Road Departure Protection Using Camera-Based Path Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lane departure protection systems in vehicles are limited in their ability to prevent roadway departures, especially in scenarios without visible lane markings and are prone to false activations, with limited intervention authority and a focus on the driving lane rather than the entire roadway.
Innovation Solution
A safety system utilizing a camera and electronic control unit (ECU) to analyze images and compare the predicted vehicle path with the roadway path, determining corrective actions through electronic stability control and other vehicle systems to prevent roadway departures, which can occur without visible lane markings and account for driver distraction or impairment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lane departure protection systems use visible lane markers for detection, then system reliability improves, but the system becomes inapplicable in scenarios without lane markings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical detection method based on visible lane markers with a sensor-based detection system that identifies the roadway path using physical characteristics of the road surface and environment. Sensors detect edges, curbs, and other roadway boundaries without requiring painted markers, substituting the visual marker-dependent system with a physics-based detection approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to detect roadway paths using multiple methods including lane markers, road edges, curbs, and environmental features. This multi-functional detection capability allows the system to operate universally across different roadway types and conditions, whether lane markings are present or absent, making the system adaptable to various driving scenarios.
2Device complexity
If lane departure systems focus specifically on the driving lane, then device complexity is reduced, but the system fails to protect against departure from the entire roadway
Solution Approach 1:
The system expands the detection scope from the two-dimensional lane markings to the three-dimensional roadway structure by detecting road edges, curbs, and vertical boundaries. This dimensional expansion allows the system to identify the complete roadway path and provide protection against departures from the entire roadway, not just lane-to-lane deviations.
3Ease of operation
If intervention authority is limited for assistance functions, then ease of operation is improved, but the system cannot effectively prevent roadway departures
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic intervention authority that adapts to the severity and type of roadway departure risk. The ECU can adjust the level of corrective action from subtle steering assistance to more forceful intervention depending on the detected situation, allowing the system to maintain driver control for minor issues while providing strong prevention capability for serious departure risks.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety system for a vehicle providing a road departure protection feature comprises a camera, mounted to the vehicle to provide a view of a driving direction of the vehicle, and an electronic control unit connected to the camera. The electronic control unit includes instructions for analyzing the image and comparing the roadway path to the predicted vehicle path. The electronic control unit determines a vehicle roadway departure is occurring when the predicted vehicle path differs from the roadway path by a predetermined threshold, and then determines at least one corrective action to return the vehicle path to the roadway path. The safety system sends instructions to apply at least one corrective action with at least an electronic stability control system.