Method for releasing a digital map

1 . A method for releasing a digital map of an infrastructure for use for infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of a motor vehicle within the infrastructure, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving area signals representing an area of the infrastructure;

testing the digital map for suitability for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure based on the area signals; and

releasing the digital map of the infrastructure for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure based on the test of the digital map for suitability, only when the test yields a positive result indicating suitability;

preventing a release of the digital map for said use when the test yields a negative result indicating unsuitability,

wherein, in an instance where the negative result is caused by an object being present in the infrastructure but not in the digital map, the method further comprises, subsequent to preventing the release of the digital map:

(i) updating the digital map such that the object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map, thereby creating an updated digital map, and

(ii) releasing the updated digital map for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure,

wherein the testing includes a determination of whether an object present in the digital map is also present in the infrastructure, or whether an object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map,

wherein, based on the object being present in the infrastructure but not in the digital map, the digital map is updated such that the object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map, and the updated digital map is released for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure,

wherein the area signals are generated by one or more environmental sensors of the motor vehicle and/or one or more environmental sensors of the infrastructure based on a detection of the area,

wherein control signals for at least partly automated control of a lateral and/or longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure are generated based on the released digital map or based on the released updated digital map,

wherein the testing and releasing are performed by an infrastructure-side computer configured to actively validate the digital map and to release the digital map or an updated digital map from the infrastructure to the motor vehicle for use in infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein, based on an object being present in both the digital map and the infrastructure, the testing further comprises a determination of at least one property of the object present in the infrastructure and a comparison of the at least one determined position to a corresponding property of the object present in the digital map.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one property is an element selected from the following group of properties: position, speed, acceleration, object type, length, height, width, shape, color.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein one, several or all steps of the method are carried out on an infrastructure side and/or by a motor vehicle located within the infrastructure and/or by an entity providing the digital map.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the infrastructure and/or the motor vehicle and/or the entity are each a component of an event chain for infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of a motor vehicle within an infrastructure, wherein the event chain as a whole and/or one or more components of the event chain have a predetermined safety integrity level, the safety integrity level being an ASIL and/or a SIL.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure includes one or more of the following infrastructure elements: parking lot, tunnel, highway ramp, highway exit, point of intersection, in particular roundabout, intersection, junction, T-shaped intersection, crosswalk, construction site, bridge, underpass, parking garage, toll plaza.

7 . A device configured to release a digital map of an infrastructure for use for infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of a motor vehicle within the infrastructure, the device configured to:

receive area signals representing an area of the infrastructure;

test the digital map for suitability for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure based on the area signals; and

release the digital map of the infrastructure for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure based on the test of the digital map for suitability, only when the test yields a positive result indicating suitability;

preventing a release of the digital map for said use when the test yields a negative result indicating unsuitability,

wherein, in an instance where the negative result is caused by an object being present in the infrastructure but not in the digital map, the method further comprises, subsequent to preventing the release of the digital map:

(i) updating the digital map such that the object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map, thereby creating an updated digital map, and

(ii) releasing the updated digital map for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure,

wherein the testing includes a determination of whether an object present in the digital map is also present in the infrastructure, or whether an object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map,

wherein, based on the object being present in the infrastructure but not in the digital map, the digital map is updated such that the object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map, and the updated digital map is released for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure,

wherein the area signals are generated by one or more environmental sensors of the motor vehicle and/or one or more environmental sensors of the infrastructure based on a detection of the area,

wherein control signals for at least partly automated control of a lateral and/or longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure are generated based on the released digital map or based on the released updated digital map.

8 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for releasing a digital map of an infrastructure for use for infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of a motor vehicle within the infrastructure, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the following steps:

receiving area signals representing an area of the infrastructure;

testing the digital map for suitability for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure based on the area signals; and

releasing the digital map of the infrastructure for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure based on the test of the digital map for suitability, only when the test yields a positive result indicating suitability;

preventing a release of the digital map for said use when the test yields a negative result indicating unsuitability,

wherein, in an instance where the negative result is caused by an object being present in the infrastructure but not in the digital map, the method further comprises, subsequent to preventing the release of the digital map:

(i) updating the digital map such that the object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map, thereby creating an updated digital map, and

(ii) releasing the updated digital map for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure,

wherein the testing includes a determination of whether an object present in the digital map is also present in the infrastructure, or whether an object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map,

wherein, based on the object being present in the infrastructure but not in the digital map, the digital map is updated such that the object present in the infrastructure is also present in the digital map, and the updated digital map is released for use for the infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure,

wherein the area signals are generated by one or more environmental sensors of the motor vehicle and/or one or more environmental sensors of the infrastructure based on a detection of the area,

wherein control signals for at least partly automated control of a lateral and/or longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle within the infrastructure are generated based on the released digital map or based on the released updated digital map.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure comprises a computer configured to control access to the digital map such that the digital map becomes usable for infrastructure-based, at least partly automated guidance of the motor vehicle only after a positive validation of the digital map by the infrastructure, and wherein the infrastructure computer transmits the released digital map or the updated digital map to the motor vehicle for use in the guidance.