Automotive lane discipline system, method, and apparatus
First Claim
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1. A method for assisting a driver of a passenger vehicle, the method comprising:
- providing a controller installed within the passenger vehicle, wherein the controller receives outputs from at least one of a camera and a radar device for detecting at least one of the location of the passenger vehicle, the location of a second vehicle, and the speed of the second vehicle, wherein the controller is in the form of a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon and a processor that executes the instructions causing the controller to perform the steps of;
automatically detecting, by the controller performing a lane detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the passenger vehicle is traveling on a roadway having at least two lanes for legally permissible public travel in a first direction including one or more predetermined passing lanes and a predetermined non-passing lane;
automatically detecting, by the controller performing the lane detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the passenger vehicle is traveling in one of the one or more predetermined passing lanes of the at least two lanes;
automatically detecting, by the controller performing the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that a second vehicle is behind the passenger vehicle and traveling in one of the at least two lanes;
automatically detecting, by the controller performing the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the second vehicle is traveling faster than the passenger vehicle;
automatically determining, by the controller based on outputs from the lane detect function and the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger input, that the passenger vehicle is hindering traffic flow; and
in response to the controller determining that the passenger vehicle is hindering traffic, automatically outputting an instruction from the controller to depart from the predetermined passing lane toward the predetermined non-passing lane.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for assisting a driver of a first vehicle determines whether the first vehicle is traveling in a first lane of a multi-lane highway. The method further determines that another vehicle is approaching the first vehicle from behind in a second lane of the multi-lane highway. The method determines that the first vehicle is being passed by the second vehicle, and outputs a warning to the driver, instructing the driver to merge into the second lane where the second vehicle had been traveling.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for assisting a driver of a passenger vehicle, the method comprising:
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providing a controller installed within the passenger vehicle, wherein the controller receives outputs from at least one of a camera and a radar device for detecting at least one of the location of the passenger vehicle, the location of a second vehicle, and the speed of the second vehicle, wherein the controller is in the form of a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon and a processor that executes the instructions causing the controller to perform the steps of; automatically detecting, by the controller performing a lane detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the passenger vehicle is traveling on a roadway having at least two lanes for legally permissible public travel in a first direction including one or more predetermined passing lanes and a predetermined non-passing lane; automatically detecting, by the controller performing the lane detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the passenger vehicle is traveling in one of the one or more predetermined passing lanes of the at least two lanes; automatically detecting, by the controller performing the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that a second vehicle is behind the passenger vehicle and traveling in one of the at least two lanes; automatically detecting, by the controller performing the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the second vehicle is traveling faster than the passenger vehicle; automatically determining, by the controller based on outputs from the lane detect function and the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger input, that the passenger vehicle is hindering traffic flow; and in response to the controller determining that the passenger vehicle is hindering traffic, automatically outputting an instruction from the controller to depart from the predetermined passing lane toward the predetermined non-passing lane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for assisting a driver of a passenger vehicle, the method comprising:
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providing a controller installed within the passenger vehicle, wherein the controller receives outputs from at least one of a camera and a radar device for detecting at least one of the location of the passenger vehicle, the location of a second vehicle, and the speed of the second vehicle, wherein the controller is in the form of a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon and a processor that executes the instructions causing the controller to perform the steps of; automatically detecting, by the controller performing the lane detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the passenger vehicle is traveling; automatically detecting, by the controller performing the lane detect function, that the passenger vehicle is traveling in a passing lane of the at least two lanes; automatically detecting, by the controller performing a vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the second vehicle is traveling in a non-passing lane of the at least two lanes, wherein the non-passing lane is different than the passing lane; automatically detecting, by the controller performing a vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the second vehicle is behind the passenger vehicle; automatically detecting, by the controller performing the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the second vehicle is traveling faster than the passenger vehicle; automatically detecting, by the controller performing the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the second vehicle has passed and is ahead of the passenger vehicle automatically outputting a warning from the controller to the driver, wherein the warning instructs the driver to depart from the passing lane after detecting that the second vehicle is ahead of the passenger vehicle; logging an instance in a database of the controller that the second vehicle has passed the passenger vehicle; automatically detecting, by the controller performing the vehicle detect function and Independent from driver or passenger perception, that at least one additional vehicle in addition to the second vehicle has passed the passenger vehicle and logging the at least one additional vehicle to define a number of passing vehicles; wherein the outputting the warning is performed in response to logging that the second vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle has passed the passenger vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for providing lane discipline assistance to a driver of a first vehicle, the apparatus comprising, the apparatus receiving outputs from at least one of a camera and a radar device for detecting at least one of the location of the passenger vehicle, the location of a second vehicle, and the speed of the second vehicle, a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executing by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform steps comprising:
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automatically detecting, via a lane detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the first vehicle is traveling on a multi-lane highway having at least two lanes for legally permissible public travel in a first direction including a predetermined non-passing lane and one or more predetermined passing lanes and detecting that the first vehicle is traveling in one of the passing lanes of the multi-lane highway; automatically detecting, via a vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger perception, that the second vehicle is traveling on the multi-lane highway behind the first vehicle and at a faster speed than the first vehicle; automatically determining, based on outputs from the lane detect function and the vehicle detect function and independent from driver or passenger input, that the first vehicle is hindering traffic flow; and in response to determining that the first vehicle is hindering traffic flow, automatically outputting an instruction to depart from the predetermined passing lane toward the predetermined non-passing lane. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification