Lane Change Assist Control for Suppressing False BCW Warnings
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing driver assistance systems, such as Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Blind-spot Collision Warning (BCW), can interfere with lane change assist functions, leading to unnecessary warnings and errors during automatic lane changes.
Innovation Solution
A lane change assisting apparatus that classifies lane change steps and determines whether to output warnings based on the vehicle's position and elapsed time on the boundary line of the target lane, allowing for lane changes without warnings when certain conditions are met, such as the vehicle being fully inside the target lane or exceeding preset time and position thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the BCW system generates a warning when the turn indicator is flickered, then collision warning reliability is improved, but false warnings occur during automatic lane change operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lane change operation into multiple distinct phases: turn indicator flickering phase, vehicle movement phase, and lane entry completion phase. The BCW system is configured to generate warnings only during specific phases (when turn indicator is flickered but vehicle has not yet entered the target lane), and to suppress warnings during other phases (when vehicle is already in the process of completing lane change). This temporal segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling reliable collision detection when needed while avoiding false warnings during automatic lane change operations.
2Ease of operation
If the lane change assist function automatically changes lanes using turn indicator input, then driving convenience is improved, but conflict with BCW operating conditions occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the BCW system based on the real-time state of the lane change assist function. The system continuously monitors whether the vehicle is in the process of automatic lane change and dynamically adjusts BCW sensitivity accordingly. When automatic lane change is detected, the system dynamically suppresses BCW warnings to prevent conflict, while maintaining normal BCW operation during regular driving. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary control mechanism that mediates between the lane change assist function and the BCW system. This intermediary layer monitors the operational state of both systems and coordinates their interaction by suppressing BCW warnings during automatic lane change operations. The intermediary acts as a buffer that prevents direct conflict between the two systems, enabling both to operate reliably without interference.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for assisting a lane change includes: a storage configured to store information for the lane change; and a processor that classifies a plurality of lane change steps for the lane change from a position of a host vehicle in an original lane to a target lane, and determines whether to output a warning of a dangerous situation in each lane change step of the plurality of lane change steps when the dangerous situation occurs. When the host vehicle is positioned on a boundary line of the target lane or goes over the boundary line of the target lane, the processor assists the lane change without outputting the warning based on a driving situation.