Communications: electrical – External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-29
2001-11-13
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm
C340S937000, C340S988000, C340S435000, C340S436000, C340S439000, C340S907000, C340S903000, C340S904000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317057
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for precisely detecting the deviation from a lane by a vehicle.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Vehicles are driven in a lane between lane markers. However, drivers may sometimes inadvertently drive vehicles out of the lane as a result of a distraction, carelessness, fatigue, etc. A potentially dangerous situation results if the driver does not quickly correct his or her error. Accordingly, there have been proposed methods and systems that detect the deviation from a lane by a vehicle, then alert the driver by the sounding of an alarm or by providing a visual warning.
Such systems and methods perform the task of determining lane deviations by ascertaining the width of the lane and the position of the vehicle with respect to the lane markers. Many processes are involved in this process. The initial step is to detect the left and right lane markers in front of the vehicle. Calculations are then performed using the detected left and right lane markers by utilizing predetermined values established in a memory table. The width of the lane is determined by these calculations. Next, a longitudinal center line between the detected lane markers corresponding to a halfway point between the lane markers is determined and a position of a longitudinal center line of the vehicle, which is established in the memory table and varies according to vehicle type, is detected. Finally, the center lines are compared and lane drifting is determined to be occurring if the center lines do not correspond within a predetermined range. If the vehicle is determined to be deviating from the lane, the driver is alerted.
In conventional systems and methods as described above, however, the erroneous detection of lane deviation may occur when there are curves in the road and also when changing lanes such that the driver is unnecessarily alerted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for precisely detecting the deviation from a lane by a vehicle.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for detecting lane deviation of a vehicle comprising the steps of determining a difference between a center point of lane markers and a center point of the vehicle; subtracting a difference between a screen center x-coordinate and a vehicle center point x-coordinate from the determined difference between the center point of lane markers and the center point of the vehicle; and determining that the vehicle is deviating from the lane if the result of the subtraction is less than a predetermined value.
According to a feature of the present invention, the center point of the lane markers is determined by, in an image with 256×256 pixels (x,y), setting points corresponding to equations of left and right lane markers as the lane markers using a y=|a| position as a basis, then setting a center of the left and right lane markers as the center point of the lane markers.
According to another feature of the present invention, after the center point of the lane markers is obtained and with consideration of a direction the vehicle is travelling, the center point of the vehicle is determined by obtaining a straight line equation passing through the lane marker center point and perpendicular to a straight line passing through an end off frame and the lane marker center point, reversing signs of slopes in the straiqht line equation, then setting a point of intersection of a left lane marker and a right lane marker as the center point of the vehicle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5661472 (1997-08-01), Kashizawa
patent: 5790403 (1998-08-01), Nakayama
patent: 5835028 (1998-11-01), Bender et al.
patent: 5890083 (1999-03-01), Franke et al.
patent: 6005492 (1999-12-01), Tamura et al.
patent: 6057754 (2000-05-01), Kinoshita et al.
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Nguyen Tai T.
Wu Daniel J.
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