Lane-departure warning system with differentiation between an edge-of-lane marking and a structural boundary of the edge of the lane

• US 20060132295A1
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Woltermann, Bernd, Moebus, Rainer, Oltmann, Volker, Lotter, Alfred, Zomotor, Zoltan, Gern, Axel
• Granted Patent: US 7,411,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes

Abstract

A driver assistance device for warning a driver of a motor vehicle of a risk of departure from the lane or from the lane is described, having at least one image-transmitting sensor, an evaluation device, connected to the image-transmitting sensor, for detecting edge-of-lane and/or lane markings and/or edges of lanes in the area sensed by the image-transmitting sensor, and a warning device which is connected to the evaluation device, in which driver assistance device in addition at least one distance-transmitting sensor is connected to the evaluation device, with which sensor the distance from objects which are elevated with respect to the surface of the lane can be determined in the region of the edge of the lane, in particular of a structural boundary of the edge of the lane.

Claims

1. A driver assistance device for warning a driver of a motor vehicle of a risk of departure from the road or from the lane in which he is driving, said device having at least one image-transmitting sensor, an evaluation device, connected to the image-transmitting sensor, for detecting edge-of-lane and/or lane markings and/or edges of lanes in the area sensed by the image-transmitting sensor, and a warning device which is connected to the evaluation device, wherein in addition at least one distance-transmitting sensor is connected to the evaluation device, with which sensor the distance from objects which are elevated with respect to the surface of the lane can be determined in the region of the edge of the lane, in particular a structural boundary of the edge of the lane, and/or from a border at which the surface of the lane ends in the region of the edge of the lane and drops away to a piece of lower surrounding land.

2. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the distance-transmitting sensor is arranged in an approximately transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

4. The driver assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the distance-transmitting sensor is part of another driver assistance device.

3. A driver assistance device for warning a driver of a motor vehicle of a risk of departure from the road or from the lane in which he is driving, said device having at least one image-transmitting sensor, an evaluation device, connected to the image-transmitting sensor, for detecting edge-of-lane and/or lane markings and/or edges of lanes in the area sensed by the image-transmitting sensor, and a warning device which is connected to the evaluation device, wherein in addition at least one height-estimating sensor and optionally also a distance-transmitting sensor is connected to the evaluation device, with which sensor(s) the distance from objects which are elevated with respect to the surface of the lane can be determined in the region of the edge of the lane, in particular a structural boundary of the edge of the lane, and/or from a border at which the surface of the lane ends in the region of the edge of the lane and drops away to a piece of lower surrounding land.

6. The driver assistance device according to claim 3, wherein the height-estimating sensor is part of another driver assistance device.

5. A driver assistance device for warning a driver of a motor vehicle of a risk of departure from the road or from the lane in which he is driving, said device having at least one image-transmitting sensor, an evaluation device, connected to the image-transmitting sensor, for detecting edge-of-lane and/or lane markings and/or edges of lanes in the area sensed by the image-transmitting sensor, and a warning device which is connected to the evaluation device, wherein in addition at least one sensor which, on the basis of different reflection behaviour of objects, permits differentiation between said objects, and optionally also a distance-transmitting sensor a is connected to the evaluation device, with which sensor(s) the distance from objects which are elevated with respect to the surface of the lane can be determined in the region of the edge of the lane, in particular a structural boundary of the edge of the lane, and/or from a border at which the surface of the lane ends in the region of the edge of the lane and drops away to a piece of lower surrounding land.

7. The driver assistance device according to claim 5, wherein the sensor which, on the basis of different reflection behaviour of objects, permits differentiation between said objects, is part of another driver assistance device.