Method and system of assisting a driver of a vehicle

• US 10,272,946 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Nissan North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takamatsu, Yoshiro, Takada, Yuji, Kusayanagi, Yoshinori, Kishi, Norimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US15/329,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20180201315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/20 Static objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/202 Steering torque
• 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: 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: B60Y 2300/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0463 calculating assisting torque from the motor based on driver input
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/008 Control of feed-back to the steering input member, e.g. simulating road feel in steer-by-wire applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A method of assisting a driver of a vehicle, the method includes obtaining a location of a road boundary relative to the vehicle using a sensor, selecting, via a controller, a parameter to assist a driver of the vehicle when approaching the location of the road boundary based on a condition, determining, via the controller, based on the location of the road boundary whether the vehicle will be a predetermined distance from the road boundary, and providing a feedback operation to assist the driver in avoiding the road boundary based on the selected parameter.

Claims

1. A method of assisting a driver of a vehicle, the method comprising:

obtaining a location of a road boundary relative to the vehicle using a sensor;

selecting, via a controller, a parameter to assist a driver of the vehicle when approaching the location of the road boundary based on a condition;

determining, via the controller, an acceptable distance between the vehicle and the road boundary based on the selected parameter;

determining, via the controller, based on the location of the road boundary whether the vehicle will be the acceptable distance from the road boundary; and

providing a feedback operation to assist the driver in avoiding the road boundary based on the selected parameter, including applying an assist force on a portion of a steering system of the vehicle to cause movement of the vehicle away from the boundary, the assist force being calculated using a predetermined period of time of a speed of a steering operation during previous driving maneuvers, and when the speed of the steering operation during previous driving maneuvers increases, a predetermined period of time of applying the assist force is decreased.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the providing the feedback operation includes providing haptic feedback to a portion of an interior of the vehicle located proximate to the driver.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

calculating the torque using at least one of a distance to the road boundary, an angle of the car relative to the road boundary, and a curvature of the road.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising

calculating the torque using estimated values for a distance of the vehicle to the road boundary, an angle of the vehicle relative to the road boundary, and an estimated curvature of the road at a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the selecting the parameter based on the condition includes manual election by a user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

updating the parameter based on a driving operation of the vehicle on the road.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein

the updating the parameter includes updating the parameter based on a condition of a steering system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes a distance threshold, and the providing a feedback operation includes applying a feedback force when a distance of the vehicle to the road boundary is less than the distance threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes an assist force threshold, and the providing a feedback operation includes applying the assist force at the assist force threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

the parameter includes an assist force gradient, and the assist force is calculated according to the assist force gradient.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein

the condition is one of a plurality of conditions, and

the method further includes adjusting the distance threshold based on at least one condition of the plurality of conditions.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising

adjusting the assist force based on at least one condition of the plurality of conditions.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein

the assist force is calculated based on a trajectory of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein

the boundary is at least one of a wall and a curb proximal to the road.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein

the boundary is a lane marker on the road.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to adjust the acceptable distance based on a condition of the road.