Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

Kousuke Teramura

Kazunori Shimazaki

Tomio Kimura

Hisashi Kuriya

Satoshi Yamada

Koji Hika

Goro Asahi

Isao Suzuki

Masahiko Ando

Masashi Ushino

Kanji Hattori

A steering assist apparatus that assists a driver when backing a vehicle in an S-shaped path or parallel parking. The apparatus displays guidance marking on a monitor screen and the driver refers to the guidance marking, which permits the driver to easily back the vehicle to a desired position. The apparatus includes a camera, a monitor, an angle sensor, obstacle sensors, an image processing unit, a controller and a monitor controller. The image processing unit computes the predicted path of the vehicle at the current wheel angle. The monitor shows an image captured by the camera. The image processing unit generates data representing a guidance marking based on the predicted path and superimposes the marking on the monitor screen. The location of the marking on the screen is determined based on the current wheel angle. The marking represents part of the predicted path. Specifically, the marking matches the width of the vehicle. In the monitor screen, a marking is separated from the rear bumper of the vehicle by a distance corresponding to the wheelbase of the vehicle.

Apparatus for assisting steering of vehicle when backing

A steering assist apparatus includes a camera for picking up the rear side of a vehicle, a monitor disposed in a driver's compartment of the vehicle, a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel, and a display controlling unit for displaying on the monitor an image through said camera when the vehicle reverses and for superimposing and displaying on said monitor a guide display for assisting the drive of the vehicle when the vehicle is to be parked. The guide display includes a steering start guide line fixedly displayed in a predetermined position of an image field of the monitor for guiding a steering start position for parking, and a steering amount guide mark moved and displayed along the steering start guide line on the image field of the monitor in correspondence with a steering angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering angle sensor. The driver performs the steering operation of the vehicle while recognizing the position for the opposite turning of the steering wheel and the steering amount and the steering start position for parking on the basis of the image on the rear side of the vehicle and the steering amount guide mark and the steering start guide line.

Steering assist apparatus for traveling in reverse

Growing community of inventors

Kariya, Japan

Kousuke Teramura