Lookahead navigation lane-based NOA lane change decision method and related device

Abstract

A lookahead navigation lane-based NOA lane change decision method and a related device. The method comprises: acquiring from a navigation system in real time an available starting lane number, an available ending lane number, and a total count of available lanes, and acquiring from an REM system a total count of current road lanes and a lane number of a lane in which a current vehicle is located (S1); if the lane number of the lane in which the current vehicle is located falls within a range of the available starting lane number to the available ending lane number, and the total count of current road lanes is greater than the total count of available lanes, determining that the current vehicle is located within a lookahead lane range, and suppressing triggering of an NOA lane-change request (S2); upon determining that the current vehicle is not located within the lookahead lane range, if the lane number of the lane in which the current vehicle is located is greater than the available ending lane number, triggering a left lane-change request; and if the lane number of the lane in which the current vehicle is located is smaller than the available starting lane number, triggering a right lane-change request (S3).

Description

[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510256380.3, filed March 5, 2025, and entitled "NOA LANE CHANGE DECISION METHOD BASED ON NAVIGATION FORWARD LANES, AND RELATED DEVICES", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of assisted driving, specifically to a navigation on autopilot (NOA) lane change decision method based on navigation forward lanes, and related devices. BACKGROUND

[0003] The NOA function is an important component of modern intelligent driving systems, and NOA lane change decision-making is a crucial aspect of this function. The current NOA lane change primarily relies on the navigation map for triggering. However, in practical applications, there are some obvious problems in the NOA lane change decision-making process, especially when dealing with highways or elevated roads.

[0004] Specifically, on highways or elevated roads, vehicles often need to exit to the right from right lanes. Although these roads are part of the original main road, they are not additional roads. Since the NOA decision system mainly relies on navigation maps for path planning and lane change decisions, vehicles often erroneously exit from these types of roads when facing such complex road structures. This erroneous exit situation not only affects the user's driving experience but also poses potential safety hazards. SUMMARY

[0005] Addressing the problems existing in some practices, the present disclosure provides a NOA lane change decision method based on navigation forward lanes, and related devices, aiming to solve the problem of erroneous exit situation of the vehicle caused by NOA lane change decision.

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present disclosure is implemented through the following technical solutions.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a NOA lane change decision method based on navigation forward lanes is provided. Lanes on a road are numbered sequentially from left to right as 1, 2, ..., n, wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2. The method includes: acquiring, in real time, forward lane information from a navigation system, wherein the forward lane information includes a serial number of an available starting lane, a serial number of an available ending lane, and a total number of available lanes; and acquiring, from a road environment mapping (REM) system, a total number of lanes on a current road and a serial number of a lane in which a current vehicle is traveling; determining that the current vehicle is traveling within a forward lane range and prohibiting triggering a NOA lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling falls within a range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes; in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, triggering a leftward lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane; or triggering a rightward lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is less than the serial number of the available starting lane; and performing direction compliance check on a generated lane change request, and sending a checked lane change request to a vehicle actuator.

[0008] In some embodiments of the first aspect, prior to determining that the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range, and prohibiting triggering the NOA lane change request in the case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle falls within the range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane, and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes, the method further includes: terminating the NOA lane change decision method in a case where any of the serial number of the available starting lane, the serial number of the available ending lane, the total number of available lanes, the total number of lanes on the current road, and the lane serial number of the current vehicle is invalid or the NOA is not activated.

[0009] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: in a case of triggering the leftward lane change request, determining whether a target lane serial number is greater than or equal to the serial number of the available starting lane; and in a case where the target lane serial number is less than the serial number of the available starting lane, prohibiting a leftward lane change operation; or in the case of triggering the rightward lane change request, determining whether a target lane serial number is less than or equal to the serial number of the available ending lane; and in a case where the target lane serial number is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane, prohibiting a rightward lane change operation.

[0010] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: in the case where a preceding vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range, monitoring a direction indicated by the lane change request in real time, and prohibiting a lane change operation that causes the lane serial number of the current vehicle to exceed the range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane.

[0011] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, synchronously executing a lane change direction constraint strategy, and prohibiting generation of a lane change request with an opposite direction to the navigation forward lanes, wherein a criterion for determining the opposite direction is: in the case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane, the rightward lane change request is prohibited; and in the case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle is less than the serial number of the available starting lane, the leftward lane change request is prohibited.

[0012] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: in response to detecting that the total number of available lanes or the total number of lanes on the current road changes, re-executing from a step of determining that the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range and prohibiting triggering the NOA lane change request in the case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle falls within the range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes.

[0013] According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, a NOA lane change decision apparatus based on navigation forward lanes is provided. Lanes on a road are numbered from left to right as 1, 2, ..., n, wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2. The apparatus includes: an acquiring module, configured to acquire, in real time, forward lane information from a navigation system, wherein the forward lane information includes a serial number of an available starting lane, a serial number of an available ending lane, and a total number of available lanes; and acquire, from an REM system, a total number of lanes on a current road and a lane serial number of a current vehicle; a lane change request prohibition triggering module, configured to determine that the current vehicle is traveling within a forward lane range and prohibit triggering a NOA lane change request in a case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle falls within a range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes; a lane change request triggering module, configured to, in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, trigger a leftward lane change request in a case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane; or trigger a rightward lane change request in a case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle is less than the serial number of the available starting lane; and a checking module, configured to perform direction compliance check on a generated lane change request and send a checked lane change request to a vehicle actuator.

[0014] According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, a computer device is provided. The computer device includes a memory, a processor, and one or more computer programs stored in the memory and runnable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executing the one or more computer programs, causes the computer device to perform the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes.

[0015] According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores one or more computer programs, which when run by a processor, cause the processor to perform the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes.

[0016] According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided. When run by a processor, the computer program product performs the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes.

[0017] Compared with some practices, the present disclosure at least achieve the following beneficial effects.

[0018] The present disclosure provides a NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes. By acquiring, in real time, the forward lane information from the navigation system and combining the total number of lanes on the current road from the REM system with the lane serial number of the vehicle, it can accurately determine whether the vehicle is traveling within the navigation-planned forward lane range, and effectively avoid the problem of erroneous exit from the original main road due to erroneous lane determination of the vehicle. Especially in complex road conditions such as highways or elevated roads, the accuracy of lane change decision-making is improved. Specifically, the lane change decision method according to the present disclosure fully considers the complexity of road structure and the actual driving situation of the vehicle. When the vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, it intelligently triggers a leftward or rightward lane change request based on the comparison between the lane of the vehicle and the serial number of the available lane. Meanwhile, the compliance check is performed to avoid the vehicle changing the lane and exiting the navigation-planned range. This not only ensures that the vehicle can perform the lane change operation safely and efficiently according to the navigation plan, but also avoids unnecessary lane change operations, thereby enhancing driving safety.

[0019] To make the above objectives, features, and advantages of the present disclosure more apparent and understandable, the following embodiments are specifically provided, along with the accompanying drawings, for detailed explanation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a NOA lane change decision method based on navigation forward lanes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a NOA lane change decision apparatus based on navigation forward lanes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described clearly and comprehensively below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments derived by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 1, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a NOA lane change decision method based on navigation forward lanes, which aims at optimizing the lane change behavior of the vehicle under complex road conditions such as highways or elevated roads, and avoid the problem of erroneously exiting the original main road of the vehicle. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the lanes on the road are numbered sequentially from left to right as 1, 2, ..., n, that is, the lanes on the road are sequentially numbered from left to right as 1, 2, ..., n. n is a natural number not less than 2, that is, n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2. Illustratively, in a case where the road is a one-way four-lane road, the lanes on the road are numbered from left to right as 1, 2, 3, and 4. The NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes specifically includes the following steps.

[0024] S1, forward lane information from a navigation system is acquired in real time, wherein the forward lane information includes a serial number of an available starting lane, a serial number of an available ending lane, and a total number of available lanes, and a total number of lanes on a current road and a lane serial number of a current vehicle are acquired from a REM system.

[0025] The serial number of the available starting lane is the serial number of the first navigation forward lane from the left, the serial number of the available ending lane is the serial number of the last navigation forward lane from the left, and the total number of available lanes is the number of navigation forward lanes. The total number of lanes on the current road is the total number of lanes on the current road, and the lane serial number of the current vehicle is the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling. In the technical solution according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the executing entity of the steps is a computer device, such as a client of an application in the computer device.

[0026] Illustratively, the computer device acquires, in real time, the forward lane information from the navigation system, which includes the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, the serial number of the available ending lane Le, and the total number of available lanes Nnav. Meanwhile, the computer device acquires the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem from the REM system and the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle.

[0027] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the forward lane information is provided by a high-precision navigation map to ensure compatibility with the current road conditions. The forward lane information is configured to describe the navigation forward lane, and the navigation forward lane is the forward lane planned by the navigation system based on the navigation map. For example, on a three-lane highway, in the case where the navigation system instructs the vehicle to change lanes from the leftmost lane (serial number 1) to the middle lane (serial number 2) in preparation for the next exit, the serial number of the available starting lane Ls=1, the serial number of the available ending lane Le=2, and the total number of available lanes Nnav=2. Preparing for the next exit refers to preparing to exit the highway from the next exit.

[0028] Optionally, the REM system senses the surrounding environment in real time through sensors such as cameras and radars, and accurately identifies the number of lanes and the position of the current vehicle, such as the total number of lanes on the current road and the lane serial number of the current vehicle.

[0029] S2, in a case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle falls within a range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane, and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes, it is determined that the current vehicle is traveling within a forward lane range, and the NOA lane change request is prohibited from being triggered.

[0030] The forward lane range refers to the range composed of the navigation forward lanes. Whether the current vehicle is within the forward lane range means whether the lane of the current vehicle is a navigation forward lane. For example, the forward lane range is characterized by the range from the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le. The NOA lane change request is a lane change request decided by the NOA, and the lane change request is configured to request a lane change. The lane change operation is the operation to achieve lane change of the vehicle.

[0031] Illustratively, the computer device determines whether the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range. In a case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle falls within the range from the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le, and the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem is greater than the total number of available lanes Nnav, it is determined that the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range, and the NOA lane change request is prohibited from being triggered.

[0032] Optionally, whether the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle falls within the range of the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le is first checked. Meanwhile, whether the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem is greater than the total number of available lanes from the navigation system Nnav is confirmed, in order to eliminate erroneous determination caused by road changes (such as lane reduction caused by temporary construction). In a case where the above conditions are all met, the current vehicle is already traveling within the forward lane range planned by the navigation system. Meanwhile, the computer device prohibits triggering the NOA lane change request to avoid interfering with the normal driving path due to unnecessary lane change operations.

[0033] S3, in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, a leftward lane change request is triggered in a case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane; a rightward lane change request is triggered in a case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle is less than the serial number of the available starting lane.

[0034] The leftward lane change request is configured to request a lane change to the left of the current lane, and the rightward lane change request is configured to request a lane change to the right of the current lane.

[0035] Illustratively, when the computer device determines that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, the computer device generates a lane change decision based on the relationship between the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle and the serial number of the available starting lane Ls and the serial number of the available ending lane Le as follow.

[0036] In a case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane Le, a leftward lane change request is triggered.

[0037] In a case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is less than the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, a rightward lane change request is triggered.

[0038] For example, when the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, a lane change decision is intelligently generated based on the comparison between the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle and the serial number of the available starting lane Ls and the serial number of the available ending lane Le. In a case where Lcur > Le, the current vehicle is traveling outside the right side of the navigation planning lane (that is, the navigation forward lane), and a leftward lane change request is triggered to instruct the current vehicle to approach the navigation forward lane indicated by the navigation system. In a case where Lcur < Ls, the current vehicle is traveling outside the left side of the navigation planning lane, and a rightward lane change request is triggered to instruct the current vehicle to approach the navigation forward lane indicated by the navigation system.

[0039] S4, direction compliance check is performed on a generated lane change request, and a verified lane change request is sent to the vehicle actuator.

[0040] The generated lane change request is either a leftward lane change request or a rightward lane change request. The vehicle actuator is configured to perform the lane change operation based on the lane change request. The direction compliance check is the process of checking whether the lane change method corresponding to the lane change request is compliant. The rule corresponding to the direction compliance check is set and adjusted according to actual usage requirements.

[0041] In the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes according to the embodiments, the position of the vehicle and the lane change need are intelligently determined by accurately matching navigation information with real-time road environment data. This effectively avoids the problem of erroneously exiting the original main road due to complex road structures, thereby significantly enhancing the safety of the intelligent driving system.

[0042] In some embodiments, a validity check process is also performed before step S2. Specifically, in a case where any of the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, the serial number of the available ending lane Le, the total number of available lanes Nnav, the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem, and the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is invalid or the NOA is not activated, the NOA lane change decision method is terminated. That is, the computer device does not proceed with the NOA lane change decision process, and subsequent steps are not executed.

[0043] That is to say, the computer device first checks the validity of five parameters: the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, the serial number of the available ending lane Le, the total number of available lanes Nnav, the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem, and the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle. For example, the validity determining criteria include at least one of the following: whether the parameter value is within a reasonable range (such as the lane serial number is a positive integer and not greater than the total number of lanes on the current road), whether the parameter is missing or abnormal (such as avoiding a null value, a negative value, or a value that significantly exceed actual road conditions).

[0044] Meanwhile, whether the NOA function has been activated by the user is checked. In a case where the NOA is in an inactive state, regardless of other parameters, the NOA lane change decision method is immediately terminated to avoid any autonomous driving operation without user authorization.

[0045] In the embodiments, the reliability of the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes is further enhanced by adding a validity check process, ensuring that the NOA lane change decision is made only when all key parameters involved in the decision are valid and the NOA function is activated, and effectively avoiding the risk of erroneous operation caused by data errors or non-enabled functions.

[0046] In some embodiments, in step S4, performing the direction compliance check on the generated lane change request specifically includes: in the case of triggering a leftward lane change request, determining whether a target lane serial number Ltar is greater than or equal to the serial number of the available starting lane Ls; and in a case where the target lane serial number Ltar is less than the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, prohibiting a leftward lane change operation.

[0047] The leftward lane change operation is an operation to control the current vehicle to change the lane to the left. The computer device prohibits the leftward lane change operation by refraining from transmitting the lane change request to the vehicle actuator. The target lane serial number is the serial number of the lane to which the current vehicle changes the lane, such as the lane serial number requested by the leftward or rightward lane change request.

[0048] Illustratively, when the leftward lane change request is triggered, the computer device first calculates the target lane serial number Ltar. The target lane serial number Ltar is typically determined based on the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle and the lane change direction corresponding to the lane change request. For example, in a case where Ltar = Lcur - 1, it indicates a leftward lane change to the adjacent lane. Next, the computer device determines whether the target lane serial number Ltar is greater than or equal to the serial number of the available starting lane Ls. This determination is to ensure that the lane change operation does not cause the vehicle to enter a lane outside the navigation plan, that is, to avoid driving into a non-navigation forward lane, especially to avoid the vehicle exiting the navigation planning range (i.e., the forward lane range) from the left. In a case where the target lane serial number Ltar is less than the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, the leftward lane change operation is prohibited. Optionally, a warning is issued to prompt the user or other safety measures can be taken.

[0049] In the case of triggering a rightward lane change request, whether the target lane serial number Ltar is less than or equal to the serial number of the available ending lane Le is determined; and in a case where the target lane serial number Ltar is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane Le, the rightward lane change operation is prohibited.

[0050] The rightward lane change operation is configured to control the current vehicle to change the lane to the right. The computer device prohibits the rightward lane change operation by refraining from transmitting the lane change request to the vehicle actuator.

[0051] Illustratively, when the rightward lane change request is triggered, the computer device also calculates the target lane serial number Ltar. For example, in a case where Ltar = Lcur + 1, it indicates a rightward lane change to the adjacent lane. Then, the computer device determines whether the target lane serial number Lta is less than or equal to the serial number of the available ending lane Le. This determination is to ensure that the lane change operation does not cause the vehicle to exceed the lane range planned by the navigation system, especially to avoid the vehicle exiting the road planned by the navigation system from the right, that is, to avoid driving into a non-navigation forward lane. In a case where the target lane serial number Lta is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane Le, the computer device prohibits the rightward lane change operation and also issues a warning to prompt the user or takes other safety measures.

[0052] In the embodiments, potential safety hazards caused by improper lane change are effectively avoided by performing direction compliance check on the generated lane change request.

[0053] In some embodiments, in step S2, prohibiting triggering the NOA lane change request includes: in the case where the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range, monitoring a direction indicated by the lane change request in real time, and prohibiting a lane change operation that causes the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle to exceed the range from the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le.

[0054] The direction indicated by the lane change request refers to the lane change direction corresponding to the lane change request. The computer device refrains from transmitting the lane change request, to the vehicle actuators, that causes the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle to exceed the range from the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le.

[0055] That is to say, after confirming that the vehicle is within the forward lane range, the computer device monitors, in real time, the direction indicated by the lane change request, including the leftward or rightward lane change request, and possible consecutive lane change requests, such as changing the lane consecutively from the current lane to a more distant lane. Any lane change operation that causes the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle to exceed the range from the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le is prohibited, ensuring that the vehicle always travels within the lane planned by the navigation system and avoids exiting the original route.

[0056] For example, in a case where the computer device detects that the lane change request causes Lcur to be less than Ls, meaning a leftward lane change into a lane outside the navigation plan, the lane change request is prohibited. Similarly, in a case where the computer device detects that the lane change request causes Lcur to be greater than Le, meaning a rightward lane change into a lane outside the navigation plan, the lane change request is prohibited.

[0057] In some embodiments, in step S3, in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, the method further includes: synchronously executing a lane change direction constraint strategy, and prohibiting generation of a lane change request with an opposite direction to the navigation forward lanes, to prevent the vehicle from further deviating from the original route due to incorrect lane change direction. The opposite direction to the navigation forward lane refers to the direction away from the navigation forward lane. The lane change direction constraint strategy is a strategy configured to constrain the vehicle from deviating too far from the navigation forward lane.

[0058] The criterion for determining the opposite direction is as follows: in the case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane Le, it indicates that the current vehicle is already at the right edge or beyond the navigation planning lane, and thus the rightward lane change request is prohibited. That is, the rightward lane change request is prohibited at this time to avoid further deviation of the current vehicle to the right.

[0059] In addition, in the case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is less than the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, it indicates that the current vehicle is already at or beyond the left edge of the navigation-planned lane, and thus the leftward lane change request is prohibited. That is, the leftward lane change operation is prohibited at this time to prevent the current vehicle from deviating further to the left.

[0060] In the embodiments, the vehicle does not deviate further from the original route due to incorrect lane change in any situation, effectively avoiding potential safety hazards.

[0061] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: in response to detecting that the total number of available lanes Nnav or the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem changes, the method is re-executed from the determination of the forward lane range in step S2, and adjusting the lane change decision based on the updated parameters, that is, reexecuting from a step (i.e., step S2) of determining that the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range and prohibiting triggering the NOA lane change request in the case where the lane serial number of the current vehicle falls within the range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes.

[0062] That is to say, the latest forward lane information and road lane information (including the total number of lanes on the current road and the lane serial number of the current vehicle) are reacquired, and the determination of the forward lane range in step S2 is executed again to ensure that the current vehicle can accurately determine the matching degree between its own position and the navigation planned lane (i.e., the navigation forward lane) when the lane serial number changes.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a NOA lane change decision apparatus based on navigation forward lanes is provided. The lanes on the road are numbered sequentially from left to right as 1, 2, ..., n, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2.

[0064] The NOA lane change decision apparatus is configured to perform the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes in the above embodiments. The apparatus 200 specifically includes an acquiring module 201, a lane change request prohibition triggering module 202, a lane change request triggering module 203, and a checking module 204. The modules are configured as follows,

[0065] The acquiring module 201 is configured to acquire, in real time, forward lane information from the navigation system, wherein the forward lane information includes a serial number of an available starting lane Ls, a serial number of an available ending lane Le, and a total number of available lanes Nnav, and acquire, from the REM system, a total number of lanes on a current road Nrem and a lane serial number Lcur of a current vehicle .

[0066] The lane change request prohibition triggering module 202 is configured to determine that the current vehicle is traveling within a forward lane range and prohibit triggering a NOA lane change request in a case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle falls within a range from the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le, and the total number of lanes Nrem on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes Nnav.

[0067] The lane change request triggering module 203 is configured to, in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, trigger a leftward lane change request in a case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane Le, and trigger a rightward lane change request in a case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is less than the serial number of the available starting lane Ls.

[0068] The checking module 204 is configured to perform direction compliance check on the generated lane change request, and send a checked lane change request to a vehicle actuator.

[0069] In some embodiments, the apparatus 200 further includes a lane change decision terminating module (not shown in the figure).

[0070] The lane change decision terminating module is configured to terminate the NOA lane change decision method in a case where any of the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, the serial number of the available ending lane Le, the total number of available lanes Nrem, the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem, and the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is invalid or the NOA is not activated.

[0071] In some embodiments, the lane change request triggering module 203 is configured to determine, in response to triggering the leftward lane change request, whether a target lane serial number Ltar is greater than or equal to the serial number of the available starting lane Ls; in a case where the target lane serial number Ltar is less than the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, prohibit a leftward lane change operation; or in response to triggering the rightward lane change request, determining whether a target lane serial number Ltar is less than or equal to the serial number of the available ending lane Le; and in a case where the target lane serial number Ltar is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane Le, prohibiting a rightward lane change operation.

[0072] In some embodiments, the apparatus 200 further includes: a lane change operation terminating module (not shown in the figure).

[0073] The lane change operation terminating module is configured to, in the case where a preceding vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range, monitor a direction indicated by the lane change request in real time , and prohibit a lane change operation that causes the lane serial number of the current vehicle to exceed the range from the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le.

[0074] In some embodiments, the apparatus 200 further includes: a direction constraint strategy executing module (not shown in the figure).

[0075] The direction constraint strategy executing module is configured to, in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, synchronously execute a lane change direction constraint strategy, and prohibit generation of a lane change request with an opposite direction to the navigation forward lanes, wherein a criterion for determining the opposite direction is: in the case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane Le, the rightward lane change request is prohibited; and in the case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle is less than the serial number of the available starting lane Ls, the leftward lane change request is prohibited.

[0076] In some embodiments, the lane change request prohibition triggering module 202 is further configured to, in response to detecting that the total number of available lanes Nnav or the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem changes, re-execute from a step of determining that the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range and prohibiting triggering the NOA lane change request in the case where the lane serial number Lcur of the current vehicle falls within the range from the serial number of the available starting lane Ls to the serial number of the available ending lane Le and the total number of lanes on the current road Nrem is greater than the total number of available lanes Nnav.

[0077] For the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes, all relevant content of the steps involved in the embodiments can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional modules of the NOA lane change decision apparatus based on the navigation forward lanes in the embodiments of the present disclosure, which are not further elaborated here. The division of modules in the embodiments of the present disclosure is schematic and merely represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Additionally, the functional modules in various embodiments of the present disclosure may be integrated into a single processor or exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0078] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer device is provided. The computer device includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store one or more computer programs, and the one or more computer programs include one or more program instructions. The processor is configured to execute the one or more program instructions stored in the computer storage medium. The processor is a central processing unit (CPU), other generalpurpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and the like. The processor is the computing core and control core of the terminal, and is suitable for executing one or more instructions. Specifically, it is suitable for loading and executing one or more instructions in the computer storage medium to achieve corresponding method processes or corresponding functions. The processor described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is configured for the operation of a NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes.

[0079] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure further provides a storage medium, specifically a computer-readable storage medium (a memory). The computer-readable storage medium is a memory device in a computer device, and is configured to store programs and data. It is understood that the computer-readable storage medium here includes both built-in storage medium in the computer device and extended storage medium supported by the computer device. The computer-readable storage medium provides a storage space that stores the operating system of the terminal. Furthermore, one or more instructions suitable for being loaded and executed by a processor are also stored in the storage space, and the one or more instructions may be one or more computer programs (including program codes). It should be noted that the computer-readable storage medium here may be a high-speed random access memory (RAM), or a non-volatile memory such as at least one disk memory. The processor is configured to load and execute one or more instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium to implement the corresponding steps of the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes in the above embodiments.

[0080] Those skilled in the art should appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments, or embodiments combining both hardware and software aspects. Moreover, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage medium (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage, and the like) containing computer-usable program codes.

[0081] The present disclosure is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams and combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce an apparatus for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0082] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of guiding a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a manufactured product including an instruction device, The instruction device implements the functions specified in one or more processes in a flowchart and / or one or more blocks in a block diagram.

[0083] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, enabling a series of operational steps executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce computer-implemented processing. Thus, the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagram.

[0084] The present disclosure also provides a computer program product, which is configured to execute any of the NOA lane change decision methods based on the navigation forward lanes. Since the computer program product according to the present disclosure and the NOA lane change decision methods based on the navigation forward lanes belong to the same inventive concept, the computer program product according to the present disclosure possesses all the advantages of the NOA lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes. Therefore, the beneficial effects of the computer program product according to the present disclosure are not redundantly described here.

[0085] In the present disclosure, terms such as "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "an example", "a specific example", or "some examples" mean that at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure includes the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the aforementioned terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the described specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Additionally, provided that they do not contradict each other, those skilled in the art may combine and integrate different embodiments or examples and the features of different embodiments or examples, described in this specification.

[0086] Finally, it should be noted that the embodiments described above are merely specific embodiments of the present disclosure, intended to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than to limit it. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Despite the detailed description of the present disclosure with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any skilled person familiar with the technical field can still modify or easily derive variations to the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or equivalently replace some technical features; and these modifications, variations, or replacements do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure in terms of the essence of the corresponding technical solutions, and should fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A navigation on autopilot (NOA) lane change decision method based on navigation forward lanes, performed by a computer device, wherein lanes on a road are numbered sequentially from left to right as 1, 2, ..., n, wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2;the method comprising:acquiring, in real time, forward lane information from a navigation system, wherein the forward lane information comprises a serial number of an available starting lane, a serial number of an available ending lane, and a total number of available lanes; and acquiring, from a road environment mapping (REM) system, a total number of lanes on a current road and a serial number of a lane in which a current vehicle is traveling;determining that the current vehicle is traveling within a forward lane range and prohibiting triggering a NOA lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling falls within a range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes;in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, triggering a leftward lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane; or triggering a rightward lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is less than the serial number of the available starting lane; andperforming direction compliance check on a generated lane change request, and sending a checked lane change request to a vehicle actuator.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein prior to determining that the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range, and prohibiting triggering the NOA lane change request in the case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling falls within the range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane, and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes, the method further comprises:terminating the NOA lane change decision method in a case where any of the serial numberof the available starting lane, the serial number of the available ending lane, the total number of available lanes, the total number of lanes on the current road, and the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is invalid or the NOA is not activated.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:in response to triggering the leftward lane change request, determining whether a target lane serial number is greater than or equal to the serial number of the available starting lane; and in a case where the target lane serial number is less than the serial number of the available starting lane, prohibiting a leftward lane change operation; orin response to triggering the rightward lane change request, determining whether a target lane serial number is less than or equal to the serial number of the available ending lane; and in a case where the target lane serial number is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane, prohibiting a rightward lane change operation.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:in a case where a preceding vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range, monitoring a direction indicated by the lane change request in real time, and prohibiting any lane change operation that causes the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling to exceed the range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, synchronously executing a lane change direction constraint strategy, and prohibiting generation of a lane change request with an opposite direction to the navigation forward lanes, wherein a criterion for determining the opposite direction is:in the case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane, the rightward lane change request is prohibited; andin the case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is less than the serial number of the available starting lane, the leftward lane change request is prohibited.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:in response to detecting that the total number of available lanes or the total number of lanes on the current road changes, re-executing from a step of determining that the current vehicle is traveling within the forward lane range and prohibiting triggering the NOA lane change request in the case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling falls within the range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes.

7. A navigation on autopilot (NOA) lane change decision apparatus based on navigation forward lanes, wherein lanes on a road are numbered sequentially from left to right as 1, 2, ..., n, wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2; and the apparatus comprises:an acquiring module, configured to acquire, in real time, forward lane information from a navigation system, wherein the forward lane information comprises a serial number of an available starting lane, a serial number of an available ending lane, and a total number of available lanes; and acquire, from a road environment mapping (REM) system, a total number of lanes on a current road and a serial number of a lane in which a current vehicle is traveling;a lane change request prohibition triggering module, configured to determine that the current vehicle is traveling within a forward lane range and prohibit triggering a NOA lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling falls within a range from the serial number of the available starting lane to the serial number of the available ending lane and the total number of lanes on the current road is greater than the total number of available lanes;a lane change request triggering module, configured to, in response to determining that the current vehicle is not traveling within the forward lane range, trigger a leftward lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is greater than the serial number of the available ending lane; or trigger a rightward lane change request in a case where the serial number of the lane in which the current vehicle is traveling is less than the serial number of the available starting lane; anda checking module, configured to perform direction compliance check on a generated lanechange request and send a checked lane change request to a vehicle actuator.

8. A computer device, comprising: a memory, a processor, and one or more computer programs stored in the memory and runnable on the processor, wherein the processor, when running the one or more computer programs, causes the computer device to perform the navigation on autopilot (NOA) lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes as defined in any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, storing one or more computer programs, which when run by a processor, cause the processor to perform the navigation on autopilot (NOA) lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes as defined in any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. A computer program product, wherein when executed by a processor, the computer program product performs the navigation on autopilot (NOA) lane change decision method based on the navigation forward lanes as defined in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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