Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) system is part of a family of lateral support systems including Lane Departure Warning and Lane Guidance systems. These technologies use a forward-facing video camera mounted behind the rearview mirror to detect lane markings alongside many types of roadways.
LDW / LG takes information from a video sensor and integrates it with electric steering (EPS) system, providing a counter-steering torque through the steering wheel to help guide the driver back to the center of the lane. The limited corrective steering torque alerts drivers to adjust the vehicle trajectory.
The centerpiece of this intelligent advanced driver assistance system is a camera which, in a car, is directed at the road markings in front of the car and installed close to the rear-view mirror. Software in the camera analyzes the images and determines whether the car is about to drift out of the lane by detecting the road markings and determining the position of the vehicle in relation to them. It then calculates when the vehicle will cross the markings based on the direction of travel. Drivers are typically alerted to the danger through a vibrating steering wheel but also by gentle steering interventions. This electronic ‘co-driver’ works in the background and only gives a warning if the driver appears to exit the lane inadvertently – if he operates the turn signal, the warning is suppressed. This saves crucial seconds, which can mean the difference between life and death.