IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,614,455
Granted Patent B2
US 12,614,455 · App. 17/926,460 · Granted Apr 28, 2026

Method for coordinating road users via a server device, and server device and a control circuit for carrying out the method

Inventor: Karsten Freischem (Kipfenberg, DE)
Assignee: AUDI AG
G08G1/096811B60W50/06G08G1/012G08G1/0133G08G1/052G08G1/096775B60W60/001B60W2556/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,614,455
App. No.
17/926,460
Granted
Apr 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of coordinating road users via a server device which determines instruction data by a central model and transmits the instruction data as action instruction to respective control circuits of the road user, the central model being a virtual image of a real environment created by the server device from environment data, includes when a road user reaches the real environment a local model is created by onboard sensor data and delta data relating to the central model is determined. The delta data is transmitted to the server device by the control circuit of the road user which creates an updated central model by the delta data and the central model. The server device determines and transmits updated instruction data to the road user as readjustment of the instruction data.

Claims (69)

1 . A method of coordinating, by a server device, action instructions for executing actions, to motor vehicles and/or user devices in roles of a plurality of road users, the method comprising:

by the server device,

repeatedly creating, based on environment data from a plurality of data sources, including from the plurality of road users, corresponding to respective real environments, a digital central model that is a virtual representation of the respective real environments,

calculating, based on the digital central model, instruction data respectively for the action instructions for coordinated road users, from among the plurality of road users, such that

an action instruction, from among the action instructions, defines an action, from among the actions, to be executed by a respective coordinated road user, from among the coordinated road users, in a real environment of the respective coordinated road user, from among the respective real environments, and

the digital central model virtually describes a plurality of traffic objects, a traffic object, from among the plurality of traffic objects, assigned to an object category, from a plurality of object categories, and at least one stipulation, from among a plurality of stipulations, stipulated for the object category;

transmitting the action instructions to the at least one coordinated road users;

repeatedly providing the coordinated road users with the digital central model such that the coordinated road users generate and transmit to the server device, respective delta data of the coordinated road users based on a comparison of the digital central model with the respective real environments of the coordinated road users, the respective delta data describing a difference between the respective real environments of the coordinated road users and the digital central model;

receiving from the coordinated road users, the respective delta data; and

updating the digital central model on basis of the respective delta data of the coordinated road users and using the digital central model updated to check whether the instruction data for the at least one coordinated road user, from among the coordinated road users, is to be corrected in accordance with a correction criterion

based on at least one stipulation stipulated for the object category, from among a plurality of stipulations including,

a change frequency specifying a maximum rate at which the respective delta data of the coordinated road users is generated for the traffic object of the object category, and

a priority stipulating an order with regard to determining the respective delta data of the coordinated road users, based on available computation time; and

when the instruction data to be corrected is identified according to the correction criterion,

updating the instruction data by adapting the action instruction to the digital central model updated, and

transmitting, to the at least one coordinated road user, the instruction data of the action instruction updated for the at least one coordinated road user.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the adapting of the action instruction is prioritized by the server device depending on a speed of movement of the at least one coordinated road user and/or a traffic situation that the at least one coordinated road user is in.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the server device generates and/or updates the digital central model additionally on basis of sensor data from the at least one coordinated road user.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the sensor data comprise at least some data, from among data including geoposition data of a current location of the coordinated road users, speed data of a speed of movement of the coordinated road users, or observation data concerning the respective real environments from respective viewpoints of the coordinated road users.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a geoposition and/or a relative position of the traffic object moving in the respective real environments are/is extrapolated in the digital central model by the server device.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the server device transmits temporally in advance the instruction data for the action instruction with a future execution time, such that a latency value is determinable between a transmission time of the instruction data and the future execution time,

wherein, by selection of the transmission time, the latency value is set depending on a speed of the at least one coordinated road user and/or a traffic situation in a region in front of the at least one coordinated road user.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the at least one coordinated road user performs a simulation of carrying out the action instruction in in a manner shifted temporally ahead by the latency value such that a future traffic situation resulting from the simulation is estimable by the digital central model.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in performing the comparison of the respective real environments with the digital central model, the at least one coordinated road user carries out:

by sensor data of a sensor circuit carried by the at least one coordinated road user, a digital local model of a real environment of the at least one coordinated road user, from among the respective real environments is created and a difference between the digital local model and the digital central model is determined and described delta data of the at least one coordinated road user among as the respective delta data of the coordinated road users, wherein the at least one coordinated road user transmits the delta data of the at least one coordinated road user to the server device.

9 . A server device, comprising:

a processor configured to coordinate action instructions for executing actions, to motor vehicles and/or user devices in roles of a plurality of road users, the processor configured to by,

repeatedly create, based on environment data from a plurality of data sources, including from the plurality of road users, corresponding to respective real environments, a digital central model that is a virtual representation of the respective real environments,

calculate, based on the digital central model, instruction data respectively for action instructions for coordinated road users, from among the plurality of road users, such that

an action instruction, from among the action instructions, defines an action, from among the actions, to be executed by a respective coordinated road user, from among the coordinated road users, in a real environment of the respective coordinated road user, from among the respective real environments, and

the digital central model virtually describes a plurality of traffic objects, a traffic object, from among the plurality of traffic objects, assigned to an object category, from a plurality of object categories, and at least one stipulation, from among a plurality of stipulations, stipulated for the object category;

transmit the action instructions to the coordinated road users;

repeatedly provide the coordinated road users with the digital central model such that the coordinated road users generate and transmit to the server device, respective delta data of the coordinated road users based on a comparison of the digital central model with the respective real environments of the coordinated road users, the respective delta data describing a difference between the respective real environments of the coordinated road users and the digital central model;

receive from the coordinated road users, the respective delta data;

update the digital central model on basis of the respective delta data of the coordinated road users and using the digital central model updated to check whether the instruction data for at least one coordinated road user, from among the coordinated road users, is to be corrected in accordance with a correction criterion based on at least one stipulation stipulated for the object category, from among a plurality of stipulations including,

a change frequency specifying a maximum rate at which the respective delta data of the coordinated road users is generated for the traffic object of the object category, and

a priority stipulating an order with regard to determining the respective delta data of the coordinated road users, based on available computation time; and

when the instruction data to be corrected is identified according to the correction criterion,

update the instruction data by adapting the action instruction to the digital central model updated, and

transmit, to the at least one coordinated road user, the instruction data of the action instruction updated for the at least one coordinated road user.

10 . The server device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate and/or update the digital central model additionally on basis of sensor data from the at least one coordinated road user.

11 . The server device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the sensor data comprise at least some data, from among data including geoposition data of a current location of the coordinated road users, speed data of a speed of movement of the coordinated road users, or observation data concerning the respective real environments from respective view points of the coordinated road users.

12 . The server device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to extrapolate a geoposition and/or a relative position of the traffic object moving in the respective real environments in the digital central model.

13 . The server device as claimed in claim 9 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to control transmitting temporally in advance the instruction data for the action instruction with a future execution time, such that a latency value is determinable between a transmission time of the instruction data and the future execution time,

wherein, by selection of the transmission time, the latency value is set depending on a speed of the at least one coordinated road user and/or a traffic situation in a region in front of the at least one coordinated road user.

14 . The server device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the at least one coordinated road user performs a simulation of carrying out the action instruction in a manner shifted temporally ahead by the latency value such that a future traffic situation is estimable by the digital central model.

15 . The server device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein in performing the comparison of the respective real environments with the digital central model, the at least one coordinated road user carries out:

by sensor data of a sensor circuit carried by the at least one coordinated road user, a digital local model of a real environment of the at least one coordinated road user, from among the respective real environments, is created and a difference between the digital local model and the digital central model is determined and described as delta data of the at least one coordinated road user among the respective delta data of the coordinated road users, wherein the at least one coordinated road user transmits the delta data of the at least one coordinated road user to the server device.

16 . A control circuit for motor vehicles and/or user devices in roles of a plurality of road users, the control circuit configured for a road user, from among the plurality of road users, to,

receive model data of a digital central model of an environment of the road user from a server device,

the server device including a processor configured to coordinate action instructions for executing actions, to the plurality of road users, the processor configured to,

repeatedly create, based on environment data from a plurality of data sources, including from the plurality of road users, corresponding to respective real environments, the digital central model that is a virtual representation of the respective real environments,

calculate, based on the digital central model, instruction data respectively for action instructions for coordinated road users, from among the plurality of road users, such that

an action instruction, from among the action instructions, defines an action, from among the actions, to be executed by a respective coordinated road user, from among the coordinated road users, in a real environment of the respective coordinated road user, from among the respective real environments, and

the digital central model virtually describes a plurality of traffic objects, a traffic object, from among the plurality of traffic objects, assigned to an object category, from a plurality of object categories, and at least one stipulation, from among a plurality of stipulations, stipulated for the object category;

transmit the action instruction to the road user as a coordinated road user among the coordinated road user;

repeatedly provide the coordinated road users with the digital central model such that the coordinated road users generate and transmit to the server device, respective delta data of the coordinated road users based on a comparison of the digital central model with the respective real environments of the coordinated road users, the respective delta data describing a difference between the respective real environments of the coordinated road users and the digital central model;

receive from the coordinated road users, the respective delta data;

update the digital central model on basis of the respective delta data of the coordinated road users and using the digital central model updated to check whether the instruction data for at least one coordinated road user, from among the coordinated road users, is to be corrected in accordance with a correction criterion based on at least one stipulation stipulated for the object category, from among a plurality of stipulations including,

a change frequency specifying a maximum rate at which the respective delta data of the coordinated road users is generated for the traffic object of the object category, and

a priority stipulating an order with regard to determining the respective delta data of the coordinated road users, based on available computation time; and

when the instruction data to be corrected is identified according to the correction criterion,

updating the instruction data by adapting the action instruction to the digital central model updated, and

transmitting, to the at least one coordinated road user, the updated instruction data of the action instruction updated for the at least one coordinated road user;

perform, based on the digital central model provided from the server device, the comparison to determine the delta data of the road user describing a difference between the real environment of the road user and the digital central model provided from the server device;

transmit the delta data of the road user to the server device; and

receive an updated instruction data of the action transmitted from the server device, based on the correction criterion identified by the server device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2022
From: FREISCHEM, KARSTEN
To: AUDI AG
Reel/Frame 061828/0705 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2020 115 233.7 · Jun 9, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230186767A1 · Jun 15, 2023
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