Driver assistance system and method

• US 8,849,508 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2012
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Acquisition, LLC
• Original Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ibrahim, Faroog, Higgins-Luthman, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US13/427,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20120253596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/301, 348148-149, 340/425.5, 340/436
• US Class Current: 701/36
• 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: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A driver assistance system includes a stereo vision system that includes at least one camera and at least one sensor disposed on or in a vehicle; a roadside marker detection unit configured to receive stereo image data from the stereo vision system, and to detect roadside markers from the stereo image data; and a road path estimation unit configured to estimate a road path in a direction of travel of the vehicle, based on the roadside markers detected by the roadside marker detection unit.

Claims

1. A driver assistance system, comprising:

a stereo vision system that includes at least one camera and at least one sensor disposed on or in a vehicle;

a roadside marker detection unit configured to receive stereo image data from the stereo vision system, and to detect roadside markers from the stereo image data;

a road path estimation unit configured to estimate a road path in a direction of travel of the vehicle, based on the roadside markers detected by the roadside marker detection unit; and

a vehicle detection unit configured to detect presence of other vehicles,

wherein the road path estimation unit estimates a first portion of the road path based on the roadside markers and estimates a second portion of the road path based on the detected other vehicles, and

wherein the first portion of the road path is closer to the vehicle than the second portion of the road path.

2. The driver assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the roadside marker detection unit detects light emanating from street lights, and

wherein the road path estimation unit estimates a location of each detected street light detected and estimates the road path as substantially corresponding to a curve formed by a locus of points corresponding to locations of each detected street light.

3. The driver assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the roadside marker detection unit detects reflectors provided on sides of a road on which the vehicle is traveling, and

wherein the road path estimation unit estimates a location of each detected reflector detected and estimates the road path as substantially corresponding to a curve formed by a locus of points corresponding to locations of each detected reflector.

4. The driver assistance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle movement detection unit configured to detect a linear movement of the vehicle,

wherein the road path estimation unit is configured to estimate the road path based in part on the linear movement of the vehicle detected over a predetermined time period.

5. The driver assistance system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period from a current time to X seconds in the past, X being a real number.

6. The driver assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the roadside marker detection unit is configured to detect relative three dimensional disposition of the roadside markers from the stereo image data with respect to each other.

7. The driver assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the road path estimation unit is configured to estimate an upwards and downwards disposition of the road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

8. The driver assistance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit configured to provide a display of the estimated road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

9. The driver assistance system according to claim 8, wherein the display unit is configured to provide a three-dimensional display of the estimated road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

10. The driver assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the road path is a portion that extends out to 500 meters from the vehicle.

11. The driver assistance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control unit configured to adjust headlights of the vehicle based on the estimated road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer program code that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the functions of:

code that receives stereo image data from the stereo vision system, and that detects roadside markers from the stereo image data;

code that estimates a road path in a direction of travel of the vehicle, based on the roadside markers detected from the stereo image data; and

code for detecting presence of other vehicles,

wherein the code for estimating a road path estimates a first portion of the road path based on the roadside markers and estimates a second portion of the road path based on the detected other vehicles, and

wherein the first portion of the road path is closer to the vehicle than the second portion of the road path.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the code that detects roadside marker detects light emanating from street lights, and

wherein the code that estimates a road path estimates a location of each detected street light detected and estimates the road path as substantially corresponding to a curve formed by a locus of points corresponding to locations of each detected street light.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the code that detects roadside marker detects reflectors provided on sides of a road on which the vehicle is traveling, and

wherein the code that estimates a road path estimates a location of each detected reflector detected and estimates the road path as substantially corresponding to a curve formed by a locus of points corresponding to locations of each detected reflector.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the computer further performs the function of:

detecting a linear movement of the vehicle,

wherein the code that estimates a road path to estimate the road path based in part on the linear movement of the vehicle detected over a predetermined time period.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined time period is a time period from a current time to X seconds in the past, X being a real number.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the code that detects roadside markers from the stereo image data detects relative three dimensional disposition of the roadside markers from the stereo image data with respect to each other.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the code that estimates a road path estimates an upwards and downwards disposition of the road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 12, further causing the computer to perform the function of:

displaying the estimated road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the displaying is provided as a three-dimensional display of the estimated road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the first portion of the road path is a portion that extends out to 500 meters from the vehicle.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 12, further causing the computer to perform the functions of:

code for causing adjustment of headlights of the vehicle based on the estimated road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

23. A method of providing driver assistance when driving a vehicle, comprising:

receiving stereo image data from the stereo vision system;

detecting roadside markers from the stereo image data;

estimating a road path in a direction of travel of the vehicle, based on the roadside markers detected from the stereo image data; and

detecting a presence of other vehicles,

wherein the step of estimating the road path in the direction of travel of the vehicle includes estimating a first portion of the road path based on the roadside markers and estimating a second portion of the road path based on other vehicles detected in the detecting step, and

wherein the first portion of the road path is closer to the vehicle than the second portion of the road path.