Vehicle control system with adaptive wheel angle correction

• US 10,202,147 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bajpai, Devendra, Tan, Honghao
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US15/344,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20170050671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 701 41, 701 28, 701300, 701 70, 701301, 340400, 340401, 348135, 382104, 382181
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/23 with a predetermined field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/10 characterised by the type of camera system used
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8033 for pedestrian protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils

Abstract

A control system for a vehicle includes a forward viewing camera having a field of view forward of the vehicle. A control includes an image processor operable to process image data captured by the camera to determine lane boundaries of a lane of travel of the vehicle and to determine road curvature of a curved section of a road being traveled by the vehicle. The control, responsive at least in part to processing of captured image data, determines an end of the curved section where the road straightens. The control, responsive to a determination that the vehicle is at the end of the curved section where the road straightens, determines a wheel angle to adjust a wheel of the vehicle to such that the vehicle travels parallel to a tangent of the road after the vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at a straight section of the road.

Claims

1. A control system for a vehicle, said control system comprising:

a forward viewing camera disposed at an interior-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said control system and having a field of view through the windshield exterior and forward of the equipped vehicle;

said camera comprising at least 1 million photosensor elements arranged in a two-dimensional photosensor array having rows and columns;

a control comprising an image processor operable to process image data captured by said photosensor array of said camera to determine lane boundaries of a lane of travel of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said image processor is operable to process image data captured by said photosensor array of said camera to determine road curvature of a curved section of a road being traveled by the equipped vehicle;

wherein said control, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of captured image data, determines an end of the curved section where the road straightens; and

wherein said control, responsive to a determination that the equipped vehicle is at the end of the curved section where the road straightens, determines a wheel angle to adjust a wheel of the equipped vehicle to such that the equipped vehicle travels parallel to a tangent of the road after the equipped vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at a straight section of the road.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein, after the equipped vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at the straight section of the road, the equipped vehicle has generally zero lateral acceleration and generally zero lateral velocity.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein said control steers the equipped vehicle along the curved section of the road.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein said control adjusts a steering system of the equipped vehicle steering to have a front wheel of the equipped vehicle generally parallel to a tangent of the road after the equipped vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at the straight section of the road, whereby the vehicle is traveling substantially straight along the road following the road curvature.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein said control adjusts the wheel of the equipped vehicle such that the equipped vehicle is parallel to a tangent of the road curvature.

6. The control system of claim 5, wherein, when the wheel is adjusted to be parallel to the tangent of the road after the equipped vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at the straight section of the road, the equipped vehicle has generally zero lateral acceleration and generally zero lateral velocity.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein said control controls a front wheel of the equipped vehicle such that the equipped vehicle front wheel is generally parallel to the tangent of the road curvature.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein said control, at least in part responsive to (i) vehicle velocity, (ii) vehicle yaw rate and (iii) vehicle lateral acceleration, determines lane parameters relative to the equipped vehicle.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein said determined lane parameters comprise a curvature derivative heading and position relative to the equipped vehicle.

10. The control system of claim 1, wherein said control determines a degree of steering adjustment to apply to the equipped vehicle steering to guide the equipped vehicle along the curved section and within the lane boundaries.

11. The control system of claim 1, wherein said control applies a correction to keep the equipped vehicle within the determined lane boundaries.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein said correction comprises a torque applied to a steering mechanism of the equipped vehicle.

13. The control system of claim 1, wherein said image processor is operable to process captured image data for detecting at least one of (i) an object present in the field of view of said camera, (ii) a vehicle present in the field of view of said camera and (iii) a pedestrian present in the field of view of said camera.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein said image processor processes image data captured by said camera for at least one of (i) a vehicle headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a pedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle. (iii) a collision avoidance system of the equipped vehicle and (iv) a traffic sign recognition system of the equipped vehicle.

15. A control system for a vehicle, said control system comprising:

a forward viewing camera disposed at an interior-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said control system and having a field of view through the windshield exterior and forward of the equipped vehicle;

said camera comprising at least 1 million photosensor elements arranged in a two-dimensional photosensor array having rows and columns;

a control comprising an image processor operable to process image data captured by said photosensor array of said camera to determine lane boundaries of a lane of travel of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said image processor is operable to process image data captured by said photosensor array of said camera to determine road curvature of a curved section of a road being traveled by the equipped vehicle;

wherein said control, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of captured image data, determines an end of the curved section where the road straightens;

wherein said control, responsive to a determination that the equipped vehicle is at the end of the curved section where the road straightens, determines a wheel angle to adjust a wheel of the equipped vehicle to such that the equipped vehicle travels parallel to a tangent of the road after the equipped vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at a straight section of the road; and

wherein, when the wheel is adjusted to be parallel to the tangent of the road after the equipped vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at the straight section of the road, the equipped vehicle has generally zero lateral acceleration and generally zero lateral velocity.

16. The control system of claim 15, wherein said image processor is operable to process captured image data for detecting at least one of (i) an object present in the field of view of said camera, (ii) a vehicle present in the field of view of said camera and (iii) a pedestrian present in the field of view of said camera.

17. The control system of claim 16, wherein said control steers the equipped vehicle along the curved section of the road.

18. The control system of claim 16, wherein said image processor processes image data captured by said camera for at least one of (i) a vehicle headlamp control system of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a pedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle. (iii) a collision avoidance system of the equipped vehicle and (iv) a traffic sign recognition system of the equipped vehicle.

19. A control system for a vehicle, said control system comprising:

a forward viewing camera disposed at an interior-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with said control system and having a field of view through the windshield exterior and forward of the equipped vehicle;

said camera comprising at least 1 million photosensor elements arranged in a two-dimensional photosensor array having rows and columns;

a control comprising an image processor operable to process image data captured by said photosensor array of said camera to determine lane boundaries of a lane of travel of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said image processor is operable to process image data captured by said photosensor array of said camera to determine road curvature of a curved section of a road being traveled by the equipped vehicle;

wherein said control steers the equipped vehicle along the curved section of the road;

wherein said control, responsive at least in part to processing by said image processor of captured image data, determines an end of the curved section where the road straightens;

wherein said control, responsive to a determination that the equipped vehicle is at the end of the curved section where the road straightens, determines a wheel angle to adjust a wheel of the equipped vehicle to such that the equipped vehicle travels parallel to a tangent of the road after the equipped vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at a straight section of the road; and

wherein said image processor is operable to process captured image data for detecting at least one of (i) an object present in the field of view of said camera, (ii) a vehicle present in the field of view of said camera and (iii) a pedestrian present in the field of view of said camera.

20. The control system of claim 19, wherein said control determines a degree of steering adjustment to apply to the equipped vehicle steering to guide the equipped vehicle along the curved section and within the lane boundaries.

21. The control system of claim 20, wherein said image processor processes captured image data a pedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle.

22. The control system of claim 20, wherein, when the wheel is adjusted to be parallel to the tangent of the road after the equipped vehicle has traversed the curved section and is at the straight section of the road, the equipped vehicle has generally zero lateral acceleration and generally zero lateral velocity.