Driving Assist System

• US 20090171533A1
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kataoka, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• 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

A driving assist system assists steering such that a vehicle travels along a set target course. A steering torque sensor detects a steering torque that serves as a steering operation input value generated by a driver. If the steering torque value is equal to or greater than a preset reference value and a direction corresponding to the steering torque is a direction away from another vehicle present ahead in an adjacent lane, then an ECU corrects the target course to a course that moves away from the other vehicle.

Claims

1. A driving assist system that assists steering such that a vehicle travels along a preset target course, the driving assist system comprising:

steering operation detecting means for detecting a steering operation input value generated by a driver; and

correcting means for correcting the target course if the detected steering operation input value is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference.

2. The driving assist system according to claim 1, further comprising:

positional relationship detecting means for detecting a positional relationship between the vehicle and an object present near a lane in which the vehicle is traveling, wherein the correcting means corrects the target course if the detected positional relationship meets a predetermined condition.

3. The driving assist system according to claim 1, wherein the correcting means increases a correction amount of the target course as the steering operation input value increases.

4. The driving assist system according to claim 1, wherein the steering operation input value is one of a steering torque value and a steering angle.

5. The driving assist system according to claim 1, wherein the correcting means corrects the target course within a range such that the vehicle does not depart from a lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

6. The driving assist system according to claim 1, wherein the correcting means corrects the target course to a direction of the steering operation performed by the driver.

7. The driving assist system according to claim 6, wherein the correcting means corrects the target course to a direction away from an object present near the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

8. The driving assist system according to claim 1, further comprising:

line-of-sight detecting means for detecting a line of sight of the driver, wherein the correcting means corrects the target course if the detected line of sight of the driver is a predetermined direction.

9. The driving assist system according to claim 1, further comprising:

travel lane detecting means for detecting a shape of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, wherein the correcting means corrects the target course based on the detected shape of the travel lane.