Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-23
2001-11-27
Chin, Gary (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C180S422000, C180S446000, C340S439000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324452
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vehicle steering control system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various technologies have recently been proposed for using a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) camera or the like mounted on a vehicle, which takes an image of the surface of an expressway or any other road on which the vehicle is traveling and detects white lines (lines painted on the road and defining a lane boundary) from the obtained image and based on this, controlling steering assist torque of the vehicle such that the vehicle runs along the lane.
By providing steering assistance while preventing vehicle lane wandering, these technologies greatly reduce the burden on the vehicle operator. However, since the vehicle operator sometimes tends to depend on this steering assistance control excessively, the assignee proposed, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. Hei 11 (1999)-78953, detecting the steering torque inputted by the vehicle operator and based on the detected steering torque, determining whether the vehicle operator has the intention to drive the vehicle by himself. Similar techniques have been taught, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Nos. Hei 8 (1996)-249600 and Hei 9 (1997)-91569, in which unusual driving or the degree of awakening of the vehicle operator is detected to determine the vehicle operator's intention to drive the vehicle by himself.
However, the techniques proposed by these prior art references are not always satisfactory in the accuracy of the determination of the intention of the vehicle operator to drive the vehicle and needs to be improved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is therefore to provide a vehicle steering control system for conducting the steering assistance control such that the vehicle runs along a lane, which can accurately determine the intention of the vehicle operator to drive the vehicle by himself, thereby preventing the vehicle operator from depending on the steer assist torque control excessively.
In order to achieve this object, there is provided a system for controlling steering of a vehicle having an actuator which turns steered wheels of the vehicle; comprising: an image sensor mounted on the vehicle for taking an image ahead of the vehicle; lane detecting means for detecting a lane on which the vehicle travels based on outputs of the image sensor; and steering assist torque control means for calculating a steering assist torque and conducting a steering assist control to operate the actuator such that the vehicle runs along the lane. The system includes: lateral deviation detecting means for detecting a lateral deviation of the vehicle from a reference line of the lane; and intention determining means for determining whether an operator of the vehicle has an intention to drive the vehicle based on at least the detected lateral deviation; and wherein the steering assist torque control means conducts at least one of alerting the operator and discontinuing the steering assist control, when it is determined by the intention determining means that the operator does not have the intention to drive the vehicle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5642093 (1997-06-01), Kinoshita et al.
patent: 5765116 (1998-06-01), Wilson-Jones et al.
patent: 6053270 (2000-04-01), Nishikawa et al.
patent: 6212453 (2001-04-01), Kawagoe et al.
patent: 8-249600 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 9-91569 (1997-04-01), None
patent: 11-78953 (1999-03-01), None
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Chin Gary
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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