into account. At least some sensor data from the sensor data of the multiple vehicles can therefore be taken into account for the operation of the functional unit, since they have been prepared or checked by means of an incoming inspection.

In one embodiment, it is provided that vehicles that are within the specified area automatically transmit sensor data to the electronic evaluation unit. As already mentioned at the beginning, the electronic evaluation unit can transmit a corresponding signal to the vehicles that are within the area so that these instructed vehicles can automatically transmit sensor data to the electronic evaluation unit. The electronic evaluation unit can in turn preselect or process the transmitted sensor data in order to provide the functional unit with only the sensor data that can actually be used to operate the functional unit.

In addition or instead, the sensor data is transmitted using car-2-X communication. This means that the vehicles within the area can efficiently transmit the sensor data using a car-2-X communication connection. Other types of communication or communication connections are also conceivable. In particular, the vehicles are connected to the vehicle and in particular all vehicles are connected to the electronic evaluation unit.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a control device with an electronic evaluation unit and a communication unit, wherein the control device is designed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims or according to the previous aspect or an advantageous development thereof.

In particular, a method according to the previous aspect or an advantageous development thereof can be carried out with the aid of the control device just mentioned.

For example, the control device can be arranged as a central unit in the vehicle. It is also conceivable that the control device is designed as a decentralized unit. It is also conceivable that the control device is a cloud-based or backend-based system.

For example, the control device can be part of an electronic vehicle guidance system. Otherwise, the control device can be in, in particular constant, communication-technical exchange with the electronic vehicle guidance system.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a computer program which can be loaded directly into a memory of a control device according to the preceding aspect, with program means for carrying out the steps of the method according to one of the preceding aspects or an advantageous embodiment thereof when the computer program is executed in the control device.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle with a, in particular electronic, control device according to the previous aspect or an advantageous development thereof.

In particular, the vehicle may be an at least partially autonomous vehicle, a fully autonomous vehicle and/or a highly automated vehicle.

In particular, the vehicle is a motor vehicle which has at least one electronic vehicle guidance system for carrying out an autonomous driving mode.

For use cases or application situations that may arise during the method and which are not explicitly described here, it may be provided that, in accordance with the method, an error message and/or a request to enter user feedback is issued and/or a default setting and/or a predetermined initial state is set.

The invention also includes the control device for the vehicle. The control device can have a data processing device or a processor device that is set up to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. For this purpose, the processor device can have at least one microprocessor and/or at least one microcontroller and/or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and/or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Furthermore, the processor device can have program code that is set up to carry out the embodiment of the method according to the invention when executed by the processor device. The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor device. The processor device can be based, for example, on at least one circuit board and/or on at least one SoC (System on Chip).

The invention also includes further developments of the control device according to the invention, the computer program according to the invention and the vehicle according to the invention, which have features as have already been described in connection with the further developments of the method according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding further developments of the control device according to the invention, the computer program according to the invention and the vehicle according to the invention are not described again here.

The vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a passenger car or truck, or as a passenger bus or motorcycle.

As a further solution, the invention also includes a computer-readable storage medium, comprising program code which, when executed by a computer or a computer network, causes it to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. The storage medium can be provided at least partially as a non-volatile data memory (e.g. as a flash memory and/or as an SSD - solid state drive) and/or at least partially as a volatile data memory (e.g. as a RAM - random access memory). The storage medium can be arranged in the computer or computer network. However, the storage medium can also be operated, for example, as a so-called app store server and/or cloud server on the Internet. The computer or computer network can provide a processor circuit with, for example, at least one microprocessor. The program code can be provided as binary code and/or as assembler code and/or as source code of a programming language (e.g. C) and/or as a program script (e.g. Python).

An electronic vehicle guidance system, which can have the functional unit and/or the vehicle function, can be understood as an electronic system that is set up to guide a vehicle fully automatically or fully autonomously, in particular without the need for a driver to intervene in the control system. The vehicle automatically carries out all the required functions, such as steering, braking and/or acceleration maneuvers, the observation and detection of road traffic and corresponding reactions. In particular, the electronic vehicle guidance system can implement a fully automatic or fully autonomous driving mode of the motor vehicle according to level 5 of the classification according to SAE J3016. An electronic vehicle guidance system can also be understood as a driver assistance system (ADAS), which supports the driver in partially automated or semi-autonomous driving. In particular, the electronic vehicle guidance system can implement a partially automated or semi-autonomous driving mode according to levels 1 to 4 according to the SAE J3016 classification. Here and in the following, “SAE J3016” refers to the corresponding standard in the April 2021 version.

The at least partially automatic vehicle guidance can therefore include guiding the vehicle according to a fully automatic or fully autonomous driving mode of level 5 according to SAE J3016. The at least partially automatic vehicle guidance can also include guiding the vehicle according to a partially automated or partially autonomous driving mode according to levels 1 to 4 according to SAE J3016.

The invention also includes combinations of the features of the described embodiments. The invention therefore also includes implementations that each have a combination of the features of several of the described embodiments, provided that the embodiments have not been described as mutually exclusive.

• 1 ein Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung, bei welchem ein Sensor eines Fahrzeugs fehlerhafte Sensordaten liefert;
• 2 eine weitere Ausführung ausgehend von der 1, bei welcher das Fahrzeug mittels Sensordaten umliegender Fahrzeuge unterstützt wird;
• 3 einen schematischen Ablauf hinsichtlich des Ausführungsbeispiels der 1 und 2;
• 4 ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel ausgehend von den Ausführungen in der 1 bis 3, wobei hier die Fahrzeuge Sensordaten nicht untereinander austauschen, sondern zentral in einem Backend;
• 5 ausgehend von der 4 ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel, bei welchem das Fahrzeug mit dem fehlerhaften Sensor korrekte Sensordaten durch das Backend erhält;
• 6 einen schematischen Ablauf der Ausführungen aus den 4 und 5;
• 7 ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel, bei welchem das eine Fahrzeug keine entsprechende Sensoreinheit aufweist, um eine Funktionseinheit mit Sensordaten zu versorgen;
• 8 ausgehend von der 7 Ausführungen, wie durch Fahrzeug-zu-Fahrzeug-Kommunikation dem Fahrzeug mit dem fehlerhaften Sensor durch Sensordaten der anderen Fahrzeuge geholfen werden kann;
• 9 einen schematischen Ablauf der Ausführungen in den 7 und 8;
• 10 eine weitere Ausführung ausgehend von den 7 bis 9, wobei die Fahrzeuge mit einem zentralen Backend kommunizieren;
• 11 eine Ausführung bei der Feststellung, dass ein Fahrzeug keine Sensordaten geliefert hat, sodass diesem Fahrzeug zentral durch das Backend Sensordaten der anderen Fahrzeuge geliefert werden; und
• 12 einen schematischen Ablauf der Ausführungen aus den 10 und 11.

Embodiments of the invention are described below.

• 1 an embodiment of the invention in which a sensor of a vehicle provides faulty sensor data;
• 2 a further execution starting from the 1 , in which the vehicle is sensor data from surrounding vehicles;
• 3 a schematic flow diagram of the embodiment of the 1 and 2 ;
• 4 another embodiment based on the explanations in the 1 to 3 , whereby the vehicles do not exchange sensor data with each other, but centrally in a backend;
• 5 starting from the 4 another embodiment in which the vehicle with the faulty sensor receives correct sensor data through the backend;
• 6 a schematic flow of the explanations from the 4 and 5 ;
• 7 a further embodiment in which the one vehicle does not have a corresponding sensor unit to supply a functional unit with sensor data;
• 8 starting from the 7 Explanations of how vehicle-to-vehicle communication can help the vehicle with the faulty sensor using sensor data from other vehicles;
• 9 a schematic flow of the explanations in the 7 and 8 ;
• 10 a further execution based on the 7 to 9 , where the vehicles communicate with a central backend;
• 11 an execution when determining that a vehicle has not provided any sensor data, so that this vehicle is provided with sensor data from the other vehicles centrally through the backend; and
• 12 a schematic flow of the explanations from the 10 and 11 .

The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the components of the embodiments described each represent individual features of the invention that are to be considered independently of one another and which also develop the invention independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure should also include combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by other features of the invention already described.

In the figures, identical reference symbols designate functionally identical elements.

In the 1 and in the 2 A possible embodiment of the present invention is explained below.

In the 1 a vehicle 1 is shown. The vehicle 1 can be a highly automated vehicle, for example. The vehicle 1 can have at least one functional unit 2 or several functional units. The functional unit 2 can be based on sensor data 3 which was recorded by a sensor unit 4 of the vehicle 1 or by several sensor units or recording units of the vehicle 1.

In this embodiment, the functional unit 2 can be a temperature display in the vehicle 1. In this regard, in this embodiment, the sensor unit 4 can be a sensor for detecting a temperature in an environment 5 of the vehicle 1.

Precise or essentially accurate sensor data or input variables are required for the operation of the functional unit 2. Accordingly, it would be advantageous if a check of the correctness of the sensor data 3 or a plausibility check of the sensor data 3 could be carried out. For this purpose, the 2 an area 6 is shown in the environment 5. This area 6 is a virtual area or an area defined by the system. This area 6 can be defined or determined by the system on the basis of type information, i.e. a type of only one type, of the functional unit 2 and position information relating to a position 7 of the vehicle 1. An electronic evaluation unit 8 of a control device 9 can be used for this purpose. The control device 9 and in particular the electronic evaluation unit 8 can be integrated in the vehicle 1. They can also be at least partially integrated in the vehicle 1. It is also conceivable that they are designed as an external server or backend unit for the vehicle 1.

In order to be able to check the sensor data 3, all vehicles 10 that are located within the area 6, i.e. in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle 1, can provide corresponding sensor data 11. In this case, sensor data 11 is provided by functional units 2 that are functionally identical or similar to the functional unit 2. For this purpose, the vehicles 1, 10 can be 1 and 2 can be interconnected by means of a Car-2-X communication 13. This allows communication between the vehicles 1, 10 an exchange of sensor data 3, 11 can take place. For this purpose, the evaluation unit 8 can, for example, be designed in several parts, so that a part of the evaluation unit 8 is integrated in each vehicle 1, 10 and these in turn communicate with a higher-level unit. In this example, there are three other vehicles 10 within the area 6. By comparing or checking the sensor data 3 and the multiple sensor data 11, it can be determined, for example, that the sensor data 3 is faulty sensor data and that the sensor unit 4 is defective or malfunctioning. By exchanging the sensor data 3, 11 using the car-to-X communication 13 or another type of communication, such as WLAN, Bluetooth or a mobile communications standard, the vehicles 1, 10 independently or the evaluation unit 8 or evaluation units can determine that the sensor units 3 of the vehicle 1 or of another vehicle are faulty.

As in the example mentioned, the sensor data 3 can indicate an outside temperature of 41°C. In contrast, the sensor data 11 of the other vehicles 10 show an outside temperature of 12°C. The system can therefore assume that the sensor data 3 is incorrect and that the sensor data 11, i.e. 12°C in vehicle 1 for the functional unit 2 in this example, is used to display the outside temperature. Depending on the application situation and in particular depending on the type of communication unit 2 involved, the area 6 can be defined such that a corresponding number of vehicles can be taken into account with regard to their sensor data. For this purpose, a cluster of the other sensor data 11 can be carried out in order to be able to identify the incorrect sensor data 3 more efficiently or to be able to identify anomalies or other abnormalities in the sensor data 3. If these faulty sensor data 3 have been identified and thus confirmed, this can be output visually and/or acoustically to a user 14 of the vehicle 1 by means of an output unit 15 in the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the other vehicles 10 can also be informed that sensor units of the same type as the faulty sensor unit 4 must be checked. Furthermore, this information can be communicated to an information point or point 16 outside the vehicle so that faulty sensors of the same type can be checked accordingly to see whether they also have a similar fault.

For example, the control device 9 can have a communication unit 17 with which the corresponding sensor data and/or information can be provided.

In particular, in addition to the vehicle 1, which can contain the control device 9, each of the vehicles can have a corresponding control unit.

In the 3 At least some steps are described with regard to the embodiment in the 1 and 2 explained.

In a step S11, the vehicles 1, 10 within the area 6 can be in communication with one another, for example by means of the car-2-X communication 13 or another communication connection. This allows the vehicles 1, 10 to continuously and/or permanently exchange information, such as the sensor data 3, 11, with one another. In a subsequent optional step S12, the vehicle 1 and/or each of the vehicles 10 can compare the sensor data 3, 11 transmitted back and forth. For this purpose, a respective vehicle can have a corresponding control device 9 and in particular a corresponding evaluation unit 8.

In a subsequent optional step S13, if it is determined in a vehicle 1, 10 that deviations, anomalies and/or abnormalities were found when comparing the sensor data 3, 11, a corresponding warning can first be issued. In this case, the respective sensor data 3, 11 can be checked taking into account a tolerance range, which was determined, for example, on the basis of the type information of the functional unit 2 and/or one of the functional units 12. In this way, each of the vehicles 1, 10 can in turn check whether its own sensor data 3, 11 is plausible or not. Accordingly, the vehicle 1 can determine whether its sensor unit 4 is faulty, and the vehicles 10 can in turn determine whether their sensor units 18 (cf. 2 ) are faulty.

In an optional step S14, if a critical error or error is detected, the user 14 can be informed about a possible defective sensor unit 2, 18. Furthermore, this information can be transmitted to an external location 16. In an optional step S15, the information regarding faulty sensors 2, 18 can be collected centrally in order to be able to produce corresponding statistics. If one and the same error or type of error occurs more often in the same vehicle or in a specific type of sensor, appropriate measures such as repairs and replacement measures can be initiated here.

In the 4 and 5 Another embodiment of the invention is shown. Contrary to the statements regarding the 1 and 2 Instead of exchanging communication between vehicles 1 and 10, a central information collection is provided. For example, the evaluation unit 8 or a separate server unit, which in turn communicates with the evaluation unit(s) 8, can be provided. The evaluation unit 8 can be designed as a data cloud or backend. For example, the vehicle 1, 10 can be fleet vehicles of a vehicle fleet.

The vehicles 1, 10 in the area 6 can transmit their respective sensor data 3, 11 to the evaluation unit 8 via a respective communication connection 19. The evaluation unit 8 checks or compares the received sensor data 3, 11, taking into account, for example, a tolerance range. The sensor data 3, 11 can in turn be processed or analyzed by the evaluation unit 8 so that, for example, only those sensor data of the sensor data 3, 11 that are within the specified tolerance range are taken into account for operating the functional unit 2.

In the 5 is again based on the 4 shown that the evaluation unit 8 is operated according to the sensor data for operating the functional unit 2, which provides an incorrect ambient temperature. With the help of the evaluation unit 8, it was possible to determine by comparing the sensor data 3, 11 that the sensor data 3 of the vehicle 1 exhibits deviations or irregularities, so that the functional unit 2 of the vehicle 1 is not operated with its own sensor data 3, but on the basis of the sensor data 11 of the other vehicles 10. This can be done centrally using the evaluation unit 8. In this case, the control unit 9 can be at least partially integrated into the vehicle 1, so that the functional unit 2 can be operated on the basis of the sensor data of the evaluation unit 8. In the 6 is a schematic flow with regard to the embodiment in the 4 and 5 In an optional step S21, the vehicles 1, 10, which can be components of a vehicle fleet, for example, can continuously exchange information or data with the evaluation unit 8 or a backend. In this way, extensive information or data regarding the sensor units 2, 18 can be made available to the evaluation unit 8.

In an optional step S22, the evaluation unit 8 can detect or determine faulty or inaccurate sensor data of the transmitted sensor data 3, 10 on the basis of various algorithms.

In an optional subsequent step S23, after the faulty sensor data have been determined, the vehicle, such as vehicle 1 in the present embodiment, can be informed or made aware that the sensor unit 4 is providing faulty sensor data 3. In order to remedy this and to be able to operate the functional unit 2 despite the faulty sensor data 3, the evaluation unit 8 or the backend can provide suitable and correct sensor data based on the sensor data 11 of the other vehicles 10.

In an optional step S24, a warning or warning signal regarding the faulty sensor data 3 can be transmitted to the external or vehicle-external location 16, such as a fleet management system. Furthermore, the user 14 of the vehicle 1 can be informed about the faulty sensor unit 4 via a warning issued visually or acoustically in the vehicle 1.

In an optional step S25, statistics can be generated with the help of the information from the vehicle-external location 16 regarding the faulty sensor data 3 and thus the faulty sensor unit 4, so that anomalies or abnormalities with regard to a specific vehicle type and/or a specific sensor unit can be determined using these statistics. This can be taken into account in the production of subsequent vehicles and/or in the maintenance of vehicles which, for example, have a sensor which is similar to the sensor unit 4.

In the 7 and 8 a further embodiment of the invention is shown. The following situation may exist here. The vehicle 1, which has the functional unit 2, cannot provide its own sensor data 3 for the functional unit 2. This may be because the vehicle 1 in this example does not have a sensor unit for recording the sensor data 3. It is also conceivable that the sensor unit 4 is at least currently defective or inoperable. In this embodiment, the functional unit 2 can be a windshield wiper of the vehicle 1. This windshield wiper can be operated automatically based on the sensor data. In this case, the sensor data can come from a rain sensor.

The vehicles in the area 6 can in turn be monitored by means of the respective sensor units 11 record a rain intensity or a precipitation amount as sensor data 11.

In the 8 it is again shown that the vehicles 1, 11 exchange sensor data 11 with one another using the car-2-X communication 7. In this case, the vehicle 1 cannot transmit sensor data 3 to the other vehicles 11 due to the faulty or defective sensor unit 4. However, the vehicle 1 can use the transmitted sensor data 11 to still be able to operate the functional unit 2 of the faulty or defective sensor unit 4. For example, the sensor data 11 can be used to provide the evaluation unit 8 and the vehicle 1 that there is moderate rain intensity and that the windshield wipers of the vehicles 10 are automatically wiping the respective windshield based on a moderate windshield wiper speed. The functional unit 2 can be operated using this information, which in turn is made available or provided to the control device 9.

In the 9 is a schematic flow with regard to the embodiment in the 7 and 8 shown.

In a step S31, the vehicles 1, 10 within the area 6 can be in, in particular constant, communication with one another in order to be able to exchange data and/or information with one another. In an optional subsequent step S32, if it is determined that one of these vehicles 1, 10 does not have a corresponding sensor for operating an associated functional unit, it can still be operated. For this purpose, the corresponding information, such as the sensor data 11 of the other vehicles 10, i.e. the vehicles 10 in the vicinity of the vehicle 1, can be used to nevertheless operate the functional unit 2. In this case, the vehicle 1 can therefore have a type of “virtual sensor”, since despite the absence of a physical sensor, the functional unit 2 can still be operated using the sensor data 11 of the other vehicles 10.

In an optional step S33, after the vehicle 1 has received the corresponding sensor data 11 from the other vehicles 10, the windshield wiper can be controlled automatically.

In the 10 and the F11 will be a further embodiment based on the embodiments of the 7 and 8 explained. Here, instead of exchanging information with each other, the vehicles 1, 11 can exchange data with the exemplary centrally designed evaluation unit 8. For this purpose, each of the vehicles 1, 10 located within the area 6 can automatically transmit sensor data 3, 11. The evaluation unit 8 can store the corresponding sensor data and, for example, select it. This can again be vehicles 1, 10 of a vehicle fleet.

If it is now determined based on the sensor data 11 of the other vehicles 10 that a rain shower has occurred in the vicinity 5 of the vehicle 1 and if the sensors 18 of the vehicles 10 therefore detect a rain intensity of greater than 0 mm per hour, this can initially be determined by the evaluation unit 8. If in this case no sensor data 3 is provided by one vehicle 1, the evaluation unit 8 can determine on the system side that the vehicle 1 has no sensor unit 4 or that it has a faulty sensor unit.

For this purpose, the 11 It can be seen that the evaluation unit 8 can provide the corresponding sensor data 11 and/or information from the other vehicles 10 to the vehicle 1, for example via the communication connection 19. The vehicle 1 can thus automatically activate its windshield wiper as a functional unit 2 using the sensor data 11 from the other vehicles 10. This means that vehicles which do not have a corresponding sensor for a specific vehicle function or which have a defective sensor can be operated by collecting a wide variety of sensor data from other vehicles in the area.

In the 12 is again a schematic sequence with regard to the embodiment in the 10 and 11 shown. In a step S41, all vehicles 1, 10 located within the area 6 can automatically transmit sensor data 3, 11 or other information to the evaluation unit 8. In an optional step S42, the evaluation unit 8 can evaluate or analyze the sensor data 3, 11 using a variety of algorithms or other operations to determine that a specific situation, such as the onset of a rain shower in this embodiment, has occurred within the area 6 and thus within the environment 5 of the vehicle 1. In an optional step S43, the system can determine whether at least one of the vehicles 1, 10 has not provided any corresponding sensor data that would indicate that a rain shower has occurred. The system can thus detect or determine which of the vehicles 1, 10, such as vehicle 1 in this case, has no sensor unit or a defective sensor unit. In order to remedy this situation for the vehicle 1, the sensor data 11 of the other vehicles 10 are transmitted by means of the communication connection 19 to the vehicle 1, which has the faulty sensor unit.

For example, the area 6 can be adapted or defined individually and in particular depending on the situation using the evaluation unit 8. In addition to the defined area 6, a number of other vehicles 10 to be taken into account can also be defined. Here, the environmental conditions, such as temperatures or lighting conditions, and the type of communication connections between the vehicles 1, 10 can be taken into account. In particular, a signal strength can be taken into account so that it can be determined whether the area 6 should be larger or smaller. Furthermore, a density of vehicles 1, 10 in the area 6 or in the surrounding area 5 can be analyzed. If the density of vehicles that can provide suitable sensor data is high, the area 6 should not be dimensioned so large, since otherwise there could be too much information flooding and, in particular, computing power could be strained. Furthermore, the area 6 can be dynamically adjusted. If, for example, it is determined that the sensor data 11 of the vehicles 10 in the area 6 exhibit strong fluctuations or deviations, the area 6 can be dynamically enlarged in order to obtain a greater variety of vehicles and sensor data, for example in order to be able to determine a good average value with regard to the sensor data 11. The definition of the area 6 and in particular of the minimum required vehicles 10 can be determined, for example, by an algorithm which is implemented in the evaluation unit 8. For this purpose, a machine learning algorithm can be used, for example.

Furthermore, a neural network, in particular an artificial network, can be used to determine the area 6 or a number of vehicles 10 to be taken into account. In particular, the “clustering technique” could be used or taken into account.

For example, an automatic check of the given situation can be taken into account when determining the area 6. In particular, traffic density and information regarding the signal transmission or the signal strength for transmitting the sensor data can be taken into account. For example, the evaluation unit 8 can determine incorrect or faulty sensor data based on a wide variety of possibilities. For example, machine training of the evaluation unit 8 can be used for this purpose. Furthermore, static methods can be used. A comparison with threshold values or limit values can also be used. The use of an "artificial intelligence algorithm" would also be possible.

Furthermore, a variety of methods can be used to provide the correct sensor data for functional unit 2. Machine learning, an “artificial intelligence algorithm”, static or mathematical methods, “interpolation algorithm” or “look-up tables” can be used here.

In order to be able to compare the sensor data better, additional external data from external data sources, such as a weather station in the embodiment, can be used to better check or verify the plausibility of the sensor data.

For example, an outside temperature of 25°C can be output using the sensor data 3. However, the surrounding vehicles 10, which are located within a radius of 1000 m around the vehicle 1, for example, have an outside temperature of 21°C using their sensor data 10. It can therefore be assumed that the user 14 of the vehicle 1 is being shown an incorrect outside temperature. For this purpose, the evaluation unit 8 can provide the correct sensor data, i.e. the sensor data 11, for operating the functional unit 1, here a temperature display in the vehicle. Other applications for the sensors can be a rain sensor, a brightness sensor, an acceleration sensor or, for example, an air pressure sensor.

For example, the vehicle 1 may not be equipped with a rain sensor, so that automatic operation of the windshield wiper would not be possible. However, for this purpose, corresponding sensor data can be exchanged with the surrounding vehicles, in particular those that are in communication, which are located, for example, within a radius of 100 m, so that the vehicle 1 can still carry out automatic windshield cleaning.

With the help of the proposed method, vehicles that have faulty or missing hardware, fault tolerance and error detection function can be improved in that the recording of sensor data can be used to individually and specifically identify the vehicles that have anomalies or other errors. This means that not all Vehicles are not only checked accordingly, for example by visiting a workshop, but a targeted search can be carried out for the vehicle that has these faulty sensor data.

This checking or detection of faulty sensor data is particularly important for autonomous vehicles, as such vehicles depend on sensor data.

list of reference symbols

1

vehicle

2

functional unit

3

vehicle's sensor data

4

sensor unit of the vehicle

5

surroundings of the vehicle

6

Area

7

Car-2-X communication

8

electronic evaluation unit

9

control device

10

several vehicles

11

sensor data from multiple vehicles

12

functional units of several vehicles

13

position of the vehicle

14

users

15

output unit

16

location outside the vehicle

17

communication unit

18

sensor units of several vehicles

19

communication connection

S11 to S15

steps

S21 to S25

steps

S31 to S33

steps

S41 to S43

steps

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed 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 accepts no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• US 2008 / 0 189 009 A1 [0003]
• DE 10 2015 103 971 A1 [0004]
• WO 2017/189361 A1 [0005]

Claims (13)

Method for operating at least one functional unit (2) of a vehicle (1), wherein the functional unit (2) can be operated on the basis of sensor data (3, 11), characterized by - providing position information relating to a position (7) of the vehicle (1) to an electronic evaluation unit (8), - providing type information of the at least one functional unit (2) to the electronic evaluation unit (8), - defining an area (6) in an environment (5) of the vehicle (1) on the basis of the position information and the type information by the electronic evaluation unit (8), - providing sensor data (11) from several vehicles (10) which are located within the defined area (6) to the electronic evaluation unit (8), wherein the functional units (12) of the several vehicles (10) which are functionally identical to the at least one functional unit (2) can be operated on the basis of the sensor data (11), - operating the at least one functional unit (2) on the basis of the sensor data provided (11) of the several vehicles (10). procedure according to claim 1 , characterized in that the defined area (6) is dynamically adapted depending on a current traffic situation in the surroundings (5) of the vehicle (1) and/or on a current environmental situation in the surroundings (5) of the vehicle (1). procedure according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that sensor data (3) of a sensor unit (4) of the vehicle (1) are compared with the sensor data (11) of the plurality of vehicles (10), and if the sensor data (3) of the sensor unit (4) of the vehicle (1) differ from the sensor data (11) of the plurality of vehicles (10), the at least one functional unit (2) is operated exclusively on the basis of the sensor data (11) of the plurality of vehicles (10). procedure according to claim 3 , characterized in that if the sensor data (3) of the sensor unit (4) of the vehicle (1) differ from the sensor data (11) of the plurality of vehicles (10), the sensor data (3) of the sensor unit (4) are checked for conspicuities and/or anomalies and the functionality of the sensor unit (4). procedure according to claim 4 , characterized in that a result of the checked sensor data (3) and/or the checked sensor unit (4) is output to a user (14) of the vehicle (1) visually and/or acoustically on an output unit (15), in particular a warning signal is generated on the basis of the result and transmitted to a location external to the vehicle (16). procedure according to claim 5 , characterized in that a warning signal is generated on the basis of the result and transmitted to a location external to the vehicle (16). procedure according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that if it is determined that the vehicle (1) cannot provide its own sensor data (3) for operating the at least one functional unit (2), the sensor data (11) of the plurality of vehicles (10) are automatically provided and the at least one functional unit (2) is operated exclusively on the basis of the sensor data (11) of the plurality of vehicles (10). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor data (11) of the plurality of vehicles (10) provided to the electronic evaluation unit (8) are checked taking into account a tolerance range which is determined on the basis of the type information. procedure according to claim 8 , characterized in that such sensor data of the sensor data (11) of the plurality of vehicles (10) which are within the tolerance range are taken into account for the operation of the at least one functional unit (2). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that vehicles (10) which are located within the defined area (6) automatically transmit sensor data (11) to the electronic evaluation unit (8), in particular the sensor data (11) are transmitted by means of a car-2-x communication (13). Control device (9) for a vehicle (1) with an electronic evaluation unit (8) and a communication unit (17), wherein the control device (9) is designed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims. Computer program which is stored directly in a memory of a control device (9) according to claim 11 loadable, with program means to carry out the steps of the method according to one of the Claims 1 until 10 when the computer program is executed in the control device (9). Vehicle (1) with a control device (9) according to claim 11 .

Images