Granted Patent B2

US 12,589,744 · App. 17/799,468 · Granted Mar 31, 2026

Inventors: Dominik Fuess (Munich, DE); Stephan Niermann (Hebertshausen, DE); Sebastian Zinser (Neufahrn bei Freising, DE)

Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft

B60W30/12B60W40/08B60W2540/229

Abstract

Claims (36)

1 . A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle in maintaining a lane, having the following steps:

detecting driving state measurement signals of a vehicle;

ascertaining a driving trajectory of the vehicle based on the detected driving state measurement signals;

detecting surroundings information signals of the vehicle;

ascertaining a lane trajectory of the lane based on the surroundings information signals;

ascertaining points of intersection of the ascertained driving trajectory with the ascertained lane trajectory;

determining, based on at least the number of ascertained points of intersection: (a) whether a lane departure situation is present, and (b) whether a lane return situation is also present;

emitting a signal to effectuate an assistance of the driver in maintaining the lane based on the determination.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is emitted the lane return situation is not present.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein emitting the signal is suppressed if a lane return situation is determined.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lane departure situation is determined if at least one point of intersection of the ascertained driving trajectory with the ascertained lane trajectory has been ascertained.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lane return situation is determined if at least two points of intersection of the ascertained driving trajectory with the ascertained lane trajectory have been ascertained.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the lane return situation is determined if at least one further condition is met, wherein evaluating the at least one further condition includes evaluating at least one of:

distance with respect to time of two points of intersection in relation to one another;

spatial/geometric spacing of two points of intersection in relation to one another;

lateral spacing, in particular maximum lateral spacing of the driving trajectory and the lane trajectory between two points of intersection;

distance with respect to time or spatial/geometric spacing of the vehicle to the first point of intersection;

lane type of the presently travelled lane and/or the lane to be travelled after crossing the first point of intersection; and

result of a driver attentiveness monitoring unit.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the lane return situation is determined if at least one of the following conditions is met:

the distance with respect to time of two points of intersection in relation to one another is less than a predetermined time threshold;

the spatial-geometric spacing of two points of intersection in relation to one another is less than a predetermined spacing threshold;

the maximum lateral spacing of the driving trajectory and the lane trajectory between two points of intersection is less than a predetermined distance;

the distance with respect to time or the spatial-geometric distance of the vehicle to the first point of intersection is less than a predetermined distance threshold; and

the lane type of the presently travelled lane and/or the lane to be travelled after crossing the first point of intersection is of a predetermined group of defined permissible lane types.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

evaluating a result of a driver attentiveness monitoring unit; and

emitting the signal independently of the determination if the result of the driver attentiveness monitoring unit does not identify an attentive driver.

9 . A system for assisting a driver of a vehicle in maintaining a lane, comprising:

a first detection unit configured to detect driving state measurement signals of a vehicle;

a first ascertainment unit configured to ascertain a driving trajectory of the vehicle based on the detected driving state measurement signals;

a second detection unit configured to detect surroundings information signals of the vehicle;

a second ascertainment unit configured to ascertain a lane trajectory of the lane, based on the surroundings information signals;

a third ascertainment unit configured to ascertain points of intersection of the driving trajectory with the lane trajectory;

a determination unit configured to determine, based on at least the number of ascertained points of intersection: (a) whether a lane departure situation is present, and (b) whether a lane return situation is also present;

an emission unit configured to emit a signal to effectuate an assistance of the driver in maintaining the lane based on the determination.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (19)