System for assisting with driving a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12358533-B2
Application number	US-202118245851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2021
Priority date	Sep 22, 2020
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for assisting with driving a vehicle, including at least one sensor configured to detect the presence of an object in an environment outside the vehicle, at least one camera configured to acquire images of the environment outside the vehicle and to detect the presence of the object in the environment outside the vehicle. The at least one sensor detects at least one free space in the environment outside the vehicle, the at least one camera, on the basis of the acquired images, detects at least one free space. An electronic control unit configured to select a free space found by the at least one sensor and/or the at least one camera, the electronic control unit activates the display of images in the selected free space so as to indicate a new path to be followed by the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for assisting with driving a vehicle, comprising:
at least one sensor configured to detect the presence of an object in an environment outside the vehicle,
at least one camera configured to acquire images of the environment outside the vehicle and to detect the presence of the object in the environment outside the vehicle,
wherein the at least one sensor is further configured to detect at least one free space in the environment outside the vehicle,
the at least one camera is further configured, on the basis of the acquired images, to detect at least one free space,
an electronic control unit configured to select a free space found by the at least one sensor and/or the at least one camera,
the electronic control unit is further configured to activate display of images in the selected free space so as to indicate a new path to be followed for the vehicle, and
the electronic control unit is configured to compute a time to collision with the detected object, with the at least one sensor and the at least one camera being configured to detect at least one free space in the environment outside the vehicle if the time to collision is less than a threshold, and the electronic control unit is configured to activate display of images in the selected free space so as to indicate a new path to be followed for the vehicle if the time to collision is less than the threshold.

2. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one light-emitting device configured to illuminate the detected object,
at least one light-emitting device configured to illuminate the at least one selected free space.

3. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one light-emitting device is further configured to illuminate the scene in which the detected object is located.

4. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one light-emitting device is a headlamp.

5. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to select a free space found by the sensor and by the camera.

6. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the images are luminous images projected onto a road including the selected free space.

7. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the images are images displayed on a human-machine interface.

8. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.

9. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an autonomous emergency steering device (AES) for steering the vehicle in an emergency, the AES being configured to move the vehicle toward the selected free space.

10. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a semi-autonomous vehicle.

11. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an autonomous emergency steering device (AES) for steering the vehicle in an emergency, the AES being configured to take charge of a movement of the vehicle in the direction of the selected free space, the movement being initiated by an action of a driver on the steering wheel of the vehicle.

12. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a non-autonomous vehicle.

13. The driving-assisting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to transmit a signal to a human-machine interface of the vehicle and/or to modify the color of a light beam of at least one light-emitting module placed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

14. A method for assisting with driving a vehicle at night, comprising:
detecting, by at least one sensor, a presence of an object in an environment outside the vehicle,
illuminating, by at least one light-emitting device, the detected object,
acquiring, by at least one camera, images of the environment outside the vehicle,
detecting, by the at least one camera, the presence of the object in the environment outside the vehicle,
detecting, by the at least one sensor, at least one free space around the vehicle,
detecting, by the at least one camera, the at least one free space in the images,
illuminating, by at least one light-emitting device, the at least one free space found,
selecting, by an electronic control unit, the at least one free space found by the at least one sensor and/or by the at least one camera,
activating, by the electronic control unit, display of images in the selected free space so as to indicate a new path for the vehicle,
computing, by the electronic control unit, a time to collision with the detected object, with the at least one sensor and the at least one camera being configured to detect at least one free space in the environment outside the vehicle if the time to collision is less than a threshold, and
activating, by the electronic control unit, display of images in the selected free space so as to indicate a new path to be followed for the vehicle if the time to collision is less than the threshold.

15. The method for assisting with driving at night as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising illuminating, by the at least one light-emitting device, a scene in which the detected object is located.

16. A method for assisting with driving a vehicle during the day, comprising:
detecting, by at least one sensor, an object in an environment outside the vehicle,
acquiring, by at least one camera, images of the environment outside the vehicle,
detecting, by the at least one camera, the object in the environment outside the vehicle,
detecting, by the at least one sensor, at least one free space around the vehicle,
detecting, by the at least one camera, the at least one free space in the images,
selecting, by an electronic control unit, the at least one free space found by the at least one sensor and/or by the at least one camera,
activating, by the electronic control unit, display of images in the selected free space so as to indicate a new path for the vehicle,
computing, by the electronic control unit, a time to collision with the detected object, with the at least one sensor and the at least one camera being configured to detect at least one free space in the environment outside the vehicle if the time to collision is less than a threshold, and
activating, by the electronic control unit, display of images in the selected free space so as to indicate a new path to be followed for the vehicle if the time to collision is less than the threshold.

Assignees

• Valeo Vision

Inventors

• Grard Christophe
• Planche Gregory
• Ghaly Youssef
• Mimoun Mickael

Classifications

• B60W2420/403

  Image sensing, e.g. optical camera · CPC title

• B60W2050/146

  Display means · CPC title

• B60W50/14

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title

• B60W10/30

  including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title