Control unit and method for operating a driving function at a signalling installation

1. An apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a control unit configured to:

detect an upcoming signaling installation; wherein the signaling installation comprises at least one signal transmitter;

determine a reliability value which indicates a reliability with which a signaling state of the signaling installation that is relevant to a direction of travel of the vehicle can be determined;

determine, on the basis of the reliability value, whether or not the signaling state of the signaling installation that is relevant to the direction of travel of the vehicle can be determined with the reliability value above a first threshold for carrying out the driving function in an automated manner;

if it has been determined that the signaling state can be determined with the reliability value above the first threshold, carry out the driving function in the automated manner;

if it has been determined that the signaling state cannot be determined with the reliability value above the first threshold:

determine, on the basis of the reliability value, whether or not the signaling state can be determined with the reliability value above a second threshold for carrying out the driving function in the automated manner, wherein the second threshold is lower than the first threshold;

if it has been determined that the signaling state can be determined with the reliability value above the second threshold, generate a first output to a user of the vehicle, in a form of an approval request to carry out the driving function in the automated manner; and

if it has been determined that the signaling state cannot be determined with the reliability value above the second threshold, generate a second output to the user of the vehicle, in a form of a prompt for the user to manually take over the driving function.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to:

determine digital map information which indicates an assignment of the at least one signal transmitter to at least one possible direction of travel of the vehicle at the signaling installation; and

carry out the driving function of the vehicle on the basis of the digital map information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is further configured to:

determine a relevant signal transmitter of the signaling installation, which is relevant to a planned direction of travel of the vehicle, on the basis of the digital map information;

determine a status of the relevant signal transmitter; and

carry out the driving function of the vehicle on the basis of the status of the relevant signal transmitter.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the vehicle comprises one or more environmental sensors which are configured to capture sensor data relating to an environment of the vehicle; and

the control unit is further configured to determine the status of the relevant signal transmitter on the basis of the sensor data.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the signaling installation comprises a plurality of signal transmitters which are assigned to at least partially different possible directions of travel; and

the control unit is further configured to select the relevant signal transmitter from the plurality of signal transmitters on the basis of the planned direction of travel of the vehicle.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of:

the digital map information is based on sensor data relating to the signaling installation which have been captured in advance by an environmental sensor of at least one vehicle;

the digital map information is stored in a storage unit of the vehicle; and

the digital map information has been or is received from a unit outside the vehicle via a communication unit of the vehicle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of:

the driving function comprises at least partially automated longitudinal and/or lateral guidance of the vehicle;

the driving function comprises possible deceleration of the vehicle until reaching the signaling installation; and

the driving function comprises automated starting of the vehicle at the signaling installation.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the vehicle comprises one or more environmental sensors which are configured to capture sensor data relating to an environment of the vehicle;

the control unit is further configured to determine the possible direction of travel assigned to the at least one signal transmitter solely on the basis of the sensor data only when the sensor data have been captured at a distance from the signaling installation which is less than or equal to a distance threshold value; and

the control unit is further configured to already determine the possible direction of travel assigned to the at least one signal transmitter on the basis of the digital map information when the vehicle is still at a distance from the signaling unit by more than the distance threshold value.

9. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the vehicle comprises one or more environmental sensors which are configured to capture sensor data relating to an environment of the vehicle;

the control unit is further configured to determine a form of one or more features of the signaling installation on the basis of the sensor data during a journey past the signaling installation;

wherein the one or more features comprise:

(i) a number of different signal transmitters of the signaling installation;

(ii) a position of the one or more different signal transmitters of the signaling installation;

(iii) an assignment of a signal transmitter of the signaling installation to a possible direction of travel at the signaling installation; and

the control unit is further configured to store the determined form of the one or more features of the signaling installation as digital map information or to provide or use it to determine digital map information.

10. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the digital map information indicates at least one of:

that the signaling installation has only one signal group which applies to all possible directions of travel at the signaling installation;

a number of different signal groups of the signaling installation;

an assignment of different signal transmitters and/or different signal groups of the signaling installation to different possible directions of travel at the signaling installation; and

information relating to a relative positioning of different signal transmitters and/or different signal groups of the signaling installation with respect to one another.

11. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is further configured to:

determine a route of the vehicle;

detect a multiplicity of signaling installations on the route before a journey along the route;

determine digital map information for the multiplicity of signaling installations before the journey along the route; and

already determine, before the journey along the route, whether or not the driving function can be operated in an automated manner on the journey along the route on the basis of the digital map information for the multiplicity of signaling installations.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the driving function is an automatic braking maneuver at the signaling installation or an automatic starting maneuver at the signaling installation.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to:

determine digital map information which indicates an assignment of the at least one signal transmitter to at least one possible direction of travel of the vehicle at the signaling installation; or

determine sensor data relating to the at least one signal transmitter; and

determine the reliability value on the basis of the digital map information or on the basis of the sensor data.

14. A method for operating a driving function of a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting an upcoming signaling installation; wherein the signaling installation comprises at least one signal transmitter;

determining a reliability value which indicates a reliability with which a signaling state of the signaling installation that is relevant to a direction of travel of the vehicle can be determined;

determining, on the basis of the reliability value, whether or not the signaling state of the signaling installation that is relevant to the direction of travel of the vehicle can be determined with the reliability value above a first threshold for carrying out the driving function in an automated manner;

if it has been determined that the signaling state can be determined with the reliability value above the first threshold, carrying out the driving function in the automated manner;

if it has been determined that the signaling state cannot be determined with the reliability value above the first threshold:

determining, on the basis of the reliability value, whether or not the signaling state can be determined with the reliability value above a second threshold for carrying out the driving function in the automated manner, wherein the second threshold is lower than the first threshold;

if it has been determined that the signaling state can be determined with the reliability value above the second threshold, generating a first output to a user of the vehicle, in a form of an approval request to carry out the driving function in the automated manner; and

if it has been determined that the signaling state cannot be determined with the reliability value above the second threshold, generating a second output to the user of the vehicle, in a form of a prompt for the user to manually take over the driving function.