Patent application EP18178080A (EP), filed 2018-06-15
Publication number: EP3418162A1
Title: AUTOMATED VEHICLE LANE-KEEPING SYSTEM
Abstract: [0001]    A lane-keeping system (10) for an automated vehicle includes a lane-detector (24), an object-detector (28), and a controller (30). The lane-detector (24) indicates which lane of a roadway (26) is occupied by a host-vehicle (12). The object-detector (28) detects objects (20) proximate to the host-vehicle (12). The controller (30) is in communication with the lane-detector (24) and the object-detector (28). The controller (30) is configured to operate the host-vehicle (12) to follow a first-lane using the lane-detector (24) when no object is detected by the object-detector (28) in the first-lane that warrants a lane-change and no lane-change from the first-lane is initiated by an operator (18) of the host-vehicle (12), and allow a lane-change to a second-lane when initiated by the operator (18). The controller (30) is also configured to initiate a lane-change to the first-lane from the second-lane after a first-time-interval (44) after the lane-change to the second-lane that was initiated by the operator (18) when the first-lane is available for unimpeded travel by the host-vehicle (12) for greater than a second-time-interval (46).
IPC codes: B62D  15/    02            A I
G05D   1/    02            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: A lane-keeping system (10) for an automated vehicle, said system (10) comprising:
number: 2
text: The system (10) in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller (30) is further configured to
remain in the second-lane (42) after the first-time-interval (44) when a roadway-divergence (48) is located within a predefined-distance (50) of the host-vehicle (12) and until the roadway-divergence (48) is passed by the host-vehicle (12).
number: 3
text: The system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the controller (30) is further configured to
remain in the second-lane (42) for a third-time-interval (54) when the operator (18) overrides the lane-change to the first-lane (40) from the second-lane (42) that was initiated by the controller (30).
number: 4
text: The system (10) in accordance with claim 3, wherein the controller (30) is further configured to
remain in the second-lane (42) after the third-time-interval (54) when a roadway-divergence (48) is located within a predefined-distance (50) of the host-vehicle (12) and until the roadway-divergence (48) is passed by the host-vehicle (12).
number: 5
text: The system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the controller (30) is further configured to
initiate a lane-change to the second-lane (42) when an object is detected by the object-detector (28) in the first-lane (40) that warrants a lane-change,
and remain in the first-lane (40) for a fourth-time-interval (56) when the operator (18) overrides the lane-change to the second-lane (42) that was initiated by the controller (30).
number: 6
text: The system (10) in accordance with claim 5, wherein the controller (30) is further configured to
remain in the first-lane (40) after the fourth-time-interval (56) when a roadway-divergence (48) is located within a predefined-distance (50) of the host-vehicle (12) and until the roadway-divergence (48) is passed by the host-vehicle (12).
Office action: search_report, dated 2018-12-26
Rejection reasons: inventive_step_epc_56
Prior art cited: ref_id: EP3115272A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: DE102015201878A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: DE102015201878
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: EP3115272
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
Final disposition: pending (2018-12-26)