# US 2024/0199072 A1 · Method for operating an assistance system, and assistance system

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- Number: US 2024/0199072 A1
- Document ID: US20240199072A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/554,606
- Filed: 2022-03-18
- Published: 2024-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2021-04-09
- Assignees: Continental Autonomous Mobility Germany GmbH
- Applicants: Continental Autonomous Mobility Germany GmbH
- Inventors: Frank Edling; Sebastien Reisinger; Henrik Matschat
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240199072A1

## CPC

- B60W 50/00: Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit {, e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces}
- B60W 60/001: {Planning or execution of driving tasks}
- B60W 30/12: Lane keeping
- B60W 50/0098: {Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for}
- B60W 50/023: Avoiding failures by using redundant parts
- B60W 50/04: Monitoring the functioning of the control system
- G01S 13/862: {Combination of radar systems with sonar systems}
- G01S 13/865: {Combination of radar systems with lidar systems}
- G01S 13/867: {Combination of radar systems with cameras}
- G01S 15/86: Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
- G01S 15/87: Combinations of sonar systems
- G01S 17/86: Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
- G06V 20/588: {Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road}
- B60W 2050/0095: {Automatic control mode change}
- B60W 2050/0215: {Sensor drifts or sensor failures}
- G01S 13/931: of land vehicles
- G01S 15/931: of land vehicles
- G01S 17/931: of land vehicles
- 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
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating an assistance system for a vehicle, including a control device for controlling the assistance system, multiple sensors for capturing the environment, a first sensor set which includes at least one sensor of the sensors for capturing the environment, and a second sensor set which includes at least one sensor of the sensors for capturing the environment. The sensor signals of the first sensor set are enlisted in order to create an environmental model, and driving functions of the assistance system are carried out on the basis of the environmental model. A sensor signal path switch is provided which switches the sensor signals of the second sensor set either via a main path to the signal processing of the environmental model or via a safety path to the signal processing of a plausibility check of the planned trajectory.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for operating an assistance system for a vehicle, comprising
controlling the assistance system by a control device comprising a processor or electronic control unit,
capturing the environment by multiple sensors, wherein
a first sensor set which comprises at least one sensor of the sensors for capturing the environment, and
a second sensor set which comprises at least one sensor of the sensors for capturing the environment, wherein
enlisting sensor signals of the first sensor set in order to create an environmental model,
carrying out at least one of trajectory planning and/or driving functions of the assistance system on the basis of the environmental model, and
routing, by a sensor signal path switch, sensor signals of the second sensor set either via a main path to signal processing of the environmental model or via a safety path to the signal processing of a plausibility check of the planned trajectory.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a mode manager which is configured to recognize assistance functions and assistance functions to be automatically activated, and to establish a necessity of whether a safety path is required or not on the basis of the recognized assistance functions.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the sensor signal path switch switches the sensor signals on the basis of establishment of the mode manager.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

A method for operating an assistance system for a vehicle according to claim 2, the method comprising:
determining the assistance functions to be carried out,
determining the assistance functions to be automatically activated,
establishing a necessity of constructing a safety path for the activated functions,
switching off the signals of the sensors of the safety path for the main path of the system if the safety path is necessary,
activating the safety path in order to check outputs of the main path of the system if the safety path is necessary, and
deactivating the assistance functions which are not possible without the sensors of the safety path.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein the necessity of constructing the safety path for the activated functions is established on the basis of the activated function of a current vehicle state.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein the necessity of constructing a safety path for the activated functions is established on the basis of a driver state.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the safety path is used in order to check a plausibility of an output trajectory of the main path, which is to be driven, against an alternative road model of the safety path.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the safety path is used in order to bring about a driver handover and a minimum-risk state in the event of a trajectory of the main path is implausible.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a road model of the safety path is created on the basis of detected lane markings of a redundant camera.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

An assistance system which is operated by a method according to claim 1, comprising:
a control device for controlling the assistance system,
the multiple sensors for capturing the environment, wherein
the first sensor set which comprises the at least one sensor of the sensors for capturing the environment, and
a second sensor set which comprises the at least one sensor of the sensors for capturing the environment, wherein
the sensor signals of the first sensor set are enlisted in order to create the environmental model,
the at least one of the trajectory planning or the driving functions of the assistance system is carried out on the basis of the environmental model, and
the sensor signal path switch, which switches the sensor signals of the second sensor set either via a main path to the signal processing of the environmental model or via a safety path to the signal processing of a plausibility check of the planned trajectory.