SYSTEMS, METHODS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR LANE CHANGE DETECTION AND HANDLING OF LANE KEEPING TORQUE

• US 20080183342A1
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust), Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation (Nexteer Automotive Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kaufmann, Timothy W., Bolourchi, Farhad
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0051 from occupants to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0061 Aborting handover process
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/286 Systems for interrupting non-mechanical steering due to driver intervention
• 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

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products for lane change detection and handling of lane keeping torque during an un-signaled lane change. Disclosed herein is an exemplary embodiment for a method including calculating a distance between a center of a vehicle and a center of a lane, determining a discontinuity in the calculation of the distance between the center of the vehicle and the center of a lane and disabling torque corrections to compensate for the discontinuity until the vehicle is near the center (position based) of the new lane and a certain time has elapsed (time based) from the detection of the discontinuity. Hysterisis or smoothly changing torque controls are offered to work with the Time and Position based lane change handling method.

Claims

1. A method for lane change detection and handling of lane keeping torque, the method comprising:

calculating a distance between a center of a vehicle and a center of a lane;

determining a discontinuity in the calculation of the distance between the center of the vehicle and the center of a lane; and

enabling a torque correction to compensate for the discontinuity.

2. A method for lane change detection and handling of lane keeping torque, the method comprising:

disengaging a lane keeping torque in response to detecting a lane change;

calculating a time period; and

re-engaging a lane keeping torque in response to the expiration of the time period.

3. A method for lane change detection and handling of lane keeping torque, the method comprising:

disengaging a lane keeping torque in response to a detection of a lane change;

determining a position of a vehicle with respect to a center of a lane; and

re-engaging the lane keeping torque in response to a pre-determined distance of the vehicle to the center of the lane.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising measuring a distance from the center of the lane.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising detecting a sign change if the distance from the center of the lane has exceeded a pre-determined magnitude.

6. The method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising:

measuring a first distance from the center of the lane at a first time; and

measuring a second distance from the center of the lane at a second time.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising comparing an absolute value of a difference between the first and second distance.

8. A method for lane change detection and handling of lane keeping torque, the method comprising:

disengaging a lane keeping torque in response to a detection of a lane change;

determining a position of a vehicle with respect to a center of a lane;

calculating a time period; and

re-engaging a lane keeping torque in response to at least one of the vehicle moving within a pre-determined distance of the vehicle to the center of the lane and the expiration of the time period.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising measuring a distance from the center of the lane.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising detecting a sign change if the distance from the center of the lane has exceeded a pre-determined magnitude.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising:

measuring a first distance from the center of the lane at a first time; and

measuring a second distance from the center of the lane at a second time.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising comparing an absolute value of a difference between the first and second distance.

13. A method for lane change detection and handling of lane keeping torque, the method comprising providing a hysterisis to a lane keeping algorithm providing a lane keeping torque.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising detecting a movement of a vehicle from a center of a lane

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising in response to the vehicle moving away from the center of the lane engaging the lane keeping torque to maintain the vehicle in the lane with respect to the center of the lane.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the hysterisis is applied to the lane keeping torque with respect to the center of the lane.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising in response to detecting the vehicle moving toward the center of the lane, disengaging the lane keeping torque.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising detecting a movement of the vehicle to a center of the second lane.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 wherein the hysterisis is applied to the lane keeping torque with respect to the center of the second lane.

20. A method for lane change detection and handling of lane keeping torque, the method comprising:

detecting a movement of a vehicle from a first lane to a second lane;

increasing a first torque to the vehicle to retain the vehicle in the first lane;

detecting further movement of the vehicle from the first lane to the second lane;

in response to detecting the further movement of the vehicle from the first lane to the second lane, decreasing the first torque to the vehicle; and

applying a second torque to the vehicle to retain the vehicle in the second lane.