STEERING SUPPORT DEVICE

• US 20100004822A1
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kataoka, Hiroaki, Iwazaki, Katsuhiko, Rattapon, Chumsamutr, Okuda, Yuji, Kawakami, Seiji
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• 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 5/0466 for returning the steering wheel to neutral position

Abstract

The present invention aims at providing a steering assistance apparatus which can accurately detect a curve exit of a running path and perform steering assistance control with an excellent running path following capability. The steering assistance apparatus of the present invention is a steering assistance apparatus 1 for providing a steering mechanism with a steering torque such that a vehicle runs along a running path according to an image capturing the running path in front of the vehicle, which estimates a curve direction of the running path by processing the image, estimates a steering direction of a driver of the vehicle according to a steering operation of the driver, and determines that the vehicle is running through a curve exit according to a fact that the estimated curve direction and steering direction do not coincide with each other. This makes it possible to determine the curve exit of the running path accurately and perform appropriate steering assistance control.

Claims

1. A steering assistance apparatus for providing a steering mechanism with a steering torque such that a vehicle runs along a running path according to an image capturing the running path in front of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

curve direction estimating means for estimating a curve direction of the running path by processing the image;

steering direction estimating means for estimating a steering direction of a driver of the vehicle according to a steering operation of the driver; and

curve exit determining means for determining that the vehicle is running through a curve exit according to a fact that the curve direction estimated by the curve direction estimating means and the steering direction estimated by the steering direction estimating means do not coincide with each other.

2. A steering assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising steering control means for making a greater amount of change in the steering torque during turning back a steering wheel when the curve exit determining means determines that the vehicle is running through the curve exit than when not.

3. A steering assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when a curvature value of the running path calculated through the image processing incurs a predetermined level of noise or greater, even if the curve exit determining means determines that the vehicle is running through the curve exit, the steering control means keeps the amount of change in steering torque during turning back the steering wheel from becoming greater than that when not.