Blind spot warning system and method

• US 9,269,269 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HL Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Nac Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu, Van
• Application Number:
  US13/959,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20140035738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/901, 340/903, 701/41, 701/42, 701/48, 701/301, 701/117, 382/106
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

The present invention relates to a blind spot warning system and method for sensing a vehicle in a blind spot of a vehicle and warning thereof in advance, the blind spot warning system comprising a line-to-line space-generating unit that generates, in real time, line-to-line space data, which changes when the host vehicle is driven; a distance-measuring unit, which measures the distance between the host vehicle and a target vehicle located in a blind spot of the host vehicle; an input unit, which receives the line-to-line space data and the distance measurement information; a comparison unit, which compares the target vehicle distance data with the line-to-line space data to decide whether the target vehicle is located within the threshold vehicle-to-vehicle distance; and a warning output unit for outputting a warning if the target vehicle is located within the threshold vehicle-to-vehicle distance in the blind spot.

Claims

1. A blind spot warning system for warning whether a target vehicle is located in a blind spot formed at a posterolateral area of a host vehicle, the system comprising;

a line-to-line space-generating unit generating line-to-line space data with respect to a lane width, which changes when the host vehicle is driven, in real time;

at least one distance-measuring unit measuring a distance between the host vehicle and a target vehicle located in a side zone or a rear zone of the host vehicle;

an input unit receiving the line-to-line space data from the line-to-line space-generating unit and receiving distance measurement information from the distance-measuring unit;

a comparison unit comparing target vehicle distance data based on the distance measurement information transferred from the distance-measuring unit with the line-to-line space data to decide whether the target vehicle is located within a threshold vehicle-to-vehicle distance determined based on the line-to-line space data;

a conversion unit for converting the line-to-line space data received from the line-to-line space-generating unit via the input unit into data for the threshold vehicle-to-vehicle distance; and

a warning output unit outputting a warning if the target vehicle is located within the threshold vehicle-to-vehicle distance in the blind spot formed at the posterolateral area of the host vehicle.

2. The blind spot warning system of claim 1, wherein the line-to-line space-generating unit comprises an image-acquiring unit, which films a line at the host vehicle to generate an image of the line;

and an image-processing unit for deciphering the line image to generate the line-to-line space data.

3. The blind spot warning system of claim 1, wherein the line-to-line space-generating unit comprises at least some functional part of a lane keeping assistance system mounted in the host vehicle for warning of lane departure by the host vehicle.

4. The blind spot warning system of claim 1, wherein the warning output unit comprises a display device for displaying the host vehicle and the target vehicle on a screen.

5. A blind spot warning method for warning whether a target vehicle is located in a blind spot formed at a posterolateral area of a host vehicle in a blind spot warning system mounted in the host vehicle, the method comprising steps of;

generating line-to-line space data with respect to a lane width of a road, which changes when the host vehicle is driven, through a line-to-line space-generating unit in real time;

measuring a distance between the host vehicle and a target vehicle which is located in a side zone or a rear zone of the host vehicle, during driving of the host vehicle;

receiving the line-to-line space data from the line-to-line space-generating unit and receiving distance measurement information from a distance-measuring unit;

generating target vehicle distance data based on of the distance measurement information from the distance-measuring unit;

comparing the target vehicle distance data with the line-to-line space data to decide whether the target vehicle is located within a threshold vehicle-to-vehicle distance, which is determined based on the line-to-line space data;

a step of generating the threshold vehicle-to-vehicle distance based on the line-to-line space data after the line-to-line space data is received from the line-to-line space-generating unit; and

outputting a warning if the target vehicle is located within the threshold vehicle-to-vehicle distance in the blind spot formed at the posterolateral area of the host vehicle.

6. The blind spot warning method of claim 5, wherein the step of generating the line-to-line space data comprises steps of filming a line at the host vehicle to generate an image of the line and deciphering the image of the line to generate the line-to-line space data.

7. The blind spot warning method of claim 5, wherein the step of generating the line-to-line space data comprises a step of acquiring the line-to-line space data from a lane keeping assistance system mounted in the host vehicle for warning of lane departure by the host vehicle.

8. The blind spot warning method of claim 5, wherein the step of outputting the warning signal comprises a step of outputting the warning through a display device that displays the host vehicle and the target vehicle.