Carpool Lane Width Correction for Stable Travel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing road surface information acquisition systems for carpool lanes face instability due to incorrect lane width determination at entrance and exit sections, leading to wavy target travel lines and unstable vehicle travel.
Innovation Solution
A road surface information acquisition apparatus that captures images of the carpool lane, recognizes lane lines, determines the start and end points of entrance and exit sections based on a broken lane partition line, and corrects lane width calculations to maintain stable travel by employing a lane-width calculator and corrector.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the assistance apparatus determines lane width based on the physical road markings including entrance-exit sections, then the lane width measurement reflects the actual road geometry, but the target travel line becomes wavy and vehicle travel becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the carpool lane into multiple sections: ordinary lane sections and entrance-and-exit lane sections. By identifying the broken line lane partition line that marks entrance-exit sections, the system separates these special sections from ordinary sections. This segmentation allows the system to apply different processing rules to different sections, specifically excluding entrance-exit sections from lane width calculations used for target travel line determination, thus preventing the wavy effect while maintaining accurate measurement of ordinary sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality characteristics to different parts of the lane. Ordinary lane sections have standard lane width characteristics suitable for stable travel, while entrance-and-exit lane sections have expanded width characteristics that are excluded from the stability calculation. The system identifies the local quality change through the broken line marking and selectively processes only the ordinary sections with consistent quality characteristics for target travel line generation.
2Ease of operation
If the carpool lane is broadened at entrance and exit sections to facilitate vehicle movement, then vehicle maneuverability is improved, but the target travel line displacement occurs toward the entrance and exit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lane width measurement process by identifying and excluding entrance-and-exit lane sections from the calculation. The broken line lane partition line serves as a delimiter that allows the system to separate entrance-exit sections (where broadening occurs for maneuverability) from ordinary sections (where stable lane width measurement is needed). This segmentation enables the system to maintain accurate lane width determination for navigation purposes while preserving the physical broadening for vehicle maneuverability.
3Productivity
If the assistance apparatus uses the captured road surface image to recognize lane lines, then real-time road information is obtained, but incorrect recognition of broken lines as lane boundaries causes measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the visual characteristic difference between solid lines and broken lines in the lane partition line. The broken line pattern serves as a distinctive visual marker that the recognition system can identify differently from solid lines. By detecting the broken line pattern, the system can distinguish entrance-and-exit sections from ordinary sections, preventing misinterpretation of the broken line segments as individual lane boundaries and thereby maintaining measurement precision in real-time image processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A road surface information acquisition apparatus a lane line recognizer configured to, based on a road surface image of a carpool lane forward of a vehicle acquired by a camera, recognize lane lines of the carpool lane. The apparatus further includes a determiner configured to, based on a lane partition line recognized by the lane line recognizer, determine a start point and an end point of the entrance and exit, and a lane-width calculator configured to, based on the lane lines recognized by the lane line recognizer, calculate a lane width of the carpool lane. The apparatus further includes a lane-width corrector configured to, based on determinations made by the determiner, correct the lane width calculated by the lane-width calculator. Based on a broken line as the lane partition line, the determiner determines the start point and the end point of the entrance and exit of the carpool lane.