Steering assist apparatus

• US 6,564,130 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2000
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Shimazaki, Kazunori, Kuriya, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/740,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41, 701/36, 701/42, 701/43, 180/443, 180/446, 180/444, 180/422, 180/415, 180/412
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0275 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image

Abstract

Steering assist apparatus displays vehicle locus guide lines used to assist the steering wheel handling during parking on a monitor screen in which the rear side of a vehicle is image-picked up. The vehicle locus guide lines include a basic length part which links points B1, B4, B8 and B5, and an extension length part which links the points B4, E10, E17 and B8 and a middle point EM, and the curved amount and the extension amount of extension length part are determined in accordance with a steering angle. In addition, the extension length part is divided into stages in order to be recognized, and the extension length part is shortened one stage by one stage as a vehicle comes nearer a target parking space.

Claims

1. A steering assist apparatus comprising:

a camera for photographing the rear side of a vehicle;

a monitor for displaying thereon the image of the rear side of the vehicle which has been photographed by said camera;

a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel;

locus deriving means for deriving a vehicle locus guide line having a fixed basic length and an extension length, extension amount of the extension length and curved amount of the vehicle locus guide line being changed depending on the steering angle respectively; and

display control means for superimposing and displaying the vehicle locus guide line and the image on the rear side of the vehicle on said monitor.

2. A steering assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle locus guide line is for parallel parking;

and

said vehicle locus guide line has a locus length for about 90 degrees of the vehicle turn angle at a maximum.

3. A steering assist apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising vehicle position detecting means for detecting a position of the vehicle with respect to a target parking space;

and

wherein said locus deriving means shortens the extension length as the position of the vehicle comes nearer said target parking space.

4. A steering assist apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said vehicle position detecting means is comprised of a yaw rate sensor.

5. A steering assist apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said vehicle guide line includes a pair of left and right lines exhibiting roughly the locus of a left side and a right side of the vehicle and a head part line which links the head parts of said pair of left and right side lines;

and

when the vehicle is located in a predetermined range with respect to said target parking space, the distance expressed by the side line which is located inside the turn out of said pair of left and right side lines is shorter than that expressed by the side line which is located outside the turn.

6. A steering assist apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the difference between the distance expressed by the side line which is located inside the turn out of said one pair of left and right side lines and the distance expressed by the side line which is located outside the turn becomes small as the vehicle comes nearer said target parking space.

7. A steering assist apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said head part line includes a part of a line segment which links the head parts of said one pair of left and right side lines when said side line located inside the turn is drawn as it is equal to said side line located outside the turn in regard to the distance from the vehicle, is connected to said head part of said side line located outside the turn, and is largely bent as the vehicle is located farther away from said target parking space.

8. A steering assist apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display control means further displays a vehicle width guide line exhibiting roughly the position of a left side and a right side of the vehicle when the vehicle moves back straightly.