# US 2018/0025646 A1 · Apparatus for vehicle driving assistance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0025646 A1 - Document ID: US20180025646A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/652,237 - Filed: 2017-07-18 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-19 - Assignees: Mando Corporation - Applicants: Mando Corporation - Inventors: Kyung Geun JEON - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180025646A1 ## CPC - G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection} - B60W 30/165: Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar" - B62D 6/002: {computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels (B62D7/159 takes precedence)} - B62D 15/025: {Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence)} - B62D 15/026: {combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar} - G05D 1/0077: {using redundant signals or controls} - G05D 1/0246: {using a video camera in combination with image processing means} - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract Disclosed herein is an apparatus for assisting driving of a vehicle for stable control of a host vehicle using road conditions including intersections, crosswalks and the like, forward lane markings, and a preceding vehicle. The apparatus includes a road information recognition unit configured to recognize a section having lane markings and a section having no lane markings on a drive path, a lane information generation unit configured to recognize forward lane markings provided in a direction in which a host vehicle is proceeding, a vehicle recognition unit configured to recognize a preceding vehicle of the host vehicle, and a controller configured to perform lateral control of the host vehicle by assigning weights to information acquired by recognizing the forward lane markings and information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle based on whether the section having no lane markings is recognized. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for assisting driving of a vehicle, comprising: a road information recognition unit configured to recognize a section having lane markings and a section having no lane markings on a drive path; a lane information generation unit configured to recognize forward lane markings provided in a direction in which a host vehicle is proceeding; a vehicle recognition unit configured to recognize a preceding vehicle of the host vehicle; and a controller configured to perform lateral control of the host vehicle by respectively assigning weights to information acquired by recognizing the forward lane markings and information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle based on whether the section having no lane markings is recognized. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the section having no lane markings is recognized, the road information recognition unit periodically calculates a distance from the host vehicle to a point at which the section having no lane markings starts in the direction in which the host vehicle is proceeding, and provides the distance to the controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the forward lane markings and the preceding vehicle are recognized, the controller performs lateral control of the host vehicle by assigning a higher weight to the information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle than to the information acquired by recognizing the forward lane markings as the distance between the host vehicle and the section having no lane markings decreases so as to become less than a reference value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the forward lane markings and the preceding vehicle are recognized, the controller performs lateral control of the host vehicle by assigning a higher weight to the information acquired by recognizing the forward lane markings than to the information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle if the distance between the host vehicle and the section having no lane markings is greater than a reference value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, before the host vehicle enters the section having no lane markings, if the forward lane markings are not recognized but the preceding vehicle is recognized, the controller performs lateral control of the host vehicle based on the preceding vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, before the host vehicle enters the section having no lane markings, if the forward lane markings are recognized, the controller performs lateral control of the host vehicle based on the forward lane markings. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, when the preceding vehicle is driving over the forward lane marking, the controller stops lateral control of the host vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the host vehicle is driving in the section having no lane markings, the controller performs following of the preceding vehicle and lateral control of the host vehicle based on the information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the forward lane markings are not recognized but the preceding vehicle is recognized, the controller performs following of the preceding vehicle and lateral control of the host vehicle based on the information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when a lateral separation distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than a reference distance, the controller performs lateral control of the host vehicle based on the information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when an angle between a first direction in which the host vehicle is proceeding and a second direction in which the preceding vehicle is proceeding is equal to or greater than a reference angle, the controller stops following of the preceding vehicle and lateral control of the host vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the preceding vehicle changes orientation thereof by an angle that is equal to or greater than a reference angle, the controller stops following of the preceding vehicle and lateral control of the host vehicle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the preceding vehicle changes orientation thereof by an angle that is equal to or less than a reference angle, if a risk of a collision between the host vehicle and another vehicle in an adjacent lane is detected, the controller stops following of the preceding vehicle and lateral control of the host vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when another vehicle cuts in between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the controller stops following of the preceding vehicle and lateral control of the host vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when a speed of the preceding vehicle becomes equal to or greater than a preset speed, the controller stops following of the preceding vehicle and lateral control of the host vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the road information recognition unit recognizes the section having no lane markings using at least one of information received from a GPS, information acquired by recognizing an intersection ahead of the host vehicle using a camera, and information acquired by recognizing traffic lights ahead of the host vehicle using the camera. ### Claim 17 An apparatus for assisting driving of a vehicle, comprising: a road information recognition unit configured to recognize a section having lane markings and a section having no lane markings present on a drive path of a host vehicle; a lane information generation unit configured to recognize forward lane markings provided in a direction in which the host vehicle is proceeding; a vehicle recognition unit configured to recognize a preceding vehicle that is proceeding ahead of the host vehicle; and a controller configured to perform following of the preceding vehicle and lateral control of the host vehicle based on at least one piece of information, among information acquired by respectively recognizing the section having lane markings, the section having no lane markings, the forward lane markings, and the preceding vehicle, wherein the controller is configured to: control the host vehicle based on information acquired by recognizing the forward lane markings when the host vehicle is driving in the section having lane markings; and control the host vehicle based on information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle when the host vehicle is driving in the section having no lane markings. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, when the host vehicle is driving in the section having lane markings, if the vehicle recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle, the controller performs lateral control of the host vehicle by assigning a weight to the information acquired by recognizing the forward lane markings, among the information acquired by recognizing the forward lane markings and the information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, when the host vehicle is driving in the section having lane markings, the controller performs lateral control of the host vehicle by assigning a higher weight to the information acquired by recognizing the preceding vehicle than to the information acquired by recognizing the forward lane markings as a distance between the host vehicle and the section having no lane markings decreases so as to become less than a reference value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the controller warns of release of lateral control of the host vehicle when neither the preceding vehicle nor the forward lane markings is recognized.