Driver assistance system and method for supporting the driver of a vehicle in maintaining a traffic lane limited by traffic lane markings

A method for assisting the driver of a vehicle in maintaining a traffic lane that is limited by traffic lane markings, said method comprising:

• detecting the traffic lane markings and the position of the vehicle within the traffic lane;
• determining, based on the detected traffic lane markings and the position of the vehicle whether the traffic lane is being abandoned or about to be abandoned;
• sensing the environment of the vehicle for presence of collision-endangering objects next to the traffic lane and in front of the vehicle in the traffic lane;
• outputting, in a first escalation step, a lane abandonment warning to a vehicle operator when it is determined that the traffic lane is being abandoned or about to be abandoned;
• determining whether the abandoning of the traffic lane is permissible or impermissible based on the type of traffic lane marking that is to be crossed over;
• determining whether to trigger or suppress a course correcting actuating intervention as a second escalation step, which is performed chronologically after the output of the lane abandonment warning, based on whether (1) the abandoning of the traffic lane has been determined to be permissible, (2) no collision-endangering objects are present next to the traffic lane, and (3) no collision endangering objects are present in front of the vehicle in the traffic lane,
• wherein the course correcting actuating intervention is triggered chronologically after the output of the lane abandonment warning when (a) abandoning of the traffic lane is impermissible, (b) no collision-endangering objects are in front of the vehicle in the traffic lane, and (c) no collision-endangering objects are present next to the traffic lane,
• wherein the course correcting actuating intervention is triggered chronologically after the output of the lane abandonment warning when abandoning of the traffic lane is permissible and a collision endangering object is present next to the traffic lane,
• wherein the course correcting actuating intervention is suppressed chronologically after the output of the lane abandonment warning when abandoning of the traffic lane is impermissible and a collision endangering object is present in front of the vehicle in the traffic lane,
• wherein the course correcting actuating intervention is suppressed chronologically after the output of the lane abandonment warning when abandoning of the traffic lane is permissible and (1) no collision endangering objects are present in front of the vehicle in the traffic lane and (2) no collision endangering objects are present next to the traffic lane,
• wherein abandonment of the traffic lane is judged to be permissible if the traffic lane marking that will be passed over when abandoning the lane is a broken line, and abandonment of the traffic lane is judged as impermissible if the traffic lane marking that will be passed over is a continuous line, and
• wherein a collision endangering-object that next to the traffic lane or in front of the vehicle in the traffic lane is an object for which there is a probability that the vehicle will collide with the object next to the traffic lane or in front of the vehicle in the traffic lane within an anticipatory period if the vehicle continues along its current course and no countermeasures are performed.