Abstract: A method for assisting a driver in returning a vehicle to a roadway from a periphery or shoulder of the roadway includes the following steps. Data is received from a sensor that monitors a region ahead of the vehicle. The data is analyzed to detect a transition between the roadway and the periphery, and to detect a free space ahead of the vehicle on the roadway. It is assessed whether the transition at a transition point is suitable for returning the vehicle to the roadway, and a corresponding first signal is issued. It is assessed whether the free space is sufficient for returning the vehicle and/or whether obstacles are present, and a corresponding second signal is issued. An output signal is generated based on the first and second signals, and alerts the driver or autonomously or semi-autonomously controls the vehicle to return the vehicle onto the roadway.

Abstract: A device and a method for determining a position of one or more structural elements of a vehicle the position of which can be changed and a change in the position of which alters external dimensions of the vehicle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for assisting in returning a vehicle (10) after leaving a roadway (12), comprising the following steps: receiving data from one or more driving environment sensors (14) of the vehicle capturing the roadway in a region ahead of the vehicle (S10), analyzing the received data for detecting a transition (16) between the roadway and a roadway periphery (18; S12), analyzing the received data for detecting a free space (20) ahead of the vehicle (S14), checking whether the detected transition is noncritical for returning the vehicle to the roadway and issuing a corresponding first signal (22; S16), checking whether the detected free space is sufficient for returning the vehicle and/or whether obstacles (28b) are present on the roadway periphery (18) or the detected transition (16) and issuing a corresponding second signal (24; S18), and generating a feedback signal (26) if the first signal signals that the detected transition is noncritical and the second signal signals that the f

Abstract: A method for deriving environmental information from detecting the rear lights of preceding vehicles, including the following steps: Recording a sequence of images with a camera that captures the surroundings in front of the vehicle; Detecting and tracking rear lights of preceding vehicles in the sequence of images; and Analysis of the position and movement of the tracked rear lights and deriving environmental information from this analysis.

Abstract: A method for a motor vehicle for the predictive classification of a future vehicle environment and its lighting conditions. To this end, a camera system is oriented with respect to a region ahead of the vehicle. A sequence of images is recorded. In a predefined central image detail, the change of brightness per unit of time and/or distance is determined and this is used to infer the environment ahead of the vehicle.

Abstract: A device for assisting a driver in steering a vehicle along a bottleneck. The device has a bottleneck detection unit which is configured to detect bottleneck information for characterizing a bottleneck in which the vehicle is located. A bottleneck information processing unit is configured to process the detected bottleneck information in order to derive therefrom assistance information for assisting the driver in steering the vehicle along the bottleneck. An actuation unit is provided and is configured to actuate a light source of the vehicle in such a way that the light source generates a light pattern, which can be seen by the driver, outside the vehicle, which light pattern displays the assistance information to the driver.

Abstract: A method for detecting road lane markings for a motor vehicle in motion with an image recording unit is presented. The image recording unit points to the road in front of the vehicle and in the recorded image data, brightness differences (contrasts) are analysed and/or edges are extracted. Road lane markings are detected by means of their periodic arrangement. For evaluation purposes, the measuring signal of the image recording unit is transformed into another coordinate system, and the auxiliary function thus obtained is tested for periodic structures.

Abstract: A device for assisting a driver in steering a vehicle along a bottleneck. The device has a bottleneck detection unit which is configured to detect bottleneck information for characterizing a bottleneck in which the vehicle is located. A bottleneck information processing unit is configured to process the detected bottleneck information in order to derive therefrom assistance information for assisting the driver in steering the vehicle along the bottleneck. An actuation unit is provided and is configured to actuate a light source of the vehicle in such a way that the light source generates a light pattern, which can be seen by the driver, outside the vehicle, which light pattern displays the assistance information to the driver.

Abstract: A method for a motor vehicle for the predictive classification of a future vehicle environment and its lighting conditions. To this end, a camera system is oriented with respect to a region ahead of the vehicle. A sequence of images is recorded. In a predefined central image detail, the change of brightness per unit of time and/or distance is determined and this is used to infer the environment ahead of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method for detecting road lane markings for a motor vehicle in motion with an image recording unit is presented. The image recording unit points to the road in front of the vehicle and in the recorded image data, brightness differences (contrasts) are analysed and/or edges are extracted. Road lane markings are detected by means of their periodic arrangement. For evaluation purposes, the measuring signal of the image recording unit is transformed into another coordinate system, and the auxiliary function thus obtained is tested for periodic structures.

Abstract: Distance and velocity measuring at a plurality of objects using FMCW radar includes repeating measurements using different frequency ramps and including mixing transmitted and received signals, and recording the mixed signal's spectrum. A matching includes recording spectra peaks for ramps, if belonging to the same object, allocating them to each other, and calculating distances and velocities from peak frequencies. A tracking includes identifying with one another objects measured at various times based on distance and velocity consistency. Each measuring cycle includes less than four measurements with different frequency ramps. For each plausible two peak combination recorded, respectively, during first and second measurements of a cycle, distance and velocity of one possible object represented by these peaks are calculated. A measurement's anticipated result, is calculated from distance and velocity of the possible object, discarded if an anticipated result does not agree with the measured result.

Abstract: A method for measuring distance and velocity at a plurality of objects using FMCW radar, in which measurements are repeated cyclically using at least two different frequency ramps, in each measurement, the transmitted signal is mixed with the received signal, and the spectrum of the mixed signal is recorded, in a matching procedure, the peaks that are in the spectra recorded for various ramps and that belong to the same object are allocated to each other, and the distances and velocities of the objects are calculated from the frequencies of the peaks, and in a tracking procedure, the objects measured at various times are identified with one another on the basis of the consistency of their distance and velocity data, wherein each measuring cycle includes not more than three measurements with different frequency ramps, for each plausible combination of two peaks, of which one was recorded during a first measurement and the other was recorded during a second measurement of the same cycle, the distance and the ve