Driver assistance system for vehicle

• US 8,636,393 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schofield, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): BRUCE, DAVID VERNON
• Application Number:
  US13/887,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20130242582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 362/464, 362/465, 362/466, 362/36
• US Class Current: 362/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/126 Hysteresis behavior based on steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/60 characterised by a variable light distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• 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: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors

Abstract

A driver assistance system for a vehicle includes an imaging sensor and a control. The control processes image data captured by the imaging sensor to determine the presence of an object of interest in the scene monitored by the imaging sensor. The control adjusts a vehicle accessory and/or headlamp of the vehicle at least in part responsive to determination of the presence of the object of interest in the monitored scene. The control receives vehicle data via a communication bus of the vehicle, with the vehicle data including at least one of (i) vehicle speed data and (ii) vehicle trajectory data. At least in part responsive to receiving vehicle data, the control inhibits adjustment of the vehicle accessory from a first state to a second state. The control is operable to process captured image data to determine the presence of lane markers in the monitored scene.

Claims

1. A driver assistance system for a vehicle, said driver assistance system comprising:

an imaging sensor, said imaging sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensor elements, said imaging sensor monitoring a scene forward of the direction of travel of a vehicle equipped with said driver assistance system;

a control;

wherein said control processes image data captured by said imaging sensor to determine the presence of an object of interest in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor;

the object of interest selected from the group consisting of (i) a headlight of another vehicle and (ii) a taillight of another vehicle;

wherein said control adjusts a vehicle headlamp of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to determination of the presence of the object of interest in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor;

said control receiving vehicle data via a communication bus of the equipped vehicle, said vehicle data comprising at least one of (i) vehicle speed data and (ii) vehicle trajectory data;

at least in part responsive to receiving vehicle data via said communication bus, said control inhibits adjustment of the vehicle headlamp from a first beam state to a second beam state; and

wherein said control is operable to process image data captured by said imaging sensor to determine the presence of lane markers in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor.

2. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle data comprises vehicle trajectory data and wherein said vehicle trajectory data comprises data indicative of a steering wheel angular position.

3. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein a principal beam direction of the vehicle headlamp is adjustable responsive to the trajectory of the equipped vehicle.

4. The driver assistance system of claim 3, wherein said control inhibits adjustment of the vehicle headlamp from said first beam state to said second beam state when the principal beam direction is directed at least partially sidewardly.

5. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein said control inhibits adjustment of the vehicle headlamp from said first beam state to said second beam state when the radius of curvature of trajectory of the equipped vehicle is below a threshold value.

6. The driver assistance system of claim 5, wherein said first beam state comprises a low beam state and said second beam state comprises a high beam state.

7. The driver assistance system of claim 6, including a filter to limit adjustment between said high and low beam states of the vehicle headlamp when the trajectory of the equipped vehicle generally oscillates as the equipped vehicle travels along a curve.

8. The driver assistance system of claim 6, including a time-based filter to limit adjustment between the low and high beam states of the vehicle headlamp when the trajectory of the equipped vehicle generally oscillates as the equipped vehicle travels along a curve.

9. The driver assistance system of claim 1, including a filter to limit adjustment between the first and second beam states of the vehicle headlamp when the trajectory of the equipped vehicle generally oscillates as the equipped vehicle travels along a curve.

10. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle communication bus comprises a CAN vehicle communication bus.

11. The driver assistance system of claim 1, including dynamic segmentation of the monitored scene.

12. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the scene monitored forward of the equipped vehicle is extended in accordance with at least one of (a) the trajectory of the equipped vehicle, (b) the radius of curvature of the trajectory of the equipped vehicle and (c) the radius of curvature of the trajectory of the equipped vehicle as determined by the steering wheel angle of the equipped vehicle.

13. The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle data comprises (i) vehicle speed data and (ii) vehicle trajectory data.

14. A driver assistance system for a vehicle, said driver assistance system comprising:

an imaging sensor, said imaging sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensor elements, said imaging sensor monitoring a scene forward of the direction of travel of a vehicle equipped with said driver assistance system;

a control;

wherein said control processes image data captured by said imaging sensor to determine the presence of an object of interest in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor;

wherein said control adjusts a vehicle accessory of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to determination of the presence of the object of interest in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor;

said control receiving vehicle data via a communication bus of the equipped vehicle, said vehicle data comprising at least one of (i) vehicle speed data and (ii) vehicle trajectory data;

wherein said control is operable to process image data captured by said imaging sensor to determine the presence of lane markers in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor; and

wherein said control inhibits adjustment of the vehicle accessory from a first state to a second state when the radius of curvature of trajectory of the equipped vehicle is below a threshold value.

15. The driver assistance system of claim 14, including a time-based filter to limit adjustment between the first and second states of the vehicle accessory when the trajectory of the equipped vehicle generally oscillates as the equipped vehicle travels along a curve.

16. The driver assistance system of claim 14, wherein the scene monitored forward of the equipped vehicle is extended in accordance with at least one of (a) the trajectory of the equipped vehicle, (b) the radius of curvature of the trajectory of the equipped vehicle and (c) the radius of curvature of the trajectory of the equipped vehicle as determined by a steering wheel angle of the equipped vehicle.

17. The driver assistance system of claim 14, wherein the vehicle accessory comprises a vehicle headlamp and said first state comprises a low beam state of the vehicle headlamp and said second state comprises a high beam state of the vehicle headlamp.

18. The driver assistance system of claim 14, wherein said vehicle data comprises (i) vehicle speed data and (ii) vehicle trajectory data.

19. A driver assistance system for a vehicle, said driver assistance system comprising:

an imaging sensor, said imaging sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of photosensor elements, said imaging sensor monitoring a scene forward of the direction of travel of a vehicle equipped with said driver assistance system;

a control;

wherein said control processes image data captured by said imaging sensor to determine the presence of an object of interest in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor;

wherein said control adjusts a vehicle accessory of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to determination of the presence of the object of interest in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor;

said control receiving vehicle speed data and vehicle trajectory data via a communication bus of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said vehicle trajectory data comprises data indicative of a steering wheel angular position;

wherein said control is operable to process image data captured by said imaging sensor to determine the presence of lane markers in the scene monitored by said imaging sensor; and

wherein said control inhibits adjustment of the vehicle accessory of the equipped vehicle from a first state to a second beam state when the radius of curvature of trajectory of the equipped vehicle is below a threshold value.

20. The driver assistance system of claim 19, including a time-based filter to limit adjustment between the first and second states of the vehicle accessory when the trajectory of the equipped vehicle generally oscillates as the equipped vehicle travels along a curve.

21. The driver assistance system of claim 19, wherein the scene monitored forward of the equipped vehicle is extended in accordance with at least one of (a) the trajectory of the equipped vehicle, (b) the radius of curvature of the trajectory of the equipped vehicle and (c) the radius of curvature of the trajectory of the equipped vehicle as determined by a steering wheel angle of the equipped vehicle.

22. The driver assistance system of claim 19, wherein said vehicle communication bus comprises a CAN vehicle communication bus.