Vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus and vehicle traveling control system incorporating the apparatus

• US 6,665,614 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2003
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/413,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20030195704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 701/300, 701/301, 701/302, 701/96, 340/903, 340/904, 340/435, 340/436, 342/455, 180/271
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/14 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• 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 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus inputs images from a stereoscopic camera and signals of vehicle speeds, steering angle and yaw rate and detects front information such as solid object data, side wall data and lane marker data to estimate a traveling path of an own vehicle from the front information and traveling conditions of the own vehicle. Further, the apparatus establishes the position of lane markers on the traveling path of the own vehicle and determines the position of solid objects and side walls in terms of the traveling path of the own vehicle. Further, the apparatus extracts a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the own vehicle and outputs information about the preceding vehicle to a traveling control unit for controlling a traveling of the own vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus for monitoring traveling circumstances of an own vehicle, comprising:

traveling condition detecting means for detecting a traveling condition of said own vehicle;

front information detecting means for detecting front information of at least data of a solid object, data of a side wall and data of a lane marker;

lane marker position establishing means for estimating a traveling path of said own vehicle according to at least either of said front information and said traveling condition of said own vehicle and for establishing a position of said lane marker in said traveling path of said own vehicle;

solid object and side wall position establishing means for establishing a position of said solid object and a position of said side wall in terms of said position of said lane marker;

own vehicle traveling trace detecting means for detecting a traveling trace of said own vehicle;

preceding vehicle extracting means for extracting a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of said own vehicle; and

preceding vehicle traveling trace detecting means for detecting a traveling trace of said preceding vehicle.

2. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lane marker position establishing means estimate said traveling path of said own vehicle according to either of at least said data of said lane marker, said data of said side wall, said traveling trace of said preceding vehicle and said traveling trace of said own vehicle.

3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lane marker position establishing means estimate said traveling path of said own vehicle from a yaw rate, a vehicle speed and a steering angle.

4. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lane marker position establishing means obtain an average value of a lane width based on said traveling path of said own vehicle and said data of said lane marker and establish said position of said lane marker in said traveling path of said own vehicle based on said traveling path of said own vehicle, said data of said lane marker and said average value of said lane width.

5. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said solid object and side wall position establishing means classify said solid object into a solid object on a lane on which said own vehicle travels, a solid object crossing a right lane, a solid object on said right lane, a solid object crossing a left lane, a solid object on said left lane and other solid objects and recognize as such.

6. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said solid object and side wall position establishing means, when data taken as a solid object previously are taken as data of side wall presently, correct said data of side wall data to data of solid object.

7. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said preceding vehicle extracting means extract said preceding vehicle according to said estimation of said traveling path of said own vehicle and said traveling condition of said own vehicle.

8. The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said preceding vehicle extracting means, when a solid object existing in a predetermined traveling zone satisfies a prescribed condition, extract said solid object as a preceding vehicle.

9. A traveling control apparatus having the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus described in claim 1 control a traveling of a vehicle according to the conditions of said preceding vehicle and said solid object extracted by the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus.

11. A traveling control apparatus having the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus described in claim 2 control a traveling of a vehicle according to the conditions of said preceding vehicle and said solid object extracted by the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus.

12. A traveling control apparatus having the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus described in claim 3 control a traveling of a vehicle according to the conditions of said preceding vehicle and said solid object extracted by the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus.

13. A traveling control apparatus having the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus described in claim 4 control a traveling of a vehicle according to the conditions of said preceding vehicle and said solid object extracted by the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus.

14. A traveling control apparatus having the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus described in claim 5 control a traveling of a vehicle according to the conditions of said preceding vehicle and said solid object extracted by the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus.

15. A traveling control apparatus having the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus described in claim 6 control a traveling of a vehicle according to the conditions of said preceding vehicle and said solid object extracted by the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus.

16. A traveling control apparatus having the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus described in claim 7 control a traveling of a vehicle according to the conditions of said preceding vehicle and said solid object extracted by the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus.

17. A traveling control apparatus having the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus described in claim 8 control a traveling of a vehicle according to the conditions of said preceding vehicle and said solid object extracted by the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus.

10. A vehicle surroundings monitoring method of monitoring traveling circumstances of an own vehicle, comprising the steps of:

detecting a traveling condition of said own vehicle;

detecting front information of at least data of a solid object, data of a side wall and data of a lane marker;

estimating a traveling path of said own vehicle according to at least either of said front information and said traveling condition of said own vehicle and for establishing a position of said lane marker in said traveling path of said own vehicle;

establishing a position of said solid object and a position of said side wall in terms of said position of said lane marker;

detecting a traveling trace of said own vehicle;

extracting a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of said own vehicle; and

detecting a traveling trace of said preceding vehicle.