Systems and methods of an overtaking lane control

• US 10,410,524 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Norwood, Andrew John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bekele, Mekonen T
• Application Number:
  US15/662,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20180033309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/089 using optical detection
• 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 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/56 relating to colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• 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

An overtaking lane control system in a vehicle comprises a lane determination unit to recognize road configuration; an obstacle monitoring unit to detect approaching vehicles in adjacent lanes; and an overtaking lane control unit to issue a first alert to a driver to warn the driver to return to a normal lane when the overtaking lane control unit determines that the vehicle has traveled in an overtaking lane for a first predetermined time and it is safe to change to the normal lane.

Claims

1. An overtaking lane control system in a vehicle comprising:

a lane recognition device to recognize a road line configuration and output information on types of road lines;

an obstacle detection device to detect approaching vehicles in adjacent lanes and output information on the adjacent lanes; and

an overtaking lane control processor to issue a first alert to a driver to warn the driver to return to a normal lane from an overtaking lane when the overtaking lane control processor determines that the vehicle is travelling in an overtaking lane based on the information from the lane recognition device, has traveled in the overtaking lane for a first predetermined time and it is safe to change to the normal lane based on the information from the obstacle detection device, wherein the first predetermined time is an elapsed time when the vehicle has traveled in the overtaking lane and is recorded by a timer;

wherein the overtaking lane is designated for passing.

2. The overtaking lane control system of claim 1, wherein the lane recognition device includes a camera and an image recognition device that recognizes types and colors of road lines in front of the vehicle.

3. The overtaking lane control system of claim 2, wherein the camera and the image recognition device are installed in a lane keep assist system and the obstacle detection device is installed in a blind spot monitoring system in the vehicle.

4. The overtaking lane control system of claim 1, wherein the overtaking lane control processor further determines whether the driver has an intent to change the lane after the first alert is issued.

5. The overtaking lane control system of claim 4, wherein the overtaking lane control processor determines whether the driver has an intent to change the lane via a turn signal device or a steering wheel position sensor.

6. The overtaking lane control system of claim 5, wherein the overtaking lane control processor issues a second alert to the driver to warn the driver to return to the normal lane when the overtaking lane control processor determines that the driver has no intent to change the lane after the first alert and the vehicle has traveled in the overtaking lane for a second predetermined time and it is safe to return to the normal lane.

7. The overtaking lane control system of claim 1, further comprising a navigation processor to determine whether the vehicle travels on a highway or a freeway, and wherein the lane recognition device is activated when it is determined that the vehicle travels on the highway or the freeway.

8. The overtaking lane control system of claim 1, further comprising an alert device at an instrumental panel, wherein the first alert is lighting, a verbal display or an audio warning generated by the alert device.

9. The overtaking lane control system of claim 8, wherein the alert device is a human machine interaction (HMI) device in the vehicle.

10. An overtaking lane control system in a vehicle comprising:

a lane recognition device to recognize a road line configuration and output information on types of road lines;

an obstacle detection device to detect approaching vehicles in adjacent lanes and obstacles and output information on the adjacent lanes and the obstacles;

an overtaking lane control processor to receive the information from the lane recognition device, determine whether the vehicle is travelling in an overtaking lane, and issue a first alert alerting a driver to return to a normal lane from an overtaking lane when it is determined that the vehicle has traveled in the overtaking lane for a first predetermined time and it is safe to return to the normal lane based on the information from the obstacle detection device, wherein the first predetermined time is an elapsed time when the vehicle has traveled in the overtaking lane and is recorded by a timer; and

an alert device to generate the first alert.

11. The overtaking lane control system of claim 10, wherein the alert device generates an audible warning, a visual display or a combination of the audible warning and the visual display.

12. The overtaking lane control system of claim 10, further comprising an HMI device and a navigation processor, wherein the overtaking lane control processor determines an applicable overtaking lane regulation based on a vehicle location information from the navigation processor and display the applicable overtaking lane regulation to the driver on the HMI device as one of alert formats.

13. The overtaking lane control system of claim 10, wherein the overtaking lane control processor issues a second alert when it is determined that the vehicle has traveled in the overtaking lane for a second predetermined time, the driver does not intend to change a lane and it is safe to return to the normal lane.

14. A method of overtaking lane control in a vehicle, comprising:

determining whether the vehicle is travelling in an overtaking lane based on information from a lane recognition device;

monitoring presence of approaching vehicles in adjacent lanes and obstacles;

recording a time when the vehicle has traveled in the overtaking lane; and

issuing a first alert reminding a driver to return to a normal lane from the overtaking lane when a recorded time reaches a first predetermined value and it is safe to return to the normal lane, wherein the first predetermined value indicates an elapsed time when the vehicle has traveled in the overtaking lane;

wherein the overtaking lane is designated for passing.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising logging into a “

safe return to normal lane”

status and wherein recording the time starts after the “

safe return to normal lane”

status is logged.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining if the driver intends to return to the normal lane after issuance of the first alert and issuing a second alert when it is determined that the driver has no intent to return to the normal lane and it is safe to return to the normal lane.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a driver'"'"'s intent to return to the normal lane is determined by information from a turn signal device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a driver'"'"'s intent to return to the normal lane is determined by information from a steering wheel position sensor.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the “

safe to return to normal lane”

status is cancelled when the presence of the vehicles in the adjacent lane or obstacles are detected and recording time is restarted.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

obtaining a vehicle location information from a navigation processor, determining an applicable overtaking lane regulation; and

including a message of the applicable overtaking lane regulation in at least one of the first and second alerts.