Lane-change assistant for motor vehicles

• US 8,040,253 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hoetzer, Dieter, Kaller, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/227,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20090102629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/903, 340/933, 701/200, 701/207, 701/300, 701/301, 342/455, 342/457, 342/458
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles

Abstract

A lane-change assistant for motor vehicles, having a sensor system to locate vehicles on adjacent lanes in the rear space of the own vehicle, a decision module to decide whether a vehicle located in the rear space is on an immediately adjacent lane, and a driver interface to output the decision result, characterized in that a determination module is provided to determine the lane on which the own vehicle is traveling, and the decision module is designed to make the decision as a function of the result of the determination module.

Claims

1. A lane-change assistant for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a sensor system to locate vehicles on adjacent lanes of a directional roadway in a rear space of the motor vehicle;

a decision module to provide a decision as to whether a vehicle present in the rear space is on a lane of the directional roadway directly adjacent to a lane on which the motor vehicle is being driven;

a driver interface to output the decision; and

a determination module to provide a determination as to the lane of the directional roadway on which the motor vehicle is being driven;

wherein the decision module is configured to make the decision as a function of the determination of the determination module.

2. The lane-change assistant of claim 1, wherein the determination module detects whether the motor vehicle is located on an outermost left lane of the directional roadway, so that a located vehicle cannot be located on an adjacent left lane.

3. The lane-change assistant of claim 2, wherein the determination module detects whether precisely one adjacent lane is located to the left next to the lane of the directional roadway on which the motor vehicle is being driven, and in instances where it is unclear based on data of the sensor system, whether the located vehicle is on an immediately adjacent lane or on a one-after-the-next adjacent lane, the decision module making a decision that the located vehicle is on the immediately adjacent lane.

4. The lane-change assistant of claim 3, further comprising:

a sensor device to measure an overall width of the directional roadway on which the motor vehicle is being driven, wherein the determination module determines an overall width and number of lanes of the directional roadway, the decision module determines a width of an individual lane of the directional roadway based on the overall width and the number of lanes of the directional roadway determined by the determination module.

5. The lane-change assistant of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor device to measure an overall width of a directional roadway on which the motor vehicle is being driven, wherein the determination module determines an overall width and number of lanes of the directional roadway, the decision module determines a width of an individual lane of the directional roadway based on the overall width and the number of lanes of the directional roadway determined by the determination module.

6. The lane-change assistant of claim 2, further comprising:

a sensor device to measure an overall width of the directional roadway on which the motor vehicle is being driven, wherein the determination module determines an overall width and number of lanes of the directional roadway, the decision module determines a width of an individual lane of the directional roadway based on the overall width and the number of lanes of the directional roadway determined by the determination module.

7. The lane-change assistant of claim 1, wherein the determination module detects whether precisely one adjacent lane is located to the left next to the lane of the directional roadway on which the motor vehicle is being driven, and in instances where it is unclear based on data of the sensor system, whether the located vehicle is on an immediately adjacent lane or on a one-after-the-next adjacent lane, the decision module making a decision that the located vehicle is on the immediately adjacent lane.