Vehicle Traveling Support for Lateral Object-Boundary Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing traveling support devices struggle to properly determine the position of a forward object relative to the road boundaries, which can lead to inadequate traveling support control, especially when the object is moving into the own lane from an adjacent lane.
Innovation Solution
The proposed traveling support device includes a recognizer to identify forward objects and road boundaries, an angular width calculator to determine angular widths based on image-defined origins, a lateral distance calculator to compute lateral distances between the object and boundaries, and a controller to perform traveling support control based on these calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the position of a forward object is determined using conventional image recognition methods, then the recognition process is simple, but the position determination accuracy is insufficient when the object is oriented at an angle or moving into the own lane
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the object into multiple reference points (first reference point, second reference point, third reference point) and calculates lateral distances for each point separately. This segmentation allows accurate positioning of extended objects oriented at angles to the camera, resolving the contradiction by maintaining simplicity while improving precision through systematic breakdown of the positioning task.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional image coordinates to three-dimensional spatial coordinates by calculating lateral distances in the real-world coordinate system. This dimensional transformation enables accurate position determination of objects at various orientations and distances, improving measurement precision while the structured calculation approach keeps the complexity manageable.
2Reliability
If only the center position of a forward object is recognized, then the processing is straightforward, but the traveling support control is inadequate when the object is moving into the own lane
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the object positioning into multiple reference points (front, center, rear positions) and calculates lateral distances for each. This enables comprehensive monitoring of objects moving into the own lane, improving control reliability by detecting lane intrusion at any position along the object, while the systematic segmentation keeps calculations organized and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary calculation of lateral distances for multiple reference points before executing traveling support control. This advance positioning information enables the control system to detect potential lane intrusions and take appropriate actions, improving reliability by preparing position data in advance rather than reacting to incomplete information.
Data Source
AI summary
A traveling support device is applied to a vehicle equipped with an imaging device and performs a traveling support control on an own vehicle based on an image captured by the imaging device. The traveling support device includes: a recognizer that recognizes, based on the image, a forward object located ahead of the own vehicle in a direction of travel and a boundary portion located on each of left and right sides of a road on which the own vehicle is traveling; an angular width calculator that calculates an object point, which indicates a predetermined portion of the forward object, and a boundary point, which is on the boundary portion, on one line extending along the width of the own vehicle in the image and calculates, for the object point and the boundary point, an angular width based on an origin defined in the image; an obtainer that obtains distance information indicating a distance to the predetermined portion of the forward object; a lateral distance calculator that calculates, based on the angular width calculated by the angular width calculator and the distance information, a lateral distance between the predetermined portion of the forward object and the boundary portion along the width of the own vehicle; and a controller that performs the traveling support control to the forward object based on the lateral distance.