Increased traffic; people spending more time driving; the human desire for more safety and convenience in vehicles - these are just several facts which have to be considered by today's vehicle manufacturer who would like to play a leading role now and in the years to come.
One of the most important responsibilities of a vehicle operator is to maintain lateral control. With, for example, the growing number of SUV's and their increasing size, lateral control of the vehicle is becoming more difficult. Equipping vehicles with sensors, detecting the environment around the vehicle, could be an effective driver assistance system.
Knowing the lane width, and vehicle position within it, are important parameters for the vehicle operator to be aware of at all times. Due to the fact that the driving environment is laid out for the human eyes, sensors have been developed which operate at or near the visible wavelength range that can play an important role in detecting the lane borders.
Only systems able to cope autonomously with today's infrastructure promise to be successful in today's market. An extremely high market growth is predicted for such autonomous driver assistance systems. Systems relying on infrastructure changes would never allow for a rapid growth rate. The majority of communities would not spend or do not have the funding necessary to equip the roads with, for example, telematic infrastructure.