Detecting and communicating lane splitting maneuver

• US 9,478,137 B1
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Zysk, Arthur Erik, Nelson, Zachary David
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THANG DUC
• Application Number:
  US14/741,591
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 340/432, 340 101- 106, 3405721-5729
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A vehicle system includes a lane detector programmed to output a boundary signal representing a location of a lane boundary relative to a host vehicle. A processing device is programmed to determine, from the boundary signal, whether the host vehicle is performing a lane splitting maneuver. If so, the processing device is programmed to transmit a lane splitting signal.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

a lane detector programmed to output a boundary signal representing a location of a lane boundary relative to a host vehicle; and

a processing device programmed to determine, from the boundary signal, whether the host vehicle is performing a lane splitting maneuver in response to detecting the host vehicle is overlapping the lane boundary, wherein the processing device is programmed to transmit a lane splitting signal if the processing device determines that the host vehicle is performing a lane splitting maneuver.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising a communication module programmed to wirelessly broadcast the lane splitting signal to nearby vehicles.

3. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the lane detector includes at least one of a camera, an ultrasound sensor, a navigation sensor, a LIDAR sensor, and an infrared sensor.

4. The vehicle system of claim 3, wherein the boundary signal includes a data stream of an area ahead of the host vehicle.

5. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the processing device is programmed to process the data stream to determine whether the host vehicle is performing the lane splitting maneuver.

6. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is programmed to determine that the host vehicle is performing the lane splitting maneuver if the location of the lane boundary is aligned with a center axis of the host vehicle.

7. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is programmed to determine that the host vehicle is performing the lane splitting maneuver if the location of the lane boundary is within a predetermined distance of a center axis of the host vehicle.

8. The vehicle system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined distance includes at least 50% of a width of the host vehicle.

9. The vehicle system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined distance includes at least 25% of a width of the host vehicle.

10. The vehicle system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined distance includes at least 10% of a width of the host vehicle.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a boundary signal representing a location of a lane boundary relative to a host vehicle;

determining, from the boundary signal, whether the host vehicle is performing a lane splitting maneuver in response to detecting the host vehicle is overlapping the lane boundary; and

transmitting a lane splitting signal if the host vehicle is performing a lane splitting maneuver.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the lane splitting signal includes wirelessly broadcasting the lane splitting signal to nearby vehicles.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the host vehicle is performing the lane splitting maneuver includes processing a data stream captured by a camera, wherein the data stream includes a video of an area ahead of the host vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the host vehicle is performing the lane splitting maneuver includes determining whether the location of the lane boundary is aligned with a center axis of the host vehicle.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether that the host vehicle is performing the lane splitting maneuver includes determining whether the location of the lane boundary is within a predetermined distance of a center axis of the host vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined distance includes at least 50% of a width of the host vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined distance includes at least 25% of a width of the host vehicle.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined distance includes at least 10% of a width of the host vehicle.

19. A vehicle system comprising:

a lane detector programmed to capture a data stream of an area ahead of a host vehicle and output a boundary signal representing a location of a lane boundary relative to the host vehicle;

a processing device programmed to determine, from the boundary signal, whether the host vehicle is performing a lane splitting maneuver based at least in part on whether a center axis of the host vehicle is overlapping the lane boundary, wherein the processing device is programmed to transmit a lane splitting signal if the processing device determines that the host vehicle is performing a lane splitting maneuver; and

a communication module programmed to wirelessly broadcast the lane splitting signal to nearby vehicles.

20. The vehicle system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the nearby vehicles includes a processor programmed to receive the lane splitting signal and output an alert indicating that the host vehicle is performing the lane splitting maneuver.