Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-08
2001-11-06
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C701S009000, C701S116000, C180S168000, C180S204000, C340S438000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314354
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic lane following system for a vehicle. The automatic lane following system is adapted to control the direction of a moving vehicle along a predetermined path.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Automatic lane following systems have been demonstrated operating at motor way speeds. Such systems certainly prevent lane departure while lane markings (usually the white painted lines) are present. A controller of the systems estimates the vehicle's lateral position in relation to the lane markings. An optical sub-system or a video camera or equivalent sensor is mounted on a vehicle and used to detect the lane markings. An actuator coupled to the steering mechanism is used to control the steering position of the front road wheels. The lane following system is enabled when a system main switch is closed. When a direction indicator of the vehicle is actuated, the lane following system is disabled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Preferably, the lane following system includes an interruption switch as mounted on the steering instrumentality within the reach of the driver's finger(s) so that the driver can keep on activating the interruption switch to enable the lane following system. The driver may deactivate the interruption switch by keeping the finger(s) off to take over control of the steering mechanism. The provision of the interruption switch on the steering instrumentality makes it possible for the driver to activate or deactivate the main system switch with the hands gripping the rim of the steering instrumentality, ensuring a smooth shift from the automatic lane following steering operation to the manual steering operation.
In order to avoid unintended activation of the interruption switch, the location of an actuator for the interruption switch must be determined. If the interruption switch actuator is disposed within a site sufficiently remote from the rim of the steering instrumentality, a driver work load increases when the driver keeps on activating the interruption switch.
Accordingly, a need remains to avoid human unintended activation of the interruption switch and to reduce a driver work load when the driver keeps on activating the interruption switch.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lane following system for a vehicle, comprising:
a steering instrumentality;
a steering system including a steering mechanism for controlling the steering position of front road wheels of the vehicle in response to manual operation of said steering instrumentality,
said steering system including an actuator for controlling the steering position of the front road wheels in response to a steering signal;
a controller operative to generate the steering signal;
an interruption switch operatively coupled to said controller to deactivate said actuator when said interruption switch has a first position thereof and to activate said actuator when said interruption switch has a second position; and
an interruption switch actuator mounted on said steering instrumentality and operatively associated with said interruption switch, said interruption switch actuator having a rest position in which said interruption switch actuator deactivates said interruption switch to keep said interruption switch at said first position, said interruption switch actuator having an operational position in which said interruption switch actuator activates said interruption switch to keep said interruption switch at said second position, said interruption actuator being displaceable between said rest position and said operational position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lane following system for a vehicle, comprising:
a steering instrumentality;
a steering system including a steering mechanism for controlling the steering position of front road wheels of the vehicle in response to manual operation of said steering instrumentality,
said steering system including an actuator for controlling the steering position of the front road wheels in response to a steering signal;
a controller to generate the steering signal; and
a human interface operatively coupled to said controller, said human interface including a handle mounted on said steering instrumentality and means for deactivating said actuator when said handle is in a rest position and activating said actuator when said handle is held in an operable position by manual operation.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of facilitating steering of a vehicle having front road wheels by tracking a contrived center line of a road, the vehicle having a steering system including an actuator and a steering instrumentality, and the contrived center line being a center line between lane markings defining a lane boundary on the road, comprising:
encouraging the driver to keep on manually holding an interruption switch actuator in an operational position to close an interruption switch while gripping the steering instrumentality, thereby to cause the actuator of the steering system to control the steering position of the front road wheels in response to a steering signal from a controller; and
manually initiating displacement of the interruption switch actuator from the operable position to a rest position to open the interruption switch, thereby to cause the steering system to control the steering position of the front road wheels in response manual operation of the steering instrumentality.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3633701 (1972-01-01), LeTourneau et al.
patent: 6009377 (1999-12-01), Hiwatashi
patent: 6020673 (2000-02-01), Matsumoto
Kuwabara Tatsuo
Shimizu Youji
Arthur Gertrude
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Foley & Lardner
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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