Alert system for a vehicle

• US 8,466,806 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schofield, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/483,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 340/435, 340/903, 340/148, 340/149, 348/119, 348/120
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/346 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• 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 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• 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 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 : Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

An alert system for a vehicle includes a forward facing camera having a field of view that encompasses the road ahead of and traveled on by the equipped vehicle, and may include a radar detector having a field of view to the side of and rearward of the equipped vehicle as it travels along the road and/or an image-based detector having a field of view to the side of and rearward of the equipped vehicle as it travels along the road. The alert system determines a lane change into a side lane by the equipped vehicle and detects a vehicle in that side lane, and an alert is generated to the driver of the equipped vehicle. The alert may be generated irrespective of the status of a turn signal of the equipped vehicle.

Claims

1. An alert system for a vehicle, said alert system comprising:

a lane departure warning system operable to detect lane markers on a road being traveled by a vehicle equipped with said alert system;

said lane departure warning system comprising a forward facing camera having a field of view that encompasses the road ahead of and traveled on by the equipped vehicle;

wherein said forward facing camera views lane markers on the road being traveled by the equipped vehicle;

a side object detection system operable to detect the presence of another vehicle in an adjacent side lane adjacent to the lane being traveled by the equipped vehicle;

wherein said side object detection system comprises at least one of (a) a radar detector having a field of view to the side of and rearward of the equipped vehicle as it travels along the road and (b) an image-based detector having a field of view to the side of and rearward of the equipped vehicle as it travels along the road;

wherein said at least one of a radar detector and an image-based detector of said side object detection system detects the presence of an overtaking vehicle in the adjacent side lane;

wherein, when said lane departure warning system detects a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle towards a side lane and when said side object detection system detects the presence of a vehicle in that side lane, said alert system generates an alert to a driver of the equipped vehicle;

wherein data is received by a processor and wherein said received data comprises image data captured by said forward facing camera and at least one of (i) radar data captured by said side object detection system and (ii) image data captured by said side object detection system; and

wherein, responsive to processing by said processor of said received data, said alert system assesses said received data and, responsive to said assessment of said received data and when a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle into a side lane is detected and when a vehicle is present in that side lane, said alert system generates said alert to the driver of the equipped vehicle based on a comparison of the presence of the overtaking vehicle with its position history irrespective of activation by the driver of the equipped vehicle of a turn signal indicator of the equipped vehicle at the side of the vehicle adjacent that side lane.

2. The alert system of claim 1, wherein said lane departure warning system differentiates at least one of solid lines, dashed lines and double lines on the road being traveled by the equipped vehicle.

3. The alert system of claim 2, wherein said alert system is operable to detect an oncoming vehicle, and wherein said alert system is operable to detect a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle and generate an alert to the driver responsive to a detection of a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle and a detection of an oncoming vehicle to alert the driver of a potential impact with an oncoming vehicle.

4. The alert system of claim 1, wherein said side object detection system comprises a radar detector having a field of view to the side of and rearward of the equipped vehicle as it travels along the road.

5. The alert system of claim 4, wherein said detection of the presence of the overtaking vehicle in the adjacent side lane utilizes a vehicle path history.

6. The alert system of claim 1, wherein said forward facing camera comprises a CMOS video camera sensor and wherein said side object detection system comprises a radar detector having a field of view to the side of and rearward of the equipped vehicle as it travels along the road.

7. The alert system of claim 1, wherein said alert comprises at least one of (a) a visual alert, (b) a vibration alert, (c) an audible alert, (d) a voice command and (e) a heads-up-display alert.

8. The alert system of claim 1, wherein said alert system receives an input from a global positioning system, and wherein said alert system generates said alert to the driver of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to said input from the global positioning system.

9. An alert system for a vehicle, said alert system comprising:

a forward facing camera having a field of view that encompasses the road ahead of and traveled on by the equipped vehicle;

wherein said forward facing camera views lane markers on the road being traveled by the equipped vehicle;

a radar detector having a field of view to the side of and rearward of the equipped vehicle as it travels along the road;

wherein said radar detector detects the presence of an overtaking vehicle in an adjacent side lane;

wherein data is received by a processor of a control and wherein said received data comprises image data captured by said forward facing camera and radar data captured by said radar detector;

wherein, responsive to processing by said processor of said received data, said processor assesses said received data and, when said processor determines a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle towards a side lane and detects a vehicle in that side lane, said alert system generates an output; and

wherein, responsive to said output, an alert is generated to a driver of the equipped vehicle based on a comparison of the presence of the overtaking vehicle with its position history irrespective of activation by the driver of the equipped vehicle of a turn signal indicator of the equipped vehicle at the side of the vehicle adjacent that side lane.

10. The alert system of claim 9, wherein said processor, responsive to said image data from said forward facing camera, differentiates at least one of solid lines, dashed lines and double lines on the road being traveled by the equipped vehicle.

11. The alert system of claim 10, wherein said alert system is operable to detect an oncoming vehicle, and wherein said alert system is operable to detect a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle and generate an alert to the driver responsive to a detection of a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle and a detection of an oncoming vehicle to alert the driver of a potential impact with an oncoming vehicle.

12. The alert system of claim 9, wherein said forward facing camera comprises a CMOS video camera sensor.

13. The alert system of claim 9, wherein said alert comprises at least one of (a) a visual alert, (b) a vibration alert, (c) an audible alert, (d) a voice command and (e) a heads-up-display alert.

14. The alert system of claim 9, wherein said alert system receives an input from a global positioning system, and wherein said alert system generates said alert to the driver of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to said input from the global positioning system.

15. The alert system of claim 9, wherein at least one of (a) said forward facing camera comprises part of a lane departure warning system of the vehicle, and (b) said radar comprises part of a side object detection system of the vehicle.

16. The alert system of claim 9, wherein said processor comprises a microprocessor, and wherein said microprocessor processes at a processing speed of at least about 5 MIPS.

17. The alert system of claim 9, wherein at least one of (a) said radar data from said radar detector is received by said processor via a vehicle bus system and (b) said image data from said forward facing camera is received by said processor via a vehicle bus system.

18. The alert system of claim 17, wherein said vehicle bus system comprises at least one of (a) a CAN bus of the vehicle and (b) a LIN bus of the vehicle.

19. An alert system for a vehicle, said alert system comprising:

a forward facing camera having a field of view that encompasses the road ahead of and traveled on by the equipped vehicle, wherein said forward facing camera comprises a CMOS video camera sensor;

wherein said forward facing camera views lane markers on the road being traveled by the equipped vehicle;

a radar detector having a field of view to the side of and rearward of the equipped vehicle as it travels along the road;

wherein said radar detector detects the presence of an overtaking vehicle in an adjacent side lane;

wherein data is received by a processor of a control and wherein said received data comprises image data captured by said forward facing camera and radar data captured by said radar detector;

wherein, responsive to processing by said processor of said received data, said processor assesses said received data and, when said processor determines a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle towards a side lane and detects a vehicle in that side lane, said alert system generates an output; and

wherein, responsive to said output, an alert is generated to a driver of the equipped vehicle based on a comparison of the presence of the overtaking vehicle with its position history, and wherein said alert comprises at least one of (a) a visual alert, (b) a vibration alert, (c) an audible alert, (d) a voice command and (e) a heads-up-display alert.

20. The alert system of claim 19, wherein said alert is generated to the driver of the equipped vehicle irrespective of activation by the driver of the equipped vehicle of a turn signal of the equipped vehicle at the side of the vehicle adjacent that side lane.

21. The alert system of claim 19, wherein said processor, responsive to said image data from said forward facing camera, differentiates at least one of solid lines, dashed lines and double lines on the road being traveled by the equipped vehicle, and wherein said alert system is operable to detect an oncoming vehicle, and wherein said alert system is operable to detect a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle and generate an alert to the driver responsive to a detection of a lane change maneuver of the equipped vehicle and a detection of an oncoming vehicle to alert the driver of a potential impact with an oncoming vehicle.

22. The alert system of claim 19, wherein said alert system receives an input from a global positioning system, and wherein said alert system generates said alert to the driver of the equipped vehicle at least in part responsive to said input from the global positioning system.

23. The alert system of claim 19, wherein at least one of (a) said forward facing camera comprises part of a lane departure warning system of the vehicle, and (b) said radar comprises part of a side object detection system of the vehicle.

24. The alert system of claim 19, wherein at least one of (a) said radar data from said radar detector is received by said processor via a vehicle bus system and (b) said image data from said forward facing camera is received by said processor via a vehicle bus system, and wherein said vehicle bus system comprises at least one of (a) a CAN bus of the vehicle and (b) a LIN bus of the vehicle.