Drive assist system for motor vehicle

• US 6,057,754 A
• Filed: 07/27/1998
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Arai, Kazumasa, Ikeda, Atsushi, Kinoshita, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/122,773
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 348/135, 348/136, 348/137, 348/140, 348/148, 348/149, 348/142, 348/118, 348/119, 348/143, 348/175, 348/176, 348/178, 348/179, 348/190, 348/208, 348/211, 340/903, 340/937, 340/435, 340/436, 180/167, 180/169, 180/270
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/082 using alarm actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/28 non-mechanical , e.g. following a line or other known markers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/00 Steering not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593

Abstract

A drive assist system of a vehicle for preventing a lane moving-out includes a pair of CCD cameras for taking picture images of the scenery in front of the vehicle, an image processing section for processing the picture images, a road/object detecting section for obtaining image data, a lane moving-out judging section for judging a lane moving-out from a lane, a roadside judging section for issuing an alarm when it judges a lane moving-out in the roadside direction, a moving-out direction obstacle judging section for issuing an alarm when there is a possibility of colliding with an obstacle on a moving-out direction lane, a lane width judging section for stopping or suppressing an alarm in case where the lane moving-out is an avoidable behavior due to the narrow width of the lane and a front direction obstacle judging section for stopping or suppressing an alarm in case where the lane moving-out is for avoiding an obstacle in front of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A drive assist system for raising an alarm when a self vehicle moves out from a self lane on which said self vehicle travels, comprising:

a running environment detecting means for detecting running conditions of said self vehicle, a position of said self vehicle, a position of said self lane and a position of a neighboring lane and for recognizing objects existing on said self lane and said neighboring lane in the relationship with said position of said self vehicle;

a lane moving-out judging means based on information obtained from said running environment detecting means for comparing said position of said self vehicle with said position of said self lane and for judging a lane moving-out from said self lane of said self vehicle;

a warning signal generation judging means for outputting a signal to stop or suppress an alarm when said self vehicle moves out from said self lane and at least when it is judged based on said information obtained from said running environment judging section that an object exists on said self lane within a preestablished range and that said object is an obstacle to said self vehicle; and

a warning control means for operating a warning device based on said signal from said warning signal generation judging means;

wherein said preestablished range in said warning signal generation judging means includes a width of said self lane and a specified width of a range provided on left and right sides of said self lane, respectively.

2. A drive assist system for raising an alarm when a self vehicle moves out from a self lane on which said self vehicle travels, comprising:

a running environment detecting means for detecting running conditions of said self vehicle, a position of said self vehicle, a position of said self lane and a position of a neighboring lane and for recognizing objects existing on said self lane and said neighboring lane in the relationship with said position of said self vehicle;

a lane moving-out judging means based on information obtained from said running environment detecting means for comparing said position of said self vehicle with said position of said self lane and for judging a lane moving-out from said self lane of said self vehicle;

a warning signal generation judging means for outputting a signal to stop or suppress an alarm when said self vehicle moves out from said self lane and at least when it is judged based on said information obtained from said running environment judging means that a width of said self lane is narrower than a predetermined value; and

a warning control means for operating an warning device based on said signal from said warning signal generation judging means.

3. The drive assist system according to claim 2, wherein said running environment detecting means comprises a pair of CCD cameras mounted on the vehicle.

4. The drive assist system according to claim 2, wherein said warning device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a buzzer, a warning lamp, a display guidance, an audio announce generating device, and an automatic brake apparatus.

5. A driving assist system for a vehicle, comprising:

a pair of image pick-up devices mounted on the vehicle for taking a stereoscopic picture of the object in front of the vehicle, said image pick-up devices generating an image signal;

object distinguishing means for processing said image signal by means of the principle of triangulation and generating a distance image signal representing a three-dimensional distance distribution about all of the images of the objects;

a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle for detecting a vehicle speed and producing a vehicle speed signal;

object recognition means responsive to said distance image signal for detecting coordinates of roads and objects separately, said object recognition means producing an object signal;

lane deviation judging means responsive to said object signal for determining whether the vehicle is running within a desired lane, said lane deviation judging means outputting a deviation signal;

road side judging means responsive to said deviation signal and said object signal for discriminating whether or not there is a neighboring lane beside the self lane, said road side judging means producing a lane signal when another lane to enter exists; and

warning means responsive to said lane signal and said deviation signal for warning a driver when said lane signal is unrecognized.

6. The driving assist system according to claim 5, wherein said image pick-up device comprises a pair of CCD cameras mounted on the vehicle.

7. The driving system according to claim 5, wherein the warning device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a buzzer, a warning lamp, a display guidance, an audio announce generating device, and an automatic brake apparatus.

8. A driving assist system for a vehicle, comprising:

a pair of image pick-up devices mounted on the vehicle for taking a stereoscopic picture of the object in front of the vehicle, said image pick-up devices generating an image signal;

a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle for detecting a vehicle speed and producing a vehicle speed signal;

object distinguishing means responsive to said image signal for processing said image signal by means of the principle of triangulation and a three-dimensional distribution of the object and for deriving an object information about the object, said object distinguishing means generating an object signal;

recognized object judging means responsive to said object signal for deriving various parameters of a position and a shape of the object, said recognized object judging means outputting a deviation signal distinguishing a deviation from a lane and a road side along the lane;

obstacle judging means responsive to said vehicle speed signal, said object signal and said deviation signal for determining whether the object on a neighboring lane comes to be an obstacle for the vehicle on the basis of said derived parameters of the object, said obstacle judging means producing a side judgment signal when the vehicle is going to enter the neighboring lane; and

warning control means responsive to said side judgment signal and said deviation signal for distinguishing a deviation from a lane and an existence of a neighboring lane, said warning control means outputting a warning signal only when the vehicle is going into a dangerous situation due to an existence of the obstacle object in the neighboring lane.

9. The driving assist system according to claim 8, wherein said image pick-up device comprises a pair of CCD cameras mounted on the vehicle.

10. The driving system according to claim 8, wherein the warning device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a buzzer, a warning lamp, a display guidance, an audio announce generating device, and an automatic brake apparatus.

11. A driving assist system for a vehicle, comprising:

a pair of image pick-up devices mounted on the vehicle for taking a stereoscopic picture of the object in front of the vehicle, said image pick-up devices generating an image signal;

a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle for detecting a vehicle speed and producing a vehicle speed signal;

object distinguishing means responsive to said image signal for processing said image signal by means of the principle of triangulation and a three-dimensional distribution of the object and for deriving an object information about said object, said object distinguishing means generating an object signal;

recognized object judging means responsive to said object signal for deriving various parameters of a position and a shape of the object and distinguishing a deviation from a lane and a road side along the lane, said recognized object judging means outputting a deviation signal;

obstacle judging means responsive to said speed signal, said object signal and said deviation signal for determining whether the object in a neighboring lane becomes an obstacle for the vehicle on the basis of said derived parameters of the object, said obstacle judging means producing a side judgment signal when the obstacle object is unrecognized;

self lane width judging means responsive to said object signal and said side judgment signal for determining whether or not a width of said lane is narrower than a predetermined width, said self lane width judging means producing a width signal only when said width is smaller than said predetermined width; and

warning suppressing means responsive to said width signal for restricting a generation of a warning signal even when the vehicle is treading on a lane.

12. The driving assist system according to claim 11, wherein said image pick-up device comprises a pair of CCD cameras mounted on the vehicle.

13. The driving system according to claim 11, wherein the warning device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a buzzer, a warning lamp, a display guidance, an audio announce generating device, and an automatic brake apparatus.

14. A driving assist system for a vehicle, comprising:

a pair of image pick-up devices mounted on the vehicle for taking a stereoscopic picture of the object in front of the vehicle, said image pick-up devices generating an image signal;

a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle for detecting a vehicle speed and producing a vehicle speed signal;

object distinguishing means responsive to said image signal for processing said image signal by means of the principle of triangulation and a three-dimensional distribution of the object and for deriving an object information about said object, said object distinguishing means generating an object signal;

recognized object judging means responsive to said object signal for deriving various parameters of a position and a shape of the object, said recognized object judging means outputting a deviation signal distinguishing a deviation from a lane and a road side along the lane;

said obstacle judging means responsive to said vehicle speed signal, said object signal and said deviation signal for determining whether the object on a neighboring lane comes to be a side obstacle for the vehicle on the basis of said parameters of the object, said side obstacle judging means producing a side obstacle judgment signal when said side obstacle is unrecognized;

self lane width judging means responsive to said object signal and said side obstacle signal for determining whether a width of said lane is narrower than a predetermined width, said self lane width judging means producing a width signal only when said width is smaller than said predetermined width;

front obstacle judging means responsive to said speed signal, said object signal and said width signal for determining whether the object on a neighboring lane comes to be a front obstacle for the vehicle on the basis of said parameters of the object, said front obstacle judging means producing at least a front obstacle signal when the front obstacle is unrecognized; and

warning suppressing means responsive to said front obstacle signal for restricting a generation of a warning even when the vehicle is treading on a lane.

15. The driving assist system according to claim 14, wherein said image pick-up device comprises a pair of CCD cameras mounted on the vehicle.

16. The driving system according to claim 14, wherein the warning device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a buzzer, a warning lamp, a display guidance, an audio announce generating device, and an automatic brake apparatus.

17. A method of assisting a driving of a vehicle, comprising:

taking a stereoscopic picture of an object in front of the vehicle and generating an image signal;

processing said image signal by means of the principle of triangulation and generating a distance image signal representing a three-dimensional distance distribution about all of the images of the objects;

detecting a vehicle speed;

detecting coordinates of roads and objects separately responsive to said distance image signal and producing an object signal;

determining, responsive to said object signal, whether the vehicle is running within a desired lane or not, and outputting a deviation signal;

discriminating, responsive to said deviation signal and said object signal, whether or not a neighboring lane exists besides the desired lane, and producing a lane signal when another lane to enter exists; and

warning a driver when said lane signal is unrecognized responsive to said lane signal and said deviation signal.

18. A method of assisting a driving of a vehicle, comprising:

taking a stereoscopic picture of the object in front of the vehicle and generating an image signal;

detecting a vehicle speed and producing a vehicle speed signal;

processing said image signal by means of the principle of triangulation and a three-dimensional distribution of the object and for deriving an object information about the object, and generating an object signal;

deriving various parameters of a position and a shape of the object responsive to said object signal and outputting a deviation signal distinguishing a deviation from a lane and a road side therealong;

determining, responsive to said vehicle speed signal, whether the object on a neighboring lane comes to be an obstacle for the vehicle on the basis of said derived parameters of the object, and producing a side judgment signal when the vehicle is going to enter the neighboring lane; and

distinguishing, responsive to said side judgment signal and said deviation signal, a deviation from a lane and an existence of a neighboring lane, said warning control means outputting a warning signal only when the vehicle is going into a dangerous situation due to an existence of the obstacle object on the neighboring lane.

19. A method of assisting a driving of a vehicle, comprising:

taking a stereoscopic picture of the object in front of the vehicle and generating an image signal;

detecting a vehicle speed and producing a vehicle speed signal;

processing said image signal by means of the principle of triangulation and a three-dimensional distribution of the object and for deriving an object information about the object, and generating an object signal;

deriving, responsive to said object signal, various parameters of a position and a shape of the object and distinguishing a deviation from a lane and a road side therealong, and outputting a deviation signal;

determining, responsive to said speed signal, whether the object on a neighboring lane comes to be an obstacle for said vehicle on the basis of said parameters of the object, and producing a side judgment signal when the obstacle object is unrecognized;

determining, responsive to said object signal and said side judgment signal, whether or not a width of said lane is narrower than a predetermined width, and producing a width signal only when said width is smaller than said predetermined width; and

restricting a generation of a warning signal even when the vehicle is treading on a lane responsive to said width signal.

20. A method of assisting a driving of a vehicle, comprising:

taking a stereoscopic picture of the object in front of the vehicle and generating an image signal;

detecting a vehicle speed and producing a vehicle speed signal;

processing said image signal by means of the principle of triangulation and a three-dimensional distribution of the object and deriving an object information about the object, and generating an object signal;

deriving, responsive to said object signal, various parameters of a position and a shape of the object, and outputting a deviation signal distinguishing a deviation from a lane and a road side therealong;

determining, responsive to said vehicle speed signal, whether the object on a neighboring lane comes to be a side obstacle for the vehicle on the basis of said parameters of the object, and producing a side obstacle judgment signal when said side obstacle is unrecognized;

determining, responsive to said object signal and said side obstacle signal, whether a width of said lane is narrower than a predetermined width, and producing a width signal only when said width is smaller than said predetermined width;

determining, responsive to said speed signal, whether the object on a neighboring lane comes to be a front obstacle for the vehicle on the basis of said parameters of the object, and producing at least a front obstacle signal when the front obstacle is unrecognized; and

restricting a generation of a warning even when the vehicle is treading on a lane responsive to said front obstacle signal.

21. A driving assist system mounted on a vehicle for recognizing an object therearound having a pair of cameras mounted on both left and right sides of said vehicle for taking a stereoscopic picture of an object and for generating an image signal and a vehicle speed sensor mounted on said vehicle for detecting a vehicle speed and for producing a vehicle speed signal, comprising:

an object distinguishing means responsive to said image signal for generating a distance image representing a three-dimensional distance distribution among all images by processing said image signal through a principle of triangulation and for generating a distance image signal;

an object recognition means responsive to said distance image signal for detecting coordinates of roads and objects separately and for producing an object signal;

a lane deviation judging means responsive to said object signal for determining whether said vehicle is running within a desired lane or not and for outputting a deviation signal;

a road side judging means responsive to said deviation signal and said object signal for discriminating whether or not there is a neighboring lane beside said desired lane and for producing a lane signal if there is another lane to enter; and

a warning means responsive to said lane signal for warning a driver if said lane signal is unrecognized so as to effectively enable safe driving.

22. The drive assist system according to claim 21, wherein said warning means comprises a device selected from the group of consisting of:

a buzzer, a warning lamp, a display guidance, an audio announce generating device, and an automatic brake apparatus.

23. A driving assist system mounted on a vehicle for recognizing an object therearound having a pair of cameras mounted on both left and right sides of said vehicle for taking a stereoscopic picture of an object in front of said vehicle and for generating an image signal and a vehicle speed sensor mounted on said vehicle for detecting a vehicle speed and for producing a vehicle speed signal, comprising:

an object distinguishing means responsive to said image signal for generating a distance image representing a three-dimensional distance distribution among all images by processing said image signal through a principle of triangulation and for generating a distance image signal;

a recognized object judging means responsive to said object signal for deriving various parameters of a position and a shape of said object in order to distinguish a deviation from a lane and a road side therealong and for outputting a deviation signal;

an obstacle judging means responsive to said speed signal, said object signal and said deviation signal for determining whether or not said object on a neighboring lane becomes an obstacle for said vehicle on the basis of said parameters and for producing a side judgement signal when said vehicle is going to enter said neighboring lane; and

a warning means responsive to said object signal and said deviation signal for distinguishing a deviation from a lane and an existence of a neighboring lane and for outputting a warning signal only if said vehicle is going into a dangerous situation due to the presence of said obstacle on said neighboring lane so as to avoid said vehicle from colliding with said obstacle and to effectively enable safe driving.

24. The drive assist system according to claim 23, wherein said warning means comprises a device selected from the group of consisting of:

a buzzer, a warning lamp, a display guidance, an audio announce generating device, and an automatic brake apparatus.

25. A driving assist system mounted on a vehicle for recognizing an object therearound having a pair of cameras mounted on both left and right sides of said vehicle for taking a stereoscopic picture of an object in front of said vehicle and for generating an image signal and a vehicle speed sensor mounted on said vehicle for detecting a vehicle speed and for producing a vehicle speed signal, comprising:

an object distinguishing means responsive to said image signal for generating a distance image representing a three-dimensional distance distribution among all images by processing said image signal through a principle of triangulation and for generating a distance image signal;

a recognized object judging means responsive to said object signal for deriving various parameters of a position and a shape of said object in order to distinguish a deviation from a lane and a road side therealong and for outputting a deviation signal;

a side obstacle judging means responsive to said speed signal, said object signal and said deviation signal for determining whether or not said object on a neighboring lane becomes a side obstacle for said vehicle on the basis of said parameters and for producing a side obstacle judgement signal if when said side obstacle is unrecognized;

a self lane width judging means responsive to said object signal and said side obstacle signal for determining whether or not a width of said lane is narrower than a predetermined width and for producing a width signal only when said width is narrower than said predetermined width;

a front obstacle judging means responsive to said speed signal, said object signal and said width signal for determining whether or not said object on a neighboring lane becomes a front obstacle for said vehicle on the basis of said parameters and for producing at least a front obstacle signal if when said front obstacle is recognized; and

a warning suppressing means responsive to said front obstacle signal for restricting a warning generation even when said vehicle is treading on a lane so as to avoid a driver from hearing an unnecessary warning and to effectively enable safe driving.

26. The drive assist system according to claim 25, wherein said warning means comprises a device selected from the group of consisting of:

a buzzer, a warning lamp, a display guidance, an audio announce generating device, and an automatic brake apparatus.