Driver assistance method

1. A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle by providing a driver assistance system that outputs a recommended maximum speed for a bend in a road prior to the vehicle traveling in the bend, comprising:

determining bend data indicating a course of the bend in the road by the system;

determining road condition data that indicates a condition of a road surface in front of the vehicle in a forward direction of travel by the system;

analyzing the bend data and the road condition data by the system;

determining a recommended maximum speed based on the analyzed bend data and the analyzed road condition data by the driver assistance system; and

outputting the recommended maximum speed to the driver by the driver assistance system in advance of the vehicle entering the bend.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the bend data is determined from a digital map available to the vehicle.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the road condition data comprises information indicating a quality of the road surface.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the road condition data comprises information indicating wetness of the road surface.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the road condition data is received from a communication means located outside of the vehicle.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the driver assistance system includes at least one camera and an image evaluation unit, and the step of determining the recommended maximum speed further includes,

taking the at least one image of the environmental zone by the camera;

detecting an environmental zone in the forward direction through at least one image taken by the at least one camera disposed on the vehicle, the environmental zone including at least one road sign that includes road sign content,

determining the road sign content in the at least one image, and

using the determined road sign content to assist in the determination of the recommended maximum speed.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the environmental zone includes visibility conditions and the at least one image includes visibility condition content, and the step of determining the recommended maximum speed further includes,

determining the at least one image for the visibility condition content,

using the determined visibility condition content to assist in the determination of the recommended maximum speed.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the step of determining that at least one image for the visibility condition content occurs when headlamps on the vehicle are actuated.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein that at least one camera comprises a single camera, the method further including,

taking at least one image of the environmental zone with the single camera, and the bend data, the road condition data, the road sign content, and the visibility condition content are contained on the at least one image taken by the single camera.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a warning signal is output to the driver by the processor when an actual speed of the vehicle in the bend exceeds the recommended maximum speed.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the vehicle is automatically slowed down by the processor to the recommended maximum speed when the actual speed exceeds the recommended maximum speed.

12. A driver assistance system for assisting a driver of a vehicle by providing a recommended maximum speed to the driver for driving in a bend of a road prior to the vehicle traveling in the bend, comprising:

a first module for determining bend data representing the direction of the bend of the road;

a second module for determining road condition data representing a condition of a road surface in front of the vehicle; and

a processor module in electrical communication with the first and second modules, said processor module analyzing the bend data and the road condition data to determine a recommended maximum speed for driving the vehicle in the bend, said recommended maximum speed being output from the processor module to the driver in advance of the vehicle entering the bend.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the system includes at least one camera, and additional bend data and the road condition data are contained in the at least one image taken by the camera, and the maximum recommended speed is a function of the bend data and the additional bend data.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one camera is a single camera, and the single camera is disposed in a region of a rear view mirror of the vehicle adjacent a windshield of the vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one camera is a single camera, and the single camera is a component of a rain sensor, and the rain sensor operatively controls a windshield wiper of the vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the wetness on the road is determined by a rain sensor that controls actuation of a windshield wiper of the vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the single camera is disposed in the vehicle in a region of a rear view minor adjacent a windshield of the vehicle.

18. The driver assistance system according to claim 12 , wherein the second module further includes bend data, and the processor module receives and processes the bend data from the first module and the bend data from the second module to respectively assist in the determination of the recommended maximum speed.