Vehicular system for controlling vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11745659-B2
Application number	US-202217650883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2022
Priority date	Mar 20, 2014
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A vehicular vision system includes a camera disposed at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle. Responsive at least in part to processing of captured image data, the system determines a camera-derived path of travel of the vehicle along a road. Responsive at least in part to a geographic location of the vehicle, the system determines a geographic-derived path of travel of the vehicle along the road. Control of the vehicle along the road is based on diminished reliance on the determined geographic-derived path of travel when a geographic location reliability level of the determined geographic-derived path of travel is below a threshold geographic location reliability level. Control of the vehicle along the road is based on diminished reliance on the determined camera-derived path of travel of the vehicle when a camera reliability level of the determined camera-derived path of travel is below a threshold camera reliability level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular vision system, the vehicular vision system comprising:
a camera disposed at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular vision system, wherein the camera views forward of the equipped vehicle through the windshield, and wherein the camera is operable to capture image data;
wherein the camera comprises a lens and a two-dimensional CMOS imaging array sensor having at least one million photosensing elements arranged in an array of rows of photosensing elements and columns of photosensing elements;
an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein said ECU comprises an image processor;
wherein the image processor processes image data captured by the camera;
wherein image data captured by the camera is processed at the ECU for at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) a lane departure warning system of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a lane keeping system of the equipped vehicle and (iii) a lane centering system of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, responsive at least in part to processing at the ECU of captured image data, the vehicular vision system determines a camera-derived path of travel of the equipped vehicle along a road;
wherein, responsive at least in part to a geographic location of the equipped vehicle, the vehicular vision system determines a geographic-derived path of travel of the equipped vehicle along the road based on map data;
wherein the vehicular vision system at least in part controls the equipped vehicle as the equipped vehicle travels along the road based on at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) the determined geographic-derived path of travel of the equipped vehicle and (ii) the determined camera-derived path of travel of the equipped vehicle;
wherein control by the vehicular vision system of the equipped vehicle as the equipped vehicle travels along the road is based on diminished reliance on the determined geographic-derived path of travel of the equipped vehicle when a geographic location reliability level of the determined geographic-derived path of travel is below a threshold geographic location reliability level; and
wherein control by the vehicular vision system of the equipped vehicle as the equipped vehicle travels along the road is based on diminished reliance on the determined camera-derived path of travel of the equipped vehicle when a camera reliability level of the determined camera-derived path of travel is below a threshold camera reliability level.

2. The vehicular vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to determination of the geographic-derived path of travel and the camera-derived path of travel, the vehicular vision system fuses the determined geographic-derived path of travel and the determined camera-derived path of travel.

3. The vehicular vision system of claim 2 , wherein, in fusing of the determined geographic-derived path of travel and the determined camera-derived path of travel, the vehicular vision system diminishes weight of the determined camera-derived path of travel when the camera reliability level is below the camera reliability threshold level.

4. The vehicular vision system of claim 3 , wherein, in fusing of the determined geographic-derived path of travel and the determined camera-derived path of travel, the vehicular vision system diminishes weight of the determined geographic-derived path of travel when the geographic location reliability level is below the threshold geographic location reliability level.

5. The vehicular vision system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular vision system determines weighting factors for (i) the determined camera-derived path of travel and (ii) the determined geographic-derived path of travel.

6. The vehicular vision system of claim 5 , wherein, responsive at least in part to determined weighting factors, the vehicular vision system estimates an actual road path of the road ahead of the equipped vehicle along a particular lane in which the equipped vehicle is traveling.

7. The vehicular vision system of claim 6 , wherein, responsive to a determination that map data used in determining the geographic-derived path of travel is compromised, the vehicular vision system determines a higher weighting factor for the determined camera-derived path of travel.

8. The vehicular vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to a determination that map data used in determining the geographic-derived path of travel is invalid, the vehicular vision system estimates the actual road path of the road ahead of the equipped vehicle along the particular lane in which the equipped vehicle is traveling without use of the map data.

9. The vehicular vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to a determination that the determined camera-derived path of travel is compromised, the vehicular vision system determines a higher weighting factor for the determined geographic-derived path of travel.

10. The vehicular vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to a determination that the determined camera-derived path of travel is invalid, the vehicular vision system estimates the actual road path of the road ahead of the equipped vehicle along the particular lane in which the equipped vehicle is traveling without use of the determined camera-derived path of travel.

11. The vehicular vision system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to both of (i) the determined camera-derived path of travel being unreliable and (ii) map data used to determine the geographic-derived path of travel being unreliable, the vehicular vision system determines an estimated path of travel of the equipped vehicle responsive at least in part to (i) a speed sensor of the equipped vehicle and (ii) a yaw rate sensor of the equipped vehicle.

12. The vehicular vision system of claim 1 , wherein the ECU is disposed in the equipped vehicle at a location that is other than the location where the camera is disposed at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the equipped vehicle.

13. The vehicular vision system of claim 12 , wherein data transfer from the camera to the ECU is via a data communication link.

14. The vehicular vision system of claim 1 , wherein the geographic location of the equipped vehicle is provided by a GPS system.

15. A vehicular vision system, the vehicular vision system comprising:
a camera disposed at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular vision system, wherein the camera views forward of the equipped vehicle through the windshield, and wherein the camera is operable to capture image data;
wherein the camera comprises a lens and a two-dimensional CMOS imaging array sensor having at least one million photosensing elements arranged in an array of rows of photosensing elements and columns of photosensing elements;
an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein said ECU comprises an image processor;
wherein the image processor processes image data captured by the camera;
wherein image data captured by the camera is processed at the ECU for at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) a lane departure warning system of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a lane keeping system of the equipped vehicle and (iii) a lane centering system of the equipped vehicle;
wherein, responsive at least in part to processing at the ECU of captured image data, the vehicular vision system determines a camera-derived path of travel of the equipped vehicle along a road;
wherein, responsive at least in part to a geographic location of the equipped vehicle, the vehicular vision system determines a geographic-derived path of travel of the equipped vehicle along the road bas

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Chundrlik Jr William J
• Wimmershoff Marc

Classifications

• G06V20/588 Primary

  Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road · CPC title

• B60R1/00 Primary

  Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles · CPC title

• G01S19/39

  the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO · CPC title

• G01S19/45

  by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement · CPC title

• B60R2300/302

  combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data · CPC title