Infiniti's LDW recognizes lane markings through the use of a small camera mounted behind the rearview mirror. ''The camera's signal and the vehicle's speed are sent to the system's advanced microprocessing unit,'' Yakushi explains, ''which combines the information to calculate both the distance between the vehicle and the lane marking and the lateral velocity to the lane marking. A judgment is then made as to whether the vehicle is moving out of the lane, depending on the distance and lateral velocity to the lane.''
If the LDW system determines that the vehicle is leaving the lane, Yakushi says, an indicator light on the instrument panel goes on and a buzzer sounds, hopefully alerting the driver to take corrective action.
This is not new technology, of course, since one of the firms that developed the system for Nissan -- Iteris Inc. -- has previously developed LDW systems for the commercial long-haul truck industry.
The public will get its first look at the Infiniti system at the New York auto show on Apr. 8, when Infiniti debuts the M45 Concept.