Virtual Lane Boundary Display for Driver Confusion Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lane departure warning and keeping assist systems face challenges in accurately recognizing lane boundaries, particularly when the vehicle is biased to one side, leading to unrecognized white lines due to the camera's limited angle of view, causing confusion for drivers and reducing image processing accuracy for other applications.
Innovation Solution
A lane departure prevention support apparatus that includes imaging means for capturing lane boundary images, vehicle position detection, assistance for lane departure prevention, and a display system to show the recognition status of lane boundaries, using a configuration where the unrecognized lane boundary is displayed in a manner consistent with recognized boundaries to reduce driver confusion, even when one white line is out of the recognition area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the camera's angle of view is limited to maintain image processing accuracy for other applications, then image processing accuracy is improved, but lane boundary recognition reliability deteriorates when the vehicle is biased to one side
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual lane boundary line that extends beyond the camera's physical field of view. When the actual lane boundary is not detected within the limited angle of view, the system calculates and displays a virtual extension line based on the detected portion of the lane boundary. This dimensional extension allows the system to maintain reliable lane departure warning functionality without requiring a wider camera angle, thus preserving image processing accuracy for other applications while solving the recognition reliability problem.
2Loss of information
If the unrecognized lane boundary is displayed differently from recognized boundaries, then driver awareness of recognition status is improved, but driver confusion increases when one white line is out of recognition area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the detected lane boundary line and displays it as a virtual lane boundary line when the actual line is not detected. Instead of using different display styles that might confuse the driver, the system generates a virtual representation that looks identical to a recognized lane boundary. This copying approach maintains visual consistency and prevents driver confusion while still providing accurate lane departure warning functionality, as the virtual line accurately represents where the lane boundary would be based on the detected portion.
3Reliability
If the system requires both left and right white lines to be recognized for lane departure warning, then false warnings are reduced, but assistance functionality deteriorates when only one white line is recognized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary calculation of virtual lane boundary lines based on the detected portion of the lane boundary before both left and right lines are fully recognized. When only one white line is detected, the system pre-calculates where the opposite lane boundary would be based on typical lane width and geometry, creating a virtual representation. This preliminary action allows the lane departure warning and keeping assist functions to continue operating with reduced but still useful accuracy, rather than completely disabling assistance when one line is unrecognized.
Data Source
AI summary
A lane departure prevention support apparatus comprises: imaging means for capturing an image of a lane boundary line which defines a traveling lane; vehicle position detecting means for recognizing the lane boundary line in a recognition area of captured image data to detect a host vehicle position within the traveling lane in a width direction; assisting means for performing driver assist using the recognition result of the lane boundary line; displaying means for displaying the recognition result of the lane boundary line; and recognition result display controlling means for displaying an unrecognized lane boundary line according to the host vehicle position, if one of left and right white lines is not recognized, wherein a display of the unrecognized lane boundary line is not such a display which indicates that the lane boundary line is not recognized.