Method and control unit for automatically controlling lane change assistance

Abstract

A method and control unit for automatically controlling lane change assist are disclosed. Multiple conditions are evaluated in the control unit, indicating that a lane change assist function can be activated at the vehicle's current location. The multiple conditions include: a condition based on sensor data, received in the control unit from a first digital signal from one or more sensors of the vehicle and relating to the vehicle's current location; a condition based on historical data, received in the control unit from a second digital signal from a memory and relating to the vehicle's current location; and a condition based on digital map data, received in the control unit from a third digital signal from a memory and relating to the vehicle's current location. If a condition from at least two different groups of conditions is evaluated as satisfied, a fourth digital signal is provided that enables activation of the lane change assist function in the vehicle.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to application number 20151933.7, filed with the European Patent Office on January 15, 2020, entitled “METHOD AND CONTROL UNIT AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING LANE CHANGE ASSIST”, which is hereby assigned to the assignee and is expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a control unit and a method in a control unit for automatically controlling a lane change assist function in a vehicle. Background Art

[0004] Today, many vehicles have various driving support functions in the form of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) features. Moreover, many of these features form the basis for current and future autonomous driving (AD) features. Examples of ADAS features include lane departure warning systems, lane centering, lane keeping assist, pilot assist, lane change assist, parking sensors, pedestrian protection systems, blind spot monitors, adaptive cruise control (ACC), anti-lock braking systems, and so on. These features supplement the vehicle's traditional driving controls with one or more warnings or automated actions in response to specific scenarios.

[0005] For example, depending on the complexity of the traffic situation and / or the risk of serious accidents associated with the road type and / or the specific situation, an ADAS or AD system or one or more specific features of such a system (such as the lane change assistance function) may be restricted to use only on specific road types and / or in specific situations, such as on highways, expressways or motorways. Therefore, before activating the lane change assistance function, it is necessary to determine whether the vehicle is currently traveling on a road of the desired type for use on which the lane change assistance function can be activated and whether the current situation allows it. Furthermore, once activated, it is necessary to continuously determine whether the lane change assistance function can remain activated. With regard to currently known methods and systems, disadvantages still exist. Summary of the Invention

[0006] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide methods, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, control units, and vehicles that endeavor to mitigate, alleviate, or eliminate one or more disadvantages of presently known systems and methods.

[0007] This object is achieved by a method in a control unit, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, a control unit and a vehicle as defined in the appended claims.The term exemplary is to be understood in this context as an example, instance or illustration.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method in a control unit for automatically controlling a lane change assist function in a vehicle is provided. In the control unit, multiple conditions are evaluated to indicate that the lane change assist function can be activated at the vehicle's current location. The multiple conditions include conditions selected from the group consisting of sensor-based conditions, history-based conditions, and map-based conditions. The sensor-based conditions are conditions based on sensor data received in the control unit from a first digital signal from one or more sensors of the vehicle and related to the vehicle's current location. The history-based conditions are conditions based on history data received in the control unit from a second digital signal from a memory and related to the vehicle's current location. The map-based conditions are conditions based on digital map data received in the control unit from a third digital signal from a memory and related to the vehicle's current location. In the control unit, if conditions from at least two different groups of conditions are evaluated as satisfied, a fourth digital signal is provided to indicate that the lane change assist function in the vehicle can be activated at the vehicle's current location.

[0009] The proposed method makes it possible to determine in a simple and reliable manner that a lane change assist function in a vehicle can be activated at the current position of the vehicle and to enable activation of the lane change assist function accordingly.

[0010] A vehicle in this context may be any type of road vehicle, such as, for example, a car, bus, truck, etc.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of the first aspect further includes: if at least two conditions from the group of sensor-based conditions are evaluated as being met, providing a fifth digital signal in the control unit that enables a lane change assist function in the vehicle to be activated at the current position of the vehicle, wherein at least two conditions are based on mutually different algorithms.

[0012] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of the first aspect further comprises: for all other cases, providing in the control unit a sixth digital signal which prohibits activation of the lane change assist function at the current position of the vehicle.

[0013] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of conditions is one or more of the following:

[0014] historical data received in the control unit from the second digital signal from the memory indicates that the lane change assist function can be activated at the current position of the vehicle,

[0015] the digital map data received in the control unit from the third digital signal from the memory indicating that the current position of the vehicle corresponds to a type of road on which the lane change assist function can be activated,

[0016] sensor data received in the control unit from first digital signals from one or more sensors indicates detection of two lanes in the direction of travel of the vehicle and an uncrossable divider relative to the vehicle's current position to oncoming traffic, and

[0017] • Sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicates detection of a road sign with respect to the current position of the vehicle, the road sign indicating a type of road on which the lane change assist function may be activated.

[0018] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the road type indicated by the digital map data is a highway.

[0019] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the detected road sign indicates a highway or a speed limit above a first threshold.

[0020] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the one or more sensors are one or more cameras, ultrasonic sensors, LIDAR sensors, or radar sensors.

[0021] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of the first aspect further includes: evaluating one or more additional conditions indicating that the lane change assist function cannot be activated at the current position of the vehicle in the evaluation, and providing a seventh digital signal in the control unit to prohibit activation of the lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle if at least one of the one or more additional conditions in the additional multiple conditions is met.

[0022] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more further conditions are selected from the following conditions:

[0023] sensor data received in the control unit from the one or more sensors in a first digital signal indicates that no impassable divider between the vehicle and oncoming traffic has been detected,

[0024] sensor data received in the control unit from one or more sensors in a first digital signal indicates detection of a speed limit sign having a speed limit below a second threshold,

[0025] • sensor data received in the control unit from one or more sensors in a first digital signal indicates that a tunnel is detected,

[0026] sensor data received in a first digital signal from one or more sensors in the control unit indicates detection of a toll booth,

[0027] • sensor data received in a first digital signal from one or more sensors in the control unit indicates that a construction site is detected, and

[0028] • Sensor data received in a control unit from one or more sensors in a first digital signal indicates detection of an expressway end sign.

[0029] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a further condition is determined in a control unit by means of sensor data from one or more sensors of the vehicle, the lateral coordinates of the non-traversable road edges on the right and left sides of the vehicle, that the sensor data indicates that no non-traversable divider between the vehicle and oncoming traffic is detected; by means of sensor data from one or more sensors of the vehicle, the lateral coordinates of an oncoming vehicle are determined in the control unit, and if the lateral coordinates of the oncoming vehicle are within the lateral coordinates of the non-traversable road edges on the right and left sides of the vehicle, then the further condition is determined in the control unit that the sensor data indicates that no non-traversable divider between the vehicle and oncoming traffic is detected.

[0030] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of a control unit, the one or more programs including instructions for causing the control unit to perform the method of the first aspect. With respect to this aspect of the present disclosure, similar advantages and preferred features are provided as in the first aspect of the present disclosure discussed previously.

[0031] Embodiments of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to the second aspect may, for example, comprise features corresponding to the features of any embodiment of the method according to the first aspect.

[0032] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a control unit is provided that includes at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory, causing the control unit to automatically control a lane change assist function in a vehicle. In the control unit, multiple conditions are evaluated to indicate that the lane change assist function can be activated at the vehicle's current location. The multiple conditions include conditions selected from the group consisting of sensor-based conditions, history-based conditions, and map-based conditions. The sensor-based conditions are based on sensor data received in the control unit from a first digital signal from one or more sensors of the vehicle and related to the vehicle's current location. The history-based conditions are based on history data received in the control unit from a second digital signal from the memory and related to the vehicle's current location. The map-based conditions are based on digital map data received in the control unit from a third digital signal from the memory and related to the vehicle's current location. If conditions from at least two different groups of conditions are evaluated as satisfied, a fourth digital signal is provided in the control unit that enables activation of the lane change assist function in the vehicle at the vehicle's current location.

[0033] Embodiments of the control unit according to the third aspect may, for example, comprise features corresponding to the features of any embodiment of the method according to the first aspect.

[0034] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle comprising the control unit of the third aspect. Embodiments of the vehicle according to the fourth aspect may, for example, comprise features corresponding to those of any embodiment of the control unit according to the third aspect.

[0035] It should be emphasized that when used in this specification, the term "include / comprising" is adopted to specify the existence of stated features, integers, steps, or components. It does not prevent the existence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, or combinations thereof.

[0036] These and other features and advantages will become further apparent hereinafter with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Additional objects, features, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] Figure 1a and 1b is an illustration of a schematic top view of a vehicle and surrounding vehicles related to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 2The flowchart of the method in a control unit for automatically controlling a lane change assist function in a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0040] Figure 3 is a schematic side view illustration of a vehicle including a control unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Those skilled in the art will understand that the steps, services, and functions explained herein may be implemented using standalone hardware circuits, using software running in conjunction with a programmed microprocessor or general-purpose computer, using one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or using one or more digital signal processors (DSPs). It will also be understood that when the present disclosure is described in terms of methods, it may also be embodied in one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memories store one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps, services, and functions disclosed herein.

[0043] In the following description of exemplary embodiments, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

[0044] Figure 1a and Figure 1b Showing the embodiments of the present disclosure (for example, Figures 2 to 4 A schematic top view of the vehicle 1 in question is shown. The vehicle 1 is referred to below as autonomous vehicle 1 .

[0045] Figure 1aThe schematic diagram in FIG. 1 shows an autonomous vehicle 1 and three other vehicles 2a, 2b, 2c on a road having four separate lanes 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d. Three of the four separate lanes 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are intended for traffic traveling in a first direction 4, and one lane 3a is intended for traffic traveling in a second direction 5 opposite to the first direction 4. Autonomous vehicle 1 is located in the middle lane 3c intended for traffic traveling in the first direction 4. One of the three other vehicles 2a, 2b, 2c, 2a, is traveling in the opposite direction 5 from autonomous vehicle 1 and is referred to below as oncoming vehicle 2a. Oncoming vehicle 2a is located in the opposite lane 3a intended for traffic traveling in the second direction 5. Two of the other vehicles 2a, 2b, 2c are traveling in the same direction 4 as autonomous vehicle 1. The first other vehicle 2b, traveling in the same direction 4 as autonomous vehicle 1, is located in the leftmost lane 3b of the lanes intended for traffic traveling in the first direction 4. A second other vehicle 2c, traveling in the same direction 4 as the ego vehicle 1, is located in the rightmost lane 3d of the lanes intended for traffic in the first direction 4. Between the leftmost lane 3b and the oncoming lane 3a, there is an uncrossable divider 6, which is intended to prevent vehicles from crossing between the lanes intended for traffic in the different directions 4, 5. The uncrossable divider 6 can, for example, be made of concrete, a pillar with steel wire, or the like.

[0046] Each of the three lanes 3b, 3c, 3d for traffic in a first direction 4 is defined by four lane markings 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, and the opposite lane 3a is defined by two lane markings 8a, 8b.

[0047] Figure 1bThe schematic diagram in FIG. 1 shows an autonomous vehicle 1 and two other vehicles 2a, 2b on a road with three separate vehicles 3a, 3b, 3c. Two of the three separate lanes 3a, 3b, 3c are intended for traffic in a first direction 4, and one lane 3a is intended for traffic in a second direction 5 opposite to the first direction 4. Autonomous vehicle 1 is located in lane 3b, the leftmost lane intended for traffic in the first direction 4. One of the three other vehicles 2a, 2b, 2a, is traveling in the opposite direction 5 from autonomous vehicle 1 and is referred to below as oncoming vehicle 2a. Oncoming vehicle 2a is located in lane 3a, the opposite lane intended for traffic in the second direction 5. Another vehicle 2b of the other vehicles 2a, 2b is traveling in the same direction 4 as autonomous vehicle 1. Another vehicle 2b, traveling in the same direction 4 as autonomous vehicle 1, is located in lane 3c, the rightmost lane intended for traffic in the first direction 4. Between the leftmost lane 3b and the oncoming lane 3a there is no physical divider, but only special lane markings 7b, 8b indicating that vehicles are not allowed to cross between lanes intended for traffic in different directions 4, 5. Figure 1b A non-crossable divider 6 is also indicated in FIG, but not between the lanes in different directions 4, 5, but to the left of all lanes 3a, 3b, 3c.

[0048] Each of the two lanes 3 b , 3 c for traffic in the first direction 4 is defined by three lane markings 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , and the opposing lane 3 a is delimited by two lane markings 8 a , 8 b .

[0049] exist Figure 1a and Figure 1b In both embodiments, autonomous vehicle 1 includes vehicle system 10. Vehicle system 10 includes positioning system 20, which is configured to determine a current set of geographic coordinates (i.e., a current map position) of autonomous vehicle 1. Vehicle system 10 further includes sensor system 30, which includes at least one sensor (not shown) for detecting and identifying objects external to autonomous vehicle 1, such as other vehicles, traffic signs, lane markings, etc. Sensor system 30 may, for example, include one or more of a radar arrangement, a LIDAR arrangement, an ultrasonic arrangement, one or more cameras, and any other suitable sensors.

[0050] Furthermore, the vehicle system 10 has a control unit 40 connected to the positioning system 20 and the sensor system 30. The vehicle system 10 can also be connected to an external network 50 including a remote system 60. The remote system 60 can be, for example, a cloud-based system. The remote system 60 can, for example, provide the autonomous vehicle 1 with map data and historical data regarding the current position of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0051] Control unit 40 is configured to receive data from remote system 60, a memory (not shown) in autonomous vehicle 1, and sensor system 30, and to evaluate a condition defined regarding the source of the data. Based on the result of the evaluation, control unit 40 may provide a digital signal that enables activation of a lane change assist function in autonomous vehicle 1 at the current location of autonomous vehicle 1. Alternatively, control unit 40 may provide another digital signal that prohibits activation of a lane change assist function in autonomous vehicle 1 at the current location of autonomous vehicle 1.

[0052] Figure 2 The flowchart of the method in a control unit for automatically controlling a lane change assist function in a vehicle (hereinafter, autonomous vehicle) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0053] In the method, a plurality of conditions indicating that a lane change assist function may be activated at the current position of the autonomous vehicle are evaluated 210. The plurality of conditions include conditions selected from the following group:

[0054] ●Based on sensor conditions,

[0055] ● Historically based conditions, and

[0056] ●Map-based conditions.

[0057] A sensor-based condition is a condition based on sensor data received in the control unit from first digital signals from one or more sensors of the autonomous vehicle and relating to the current position of the vehicle.

[0058] The history-based condition is a condition based on history data received in the control unit from the second digital signal from the memory and related to the current position of the vehicle.

[0059] The map-based condition is a condition based on digital map data which are received in the control unit from a third digital signal from the memory and which relate to the current position of the vehicle.

[0060] If the evaluation shows that a condition from at least two different groups of conditions is met, the control unit provides 220 a fourth digital signal enabling activation of a lane change assist function in the ego vehicle at the current position of the ego vehicle.

[0061] Different groups are divided to include conditions based on different types of data: sensor data from the autonomous vehicle's sensor system, historical data from, for example, a memory in the autonomous vehicle or a memory in a remote system, and map data from, for example, a memory in the autonomous vehicle or a memory in a remote system. The different groups therefore inherently rely on different sources and / or algorithms for deriving the data. Therefore, if conditions in two different groups are met, this means that conditions based on different types of data indicate that the lane change assist function can be activated. This provides an effective way to increase reliability compared to existing technologies, which do not directly identify the source and / or algorithm used to derive the data.

[0062] The one or more sensors of the autonomous vehicle are typically one or more cameras, radar sensors, LIDAR sensors, or ultrasonic sensors.

[0063] One or more cameras may be used to derive sensor data in the form of digital image data in which features of the autonomous vehicle's surroundings can be identified. Such features may be, for example, lane markings, traffic signs, road dividers / obstacles, and objects such as other vehicles traveling in the same direction as or opposite to the vehicle.

[0064] Furthermore, radar sensors, LIDAR sensors, or ultrasonic sensors may be used to derive sensor data in the form of radar data, LIDAR data, or ultrasonic data in which features of the autonomous vehicle's surroundings can be identified. Such features may include, for example, other vehicles traveling in the same direction as or opposite to the autonomous vehicle, impassable barriers, and other physical objects such as tunnels, toll booths, and construction sites.

[0065] The historical data and map data may be received from a memory in the autonomous vehicle. Figure 1a 、 Figure 1b ,as well as Figure 3 As disclosed and described, it can be received from the remote system 50.

[0066] Furthermore, if at least two conditions from the group of sensor-based conditions are evaluated as being met, wherein at least two conditions are based on mutually different algorithms, the control unit provides 230 a fifth digital signal enabling activation of a lane change assistance function in the autonomous vehicle at the current position of the autonomous vehicle.

[0067] Allowing at least two conditions to be from the same group (i.e., a group of sensor-based conditions), but requiring at least two conditions to be based on mutually different algorithms, lowers the threshold for enabling activation of the lane change assist function of the autonomous vehicle while still maintaining sufficient reliability, because the two mutually different algorithms would need to fail simultaneously to provide an erroneous result in the evaluation. This provides an effective way to introduce increased reliability compared to the prior art, in which algorithms are not directly identified and used to derive data. The lane change assist function in the autonomous vehicle can be enabled in more situations while still ensuring reliability, because the decision is made based on data derived using mutually different algorithms.

[0068] For all other cases, i.e. if no condition is met, if only one condition is met, or two or more conditions from only one group are met, wherein the two or more conditions that are met do not involve sensor-based conditions using mutually different algorithms, the control unit provides 240 a sixth signal prohibiting activation of the lane change assist function.

[0069] A plurality of conditions indicative of a lane change assist function may be activated at the current position of the autonomous vehicle, and may be one or more of the following conditions:

[0070] Historical data received in the control unit from the second digital signal from the memory indicates that the lane change assist function can be activated at the current position of the autonomous vehicle

[0071] • Digital map data received in the control unit from the third digital signal from the memory indicates that the current position of the autonomous vehicle corresponds to a road type (such as a highway) on which the lane change assist function can be activated.

[0072] sensor data received in the control unit from first digital signals from the one or more sensors indicates detection of two lanes in the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle and an uncrossable divider relative to the current position of the autonomous vehicle to oncoming traffic, and

[0073] ●Sensor data received in the control unit from a first digital signal from one or more sensors indicates detection of a road sign relative to the vehicle's current position (such as a road sign indicating a highway or a speed limit above a first threshold), which road sign indicates the type of road (such as a highway) on which the lane change assist function can be activated.

[0074] The historical data may have been stored locally in a memory in the autonomous vehicle or in a remote system, such as a cloud server. The historical data is then received by the control unit and, based on the historical data, the control unit can identify whether the current position of the autonomous vehicle relates to, for example, a position on a road of a specific road type for which the historical data indicates that activation of the lane change assist function has previously been permitted.

[0075] Similarly, the map data may already be stored locally in a memory in the autonomous vehicle or in a remote system, such as a cloud server. The map data is then received by the control unit, and based on the map data, the control unit can identify whether the current position of the autonomous vehicle involves a road type that allows activation of the lane change assist function.

[0076] Return to Steering Figure 1a Autonomous vehicle 1 receives sensor data, for example, from one or more cameras and / or one or more radar sensors. Based on the sensor data, autonomous vehicle 1 identifies lane markings 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d, as well as first and second other vehicles 2b and 2c traveling in the leftmost lane 3b and rightmost lane 3d, respectively. Based on this, autonomous vehicle 1 determines that at least two lanes exist in the same direction 4 as autonomous vehicle 1. Based on the sensor data, autonomous vehicle 1 also identifies an uncrossable divider 6 and its lateral position relative to autonomous vehicle 1, as well as oncoming vehicle 2a and its lateral position relative to autonomous vehicle 1. Furthermore, it is required to determine that no lane for oncoming traffic is laterally closer to autonomous vehicle 1 than the opposite lane 3a in which oncoming vehicle 2a is traveling. This can be established, for example, by having only one lane between the middle lane 3c in which autonomous vehicle 1 is traveling and the opposite lane 3a for traffic traveling in the same direction 4 as autonomous vehicle 1. This can be established by identifying a first other vehicle 2b from the sensor data and that it is traveling in the same direction 4 as the ego vehicle 1. An uncrossable barrier 6 is identified as being located between the ego vehicle 1 and any oncoming traffic. This therefore indicates that activation of the lane change assist function can be activated.

[0077] Finally, sensor data received in the control unit from one or more sensors (e.g., one or more cameras) can indicate the detection of a road sign that indicates the type of road on which the lane change assist function can be activated. For example, a road sign can indicate that the autonomous vehicle is currently traveling on a highway. This can be identified by several different types of road signs, such as signs that explicitly indicate the type of road (such as highway signs), or signs that indicate a speed limit above a first threshold. The first threshold can be set so that all roads with a speed limit exceeding the first threshold will be of a type where the lane change assist function is allowed to be activated.

[0078] In addition to the plurality of conditions indicating that the lane change assist function may be activated at the current position of the ego vehicle, one or more additional conditions indicating that the lane change assist function may not be activated at the current position of the ego vehicle may be evaluated 250 .

[0079] The one or more further conditions indicating that the lane change assist function may not be activated at the current position of the autonomous vehicle may be selected from the following conditions:

[0080] • sensor data received in the control unit from a first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicates that an impassable divider between the autonomous vehicle and oncoming traffic is not detected,

[0081] sensor data received in the control unit from a first digital signal from one or more sensors indicates detection of a speed limit sign having a speed limit below a second threshold,

[0082] • sensor data received in the control unit from a first digital signal from one or more sensors indicates that a tunnel is detected,

[0083] The sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicates that a toll booth has been detected,

[0084] • sensor data received in the control unit from a first digital signal from one or more sensors indicates that a construction site is detected, and

[0085] • Sensor data received in the control unit from a first digital signal from one or more sensors indicates detection of an expressway end sign.

[0086] Even if one or more further conditions are indicated to be based on sensor data, it should be noted that if the evaluation of the same basic condition of one or more further conditions indicates that the same basic condition is based on historical data or map data - i.e., conditions with respect to the other two groups are met, this can also be used to recognize that the lane change assist function cannot be activated at the current position of the autonomous vehicle.

[0087] Sensor data received in the control unit from one or more sensors (e.g., one or more cameras) may indicate the detection of a road sign indicating a type of road on which the lane change assist function may not be activated. This may be identified by several different types of road signs, such as a sign explicitly indicating a type of road on which the lane change assist function may be activated, a sign indicating the end of a type of road (highway) on which the lane change assist function may be activated, or a sign indicating that a speed limit is below a second threshold. The second threshold may be set so that at least some or all roads with a speed limit below the second threshold will be of a type on which activation of the lane change assist function is not permitted.

[0088] The additional condition that the sensor data indicates that no untraversable barrier has been detected between the ego vehicle and oncoming traffic can be evaluated as follows. First, the lateral coordinates of the untraversable road edges to the right and left of the ego vehicle are determined in the control unit using sensor data from one or more sensors of the ego vehicle. Then, the lateral coordinates of the oncoming vehicle are determined in the control unit using sensor data from one or more sensors of the ego vehicle. If the lateral coordinates of the oncoming vehicle are within the lateral coordinates of the untraversable road edges to the right and left of the ego vehicle, the control unit determines that the additional condition that the sensor data indicates that no untraversable barrier has been detected between the ego vehicle and oncoming traffic is satisfied. In other words, this condition is evaluated as satisfied if the oncoming vehicle is identified laterally between the ego vehicle and the untraversable barrier. It should be noted that if there is more than one lane for traffic traveling in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the ego vehicle, it must first be established that the oncoming vehicle is traveling in the lane that is laterally closest to the ego vehicle.

[0089] Return to Steering Figure 1bAutonomous vehicle 1 receives sensor data, for example, from one or more cameras and / or one or more radar sensors. Based on the sensor data, autonomous vehicle 1 identifies lane markings 7a, 7b, and 7c, as well as another vehicle 2b traveling in the rightmost lane 3c. Based on this, autonomous vehicle 1 determines that at least two lanes 3b and 3c exist in the same direction 4 as autonomous vehicle 1. Based on the sensor data, autonomous vehicle 1 also identifies an untraversable divider 6 and its lateral position relative to autonomous vehicle 1, as well as an oncoming vehicle 2a and its lateral position relative to autonomous vehicle 1. Furthermore, it is required that it be determined that oncoming vehicle 2a is traveling in the lane closest to autonomous vehicle 1 in the lateral direction 5 of traffic opposite to autonomous vehicle 1's direction 4 of travel. This can be determined, for example, by identifying the absence of lanes between opposite lane 3a and lane 3b, the leftmost lane in which autonomous vehicle 1 is traveling. Oncoming vehicle 2a is identified as being located between autonomous vehicle 1 and untraversable divider 6. Therefore, this indicates that the lane change assist function cannot be activated.

[0090] For situations where more than one untraversable divider is identified, the condition should be met for all untraversable dividers. However, in such cases, the condition may only need to be evaluated for the untraversable divider that is closest to the ego vehicle 1 in the lateral direction toward oncoming traffic.

[0091] For situations in which no uncrossable divider is identified, this directly indicates that activation of the lane change assist function cannot be activated.

[0092] Figure 2 Some steps are illustrated in boxes with solid borders and some steps are illustrated in boxes with dashed borders. The steps included in the boxes with solid borders are operations included in the broadest example embodiment. The steps included in the boxes with dashed borders are example embodiments that may be included in, or part of, additional operations that may be employed in addition to the operations of the border example embodiment. Not all steps need to be performed in sequence, and not all operations need to be performed. In addition, at least some steps may be performed in parallel.

[0093] Figure 3 is a schematic side view illustration of a vehicle 1 (hereinafter, autonomous vehicle 1 ) including a control unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0094] Autonomous vehicle 1 has a sensor system 30 (see FIG1 ) that includes a plurality of sensors 14 (e.g., cameras, LIDAR, RADAR, ultrasonic transducers, etc.). Sensors 14 are configured to obtain information representing the vehicle's surroundings. More specifically, sensors 14 are adapted to recognize lane markings, traffic signs, and the like. The sensors are further adapted to recognize both other vehicles relative to the autonomous vehicle, opposing vehicles traveling in a different direction than autonomous vehicle 1, and other vehicles traveling in the same direction as autonomous vehicle 1. Sensors 14 are further adapted to recognize non-traversable barriers and other objects such as toll booths, tunnels, construction sites, and the like, which are used as conditions for determining whether a lane change assist function can be activated at the autonomous vehicle's current position.

[0095] Furthermore, the processor 42 of the control unit 40 is configured to receive sensor data including information about the surroundings of the autonomous vehicle 1. It should be understood that the sensor interface 11 may also provide the ability to obtain sensor data directly (not shown) or via dedicated sensor control circuitry 16 within the vehicle 1. The communication / antenna interface 12 may further provide the ability to receive data from an external network 50 and transmit it to a remote system 60 via antenna 18. Furthermore, some sensors 14 within the autonomous vehicle 1 may communicate with the control unit 40 using a local network setup (such as a CAN bus, I2C, Ethernet, fiber optics, etc.). The communication / antenna interface 12 may be arranged to communicate with other control functions of the autonomous vehicle 1 and may therefore also be considered a control interface. However, a separate control interface (not shown) may be provided. Local communications within the autonomous vehicle 1 may also be wireless, utilizing protocols such as WiFi, LoRa, ZigBee, Bluetooth, or similar medium / short-range technologies.

[0096] Autonomous vehicle 1 further comprises a positioning system 20 configured to determine a map position of autonomous vehicle 1 .

[0097] Autonomous vehicle 1 also typically includes a memory 44 in which historical data and / or map data can be stored. Alternatively, the historical data and / or map data can be received from a remote system 60. The historical data is received in control unit 40, and based on the historical data, control unit 40 can identify whether the current position of autonomous vehicle 1 relates to a position on a road of a specific road type, for which historical data indicates that activation of the lane change assist function has previously been permitted.

[0098] Similarly, the map data may have been stored locally in the memory 44 in the autonomous vehicle or in the remote system 60. The map data is received in the control unit 40 and, based on the map data, the control unit 40 is able to identify whether the current position of the autonomous vehicle 1 involves a road type that allows activation of the lane change assist function.

[0099] The connection from the autonomous vehicle 1 to the remote system 60 in the external network 50 will typically be by means of a wireless link via the antenna 18. Cellular communication technology can be used for remote communications such as with the external network and, if the cellular communication technology used has low latency, it can also be used for vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communications. Examples of cellular radio technologies are GSM, GPRS, EDGE, LTE, 5G, 5G NR, etc., including future cellular solutions. However, in some solutions, medium- to short-range communication technologies are used, such as wireless local area networks (LANs), for example, solutions based on IEEE 802.11. ETSI is working on a cellular standard for vehicle communications and, due to its low latency, high bandwidth, and efficient handling of communication channels, considers 5G as a suitable solution.

[0100] Control unit 40 may also be connected to control system 24 and / or user interface 26 of autonomous vehicle 1 via interface 28. Control unit 40 may send a signal to control system 24 via interface 28 to enable or disable activation of the lane change assist function of autonomous vehicle 1. Additionally or alternatively, control unit 40 may send a signal to user interface 28 via interface 24 to provide information or instructions to the driver of autonomous vehicle 1 regarding whether activation of the lane change assist function of autonomous vehicle 1 is permitted.

[0101] Figure 4 4 is a schematic diagram of a control unit 40 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control unit 40 includes at least one processor 42 and at least one memory 44. The processor 42 is configured to execute instructions 46 stored in the memory 44, so that the central control system 40 performs the operations according to the present disclosure and in particular according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Embodiments are disclosed to provide a method for automatically controlling a lane change assist function in a vehicle.

[0102] Processor system 42 can be represented as a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a circuit comprising a processing component, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. Processor 42 can be represented as a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable digital signal processor or another programmable device. Processor 42 can also, or instead be represented as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array or programmable array logic, a programmable logic device, or a digital signal processor. In the case where processor 42 is represented as a programmable device such as the microprocessor, microcontroller or programmable digital signal processor mentioned above, the processor can additionally include computer executable code that controls the operation of the programmable device.

[0103] The control unit 40 may additionally be or include any number of hardware components for performing data or signal processing or for executing computer code (instructions 46) stored in the memory 44. The memory 44 may be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code for completing or facilitating the various methods described in this specification. The memory 44 may include volatile memory or non-volatile memory. The memory 44 may include a database component, an object code component, a script component, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities of the specification. According to an exemplary embodiment, any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with respect to the systems and methods of the specification. According to an exemplary embodiment, the memory 44 (e.g., via circuitry or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) is communicatively connected to the processor 42 and includes computer code for executing one or more processes described herein.

[0104] The memory 44 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 44 storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the control unit 40 or the plurality of processors 42, the one or more programs including instructions 46 for causing the control unit 40 to perform operations according to the present disclosure and in particular according to the present disclosure. Figure 2 Methods of the disclosed embodiments.

[0105] Figure 4 The control unit 40 may be located in the vehicle or remotely connected to the Figure 1a 、 Figure 1b and Figure 3 The disclosed vehicle system 60 is distributed among the vehicle systems 60. Therefore, even if Figure 4 (and Figure 3) is disclosed as a single block for illustrative purposes only. The control unit 40 may be distributed between the vehicle and the remote system 60 so that processing related to executing the method according to the present disclosure is performed in the vehicle's processor 42, in a processor (not shown) in the external system 60, or partially in both.

[0106] The present disclosure has been presented above with reference to specific embodiments. However, other embodiments than those described above are possible and within the scope of the present disclosure. Different method steps beyond those described above for performing the method by hardware or software may be provided within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, according to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of a control unit, the one or more programs comprising executing the method according to the embodiments discussed above (such as with respect to Figure 2 Instructions for any of the methods discussed above.

[0107] Generally speaking, computer-readable media can include any tangible or non-transitory storage or memory media, such as electronic, magnetic, or optical media—for example, a disk or CD / DVD-ROM coupled to a computer system via a bus. As used herein, the terms "tangible" and "non-transitory" are intended to describe computer-readable storage media (or "memory") other than propagating electromagnetic signals, but are not intended to otherwise limit the types of physical computer-readable storage devices encompassed by the phrases computer-readable media or memory. For example, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable media" or "tangible memory" are intended to encompass types of storage devices that do not necessarily store information permanently, including, for example, random access memory (RAM). Program instructions and data stored on a tangible, computer-accessible storage medium in a non-transitory form can further be transmitted by a transmission medium or by signals, such as electronic, electromagnetic, or digital signals, that can be conveyed via a communication medium such as a network and / or wireless link. Thus, as used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), as opposed to a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0108] It will be appreciated that parts of the described solution may be implemented in the vehicle, in a system located external to the vehicle, or in any combination of internal and external to the vehicle, such as in a server in communication with the vehicle (so-called cloud solutions).

[0109] It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed and the word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. It should further be noted that any reference numerals do not limit the scope of the claims, that the present invention may be implemented at least in part by means of both hardware and software, and that several "means" or "units" may be represented by the same item of hardware.

[0110] Although the figure can show the specific order of method steps, the order of steps may be different from the order being depicted. In addition, two or more steps can be performed in parallel or in the case of partial simultaneous occurrence. For example, the step of receiving the signal comprising information about movement and information about the current road scene can be interchanged based on a specific implementation. Such changes will depend on the selected software and hardware system and the designer's choice. All such changes are within the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, standard programming techniques with rule-based logic and other logic can be utilized to implement software implementation to realize various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps. The above-mentioned and described embodiments are only given as examples and should not be limited to the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other solutions, uses, purposes, and functions within the scope of the present invention as claimed in the patent embodiments described below should be obvious.

Claims

1. A method in a control unit for automatically controlling a lane change assist function in a vehicle, the method comprising: A plurality of conditions are evaluated in the control unit indicating that a lane change assist function may be activated at the current position of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of conditions include conditions selected from the following group: a sensor-based condition, the sensor-based condition being a condition based on sensor data received in the control unit from first digital signals from one or more sensors of the vehicle and relating to a current position of the vehicle, a history-based condition, the history-based condition being a condition based on historical data received in the control unit from a second digital signal from a memory and relating to a current position of the vehicle, and a map-based condition, the map-based condition being a condition based on digital map data received in the control unit from a third digital signal from a memory and relating to a current position of the vehicle; and If a condition from at least two different groups of conditions is evaluated as being met, a fourth digital signal is provided in the control unit, which enables activation of a lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: If at least two conditions from the group of sensor-based conditions are evaluated as being fulfilled, a fifth digital signal is provided in the control unit, which enables activation of a lane change assistance function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle, wherein the at least two conditions are based on mutually different algorithms.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: For all other cases, a sixth digital signal is provided in the control unit, which inhibits activation of a lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The multiple conditions are one or more of the following conditions: the historical data received in the control unit from the second digital signal from the memory indicates that the lane change assist function can be activated at the current position of the vehicle, the digital map data received in the control unit from the third digital signal from the memory indicate that the current position of the vehicle corresponds to a type of road on which the lane change assist function can be activated, the sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicating that two lanes in the direction of vehicle travel and an uncrossable divider to oncoming traffic are detected with respect to the vehicle's current position, and The sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicates that a road sign is detected with respect to a current position of the vehicle, the road sign indicating a type of road on which the lane change assist function may be activated.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The one or more sensors are one or more cameras, ultrasonic sensors, LIDAR sensors or radar sensors.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: evaluating in the control unit one or more further conditions indicating that a lane change assist function may not be activated at the current position of the vehicle; as well as If at least one of the one or more further conditions of the further plurality of conditions is met, a seventh digital signal is provided in the control unit, which inhibits activation of a lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The one or more additional conditions are selected from the following: the sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicates that no impassable divider between the vehicle and oncoming traffic is detected, the sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicates detection of a speed limit sign having a speed limit below a second threshold, the sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signals from the one or more sensors indicates detection of a tunnel, the sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicates detection of a toll booth, the sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicates detection of a construction site, and The sensor data received in the control unit from the first digital signals from the one or more sensors indicates detection of an expressway end sign.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The further condition that the sensor data indicates that no impassable barrier between the vehicle and oncoming traffic has been detected is evaluated by: determining in the control unit the transverse coordinates of the non-traversable road edges on the right and left side of the vehicle by means of sensor data from the one or more sensors of the vehicle; determining in the control unit a lateral coordinate of an oncoming vehicle by means of sensor data from the one or more sensors of the vehicle; The further condition that the sensor data indicates that no impassable divider is detected between the vehicle and the oncoming traffic is determined in the control unit if the lateral coordinates of the oncoming vehicle are within the lateral coordinates of the impassable road edge to the right and to the left of the vehicle.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by at least one processor of a control unit, the one or more programs comprising causing the control unit to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A control unit for automatically controlling a lane change assist function in a vehicle at a current position of the vehicle, the control unit comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory; The at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory, causing the control unit to perform a method comprising the following steps: A plurality of conditions are evaluated in the control unit indicating that a lane change assist function may be activated at the current position of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of conditions include conditions selected from the following group: a sensor-based condition, the sensor-based condition being a condition based on sensor data received in the control unit from first digital signals from one or more sensors of the vehicle and relating to a current position of the vehicle, a history-based condition, the history-based condition being a condition based on historical data received in the control unit from a second digital signal from a memory and relating to a current position of the vehicle, and a map-based condition, the map-based condition being a condition based on digital map data received in the control unit from a third digital signal from a memory and relating to a current position of the vehicle; and If a condition from at least two different groups of conditions is evaluated as being met, a fourth digital signal is provided in the control unit, which enables activation of a lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle.

11. The control unit according to claim 10, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute further instructions stored in the memory, causing the control unit to perform a method further comprising the following steps: If at least two conditions from the group of sensor-based conditions are evaluated as being fulfilled, a fifth digital signal is provided in the control unit, which enables activation of a lane change assistance function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle, wherein the at least two conditions are based on mutually different algorithms.

12. The control unit according to claim 11, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute further instructions stored in the memory, causing the control unit to perform a method further comprising the following steps: For all other cases, a sixth digital signal is provided in the control unit, which inhibits activation of a lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle.

13. The control unit according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute further instructions stored in the memory, causing the control unit to perform a method further comprising the following steps: evaluating in the control unit one or more further conditions indicating that a lane change assist function may not be activated at the current position of the vehicle; as well as If at least one of the one or more further conditions of the further plurality of conditions is met, a seventh digital signal is provided in the control unit, which inhibits activation of a lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle.

14. A vehicle comprising a control unit according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

Images