METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY REACTIVATING A LANE DEPARTURE WARNING AND/OR LANE KEEPING DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM OF A VEHICLE

Abstract

A method for automatically reactivating a lane departure warning and/or lane keeping driver assistance system of a vehicle, comprising deactivating the system at a deactivation time point; identifying a first road condition which is associated with the deactivation time point when the system is being deactivated, wherein the first road condition is indicative of a driving situation when the driver wants the system to be deactivated; setting a reactivation threshold value, wherein the reactivation threshold value is set based on the identified first road condition and defines a limit for when the first road condition no longer applies; and automatically reactivating the system when it is determined that the reactivation threshold value is reached. The invention also relates to a vehicle control unit and to a vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for automatically reactivating a lane departure warning and/or lane keeping driver assistance system of a vehicle, comprising: deactivating the system at a deactivation time point; identifying a first road condition which is associated with the deactivation time point when the system is being deactivated, wherein the first road condition is indicative of a driving situation when the driver wants the system to be deactivated; setting a reactivation threshold value, wherein the reactivation threshold value is set based on the identified first road condition and defines a limit for when the first road condition no longer applies; and automatically reactivating the system when it is determined that the reactivation threshold value is reached.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein deactivating the system is performed when the driver manually initiates a deactivation command.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the deactivation command is initiated by the driver manually deactivating the system via a human machine interface (HMI), such as via an HMI of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the deactivation command is initiated by the driver performing a driving manoeuvre which is above a predetermined driver manoeuvre threshold value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the driving manoeuvre is a steering manoeuvre and the predetermined driver manoeuvre threshold value is a steering manoeuvre threshold value.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein deactivating the system is performed automatically when a predetermined deactivation threshold value is reached.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first road condition is at least a lane width identified at the deactivation time point when the system is being deactivated, wherein the identified lane width defines a lane width threshold below which the driver wants the system to be deactivated.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the reactivation threshold value is at least set based on the identified lane width together with a specific lane width safety margin, resulting in a reactivation threshold value which is at least defined by a larger lane width than the identified lane width.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first road condition is at least a road curvature identified at the deactivation time point when the system is being deactivated, wherein the identified road curvature defines a road curvature threshold above which the driver wants the system to be deactivated.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first road condition is indicative of a road work area.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising informing the driver when the system is deactivated.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising informing the driver when the system is automatically reactivated.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first road condition is identified by use of at least one vehicle perception sensor, such as a perception sensor of the system, and/or by use of data from a database, such as map data from a map database.

14. A vehicle control unit for automatically reactivating a lane departure warning and/or lane keeping driver assistance system of a vehicle, the vehicle control unit being configured to: deactivate the system at a deactivation time point; identify a first road condition which is associated with the deactivation time point when the system is being deactivated, wherein the first road condition is indicative of a driving situation when the driver wants the system to be deactivated; set a reactivation threshold value, wherein the reactivation threshold value is set based on the identified first road condition and defines a limit for when the first road condition no longer applies; and automatically reactivate the system when it is determined that the reactivation threshold value is reached.

15. A vehicle comprising a lane departure warning and/or lane keeping driver assistance system, and further comprising the vehicle control unit of claim 14.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a more detailed description of embodiments of the invention cited as examples.

[0044] In the drawings:

[0045] FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] FIG. 2 is a schematic view from above of a road section and shows an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0047] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0048] FIG. 1 depicts a vehicle 100 according to an example embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 100 is here a heavy-duty truck in the form a truck and trailer combination. The vehicle 100 is equipped with a lane departure warning and/or lane keeping assistance system which comprises a perception sensor 120, here in the form of a forward directed camera which is mounted at the front of the vehicle 100 so that it can view the road ahead of the vehicle 100 during driving.

[0049] Even though the vehicle 100 is here a heavy-duty truck, the invention is applicable to any other type of vehicle which uses a lane departure warning and/or lane keeping driver assistance system.

[0050] In particular, the forward directed camera 120 is configured to monitor lane markings during driving of the vehicle 100, wherein the system is configured to warn the driver and/or automatically keep the vehicle 100 within the lane markings during driving. The system is here constituted by the camera 120 and by a vehicle control unit 110 which is configured to control the steering of the vehicle 100 in order to keep the vehicle 100 within the lane markings and/or to issue a warning signal if the vehicle 100 departs, or is about to depart, from the lane defined by the lane markings. The system may comprise further perception sensors (not shown), such as further cameras, LIDAR sensors, RADAR sensors etc.

[0051] FIG. 2 depicts a schematic view from above of a road section RS on which the vehicle 100 is travelling and FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the invention. With respect to especially FIGS. 2 and 3, embodiments of a method according to the first aspect will be described.

[0052] Accordingly, a method for automatically reactivating a lane departure warning and/or lane keeping driver assistance system of a vehicle 100 will be described. The method comprises:

[0053] S1: deactivating the system at a deactivation time point;

[0054] S2: identifying a first road condition which is associated with the deactivation time point when the system is being deactivated, wherein the first road condition is indicative of a driving situation when the driver wants the system to be deactivated;

[0055] S3: setting a reactivation threshold value, wherein the reactivation threshold value is set based on the identified first road condition and defines a limit for when the first road condition no longer applies; and

[0056] S4: automatically reactivating the system when it is determined that the reactivation threshold value is reached.

[0057] Determining when the reactivation threshold is reached is preferably done by monitoring the road conditions during driving of the vehicle 100 along the road section RS, wherein the road conditions are preferably monitored by use of the perception sensor 120 and/or by map data as mentioned herein.

[0058] The method is preferably implemented in e.g. the vehicle control unit 110 as shown in FIG. 1, i.e. the vehicle control unit 110 is preferably a vehicle control unit 110 according to the second aspect of the invention.

[0059] Deactivating the system may be performed when the driver manually initiates a deactivation command. For example, the deactivation command may be initiated by the driver of the vehicle 100 which manually deactivates the system via a HMI, such as via a HMI (not shown) of the vehicle 100. For example, the HMI may be a button, a touch screen on a vehicle dashboard or the like. Additionally, or alternatively, the deactivation command may be initiated by the driver performing a driving manoeuvre which is above a predetermined driver manoeuvre threshold value. The driving manoeuvre may for example be a steering manoeuvre which the driver performs, such as performing a large steering change and/or a rapid steering change which is above the predetermined driver manoeuvre threshold value.

[0060] Additionally, or alternatively, deactivating the system may be performed automatically when a predetermined deactivation threshold value is reached.

[0061] The first road condition may as shown in FIG. 2 be at least a lane width LW2 identified at the deactivation time point when the system is being deactivated. As such, the identified lane width LW2 defines a lane width threshold below which the driver wants the system to be deactivated. As shown in FIG. 2, the la\ne width of the road section RS is first relatively wide, LW1, and is subsequently reduced to LW2, i.e. LW1>LW2.

[0062] The reactivation threshold value may at least be set based on the identified lane width LW2, and may also be set together with a specific lane width safety margin A, resulting in a reactivation threshold value LW3 which is at least defined by a larger lane width than the identified lane width LW2, i.e. LW3=LW2+Δ. The lane widths LW1, LW2 and LW3 may be identified by use of the camera 120 of the vehicle 100. Additionally, or alternatively, the lane widths may also be identified by use of map data and by a global position sensor, e.g. by use of a global navigation and satellite system (not shown), such as GPS of the vehicle 100.

[0063] Additionally, or alternatively, the first road condition may be at least a road curvature identified at the deactivation time point when the system is being deactivated, wherein the identified road curvature defines a road curvature threshold above which the driver wants the system to be deactivated. The road curvature may be defined by e.g. a curvature radius of the identified road curvature. Accordingly, a large or sharp road curvature may be defined by a relatively small curvature radius, whilst a small road curvature may be defined by a relatively large curvature radius, such as a substantially straight road section. As in the above, the road curvature may be identified by use of the perception sensor 120 and/or by map data.

[0064] Additionally, or alternatively, the first road condition may be indicative of a road work area. Accordingly, the reactivation threshold value may thereby be defined by a situation when the road work area ends.

[0065] The method may further comprise informing the driver when the system is deactivated. This may e.g. be done by an audio signal in the vehicle 100 and/or by a visual notification on the above-mentioned dashboard. In a similar manner, the method may further comprise informing the driver when the system is automatically reactivated.

[0066] Accordingly, in view of the above, the first road condition may be at least one of the following: [0067] an identified road lane width LW2, and/or an identified average road lane width, [0068] an identified road curvature, and/or an identified average road curvature value, [0069] an identified road work area, [0070] a type of road, such as a country road, [0071] an identified road sign, such as a road work road sign, a speed limit road sign, a road type road sign, [0072] traffic jam, [0073] a weather condition, such as a temperature value, ice or snow, rain etc.

[0074] The identified road curvature is preferably an absolute road curvature value, or an average absolute road curvature value, e.g. defined by the above-mentioned curvature radius.

[0075] When the first road condition is a type of road, such as a country road, the set reactivation threshold value may be defined as when the type of road ends, i.e. when leaving the country road and for example entering a highway.

[0076] Additionally, or alternatively, the first road condition may be at least one of the following: [0077] an identified road width, or an average identified road width, [0078] a bridge, [0079] a low friction road, such as an icy and/or snowy road.

[0080] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.