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DE-102024003659-B4 - Communication system

DE102024003659B4DE 102024003659 B4DE102024003659 B4DE 102024003659B4DE-102024003659-B4

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication system comprising a central computing unit, an ego vehicle, and at least one other vehicle, wherein the ego vehicle and the other vehicle are communicatively connected to the central computing unit. The communication system according to the invention is characterized in that - the ego vehicle and the foreign vehicle are each configured to transmit their own identifier to the central computing facility; - at least the ego vehicle is configured to capture the identifier of the other vehicle and transmit it, together with the identifier of the ego vehicle, to the central computing unit; and - the central computing facility is set up to open a unidirectional or bidirectional communication channel between the ego vehicle and the foreign vehicle.

Inventors

  • Matthias Mayer
  • Sebastian Brunner

Assignees

  • Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241107

Claims (5)

  1. A communication system comprising a central computing unit, an ego vehicle, and at least one other vehicle, wherein the ego vehicle and the other vehicle are communicatively connected to the central computing unit, wherein: - the ego vehicle and the other vehicle are each configured to transmit their own identifier to the central computing unit; - at least the ego vehicle is configured to capture the identifier of the other vehicle and transmit it together with the identifier of the ego vehicle to the central computing unit; and - the central computing unit is configured to open a unidirectional or bidirectional communication channel between the ego vehicle and the other vehicle; and wherein at least the ego vehicle comprises a display device (1) and positioning means, wherein a graphic element (3EGO) representing the ego vehicle can be displayed in a map display (2) output on the display device (1) at a location determined by the positioning means; and the ego vehicle is configured to detect the location and/or identifier of the foreign vehicle itself and/or to obtain it via the central computing unit and to display a graphic element (3FREMD) representing the foreign vehicle in the map display (2) at the location of the foreign vehicle; and the display device (1) is configured to receive an operating gesture, wherein the operating gesture allows the selection of those foreign vehicles whose identifier is to be transmitted from the ego vehicle to the central computing unit to open the communication channel, characterized in that the map display (2) is divided into grid tiles (4), and the display device (1) is configured to transmit the identifiers of all foreign vehicles in a grid tile (4) selected by a user to the central computing unit to simultaneously open a communication channel from the ego vehicle to all respective foreign vehicles.
  2. Communication system according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the communication channel is designed as an acoustic and/or visual communication channel, wherein speech can be transmitted via the acoustic communication channel and at least text messages and/or camera images can be transmitted via the visual communication channel.
  3. Communication system according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the display device (1) is configured to highlight foreign vehicles whose identifier has been detected in the map display (2).
  4. Communication system according to Claim 2 or 3 characterized by the fact that in ego-drive The system allows the user to select whether an acoustic, visual, or acoustic and visual communication channel should be opened before the communication channel is opened.
  5. Communication system according to one of the Claims 1 until 4 , characterized in that the ego vehicle, the foreign vehicle and/or the central computing unit are configured to determine additional information relating to the ego vehicle and the foreign vehicle and to assign it to the respective identifier; and the central computing unit is configured to open a communication channel between the ego vehicle and the foreign vehicle only if the ego vehicle and the foreign vehicle have at least one piece of additional information in common.

Description

The invention relates to a communication system of the type defined in more detail in the preamble of claim 1. Vehicle occupants often have difficulty communicating with the occupants of other vehicles, or it is impossible for them to do so. Conversations or shouting are difficult or even impossible. At best, they might use the horn or hazard lights, but this requires interpreting the other person's intentions. Therefore, more complex information cannot be conveyed between the two parties. From the DE 10 2016 216 680 A1 The communication of a vehicle's intention to another road user is a known phenomenon. This involves communicating the intention of an automated vehicle, particularly a driving maneuver to be executed immediately, to other road users. This can be achieved by projecting light patterns into the surroundings, such as projecting a light image onto the road, activating a continuous light band, or displaying information on a transparent screen in a window of the automated vehicle. However, even in this case, the possibility of conducting a differentiated dialogue is limited. Furthermore, the DE 10 2023 005 293 A1 A method for establishing a communication channel between at least two vehicles. A display device in each vehicle shows other vehicles located nearby. The user selects a vehicle with which a communication channel should be opened. The establishment of the communication channel can be managed by a server. The vehicles transmit identification tokens to each other and, if necessary, to the server, which allows the vehicles to be associated with one another. The present invention is based on the objective of providing an improved communication system which allows the vehicle occupants in a first and a second vehicle to exchange any freely self-defined information with each other. According to the invention, this problem is solved by a communication system with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments result from the dependent claims. A generic communication system comprising a central computing unit, an ego vehicle and at least one other vehicle, wherein the ego vehicle and the other vehicle are communicatively connected to the central computing unit, provides that - the ego vehicle and the foreign vehicle are each configured to transmit their own identifier to the central computing facility; - at least the ego vehicle is configured to capture the identifier of the other vehicle and transmit it, together with the identifier of the ego vehicle, to the central computing unit; and - the central computing facility is set up to open a unidirectional or bidirectional communication channel between the ego vehicle and the foreign vehicle; wherein It is further provided that at least the ego-vehicle comprises a display device and positioning means, wherein a graphic element representing the ego-vehicle can be displayed in a map display that can be output on the display device at a location determined by the positioning means; and The ego vehicle is configured to detect the location and/or identifier of the foreign vehicle itself and/or to obtain it via the central computing unit and to display a graphic element representing the foreign vehicle in the map view at the location of the foreign vehicle; and The display device is set up to receive an operating gesture, whereby the operating gesture allows the selection of those foreign vehicles whose identifier is to be transmitted from the ego vehicle to the central computing unit to open the communication channel. According to the invention, the map display is divided into grid tiles, and the display device is configured to transmit the identifiers of all other vehicles in a grid tile selected by a user to the central computing unit for the simultaneous opening of a communication channel from the ego vehicle to the respective other vehicles. With the aid of the communication system according to the invention, it is possible for the occupants of the ego vehicle and the at least one other vehicle to exchange any messages with each other without having to provide any contact information such as a telephone number, a nickname, an email address or the like beforehand. Information needs to be exchanged. In a first embodiment, a unidirectional communication channel is established so that only occupants in the ego vehicle can transmit messages to the occupants in the other vehicle(s). With multiple other vehicles, this can be understood as a kind of "broadcast message." However, it is also conceivable to establish a bidirectional communication channel so that the occupants in the respective other vehicles can respond. This allows the respective vehicle occupants to engage in a dialogue with each other and thus exchange information in a differentiated manner. This facilitates, for example, the planning of one's own driving behavior in complex traffic situations. The communication can also be used for entertainment purposes, for ex