Steering Assistance Device Adaptive Lane Keeping Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing lane maintaining assistance technologies can cause deterioration of driving feeling by applying torque opposite to the driver's steering and lead to vehicle instability when lane centering assistance is not necessary, compromising both safety and driver comfort.

Innovation Solution

A steering assistance device and method that includes a demarcation line detection unit, horizontal velocity measurement unit, and steering control unit to assist the vehicle in staying parallel to lane demarcation lines, starting assistance only when the vehicle's horizontal velocity exceeds a threshold and is a prescribed distance from the lane center, and stopping assistance when the vehicle is centered within a predetermined angle.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If lane maintaining assistance is continuously applied to correct vehicle direction, then vehicle safety is improved, but driving feeling deteriorates due to opposite torque applied to steering

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevehicle safetyVSAvoiddriving feeling
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The assistance control is made dynamic by continuously monitoring horizontal velocity and vehicle position relative to lane center. The control activation and deactivation thresholds create adaptive behavior that responds to real-time driving conditions, enabling the system to switch between assistance and non-assistance states based on whether lane deviation correction is actually needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback control by detecting the vehicle's horizontal velocity and position relative to the lane center, then using this information to determine when to activate or deactivate assistance. The feedback loop continuously monitors driving conditions and adjusts assistance application accordingly, preventing unnecessary torque application when the vehicle is already properly positioned.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If lane maintaining assistance corrects vehicle direction to stay in lane, then lane keeping is improved, but vehicle travel stability deteriorates when vehicle goes beyond target travel line

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelane keepingVSAvoidvehicle travel stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by detecting when horizontal velocity exceeds the threshold and the vehicle is beyond the lane center, then preemptively deactivating assistance before the vehicle can overshoot and require opposite-direction correction. This prevents the oscillatory behavior that would compromise travel stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses partial action by applying assistance only when specifically needed (when horizontal velocity is below threshold and vehicle is within acceptable position), rather than continuously. This selective application prevents excessive correction actions that would cause the vehicle to overshoot and create instability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3495240B1Steering assistance device and steering assistance method
Publication Date: 2022.11.23 ISUZU MOTORS LTD
  • EP3495240B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3495240B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3495240B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Provided is a steering assistance device, and a demarcation line detection unit 100 detects left and right lane demarcation lines for a lane in which a vehicle is travels. A horizontal velocity measurement unit 101 calculates the horizontal velocity, which is a velocity component of the vehicle in a direction perpendicular to the lane. An assistance unit 11 performs steering assistance for the vehicle so that the vehicle travels parallel to the left and right lane demarcation lines. In a case where the horizontal velocity equal to or greater than a prescribed velocity and the center of the vehicle is separated from the center between the left and right lane demarcation lines by equal to or greater than a prescribed distance, a steering control unit 102 starts the steering assistance of the vehicle by the assistance unit 11.