Vehicle drive assist system

• US 7,486,175 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Matsui, Yusuke, Kato, Tateshi, Yoshida, Ichiro, Suzuki, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walk; Samuel J
• Application Number:
  US11/451,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20070013495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/932.2, 348/148, 382/104, 358/520
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0295 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/365 Guidance using head up displays or projectors, e.g. virtual vehicles or arrows projected on the windscreen or on the road itself
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/026 Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables

Abstract

A display unit displays supplied image information on or through a front glass of a vehicle. A system controller generates and supplies the image information to the display unit. The image information indicates lane guides of the traveling lane, which correspond to a configuration of a traveling lane that is viewed from a view point position of a driver through the front glass. The system controller sets a display color of the lane guides displayed by the display unit to a color, which is distinguishable from a color of a road surface.

Claims

1. A vehicle drive assist system comprising:

a displaying means for displaying supplied image information on or through a front glass of a vehicle;

an information obtaining means for obtaining lane information that indicates a configuration and a position of a traveling lane, along which the vehicle travels;

a view point sensing means for sensing a view point position of a driver of the vehicle;

an image information generating means for generating and supplying the image information to the displaying means, wherein the image information indicates at least one lane guide of the traveling lane, which corresponds to the configuration of the traveling lane that is viewed from the sensed view point position of the driver through the front glass, and the image information generating means generates the image information though computation based on the sensed view point position of the driver, which is sensed by the view point sensing means, and the lane information, which is obtained by the information obtaining means;

a background color sensing means for sensing a color of a road surface, which is located ahead of the vehicle; and

a display color adjusting means for setting a display color of the at least one lane guide displayed by the displaying means to a color, which is distinguishable from the sensed color of the road surface that is sensed by the background color sensing means,

wherein the lane information is constructed to include obstacle information, which indicates presence of an obstacle along at least one of two opposed side edges of the traveling lane; and

when the image information, which indicates the at least one lane guide, is computed by the image information generating means based on the lane information, which includes the obstacle information indicating the presence of the obstacle, the display color adjusting means sets the display color of the at least one lane guide to a predetermined warning color.

2. The vehicle drive assist system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one lane guide includes two guide lines, each of which corresponds to a configuration of a corresponding one of the two opposed side edges of the traveling lane.

3. The vehicle drive assist system according to claim 1, wherein the display color adjusting means sets a brightness of the display color of the at least one lane guide in such a manner that a difference between the brightness of the display color of the at least one lane guide and a brightness of the sensed color of the road surface sensed by the background color sensing means becomes equal to or greater than a preset value.

4. The vehicle drive assist system according to claim 1, wherein the display color adjusting means sets a hue of the display color of the at least one lane guide in such a manner that a difference between the hue of the display color of the at least one lane guide and a hue of the sensed color of the road surface sensed by the background color sensing means becomes equal to or greater than a preset value.

5. The vehicle drive assist system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position sensing means for sensing a position of the vehicle; and

a road map database that stores the lane information, which indicates the configuration and the position of the traveling lane, wherein the information obtaining means is accessible to the road map database and obtains the lane information, which indicates the configuration and the position of the traveling lane, from the road map database based on a sensed output of the position sensing means.

6. The vehicle drive assist system according to claim 1, further comprising a snow sensing means for sensing a snow state on the road surface, along which the vehicle travels, wherein when the snow sensing means senses presence of snow on the road surface, the display color adjusting means sets the display color of the at least one lane guide to a non-assimilatory color, which is substantially different from a color of a surface of the snow present on the road surface.

7. The vehicle drive assist system according to claim 1, further comprising an image capturing means for capturing an image of a view ahead the vehicle, wherein the information obtaining means extracts the lane information, which indicates the configuration and the position of the traveling lane, from the captured image that is captured by the image capturing means.

8. The vehicle drive assist system according to claim 7, wherein the image capturing means is a camera, which is capable of capturing a low light level image.