TRAILER LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM

• US 20140176716A1
• Filed: 03/03/2014
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wallat, Jeffrey, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert, Schondorf, Steven Yellin, Bennie, Brian, Prodin, Timothy, Wolski, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,373,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• 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: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• 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 lane departure warning system has a trailer detector for detecting that a trailer is attached to a vehicle, a lane boundary detector for detecting a position of a lane boundary on a roadway over which the vehicle is travelling, and an information processor including a calibrator for generating calibration parameters used in determining an unintended lane departure event with respect to the lane boundary. The information processor initiates a process for allowing an operator to provide trailer width information when the trailer detector indicates that the vehicle is towing a trailer. The lane departure warning system also includes a sensor for detecting a hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer. A controller determines a lateral offset of the trailer relative to the vehicle based on the hitch angle and a length of the trailer for generating a warning signal when the lateral offset crosses the lane boundary.

Claims

1. A lane departure warning system for a vehicle towing a trailer, comprising:

an imager detecting a lane boundary on a roadway;

a sensor detecting a hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer;

a controller determining a lateral offset of the trailer relative to the vehicle based on the hitch angle and a length of the trailer; and

a warning apparatus generating a signal when the lateral offset crosses the lane boundary.

2. The lane departure warning system of claim 1, wherein the imager is coupled with the vehicle and includes a field of vision in front of the vehicle.

3. The lane departure warning system of claim 1, further comprising:

a curve profiler determining a curvature of the roadway, wherein the lateral offset of the trailer is reduced when the hitch angle correlates with the curvature.

4. The lane departure warning system of claim 3, wherein the curve profiler determines the curvature based on a steering angle of the vehicle and a position of the vehicle relative to the lane boundary over time.

5. The lane departure warning system of claim 3, wherein the curve profiler determines the curvature based on information provided by the imager.

6. The lane departure warning system of claim 3, wherein the curve profiler determines the curvature based on information provided by a global positioning system of the vehicle.

7. The lane departure warning system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a trailer position routine that determines the lateral offset based on a width of the trailer by estimating a distance from a centerline of the vehicle to a rear corner of the trailer furthest from the centerline.

8. The lane departure warning system of claim 7, wherein the controller includes a curve profile routine that determines a curvature of the roadway, whereby the lateral offset is reduced based on a tightness of the curvature.

9. A method for providing a lane departure warning for a vehicle towing a trailer, comprising:

detecting a lane boundary on a roadway with an imager;

sensing a hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer;

determining a lateral offset of the trailer relative to the vehicle based on the hitch angle and length and width dimension of the trailer; and

generating a warning signal when the lateral offset traverses the lane boundary.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a curvature of the roadway proximate the vehicle, wherein the lateral offset of the trailer is reduced when the hitch angle correlates with the curvature.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the hitch angle correlates with the curvature when the hitch angle deviates from a centerline of the vehicle in the same direction as the roadway proximate the trailer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the curvature of the roadway is determined based on information provided by a field of vision in front of the vehicle monitored by the imager.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the curvature correlates with a steering angle of the vehicle based on movement of a position of the vehicle relative to the lane boundary over time.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the curvature of the roadway is determined based on a location of the vehicle relative to mapping information as provided by a global positioning system.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving the length dimension of the trailer and the width dimension of the trailer based on an identification of the trailer.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining the lateral offset as defined as a distance perpendicular from a longitudinal extent of an edge of the vehicle to a rear corner of the trailer furthest from the centerline; and

selecting a tolerance value, wherein the warning signal is generated when the lateral offset combined with the tolerance value is great enough to traverse the lane boundary.

17. A method for providing a lane departure warning for a vehicle towing a trailer, comprising:

detecting a lane boundary on a roadway proximate the vehicle;

determining a curvature of the roadway proximate the vehicle;

sensing a hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer;

determining a lateral offset of an outside rear portion the trailer relative to the vehicle based on the hitch angle, a length of the trailer, and a width of the trailer;

reducing the lateral offset when the curvature is greater than a threshold curvature tightness and correlates with an orientation of the hitch angle; and

generating a warning signal when the lateral offset crosses the lane boundary.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the orientation of the hitch angle correlates with the curvature when the hitch angle deviates from a centerline of the vehicle in the same direction as the roadway proximate the trailer.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the lateral offset is defined as a distance perpendicular from a centerline of the vehicle to a rear corner of the trailer furthest from the centerline.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the curvature of the roadway is determined based on a location of the vehicle relative to mapping information as provided by a global positioning system.