DRIVING SUPPORT APPARATUS AND DRIVING SUPPORT METHOD

• US 20120226392A1
• Filed: 11/27/2009
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2009
• 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 9,406,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• 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: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A driving support detects for a lane dividing line on a road surface which is travelled upon, by using an image which is taken by a camera and which represents the road surface which is traveled upon and is in front of a vehicle, sets a virtual lane dividing line in a section in which no lane dividing line is drawn, performs a driving support by controlling the vehicle based on the lane dividing line and the virtual lane dividing line, and issues a warning when the vehicle deviates from the virtual lane dividing line. Further, the driving support detects a state of the vehicle, calculates information indicating the state as vehicle information, cancels the driving support when the vehicle information satisfies a predetermined cancel condition, and inhibits the warning when the driving support is canceled.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A driving support apparatus that performs a driving support for causing a vehicle to travel in a lane, the driving support apparatus comprising:

an image taking section for taking an image of a road surface which is travelled upon and is in front of the vehicle;

an image processing section for detecting for a lane dividing line on the road surface which is travelled upon, by using the image taken by the image taking section, and setting a virtual lane dividing line in a section in which no lane dividing line is detected;

a support section for performing the driving support by controlling the vehicle so as to prevent the vehicle from deviating from the lane dividing line or the virtual lane dividing line; and

a warning section for issuing a warning when the vehicle is likely to deviate from the lane dividing line or the virtual lane dividing line;

wherein

in a case where the vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition,

the warning section is actuated when the vehicle is likely to deviate from the lane dividing line, and

the warning section stops operating when the vehicle is likely to deviate from the virtual lane dividing line.

10. The driving support apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition that at least one of a windshield wiper of the vehicle, an operation of a steering wheel of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, a turn signal, and an operation of a brake, is in a predetermined state.

11. The driving support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition that the vehicle is in at least one of a state in which the windshield wiper is operating, a state in which a steering torque of the steering wheel indicates a value greater than a predetermined value, a state in which the speed of the vehicle indicates a value within a predetermined range, a state in which the turn signal is operating, and a state in which the brake is being operated.

12. The driving support apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the image processing section does not detect the lane dividing line, the image processing section sets, as the virtual lane dividing line, a line obtained by extending the lane dividing line having been most recently detected, on a same side on which the lane dividing line has been most recently detected.

13. The driving support apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the image processing section does not detect one of the lane dividing line on a right side and the lane dividing line on a left side, the image processing section sets the virtual lane dividing line at a position that is distant from a position of the other of the lane dividing lines, which has been detected, by a distance between a right side lane dividing line and a left side lane dividing line which have been previously detected.