Driver Assistance Apparatus And Control Method For The Same

• US 20160339959A1
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Jinkyo
• Granted Patent: US 9,944,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• 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 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• 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: Y02P 60/14 Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses

Abstract

A driver assistance apparatus includes at least one camera configured to generate images of a view in front of a vehicle, and a processor. The processor is configured to detect an object present in a traveling lane of the vehicle based on the generated images, and to provide a steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust a direction of travel of the vehicle within the traveling lane based on information regarding the object.

Claims

1. A driver assistance apparatus comprising:

at least one camera configured to generate images of a view in front of a vehicle; and

a processor configured to;

detect an object present in a traveling lane of the vehicle based on the generated images, and

provide a steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust a direction of travel of the vehicle within the traveling lane based on information regarding the object.

2. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

recognize a left traffic lane marker and a right traffic lane marker based on the generated images; and

determine the traveling lane by judging a region between the left traffic lane marker and the right traffic lane marker.

3. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to judge whether the object is a pothole or an obstacle based on the information regarding the object.

4. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information regarding the object includes distance information regarding the object, and wherein the processor is configured to:

judge whether the object is indented in or raised from the traveling lane based on the distance information regarding the object;

based on judging that the object is indented in the traveling lane, judge that the object is the pothole; and

based on judging that the object is raised from the traveling lane, judge that the object is the obstacle.

5. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to calculate a position and size of the object based on judging that the object is any one of the pothole or the obstacle.

6. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to, based on judging that the object is the pothole, that a position of the pothole is within a prescribed range of a center of the traveling lane, and that a width of the pothole is smaller than a distance between a left tire and a right tire of the vehicle:

generate a guide route that causes the vehicle to pass over the pothole between the left tire and the right tire of the vehicle; and

provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust steering of the vehicle along the guide route.

7. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to, based on judging that the object is the obstacle that a position of the obstacle is within a prescribed range of a center of the traveling lane, that a width of the obstacle is smaller than a distance between a left tire and a right tire of the vehicle, and that a height of the obstacle is smaller than a minimum ground clearance of the vehicle:

generate a guide route that causes the vehicle to pass over the obstacle between the left tire and the right tire of the vehicle; and

provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust steering of the vehicle along the guide route.

8. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to, based on judging that a position of the object is outside a prescribed range of a center of the traveling lane and that a region spaced apart from the object by a full width of the vehicle or more being present in the traveling lane:

generate a guide route that causes the vehicle to pass through the region; and

provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust steering of the vehicle along the guide route.

9. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to, based on judging that the object is a pothole and no region spaced apart from the pothole by a full width of the vehicle or more is present in the traveling lane:

generate a guide route that causes one of a left tire or a right tire of the vehicle that is positioned closer to the pothole to pass over a center of the pothole; and

provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust steering of the vehicle along the guide route.

10. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to, based on judging that the object is an obstacle, generate tracking information that tracks the obstacle and provide a display unit of the vehicle with a control signal to display the tracking information, and

wherein the display unit includes at least one of a Head Up Display (HUD) and a transparent display provided at a windshield of the vehicle.

11. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to:

judge whether the obstacle is moving based on the tracking information; and

judge whether the obstacle is a falling object based on judging that the obstacle is moving.

12. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to, based on judging that the object is the falling object:

calculate a falling speed and a falling path of the falling object; and

predict a final position of the falling object based on the falling speed and the falling path.

13. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to, based on predicting that a final position of the falling object is within the traveling lane, generate a guide route in the traveling lane based on a size and the predicted final position of the falling object.

14. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to provide the display unit of the vehicle with a control signal to display at least one of the guide route and simulation information with respect to the final position.

15. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to provide a lamp drive unit of the vehicle with a control signal to emit a laser beam, which has a prescribed color or magnitude, to a region that includes the final position.

16. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to, based on the predicted final position of the falling object being within a prescribed range of a center of the traveling lane, a width of the falling object being smaller than a distance between a left tire and a right tire of the vehicle, and a height of the falling object being smaller than a minimum ground clearance of the vehicle:

generate a guide route that causes the vehicle to pass over the falling object between the left tire and the right tire; and

provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust steering of the vehicle along the guide route.

17. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to, based on the predicted final position of the falling object being outside a prescribed range of a center of the traveling lane and a region spaced apart from the falling object by a full width of the vehicle or more being present in the traveling lane:

generate a guide route that causes the vehicle to pass through the region; and

provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust steering of the vehicle along the guide route.

18. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to judge whether the object is splashing water based on the object blocking a windshield of the vehicle by a predetermined region or more.

19. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to, based on the object blocking the predetermined region or more of the windshield of the vehicle, further judge whether the object is splashing water based on rain information provided from a rain sensor of the vehicle.

20. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to, based on judging that the object is splashing water, provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to restrict an operable range of a steering wheel provided at the vehicle to a prescribed range.

21. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to restrict the operable range of the steering wheel to a smaller range than the prescribed range based on judging that an obstacle is present in another lane located at the left side or the right side of the traveling lane.

22. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to release a restriction on the steering wheel based on a predetermined time having passed after judging that the object is splashing water, or based on the windshield of the vehicle being blocked by less than the predetermined region.

23. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to generate a guide route in the traveling lane based on one of the images acquired prior to judging that the object is splashing water.

24. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to:

calculate curve information of the traveling lane from the image acquired prior to judging that the object is splashing water; and

generate a guide route in the traveling lane based on the curve information.

25. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to provide a wiper drive unit of the vehicle with a control signal to drive a wiper at least once based on judging that the object is splashing water.

26. The driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, based on judging that a guide route in the traveling lane cannot be generated:

judge whether an object is present in another lane located at the left side or the right side of the traveling lane based on the images; and

generate a path connecting the traveling lane to the other lane based on no object being present in the other lane, and provide the steering apparatus of the vehicle with a control signal to adjust steering of the vehicle along the path connecting the traveling lane to the other lane.

27. A vehicle comprising:

the driver assistance apparatus according to claim 1; and

a steering apparatus configured to adjust steering of a vehicle based on a control signal provided from the driver assistance apparatus.