CN111667713A - System and method for visualizing geofence attributes of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A system 1 for visualizing geofence attributes of a vehicle 2 is provided, the system 1 having a topographical map 4 designed to be disposed on a surface 3 of a passenger compartment of the vehicle 2 and representing a geofenced area 5 of the vehicle 2 and a boundary 6 of said area. In addition, a vehicle 2 with such a system 1, a method for generating a map 4 of such a system 1 and a method for visualizing geofence properties of a vehicle 2 are disclosed.

Description

System and method for visualizing geofence attributes of a vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a system and a method for visualizing geofence attributes of a vehicle, a vehicle having such a system, and a method for producing such a system.

Background

Typically, the dashboard of a vehicle has a rather simple design. In addition, their function is limited by the curvature of the windshield, which limits its use, for example, as a table, rack, etc.

US 9756319B 2 describes a display device which can be arranged behind the steering wheel of a vehicle, for example in the region of the dashboard. The display device is embodied as a three-dimensional (3D) display with which e.g. speed, time, etc. can be displayed in a plurality of planes. Furthermore, a 3D video of the surroundings of the vehicle is displayed, so that the driver of the vehicle can also perceive objects outside his field of view when he views the surroundings. However, in order to view the display, the driver of the vehicle requires 3D glasses.

Published by GSDI association press, page 215? "mentions the american niedham navigation system Aida (emotional Intelligent Driving Agent) which attempts to determine an assumed position from various information items and provide the driver of the vehicle with corresponding information via a map. The dashboard is used to display a map to allow seamless transitions between the actual environment of the vehicle and the map content.

Furthermore, it is well known that vehicles with a too much graphically limited radius of action (hereinafter referred to as vehicles with geofencing properties) become increasingly important in transportation systems. In particular, this relates to a combination of autonomous operation by the vehicle and geofencing. However, it is not always obvious to the passengers of such vehicles in which area the vehicle may move, i.e. where there is a geographical boundary outside which a reaction is triggered in an automatic manner, i.e. for example the vehicle remains stationary or increases the usage fee. This may lead to a lack of acceptance of such systems.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above drawbacks and to disclose a feasible way to increase the acceptance of users of vehicles with geo-fencing properties.

This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous developments are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The system for visualizing the geofence attributes of a vehicle according to the present invention has a topographical map designed to be disposed on a surface of the passenger compartment of the vehicle and representing the geofence area of the vehicle and the boundaries of said area.

A topographic map may be understood as a true-scale map which is used to depict the topography, i.e. the topography, and if appropriate other visible details of the earth's surface. The terrain may be represented by height lines and may be supplemented by significant elevation points and water contours. In addition, the outlines of roads, railway lines, relatively large buildings, sites, and other content (e.g., boundaries, water pipes or power lines) may also be represented. Preferably, the designated objects are represented in a correctly positioned manner according to the scale of the map, from which a map-drawing system can be used.

Preferably the map is a permanent physically embodied representation, the map being applied to a substrate, such as paper, a metal panel, a plastic panel or a wood panel, etc., in an at least substantially unchanged manner. This makes the production of the map cost-effective, as no display device (e.g. display) for displaying the map is required. In addition, no energy is required to operate such a display device. Furthermore, such a map is more robust than a map represented on a display device, since, for example, there is no risk of the display device becoming inoperative or malfunctioning.

The term geofence constitutes an encoding from geography and fence. Geofencing refers to triggering an action in an automatic manner when crossing an imaginary boundary on the earth's surface or in the air. The boundary may define an enclosed area so that the interior and exterior may be distinguished. The interior area is hereinafter referred to as a geo-fenced area.

For example, a message may be triggered, for example in the form of an optical acoustic warning signal, when entering or leaving an area, and the anti-theft control system may be activated when leaving the area so that the vehicle is unlikely to move outside the area, or different fees may be incurred when the vehicle is used inside or outside the area. Multiple regions may also be defined so that, for example, a region model may be implemented.

To use the geofence, the location of the vehicle must be determined at regular intervals. The determination of the position can be performed in a coordinate-dependent manner, for example by means of a mobile radio system at the radio cell level or by means of a navigation satellite system.

Thus, a vehicle having geofence attributes may be understood to be a vehicle that may be supervised and/or controlled by geofences.

In addition to the map elements described above, the topographical map also represents the geofenced area of the vehicle and the boundaries of the area on whose surface the map is to be placed. This means that the map size is chosen in such a way that the whole limited area is represented together with its borders. If a plurality of delimited regions adjoin each other, one or more regions, preferably all regions, can be represented together with their respective borders.

The boundaries of the geofenced area may be predetermined by the size of the map itself, i.e., the boundaries of the map also constitute the boundaries of the geofenced area. Further, the boundaries of the geo-fenced area can also be represented on a map, such that the map can describe both the geo-fenced area and areas outside of the geo-fenced area. This may facilitate orientation.

The map may be arranged on a surface of a passenger compartment of the vehicle, preferably on a substantially horizontally oriented surface. May be located on multiple surfaces such as areas of a dashboard, on a desk, on a shelf, etc. The surface is preferably oriented in such a way that the map arranged thereon can be clearly seen from as many positions as possible within the vehicle.

The map allows a simple overview of the geo-fenced area and the area boundaries to be provided to the vehicle occupants (that is to say, for example, the driver and/or other passengers of the vehicle). This increases the transparency of the geofence attribute to vehicle occupants, and thus may contribute to a higher degree of acceptance of vehicles with geofence attributes. By means of the map, it is also possible to track and follow the current position of the vehicle and/or the position of the destination and its location, and, if appropriate, the route profile of the relevant geo-fenced area for monitoring by the vehicle occupants, which can increase safety.

According to a variant of various embodiments, the map may in particular be a three-dimensional map.

This means that the map may contain three-dimensional elements, such as a 3D model of a building, and elevations in the terrain and depressions in the terrain may be embodied as elevations or depressions on the map.

Three-dimensional embodiments of the map may bring greater interest and increase acceptance by vehicle occupants, as the structure of the terrain may be more easily viewed and rendered realistic. When viewing the map, the current location and/or target location of the vehicle may be more easily identified. Furthermore, map objects, also for example children, can be found more easily.

The three-dimensional map may be manufactured by means of an additive manufacturing method, such as a 3D printing method. This allows for cost-effective and fast production of personalized maps for a particular vehicle. Production by means of an additive manufacturing method advantageously results in a particularly high level of scale invariance.

According to a variant of another embodiment, the map can be designed to be implemented on the dashboard of the vehicle.

For example, the map may be applied directly to the dashboard or to a substrate of the map that may be attached to the dashboard, such as a wooden, glass, plastic or metal base

The map may occupy the entire area of the dashboard or may occupy only a portion of the dashboard area.

Due to the arrangement on the dashboard, the map is arranged in front of the vehicle occupants in the forward direction of the vehicle, so that the surroundings in front of the vehicle can advantageously be viewed simultaneously. In addition, the dashboard, which was previously typically configured in a simple manner, can be configured in a personalized and aesthetically pleasing manner by the arrangement of the map.

According to a variant of another embodiment, the map may represent non-terrain information, i.e. information not associated with the terrain itself.

For example, the map can be configured differently in color, both inside and outside of the geo-fenced area, to allow for simple identification of the boundaries of the geo-fenced area. Furthermore, the various regions may be marked differently in terms of color, such as regions where different usage fees are incurred as a result of using the vehicle. As a result, additional information may be provided to the vehicle occupant in addition to the form of the terrain, which improves the user experience.

According to a variant of another embodiment, the system may have a marking device which is designed to mark the current position, destination and/or route of the vehicle.

The marking device may be embodied, for example, as a laser projection device which may be arranged in a headliner of a vehicle.

The marking of the current location, destination, and/or route may allow the vehicle occupant to be easily and quickly oriented. The occupant may, for example, directly determine whether the current location, destination, and/or route is within or outside the boundaries of the geofenced area. In view of locations outside the boundaries of the geo-fenced area, a warning signal, such as an optical and/or acoustic signal, can optionally be output in order to provide information to the vehicle occupant about this information, and countermeasures can be taken, if appropriate.

The vehicle according to the invention has a system according to the above description. The advantages of the vehicle according to the invention thus correspond to the advantages of the system according to the invention and the variants of its embodiments.

A vehicle is understood to mean any moving vehicle, i.e. a land vehicle, as well as a water-borne vehicle or an aircraft, for example a passenger car.

The vehicle may be embodied as an autonomous or partially autonomous vehicle. An autonomous vehicle is understood to be a vehicle that can perform all safety critical functions on its own throughout the course of travel so that no supervision by the driver of the vehicle is required at any time. The vehicle supervises all functions from start to stop, including all parking functions. Furthermore, a manual mode may be provided in which a human driver of the vehicle controls all or some of the vehicle functions. A vehicle is a partially autonomous vehicle if its driver himself controls some vehicle functions.

In the case of an at least partially autonomous vehicle, the invention has a particularly advantageous effect, since the vehicle occupants can follow the position and course of the vehicle by means of the system, and thus the supervision losses associated with the autonomous operating mode can be reduced. Thus, the present invention may help to increase the acceptance of autonomous vehicles. In addition, even in unfamiliar vehicles and unfamiliar surroundings, quick and simple orientation is possible.

The method for visualizing the geo-fence properties of a vehicle according to the present invention comprises marking the current location, destination and/or route of the vehicle on a surface topography map arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and representing the geo-fence area of the vehicle and the boundaries of said area.

The invention may be implemented by means of a system as described above, so that the advantages specified in connection with the system may correspond to the execution of the method.

The method according to the invention for generating a map according to the system described above comprises applying a three-dimensional structure onto a substrate by means of an additive manufacturing method. For example, a wood substrate, a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or a metal substrate on which a three-dimensional structure is applied may be used as the substrate by 3D printing.

The method allows a cost-effective and fast generation of maps which are personalized for a specific vehicle and have a particularly high level of scale invariance.

Drawings

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of the figures and the corresponding description. In the figure:

FIG. 1 shows a dashboard according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system for visualizing geofence attributes;

FIG. 3 illustrates another exemplary system for visualizing geofence attributes; and

fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary vehicle having a system for visualizing geofence attributes.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows adashboard 7 according to the prior art, whichdashboard 7 can be arranged, for example, in the front region of a passenger compartment of a vehicle 2. The function of thedashboard 7 is limited. In addition to containing the measurement indicator and the operating rod, it can also be used as a stand, if appropriate. No function beyond this range is provided.

In contrast, a map 4 is arranged on thesurface 3 of thedashboard 7 in fig. 2, the map 4 being related to the system 1 for visualizing the geofence properties of the relevant vehicle 2.

The map 4 may optionally be embodied in three dimensions and represents the form of terrain, such aslakes 9,towns 10,roads 11,hills 12 andrivers 13. Furthermore, the boundary 6 of the geo-fenced area 5 is represented on the map 4, so that upon viewing the map, after identifying the current location of the rear vehicle 2, it is determined whether the vehicle 2 is located in or outside the geo-fenced area 5.

Fig. 3 illustrates another exemplary system 1 for visualizing geofence attributes. In contrast to the system 1, the system 1 shown in fig. 3 also comprises a markingdevice 8, which is embodied in the exemplary embodiment as a laser projection device and emits alaser beam 14 in the direction of the map 4. The point of impact of thelaser beam 14 on the map 4 can, for example, characterize the current location of the vehicle 2, such that when viewing the map 4, it can be readily determined whether the vehicle 2 is located in the geo-fenced area 5 or outside the geo-fenced area 5. Optionally, thelaser beam 14 may also mark a target position of the vehicle 2. It is also possible to emit a plurality oflaser beams 14 simultaneously in order to be able to mark the current position, the target position and, if appropriate, the route from the current position to the target position.

Fig. 4 shows schematically an exemplary vehicle 2 with a system 1 for visualizing geofence attributes. Thedashboard 7 is here thedashboard 7 of the vehicle 2.

List of reference numerals

1 System

2 vehicle

3 surface of

4 map

5 geo-fenced area

6 boundary

7 dashboard

8 marking device

9 lake

10 Town

11 road

12 hills

13 river

14 laser beam

Claims (12)

1. A system (1) for visualizing geofence attributes of a vehicle (2), having:

-a topographical map (4), said topographical map (4) being designed to be arranged on a surface (3) of a passenger compartment of a vehicle (2) and representing a geo-fenced area (5) of said vehicle (2) and a boundary (6) of said area.

2. The system (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the map (4) is embodied as a three-dimensional map.

3. The system (1) according to claim 2, wherein the three-dimensional map (4) is produced by an additive manufacturing method.

4. The system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the map (4) is designed to be arranged on an instrument panel (7) of the vehicle (2).

5. The system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the map (4) represents non-topographical information.

6. The system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising:

a marking device (8) designed to mark the current position, destination and/or route of the vehicle.

7. The system (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the marking device (8) is embodied as a laser projection device.

8. A vehicle (2) having a system (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

9. Vehicle (2) according to claim 8, wherein the map (4) is arranged on an instrument panel (7) of the vehicle (2).

10. Vehicle (2) according to claim 8 or 9, embodied as an automatically or partially automatically driven vehicle.

11. A method for visualizing geofence attributes of a vehicle (2), comprising:

-marking a current position, destination and/or route of the vehicle (2) on a topographical map (4) of a surface (3), the topographical map (4) being arranged in a passenger compartment of the vehicle (2) and representing a geo-fenced area (5) of the vehicle (2) and a boundary (6) of the area.

12. Method for generating a map (4) of a system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:

the three-dimensional structure is applied to the substrate by an additive manufacturing method.

Images