Lane departure warning method and system using virtual lane-dividing line

• US 8,279,280 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Kim, Cheol Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beck, Leron
• Application Number:
  US12/625,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20100238283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 348/135, 348/148
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lane departure warning system and method, which use a virtual lane-dividing line generated using lane width information that is calculated using previously detected lane-dividing lines even when it is difficult to detect a lane-dividing line according to the weather, illuminance, road surface conditions, etc. present during travel of a vehicle, thus allowing a lane departure warning to be provided to a driver on the basis of the virtual lane-dividing line.

Claims

1. A lane departure warning system of a vehicle, comprising:

a camera unit for generating an image;

an image processing unit for generating a detected lane-dividing line from the image, and generating a virtual lane-dividing line when the detected lane-dividing line has not been generated or has been erroneously generated; and

a warning unit for giving a warning to a passenger of the vehicle according to a decision that the vehicle is deviating from a driving lane, the decision is made on the basis of the detected lane-dividing line and the virtual lane-dividing line wherein a lane detection module for generating the detected lane-dividing line from the image;

a lane detection determination module for determining whether the detected lane-dividing line has been generated to the satisfaction of preset lane conditions; and

a lane width calculation module for calculating the width of the lane using information about the detected lane-dividing line satisfying the preset lane conditions wherein the lane width calculation module determines a pitch angle between a road surface and the camera using a vanishing point at which the left lane-dividing line and the right lane-dividing line intersect each other, calculates a per-pixel distance using the pitch angle, and sets the lane width to a value obtained by multiplying the per-pixel distance by a number of pixels corresponding to the lane width.

2. The lane departure warning system according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit comprises:

a virtual lane-dividing line generation module for generating the virtual lane-dividing line on an opposite side spaced apart from one of a left lane-dividing line and a right lane-dividing line by a width of the lane; and

a lane departure determination module for determining whether the vehicle is deviating from the driving lane, based on one of the detected lane-dividing line and the virtual lane-dividing line.

3. The lane departure warning system according to claim 1, wherein the lane detection determination module determines whether a lane-dividing line has been detected in consideration of whether the set lane width continues for a reference time or longer, whether both the left lane-dividing line and the right lane-dividing line have been detected, and whether a slope of each detected lane-dividing line is equal to or greater than a reference value.

4. A lane departure warning method, comprising:

generating a detected lane-dividing line;

determining whether the detected lane-dividing line has been detected to the satisfaction of preset lane conditions;

if it is determined that the lane-dividing line has not been detected or has been erroneously detected, generating a virtual lane-dividing line on an opposite side spaced apart from one of a left lane-dividing line and a right lane-dividing line by a width of a lane;

determining whether a vehicle is deviating from a driving lane; and

if it is determined that the vehicle is deviating from the driving lane, generating a warning signal wherein the determining whether the lane-dividing line has been detected comprises setting the lane width if it is determined that the lane-dividing line has been detected;

wherein the lane width is set in such a way as to determine a pitch angle between a road surface and a camera using a vanishing point at which the left lane-dividing line and the right lane-dividing line intersect each other, calculate a per-pixel distance using the pitch angle, and set the lane width to a value obtained by multiplying the per-pixel distance by a number of pixels corresponding to the lane width;

generating by an imaging processing unit in line 2;

determining by an imaging processing unit in lines 3 and 9.

5. The lane departure warning method of claim 4, wherein determining whether a vehicle is deviating from a driving lane is based on one of the detected lane-dividing line and the virtual lane-dividing line.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting the warning signal to a warning unit.

7. The lane departure warning method according to claim 4, wherein the determining whether the lane-dividing line has been detected is performed in consideration of whether the set lane width continues for a reference time or longer, whether both the left lane-dividing line and the right lane-dividing line have been detected, and whether a slope of each detected lane-dividing line is equal to or greater than a reference value.

8. A lane departure warning system of a vehicle, comprising:

a camera unit for generating an image;

an image processing unit; and

a warning unit for giving a warning to a passenger of the vehicle according to a decision that the vehicle is deviating from a driving lane wherein a lane detection module for generating the detected lane-dividing line from the image;

a lane detection determination module for determining whether the detected lane-dividing line has been generated to the satisfaction of preset lane conditions; and

a lane width calculation module for calculating the width of the lane using information about the detected lane-dividing line satisfying the preset lane conditions;

wherein the lane width calculation module determines a pitch angle between a road surface and the camera using a vanishing point at which the left lane-dividing line and the right lane-dividing line intersect each other, calculates a per-pixel distance using the pitch angle, and sets the lane width to a value obtained by multiplying the per-pixel distance by a number of pixels corresponding to the lane width.

9. The lane departure warning system of a vehicle of claim 8, wherein the image processing unit is used for generating a detected lane-dividing line from the image, and generating a virtual lane-dividing line when the detected lane-dividing line has not been generated or has been erroneously generated.

10. The lane departure warning system of a vehicle of claim 8, wherein the warning unit gives a warning to a passenger of the vehicle according to a decision that the vehicle is deviating from a driving lane, the decision is made on the basis of the detected lane-dividing line and a virtual lane-dividing line.

11. The lane departure warning system according to claim 8, wherein the image processing unit comprises:

a virtual lane-dividing line generation module for generating the virtual lane-dividing line on an opposite side spaced apart from one of a left lane-dividing line and a right lane-dividing line by a width of the lane; and

a lane departure determination module for determining whether the vehicle is deviating from the driving lane, based on one of the detected lane-dividing line and the virtual lane-dividing line.