# US 10,246,092 B2 · Method and device for determining a driving state of an external motor vehicle

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- Number: US 10,246,092 B2
- Document ID: US10246092B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/899,002
- Filed: 2014-05-28
- Published: 2016-05-05
- Granted: 2019-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2013-06-18
- Assignees: Continental Automotive GmbH
- Applicants: Continental Automotive GmbH
- Inventors: Helge Zinner; Olivier Frament
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10246092B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/12: Lane keeping
- G01P 1/026: {for speed measuring devices, e.g. pulse generator}
- B60W 2552/00: Input parameters relating to infrastructure
- B60W 2552/53: Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
- B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
- B60W 2554/804: Relative longitudinal speed
- B60W 2754/10: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
- B60W 2754/20: Lateral distance
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G})

## Abstract

A method that determines a driving state of an external motor vehicle includes: detecting the external motor vehicle by at least one sensor, the external vehicle moving in a longitudinal direction; determining a reference for a motion of the external motor vehicle transverse to the longitudinal direction; determining a first distance between the external motor vehicle and the reference at a first point in time; determining a second distance between the external motor vehicle and the reference at a second point in time lying after the first point in time; determining a difference between the first distance and the second distance; and determining the driving state as assistance-supported if the difference is less than or equal to a specified value.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method that determines, in a first vehicle (100), whether an external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) uses automated lateral control assistance, the method comprising:
detecting, using at least one sensor (104) of the first vehicle, the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) moving in a longitudinal direction (105);
detecting, by the at least one sensor, reference road markings (106, 108) by reference to which a movement of the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) transversely to the longitudinal direction (105) can be determined;
determining a first distance (109, 110) between the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) and at least one of the reference road markings (106, 107, 108) at a first point in time;
determining a second distance (114, 115) between the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) and the at least one of the reference road markings (106, 107, 108) at a second point in time, which is after the first point in time;
in a case in which the difference between the first distance (109, 110) and the second distance (114, 115) is less than or equal to a predetermined value, then:
informing a control system of the first vehicle (101) that the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) uses automated lateral control assistance, and controlling an automated lateral control system of the first vehicle to adjust parameters of the automated lateral control system of the first vehicle based on the informing; and
controlling, by the automatic lateral control system of the first vehicle, the first vehicle so as to automatically increase the distance between the first vehicle and the external motor vehicle, based on the adjusted parameters, when the control system of the first vehicle has been informed that the external motor vehicle is using automated lateral control assistance.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in one of claim 1, wherein at least one sensor (4) comprises at least one selected from the group of a camera, a lidar and a radar.

### Claim 3

A device, in a first vehicle (100), that determines whether an external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) uses automated lateral control assistance, the device being configured to:
detect, using at least one sensor (104), the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) moving in a longitudinal direction (105);
detect, by the at least one sensor (104), reference road markings (106, 108) by reference to which a movement of the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) transversely to the longitudinal direction (105) can be determined;
determine a first distance (109, 110) between the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) and at least one of the reference road markings (106, 107, 108) at a first point in time;
determine a second distance (114, 115) between the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) and the at least one of the reference road markings (106, 107, 108) at a second point in time, which is after the first point in time;
in a case in which the difference between the first distance (109, 110) and the second distance (114, 115) is less than or equal to a predetermined value, then:
inform a control system of the first vehicle (101) that the external motor vehicle (101, 102, 103) uses automated lateral control assistance, and control an automated lateral control system of the first vehicle to adjust parameters of the automated lateral control system of the first vehicle based on the informing; and
control, by the automatic lateral control system of the first vehicle, the first vehicle so as to automatically increase the distance between the first vehicle and the external motor vehicle, based on the adjusted parameters, when the control system of the first vehicle has been informed that the external motor vehicle is using automated lateral control assistance.