Vehicular active drive assist system

• US 6,370,474 B1
• Filed: 09/20/2000
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Hanawa, Keiji, Hiwatashi, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/665,103
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 701/96, 701/300, 701/301, 342/455, 340/435, 340/436, 340/901, 340/903, 348/142, 348/148, 348/149, 348/118
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/082 using alarm actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A vehicular active drive assist system including a lane deviation judgment unit which judges the possibility of deviation of own vehicle from a traffic lane on a roadway ahead and a warning control unit which controls a warning based on judgment results fed from the lane deviation judgment unit, wherein the lane deviation judgment unit sets a first judgment line approximately parallel to a lateral direction of the own vehicle at a first distance ahead of the own vehicle, sets a second judgment line approximately parallel to the lateral direction of the own vehicle at a second distance ahead of the own vehicle, makes a judgment on the possibility of deviation from the traffic lane based on the location of the own vehicle and the location of lane markings on the first judgment line, makes another judgment on the possibility of deviation from the traffic lane based on the location of the own vehicle and the location of the lane markings on the second judgment line, and finally judges the possibility of deviation from the traffic lane based on the results of these two judgments.

Claims

1. A vehicular active drive assist system comprising a lane deviation judgment unit which judges the possibility of deviation of own vehicle from a traffic lane on a roadway ahead and a warning control unit which controls a warning based on judgment results fed from the lane deviation judgment unit, wherein the lane deviation judgment unit sets a first judgment line approximately parallel to a lateral direction of the own vehicle at a first distance ahead of the own vehicle, sets a second judgment line approximately parallel to the lateral direction of the own vehicle at a second distance ahead of the own vehicle, makes a judgment on the possibility of deviation from the traffic lane based on the location of the own vehicle and the location of lane markings on the first judgment line, makes another judgment on the possibility of deviation from the traffic lane based on the location of the own vehicle and the location of the lane markings on the second judgment line, and finally judges the possibility of deviation from the traffic lane based on the results of these two judgments.

2. The vehicular active drive assist system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a vehicle speed sensing unit for detecting vehicle speed, wherein the lane deviation judgment unit variably sets positions of the own vehicle on the first judgment line and the second judgment line to be used in judging the possibility of deviation from the traffic lane according to the vehicle speed.

3. The vehicular active drive assist system as recited in claim 1, wherein the lane deviation judgment unit sets a left side judgment value and a right side judgment value differing from each other in size as positions of the own vehicle.

4. The vehicular active drive assist system as recited in claim 2, wherein the lane deviation judgment unit sets a left side judgment value and a right side judgment value differing from each other in size as positions of the own vehicle.