Device and method for controlling lane change of a vehicle

Abstract

The present application relates to an apparatus and method for controlling lane changes of a vehicle. An apparatus for controlling lane changes of a vehicle includes: a sensor that senses an external vehicle; an input device that receives a lane change command from a driver of the vehicle; and a control circuit that is electrically connected to the sensor and the input device. The control circuit can use the input device to receive a lane change command; calculate a minimum operating speed for lane change control; and upon receiving a lane change instruction, if the vehicle's driving speed is lower than the minimum operating speed, determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle that is traveling in the same lane as the vehicle.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0107270, filed on September 7, 2018, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 62 / 655,831, filed on April 11, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to an apparatus and method for regulating vehicle speed to control lane changes. Background Art

[0004] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present application and may not constitute prior art.

[0005] With the development of the automobile industry, a lane change control system has been developed that can automatically change the lane in which a vehicle is traveling. When the driver operates a turn signal to change lanes, the lane change control system can perform a lane change by automatically controlling the vehicle in a horizontal direction toward the direction in which the turn signal is turned on. The lane change control system can perform a lane change by determining whether the speed, position, etc. of the surrounding vehicles are suitable for performing a lane change, setting a control path for the lane change, and controlling the steering torque along the control path. The lane change control system can detect a leading vehicle and a following vehicle, and can perform control based on the information obtained.

[0006] The applicant has found that when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed, lane change control may put the driver in danger, so the driver may set a minimum operating speed at which lane change control can be performed. In addition, the applicant has found that when the minimum operating speed is set, if a driver's lane change command is generated when the vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than the minimum operating speed, a control strategy is required to accelerate the vehicle to the minimum operating speed or faster. When the above control strategy is provided, the amount of calculation may increase, and a high-performance processor may be required to process various factors of the vehicle and the external environment. Summary of the invention

[0007] One aspect of the present application provides an apparatus and method for controlling lane change of a vehicle, thereby providing a strategy for lane change control using simple calculations when a driving speed of the vehicle is lower than a minimum operating speed.

[0008] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above problems. Those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs can clearly understand any other technical problems not mentioned herein through the following description.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present application, a device for controlling lane change of a vehicle may include: a sensor configured to sense an external vehicle; an input device configured to receive a lane change command from a driver of the vehicle; and a control circuit configured to be electrically connected to the sensor and the input device. The control circuit may be configured to receive a lane change command using the input device; calculate a minimum operating speed for lane change control of the vehicle; and upon receiving a lane change instruction, if the vehicle's driving speed is lower than the minimum operating speed, determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle.

[0010] The control circuit may be configured to: compare the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle with a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the driving speed of the vehicle; and determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the comparison result.

[0011] The control circuit may be configured to: when the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is longer than a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the driving speed of the vehicle, control the vehicle so that the driving speed of the vehicle is higher than a minimum operating speed; and perform lane change control.

[0012] The control circuit may be configured to control the vehicle to decelerate when the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is shorter than a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the driving speed of the vehicle.

[0013] The control circuit can be configured to: calculate a safe distance between a preceding vehicle and the vehicle based on the speed of the preceding vehicle, the driving speed of the vehicle, the maximum acceleration of the vehicle, and the minimum acceleration of the vehicle; and determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle and the safe distance.

[0014] The control circuit may be configured to: when the sensor does not sense a preceding vehicle, control the vehicle so that a driving speed of the vehicle is higher than a minimum operating speed; and perform lane change control.

[0015] The control circuit may be configured to: when the minimum operating speed is lower than the speed of the preceding vehicle, control the vehicle so that the vehicle's travel speed is higher than the minimum operating speed; and perform lane change control.

[0016] The control circuit may be configured to determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on a distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle when the minimum operating speed is higher than or equal to a speed of the preceding vehicle.

[0017] The control circuitry may be configured to calculate a minimum operating speed in response to receiving a lane change command.

[0018] The control circuit may be configured to periodically calculate the minimum operating speed while the vehicle is traveling.

[0019] The control circuit may be configured to calculate the minimum operating speed based on a speed of the following vehicle and a distance between the vehicle and the following vehicle when the sensor senses a following vehicle traveling in a target lane corresponding to the lane change command.

[0020] The control circuit may be configured to calculate a minimum operating speed based on a predetermined speed at which the vehicle is traveling and a sensed distance corresponding to a maximum distance senseable by the sensor when the sensor does not sense a following vehicle traveling in a target lane corresponding to the lane change command.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for controlling lane changes of a vehicle may include: receiving a lane change command from a driver of the vehicle; calculating a minimum operating speed for lane change control; and upon receiving the lane change command, determining whether to accelerate the vehicle based on a distance between a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle and the vehicle if the vehicle's driving speed is lower than the minimum operating speed.

[0022] The method may further include: when the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is longer than a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the driving speed of the vehicle, controlling the vehicle so that the driving speed of the vehicle is higher than a minimum operating speed; and when the driving speed of the vehicle becomes higher than the minimum operating speed, performing lane change control.

[0023] The method may further include controlling the vehicle to decelerate when a distance between a preceding vehicle and the vehicle is shorter than a safety distance calculated based on a speed of the preceding vehicle and a traveling speed of the vehicle.

[0024] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein.It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to better understand the present application, various embodiments of the present application given by way of example will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle;

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle;

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle;

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle;

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle;

[0031] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle;

[0032] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle;

[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary operation for determining whether to accelerate a vehicle in an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle;

[0034] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling lane changes of a vehicle;

[0035] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling lane changes of a vehicle; and

[0036] Fig.11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a computing system.

[0037] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present application, application or uses. It should be understood that throughout the specification and drawings, corresponding reference numerals refer to the same or corresponding parts and features.

[0039] In addition, when describing the exemplary embodiments of the present application, if it is determined that the detailed description of related well-known configurations or functions makes the gist of the present application obscure, it will be omitted.

[0040] When describing the elements of the embodiments of the present application, the terms first, second, first, second, A, B, (a), (b) etc. can be used here. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element, but do not limit the corresponding elements, and are independent of the properties, order or sequence of the corresponding elements. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as the meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the application belongs. These terms should be interpreted as having the meaning equivalent to the contextual meaning in the relevant technical field as the terms defined in the commonly used dictionary, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal meaning or an overly formal meaning, unless it is clearly defined in the application to have such a meaning.

[0041] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 , an apparatus 100 for controlling lane changing of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus 100 ” for ease of description) may include a sensor 110 , an input device 120 , a steering device 130 , an acceleration and deceleration device 140 , and a control circuit 150 . Figure 1 The device 100 can be loaded into a vehicle.

[0043] The sensor 110 may be configured to sense an external vehicle. The sensor 110 may include, for example, a front sensor 110 and a blind spot assist (BSA) sensor (or side rear sensor) 110. The sensor 110 may sense a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle and a following vehicle traveling in a lane adjacent to the vehicle.

[0044] The input device 120 may be configured to receive a lane change command from a driver of the vehicle. The input device 120 may be implemented, for example, with a turn signal lever, a switch, a button, etc., which can receive input from the driver.

[0045] The steering device 130 may be configured to control a steering angle of the vehicle. The steering device 130 may include, for example, a steering wheel, an actuator interlocked with the steering wheel, and a controller for controlling the actuator.

[0046] The acceleration and deceleration device 140 may be configured to control the speed of the vehicle. The acceleration and deceleration device 140 may include, for example, a throttle, a brake, an actuator interlocked with the throttle and the brake, and a controller for controlling the actuator.

[0047] The control circuit 150 may be electrically connected to the sensor 110, the input device 120, the steering device 130, and the acceleration and deceleration device 140. The control circuit 150 may control the sensor 110, the input device 120, the steering device 130, and the acceleration and deceleration device 140, and may perform various data processing and various arithmetic operations. The control circuit 150 may be, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) or a sub-controller loaded into a vehicle.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the control circuit 150 may receive a lane change command using the input device 120. The control circuit 150 may receive a lane change command in the left direction or the right direction from the driver via the input device 120.

[0049] According to another embodiment, the control circuit 150 may calculate the minimum operating speed for lane change control. For example, the control circuit 150 may calculate the minimum operating speed in response to receiving a lane change command, or may periodically calculate the minimum operating speed while the vehicle is traveling. During lane change control, the device 100 may initiate control only when the vehicle's traveling speed is greater than or equal to the minimum operating speed for safe lane change. smin An exemplary equation for may be the following Equation 1.

[0050] [Equation 1]

[0051]

[0052] According to equation 1 above, we can rear 、V app , a, t B and t G To determine the minimum operating speed V smin Here, a, t B and t G Each of may be an environmental variable indicating the predicted behavior of the following vehicle and may correspond to a predetermined constant. The distance S between the vehicle and the following vehicle rear and the speed V of the following vehicle app Each of may be a value indicating a motion state of a following vehicle and may be measured by the sensor 110 .

[0053] Here, the sensing distance of the sensor 110 is limited, so it is necessary to calculate the minimum operating speed V for each case when the following vehicle is within the sensing distance of the sensor 110 and when the following vehicle is not within the sensing distance of the sensor 110. smin When the following vehicle is within the sensing distance, the control circuit 150 may determine the distance S measured by the sensor 110. rear and speed V appTo calculate the minimum operating speed V smin When the following vehicle is not within the sensing distance of the sensor 110, the control circuit 150 may calculate the minimum operating speed V by assuming the worst case scenario (i.e., the following vehicle happens to exceed the sensing distance of the sensor 110 and travels at the maximum legal speed). smin In this case, the control circuit 150 can set the distance S rear is set to the maximum sensing distance of the sensor 110, and the speed V app Set to the maximum legal speed for the country in which the vehicle is being driven. Figure 2 and Figure 3 An exemplary embodiment of calculating a minimum operating speed is described in detail.

[0054] When the current speed of the vehicle is faster than the minimum operating speed, the control circuit 150 may immediately initiate lane change control. When the current speed of the vehicle is slower than the minimum operating speed, the control circuit 150 may provide various control strategies in consideration of the preceding vehicle.

[0055] According to one embodiment, when the driving speed of the vehicle is lower than the minimum operating speed, the control circuit 150 may determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the distance between the preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle and the vehicle. In the case where the vehicle should accelerate its driving speed to reach the minimum operating speed to initiate lane change control, the control circuit 150 may divide the surrounding situation into three situations as shown in Table 1 below, and may provide a control strategy suitable for each situation. The control circuit 150 may appropriately accelerate or decelerate the vehicle, and may perform lane change control by controlling the steering device 130 and the acceleration and deceleration device 140.

[0056] [Table 1]

[0057]

[0058] First, the control circuit 150 can verify whether the minimum operating speed is higher than the driving speed of the vehicle. When the driving speed is higher than the minimum operating speed, the control circuit 150 can immediately initiate a lane change. When the driving speed is lower than the minimum operating speed, the control circuit 150 can perform a lane change control according to the control strategy disclosed in Table 1 above.

[0059] The control circuit 150 can verify whether there is a preceding vehicle using the sensor 110. When no preceding vehicle is detected, the control circuit 150 can sufficiently accelerate the vehicle so that the vehicle can be accelerated to a minimum operating speed or faster and can change lanes.

[0060] When a preceding vehicle is detected, the control circuit 150 may verify whether a safe distance is ensured considering the headway between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. When a safe distance is ensured between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle, since there is no risk of collision despite vehicle acceleration, the control circuit 150 may accelerate the vehicle to a minimum operating speed or faster and may change lanes.

[0061] When a safe distance is not ensured between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle, the control circuit 150 may decelerate the vehicle to ensure a safe distance from the preceding vehicle and may retry the lane change control.

[0062] In the above control strategies, the control circuit 150 can simply select a suitable control strategy in consideration of the safety distance, thereby reducing the calculation burden of the control circuit 150 .

[0063] In the case where the vehicle should accelerate its travel speed to reach the minimum operation speed to start the lane change control, the control circuit 150 can divide the surrounding conditions into four conditions as shown in Table 2 below to determine the four conditions, and can provide a control strategy suitable for each of the four conditions. Compared with dividing the surrounding conditions into three conditions, when the surrounding conditions are divided into four conditions, the control circuit 150 can perform more effective control.

[0064] [Table 2]

[0065]

[0066] First, the control circuit 150 can verify whether the minimum operating speed is higher than the driving speed of the vehicle. When the driving speed is higher than the minimum operating speed, the control circuit 150 can immediately initiate a lane change. When the driving speed is lower than the minimum operating speed, the control circuit 150 can perform a lane change control according to the control strategy disclosed in Table 2 above.

[0067] The control circuit 150 may verify the presence of a preceding vehicle using the sensor 110. When a preceding vehicle is not detected, the control circuit 150 may accelerate the vehicle sufficiently to accelerate the vehicle to a minimum operating speed or faster to change lanes.

[0068] When a preceding vehicle is detected, the control circuit 150 can verify the speed of the preceding vehicle. When the speed of the preceding vehicle is higher than the minimum operating speed, since there is no risk of collision even if the control circuit 150 accelerates the vehicle, the control circuit 150 can accelerate the vehicle to the minimum operating speed or faster and can change lanes.

[0069] When the speed of the preceding vehicle is lower than the minimum operating speed, the control circuit 150 may verify whether a safe distance is ensured considering the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. When a safe distance is ensured between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle, since there is no risk of collision even though the control circuit 150 accelerates the vehicle, the control circuit 150 may accelerate the vehicle to the minimum operating speed or faster and may change lanes.

[0070] When a safe distance is not ensured between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle, the control circuit 150 may decelerate the vehicle to ensure a safe distance from the preceding vehicle and may retry the lane change control.

[0071] Will refer to Figures 4 to 7 Describe each of the above control strategies in detail.

[0072] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The operation of calculating the minimum operating speed is described in detail.

[0073] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0074] refer to Figure 2 , the vehicle 200 may include Figure 1 The device 100. Figures 2 to 9 In the description, operations described as being performed by the vehicle 200 may be understood to be controlled by the control circuit 150 of the device 100 .

[0075] According to one embodiment, when the sensor of the vehicle 200 senses the following vehicle 300 traveling in the target lane corresponding to the lane change command, the vehicle 200 may calculate the minimum operating speed based on the speed of the following vehicle 300 and the distance between the vehicle 200 and the following vehicle 300. For example, when the distance d1 between the vehicle 200 and the following vehicle 300 is shorter than the maximum sensing distance of the BSA sensor (or the side rear sensor), the vehicle 200 may use the sensor to measure the distance S rear and speed V app The vehicle 200 can be based on the measured S rear and V app To calculate the minimum operating speed of lane change control. For example, the vehicle 200 can calculate the minimum operating speed of lane change control by measuring S rear and V app The minimum operating speed is calculated by applying the above equation 1. When a lane change command is input, the vehicle 200 may calculate the minimum operating speed by detecting the following vehicle 300 in the lane to be changed, or may calculate the minimum operating speed by detecting the following vehicle 300 in the lane adjacent to the vehicle 200.

[0076] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0077] Reference Figure 3 , when the sensor of the vehicle 200 does not sense the following vehicle 300 traveling in the target lane corresponding to the lane change command, the vehicle 200 may calculate the minimum operating speed based on the designated speed and the sensing distance of the sensor. For example, when the distance d2 between the vehicle 200 and the following vehicle 300 is longer than the maximum sensing distance of the BSA sensor (or the side rear sensor), the vehicle 200 may not be able to use the sensor to measure the distance S rear and speed V app In this case, the vehicle 200 can calculate the minimum operating speed V by assuming that the following vehicle 300 happens to exceed the sensing distance of the sensor and travels at the maximum legal speed. smin The vehicle 200 can rear Set to the maximum sensing distance of the sensor, and the speed V app The maximum legal speed of the country in which the vehicle 200 is traveling can be set by setting S rear and V app The minimum operating speed is calculated by applying the above equation 1. When a lane change command is input, the vehicle 200 may calculate the minimum operating speed by detecting the following vehicle 300 in the lane to be changed, or may calculate the minimum operating speed by detecting the following vehicle 300 in the lane adjacent to the vehicle 200.

[0078] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 4 The control strategy provided when no preceding vehicle is detected is described in detail.

[0079] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0080] Reference Figure 4 , when the sensor of the vehicle 200 does not sense the preceding vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment, the vehicle 200 may control the travel speed to be higher than the minimum operation speed, and may perform lane change control when the travel speed of the vehicle 200 is higher than the minimum operation speed. When the preceding vehicle is not within the sensing distance of the front sensor, the vehicle 200 may not detect the preceding vehicle. When the preceding vehicle is not within the sensing distance of the sensor, since the vehicle 200 sufficiently accelerates its travel speed, the travel speed may be accelerated to the minimum operation speed and the lane may be changed.

[0081] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 5 to 8 Describe the control strategy when a preceding vehicle is detected.

[0082] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0083] Reference Figure 5 , when the minimum operating speed V smin The speed V is 400 lower than the vehicle ahead. f When the vehicle 200 is running at a speed higher than the minimum operating speed V smin , and the vehicle 200 can be driven at a speed higher than the minimum operating speed V smin When the preceding vehicle 400 is within the sensing distance of the front sensor, the vehicle 200 can detect the speed V of the preceding vehicle 400. f The speed V of the current vehicle 400 is f Faster than the minimum operating speed V smin When the vehicle 200 fully accelerates its traveling speed, the traveling speed can be accelerated to the minimum operating speed and the lane can be changed.

[0084] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0085] Reference Figure 6 , when the minimum operating speed V smin Higher than the speed of the preceding vehicle 400 V f When the vehicle 200 is within the sensing distance of the front sensor, the vehicle 200 can determine whether to accelerate based on the distance between the vehicle 200 and the preceding vehicle 400. When the preceding vehicle 400 is within the sensing distance of the front sensor, the vehicle 200 can sense the speed V of the preceding vehicle 400. f The speed V of the current vehicle 400 is f Slower than the minimum operating speed V smin , the vehicle 200 cannot sufficiently accelerate its travel speed, so the distance between the vehicle 200 and the preceding vehicle 400 may be considered to determine whether to accelerate.

[0086] The vehicle 200 can calculate the distance between the preceding vehicle 400 and the vehicle 200 based on the speed V of the preceding vehicle 400. f The safe distance calculated from the driving speed of the vehicle 200 is compared, and whether to accelerate can be determined based on the comparison result. When the distance between the preceding vehicle 400 and the vehicle 200 is longer than the safe distance, the vehicle 200 can control the driving speed to be higher than the minimum operating speed V smin, and the vehicle 200 can be driven at a speed higher than the minimum operating speed V smin Lane change control can be performed based on the speed V of the preceding vehicle 400. f , the speed of the vehicle 200, the maximum acceleration and the minimum acceleration are used to calculate the safety distance. Figure 8 The method of calculating the safety distance is described in detail. The vehicle 200 can determine whether to accelerate based on the distance between the preceding vehicle 400 and the vehicle 200 and the safety distance. Since the safety distance is sufficient, when there is no possibility of collision between the preceding vehicle 400 and the vehicle 200, the vehicle 200 can accelerate the driving speed to the minimum operating speed V smin And you can change lanes.

[0087] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0088] Reference Figure 7 , the vehicle 200 can calculate the distance between the preceding vehicle 400 and the vehicle 200 based on the speed V of the preceding vehicle 400. f The safe distance calculated based on the driving speed of the vehicle 200 is compared, and whether to accelerate can be determined based on the comparison result. When the distance between the preceding vehicle 400 and the vehicle 200 is shorter than the safe distance, the vehicle 200 can control the driving speed to decelerate. When there is a possibility of collision between the preceding vehicle 400 and the vehicle 200 due to the insufficient safe distance, the vehicle 200 can perform deceleration control. After the vehicle 200 is decelerated, the safe distance can be determined again and the minimum operating speed V can be calculated again. smin The vehicle 200 can ensure a safe distance and can allow the following vehicle 300 to overtake the vehicle 200 by decelerating. After the safe distance is sufficiently ensured, or after the following vehicle 300 overtakes the vehicle 200, the minimum operating speed V is reset. smin Afterwards, vehicle 200 may retry the lane change.

[0089] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary operation for determining whether to accelerate a vehicle in an apparatus for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the vehicle 810 may calculate a safe distance based on the speed of the preceding vehicle 820, the driving speed of the vehicle 810, the maximum acceleration, and the minimum acceleration.

[0091] refer to Figure 8 , the vehicle 810 can identify the preceding vehicle 820. The vehicle 810 can be separated from the preceding vehicle 820 by a distance d_headway, and the ...smin The vehicle 810 can calculate that although the vehicle 810 accelerates to the minimum operating speed V smin The vehicle 810 also does not have a safe distance to collide with the preceding vehicle 820. The vehicle 810 can simplify arithmetic operations for calculating the safe distance, and can calculate the safe distance in consideration of the worst case to ensure the safety of the driver.

[0092] When the vehicle 810 accelerates to the maximum speed and when the preceding vehicle 820 brakes urgently, the vehicle 810 may calculate a distance d_advoidmin at which the vehicle 810 does not collide with the preceding vehicle 820. The distance d_advoidmin may be calculated by the following exemplary Equation 2.

[0093] [Equation 2]

[0094] d_avoidmin=([v2_ini+a_decell*t_R]^2-[v1_ini+a_accel*t_R]^2) / (2*a_decell)-[v2_ini+0.5*a_decell*t_R]*t_R+[v1_ini+0.5*a_accel*t_R]*t_R

[0095] Here, v1_ini may represent the speed of the vehicle 810, v2_ini may represent the speed of the preceding vehicle 820, a_accel may represent the maximum acceleration during acceleration, a_decell may represent the minimum acceleration during deceleration, and t_R may represent the time taken by the driver of the vehicle 810 to determine and respond to the deceleration of the preceding vehicle 820. To simplify calculations, a_accel, a_decell, and t_R may be set to constants.

[0096] When the vehicle 810 accelerates to the minimum operating speed V smin , in order to calculate the narrowing distance between the vehicle 810 and the preceding vehicle 820, the vehicle 810 may calculate the moving distance d_ego_accel of the vehicle 810 and the moving distance d_front_accel of the preceding vehicle 820, while accelerating to the minimum operating speed V smin The moving distance d_ego_accel and the moving distance d_front_accel may be calculated by the following exemplary equation 3.

[0097] [Equation 3]

[0098] t_ego_accel=(V smin –V ego ) / a_acc_mild

[0099] d_ego_accel=[Vego +V smin ]*0.5*(V smin –V ego ) / a_acc_mild

[0100] d_front_accel = v2_ini*(V smin –V ego ) / a_acc_mild

[0101] Here, V ego a_acc_mild may represent the speed of the vehicle 810 before acceleration, and a_acc_mild may represent the typical acceleration of the vehicle 810 during autonomous driving. To simplify calculations, a_acc_mild may be set to a constant. It may be assumed that the leading vehicle 820 moves at a constant speed.

[0102] The vehicle 810 may set a margin distance d_margin of n seconds (eg, 2 seconds) to prepare for a rapid deceleration of the preceding vehicle 820. d_margin may be calculated by the following exemplary Equation 4.

[0103] [Equation 4]

[0104] d_margin = V smin *n

[0105] The vehicle 810 may calculate the safety distance d_initial using the calculated value. d_initial may be calculated by the following exemplary equation 5.

[0106] [Equation 5]

[0107] d_initial=d_avoidmin+d_ego_accel-d_front_accel+d_margin

[0108] The vehicle 810 may compare the calculated safety distance d_initial with the distance d_headway between the vehicle 810 and the preceding vehicle 820. When the safety distance d_initial is shorter than the distance d_headway between the vehicle 810 and the preceding vehicle 820, the vehicle 810 may control its speed to be higher than the minimum operating speed, and may perform lane change control when the speed of the vehicle 810 is higher than the minimum operating speed. When the safety distance d_initial is longer than the distance d_headway between the vehicle 810 and the preceding vehicle 820, the vehicle 810 may perform deceleration control and may retry the lane change later.

[0109] Fig. 9is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0110] In the following, it can be assumed that Figure 1 The device 100 performs Fig. 9 In addition, Fig. 9 In the description of , operations described as being performed by the device may be understood to be controlled by the control circuit 150 of the device 100 .

[0111] Reference Fig. 9 In operation 910, the device may receive a lane change command from a driver of the vehicle. For example, the device may verify the driver's intention to perform a lane change through a turn signal lever, button, switch, etc.

[0112] In operation 920, the device may calculate the minimum operating speed of the lane change control. For example, the device may calculate the minimum operating speed based on a measured value of the following vehicle when a following vehicle is detected or based on a set value when no following vehicle is detected.

[0113] In operation 930, the device may determine whether the vehicle's travel speed is less than the minimum operating speed when the lane change command is received. For example, the device may compare the calculated minimum operating speed with the vehicle's current speed.

[0114] When the travel speed of the vehicle is less than the minimum operating speed, the device may determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle in operation 940. For example, the device may compare the vehicle distance with the safety distance to determine whether to accelerate the vehicle. The vehicle may change lanes after the acceleration control, or may retry the lane change control after the deceleration control.

[0115] When the driving speed of the vehicle is greater than or equal to the minimum operating speed, the device may perform lane change control in operation 950. For example, when it is verified that the driving speed is greater than or equal to the minimum operating speed, the device may immediately start the lane change control.

[0116] Fig.10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0117] In the following, it can be assumed that Figure 1 The device 100 performs Fig.10 In addition, Fig.10 In the description of , operations described as being performed by the device may be understood to be controlled by the control circuit 150 of the device 100 .

[0118] refer to Fig.10In operation 1005, the device may receive a lane change command. In operation 1010, the device may calculate a minimum operating speed V for lane change control. smin In operation 1015, the device may determine a minimum operating speed V smin Is it greater than the vehicle's speed V? ego When the minimum operating speed V smin Less than or equal to the vehicle's speed V ego When the minimum operating speed V smin Greater than the vehicle's speed V ego , the device may determine whether there is a preceding vehicle in operation 1025. When there is no preceding vehicle, the device may determine whether there is a preceding vehicle in operation 1030. ego Accelerate to minimum operating speed V smin or faster and can change lanes. When there is a leading vehicle, in operation 1035, the device can determine whether the speed of the leading vehicle is less than the minimum operating speed V smin The speed of the current vehicle is greater than or equal to the minimum operating speed V smin , in operation 1040, the device may change the vehicle's travel speed V ego Accelerate to minimum operating speed V smin or faster and can change lanes. The speed of the current vehicle is less than the minimum operating speed V smin , the device may determine whether the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is less than the safe distance in operation 1045. When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is greater than or equal to the safe distance, the device may determine whether the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is less than the safe distance in operation 1050. ego Accelerate to minimum operating speed V smin Or faster speed and can change lanes. When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is less than the safe distance, in operation 1055, the device can perform deceleration control.

[0119] Fig.11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computing system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0120] refer to Fig.11 , the computing system 1000 may include at least one processor 1100 , a memory 1300 , a user interface input device 1400 , a user interface output device 1500 , a storage 1600 , and a network interface 1700 interconnected via a bus 1200 .

[0121] The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device for executing the processing of instructions stored in the memory 1300 and / or the storage 1600. Each of the memory 1300 and the storage 1600 may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storage media. For example, the memory 1300 may include a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0122] Therefore, the operation of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in the specification can be directly implemented using a hardware module, a software module, or a combination thereof executed by a processor 1100. The software module can be present on a storage medium (i.e., memory 1300 and / or storage 1600), such as a RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electric EPROM (EEPROM), register, hard disk, removable disk, or CD-ROM (CD-ROM). An exemplary storage medium can be connected to the processor 1100. The processor 1100 can read information from the storage medium and can write information in the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium can be integrated with the processor 1100. The processor and the storage medium can be present in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can be present at the user end. Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium can exist in the form of separate elements at the user end.

[0123] The apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application can improve the convenience of the driver and ensure the safety of lane change control by determining whether to accelerate the vehicle in consideration of the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle when the driving speed of the vehicle is lower than the minimum operating speed.

[0124] Furthermore, the device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application can reduce the amount of calculation required for determination by comparing a value calculated by simple calculation with the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle and determining whether to accelerate the vehicle.

[0125] In addition, various effects directly or indirectly determined by the present application can be provided.

[0126] Although the present application is described above with reference to the exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the present application is not limited thereto but may be variously modified and changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A device for controlling lane change of a vehicle, the device comprising: a sensor configured to sense an external vehicle; an input device configured to receive a lane change command from a driver of the vehicle; as well as a control circuit configured to be electrically connected to the sensor and the input device, Wherein, the control circuit is configured as follows: receiving a lane change command using the input device; calculating a minimum operating speed of the vehicle for lane change control, wherein the lane change control is performed only when the vehicle's travel speed is greater than or equal to the minimum operating speed; Upon receiving a lane change instruction, if the vehicle's travel speed is below a minimum operating speed, determining whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle, Wherein, the control circuit is configured as follows: Calculate the safe distance at which the vehicle will not collide with the vehicle ahead even if the vehicle accelerates to the minimum operating speed. Compare the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle with the safety distance, Determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the comparison result, Wherein, the control circuit is configured to accelerate the vehicle to above the minimum operating speed to change lanes when the safety distance is provided between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

2. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: The distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is compared with a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the driving speed of the vehicle.

3. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is longer than a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the driving speed of the vehicle, controlling the vehicle so that the driving speed of the vehicle is higher than a minimum operating speed; Perform lane change control.

4. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is shorter than a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the traveling speed of the vehicle, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate.

5. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle becomes longer than a safe distance due to deceleration, controlling the vehicle so that the vehicle's travel speed exceeds a minimum operating speed; Perform lane change control.

6. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: Calculating a safe distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle based on the speed of the preceding vehicle, the driving speed of the vehicle, the maximum acceleration of the vehicle, and the minimum acceleration of the vehicle; Whether to accelerate the vehicle is determined based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle and the safety distance.

7. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: When the sensor does not sense the preceding vehicle, controlling the vehicle so that the vehicle's running speed is higher than the minimum operating speed; Perform lane change control.

8. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: When the minimum operating speed is lower than the speed of the preceding vehicle, controlling the vehicle so that the vehicle's travel speed is higher than the minimum operating speed; Perform lane change control.

9. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: When the minimum operating speed is higher than or equal to the speed of the preceding vehicle, it is determined whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle.

10. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: In response to receiving the lane change command, a minimum operating speed is calculated.

11. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: The minimum operating speed is calculated periodically while the vehicle is moving.

12. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: When the sensor senses a following vehicle traveling in a target lane corresponding to a lane change command, a minimum operating speed is calculated based on a speed of the following vehicle and a distance between the vehicle and the following vehicle.

13. The device for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit is configured as follows: When the sensor does not sense a following vehicle traveling in a target lane corresponding to a lane change command, a minimum operating speed is calculated based on a predetermined speed at which the vehicle is traveling and a sensing distance corresponding to a maximum distance that the sensor can sense.

14. A method for controlling lane change of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving a lane change command from a driver of the vehicle; Calculate the minimum operating speed of a vehicle for lane change control; Upon receiving a lane change instruction, if the vehicle's travel speed is below a minimum operating speed, determining whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle, Wherein, the method further comprises: Calculate the safe distance at which the vehicle will not collide with the vehicle ahead even if the vehicle accelerates to the minimum operating speed. Compare the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle with the safety distance, Determine whether to accelerate the vehicle based on the comparison result, The lane change control is performed only when the vehicle's travel speed is greater than or equal to the minimum operating speed. When the safety distance is provided between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the vehicle is accelerated to above the minimum operating speed to change lanes.

15. The method for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising: When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is longer than a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the driving speed of the vehicle, controlling the vehicle so that the driving speed of the vehicle is higher than a minimum operating speed; When the running speed of the vehicle becomes higher than the minimum operating speed, the lane change control is executed.

16. The method for controlling lane change of a vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising: When the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is shorter than a safe distance calculated based on the speed of the preceding vehicle and the traveling speed of the vehicle, the vehicle is controlled to decelerate.

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