Device and method for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for identifying a vehicle's driving lane. The apparatus comprises: an information acquisition device and a processor. The information acquisition device acquires forward information about the road on which the vehicle is traveling; the processor identifies an entrance and exit section on the left front side of the vehicle based on the forward information, and determines the vehicle's driving lane by correcting the number of lanes in the entrance and exit sections.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0061735, filed on May 22, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a device and a method for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle. Background Art

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

[0005] The driving lane recognition technology determines which lane from the left is the lane the vehicle is currently traveling in without an accurate map, and is an essential function for driver assistance functions such as lane change assist and motorway entrance and exit ramp deceleration functions.

[0006] Certain road sections within the operational range of driver assistance functions that don't utilize precise maps, such as urban highways and dedicated roads, contain roads that merge from the left or branch off to the left. Conventional lane recognition technology determines which lane, starting from the left, is the vehicle's current lane without precise maps. Therefore, when a new left lane appears, the driver assistance function may malfunction due to a discrepancy between the lane determined before the new lane appears and the actual road shape. Even when the left lane disappears, the lane determined before the lane disappears may not match the actual road shape, leading to driver assistance function malfunctions. Summary of the Invention

[0007] An aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus and method for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle, which identifies the driving lane of the vehicle in consideration of a change in the number of lanes of a driving road in an entrance / exit section located on a left front side of the vehicle.

[0008] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above problems, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will clearly understand any other technical problems not mentioned herein through the following description.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a device for identifying a vehicle's driving lane may include: an information acquisition device and a processor, the information acquisition device being configured to acquire front information of a road on which the vehicle is traveling; the processor being configured to identify an entrance / exit section on the left front side of the vehicle based on the front information, and to determine the vehicle's driving lane by correcting the number of lanes of the driving road in the identified entrance / exit section.

[0010] The processor may perform matching of the driving lane and tracking of the driving lane using the front information, and determine the driving lane by fusing the matching result of the driving lane and the tracking result of the driving lane.

[0011] The processor may determine a matching reliability for matching the driving lane and a tracking reliability for tracking the driving lane.

[0012] The processor may determine the driving lane by fusing the matching result of the driving lane and the corrected tracking result of the driving lane based on the matching reliability and the tracking reliability.

[0013] The processor may correct the number of lanes of the driving road using the number of lanes of the on- and off-ramps, determine a correction type based on information of the start and end points of the on- and off-ramps, and then correct the tracking result of the driving lane according to the correction type.

[0014] When identifying the entry and exit road segments, the processor may calculate the number of lanes of the travel road using the number of lanes of the main road before the intersection and the number of lanes of the entry ramp.

[0015] When the exit road segment is identified, the processor may calculate the number of lanes of the travel road using the number of lanes of the main road after the branch point and the number of lanes of the exit ramp.

[0016] When the correction type is the entry section start point, the processor may correct the tracking result of the driving lane using the determination result of the current driving lane, the number of lanes of the entry section, and the number of lanes of the road before the intersection.

[0017] When the correction type is the entrance section end point, the processor may correct the tracking result of the driving lane using the determination result of the current driving lane, the number of lanes before the entrance section, and the number of lanes of the entrance section.

[0018] When the correction type is the exit section start point, the processor may correct the tracking result of the driving lane using the determination result of the current driving lane, the number of lanes of the exit section, and the number of lanes of the main road after the intersection.

[0019] When the correction type is the exit section end point, the processor may correct the tracking result of the driving lane using the determination result of the current driving lane, the number of lanes before the exit section, and the number of lanes of the exit section.

[0020] The processor can use the front information to perform driving lane matching and driving lane tracking, determine the matching reliability for matching the driving lane and the tracking reliability for tracking the driving lane, and based on the matching reliability and tracking reliability, determine the driving lane by fusing the matching results of the driving lane and the tracking results of the driving lane, and use the corrected lane number of the driving road to correct the determined driving lane.

[0021] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for identifying a vehicle's driving lane may include: acquiring front information of a road on which the vehicle is traveling, identifying an entrance / exit section on the left front side of the vehicle based on the front information, and determining the vehicle's driving lane by correcting the lane number of the driving road in the identified entrance / exit section.

[0022] Determining a vehicle's driving lane may include: performing driving lane matching using front information; performing driving lane tracking using front information; determining matching reliability for matching the driving lane and tracking reliability for tracking the driving lane; correcting the tracking result of the driving lane using the corrected lane number of the driving road; and determining the driving lane by fusing the matching result of the driving lane and the corrected tracking result of the driving lane based on the matching reliability and the tracking reliability.

[0023] Correcting the tracking result of the driving lane may include: correcting the number of lanes of the driving road using the number of lanes of the entrance and exit ramps; determining a correction type based on information of the start and end points of the entrance and exit ramps; and correcting the tracking result of the driving lane according to the correction type.

[0024] Correcting the number of lanes of the travel road may include calculating the number of lanes of the travel road using the number of lanes of the main road before the intersection and the number of lanes of the entrance ramp when identifying the entrance road section.

[0025] Correcting the number of lanes of the travel road may include calculating the number of lanes of the travel road using the number of lanes of the main road after the branch point and the number of lanes of the exit ramp when the exit road section is identified.

[0026] Correcting the tracking result of the driving lane according to the correction type may include: when the correction type is the starting point of the entrance section, using the determination result of the current driving lane, the number of lanes of the entrance section and the number of lanes of the road before the intersection to correct the tracking result of the driving lane; when the correction type is the end point of the entrance section, correcting the tracking of the driving lane based on the current driving lane, the number of lanes before the entrance section and the number of lanes of the entrance section.

[0027] Correcting the tracking result of the driving lane according to the correction type may include: when the correction type is the starting point of the exit section, using the determination result of the current driving lane, the number of lanes of the exit section and the number of lanes of the main road after the intersection to correct the tracking result of the driving lane; when the correction type is the end point of the exit section, using the determination result of the current driving lane, the number of lanes before the exit section and the number of lanes of the exit section to correct the tracking result of the driving lane.

[0028] Determining a vehicle's driving lane may include: performing driving lane matching using front information; performing driving lane tracking using front information; determining matching reliability for matching the driving lane and tracking reliability for tracking the driving lane; determining the driving lane by fusing the matching results of the driving lane and the tracking results of the driving lane based on the matching reliability and the tracking reliability; and correcting the determined driving lane using the corrected lane number of the driving road. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The above features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0030] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2A and Figure 2B is a schematic diagram for describing an exit section and an entrance section according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3A and Figure 3B is a schematic diagram for describing a method for correcting the number of lanes on a driving road according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a method for correcting a determination result of a driving lane according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7A and Figure 7B is a schematic diagram for describing an example of preventing a lane change assist function from malfunctioning on a left exit section according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8A and Figure 8B is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of preventing a motor vehicle lane entrance and exit ramp deceleration function from malfunctioning on a left exit section according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0038] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system for executing a method for recognizing a driving lane of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the exemplary drawings. When reference numerals are added to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that even if the same or equivalent components are shown in other drawings, they are represented by the same reference numerals. In addition, when describing the embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions of well-known features or functions will be excluded to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the main purpose of the present invention.

[0040] When describing components according to embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, "A", "B", (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are intended only to distinguish one component from another, and these terms do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the constituent components. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical or scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. These terms defined in general dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as the contextual meaning in the relevant technical field, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined as having such a meaning in this application.

[0041] In this specification, a ramp is a road connecting two roads and can be divided into an exit ramp where vehicles exit (leave) the main road and an entrance ramp where vehicles enter (enter) the main road. A ramp intersection (or end intersection) is the location where a ramp connects to the main road and is collectively referred to as a speed change lane (deceleration / acceleration lane), a gradient section, and a branch / intersection with the main road. A gradient section refers to a road section set in a lane separation section or lane connection section to facilitate smooth lane changes for traveling vehicles.

[0042] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2A and Figure 2B is a schematic diagram for describing an exit section and an entrance section according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3A and Figure 3B is a schematic diagram for describing a method for correcting the number of lanes on a traveling road according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Reference Figure 1 The vehicle may include a navigation device 100, a detection device 200, a lane recognition device 300, and a driver assistance device 400 connected via an in-vehicle network. The in-vehicle network may be implemented using, for example, a controller area network (CAN), a media oriented systems transport (MOST) network, a local interconnect network (LIN), Ethernet, and / or Flexray.

[0044] The navigation device 100 can be installed on a vehicle to match the current position with map data and search for and guide a route to a destination. The navigation device 100 can measure its current position. The navigation device 100 can measure its current position, i.e., the position of the vehicle, using at least one of positioning technologies such as a global positioning system (GPS), dead reckoning (DR), differential GPS (DGPS), and carrier phase differential GPS (CDPGPS). The navigation device 100 may include: a memory (not shown), a display (not shown), and a processor (not shown), wherein the memory is used to store map data; the display is used to display map information, the vehicle position, and the found driving route; and the processor is used to perform, for example, route search and route guidance.

[0045] The navigation device 100 can transmit information about the road on which the vehicle is traveling (i.e., the driving road) to the driving lane identification device 300. The navigation device 100 can measure the vehicle position using a GPS receiver and match the measured vehicle position with map data to identify the driving road. In addition, the navigation device 100 can extract information about the identified driving road from the map data. The driving road information may include: the type of driving road (main road) (e.g., general road and highway), the total number of driving lanes (hereinafter referred to as the number of lanes), and branch road information. Here, the branch road information may include: the location of the branch point, the location of the intersection, the number of lanes of the exit ramp (exit road), and the number of lanes of the entrance ramp (entrance road).

[0046] The detection device 200 can detect information surrounding the vehicle, including lane information, object information, and the like. The detection device 200 may include a camera 210, a radar (radio detection and ranging) 220, and the like. The detection device 200 can extract lane information from images acquired by the camera 210. In addition, the detection device 200 can detect moving objects (e.g., vehicles) and / or fixed objects (e.g., guardrails or central dividers) located near the vehicle based on sensing data measured by the radar 220.

[0047] The camera 210 may be mounted on the front of the vehicle to capture images in front of the vehicle. The camera 210 may be implemented using at least one image sensor such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, a charge priming device (CPD) image sensor, and a charge injection device (CID) image sensor. The camera 210 may include an image processor that performs image processing such as noise removal, color reproduction, file compression, image quality adjustment, and saturation adjustment on the image acquired by the image sensor. The radar 220 may be mounted on the front of the vehicle to detect objects (moving and / or stationary objects) located near the front of the vehicle. The radar 220 may transmit electromagnetic waves to surrounding objects, receive electromagnetic waves reflected from the objects, and measure the distance, direction, and shape of the objects.

[0048] The driving lane recognition device 300 can identify the position of the vehicle in the driving road (i.e., the driving lane) based on the front information of the road (i.e., the driving road) on which the vehicle is driving. The driving lane recognition device 300 can determine (identify) the driving lane of the vehicle by identifying the entrance / exit section on the left front side of the vehicle based on the front information and correcting the number of lanes of the driving road in the identified entrance / exit section. Here, the entrance / exit section may refer to the section between the starting point (starting point) and the end point of the ramp intersection set for leaving or entering the vehicle's driving road (i.e., the main road). Reference Figure 2A The entrance section may refer to the entrance ramp intersection A1, which is the section where the entrance ramp 510 connects to the main road 500. The entrance ramp intersection A1 may include an acceleration section B1 and a gradual change section C1. Figure 2B The exit section can be defined as the section where the exit ramp 520 connects to the main road 500, that is, the exit ramp intersection A2. The exit ramp intersection A2 can include a deceleration section B2 and a gradual change section C2.

[0049] The driving lane recognition device 300 may include an information acquisition device 310 , a storage device 320 and a processor 330 .

[0050] The information acquisition device 310 can acquire forward information of the driving road (i.e., the main road) based on the driving road information and / or surrounding information provided by the navigation device 100 and the detection device 200. The forward information may include: the number of lanes on the driving road, the type of ramp intersection, information about the starting and ending points of the ramp intersection, lane line information, and object information. The types of ramp intersections can be divided into: left exit (left branch) ramp intersection, left entrance (left intersection) ramp intersection, right exit (right branch) ramp intersection, and right entrance (right intersection) ramp intersection.

[0051] The storage device 320 may store programs for the operation of the processor 330 and may store input data and / or output data of the processor 330. In addition, the storage device 320 may store the front information acquired by the information acquisition device 310. The storage device 320 may be implemented using at least one storage medium such as a flash memory, a hard disk, an SD card (Secure Digital card), a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and a register.

[0052] The processor 330 may control the overall operation of the driving lane recognition device 300. The processor 330 may be implemented using at least one of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, and a microprocessor.

[0053] The processor 330 may determine the lane in which the vehicle is traveling among the lanes of the driving road based on the forward information acquired by the information acquisition device 310. The processor 330 may utilize a known driving lane determination method, but when an entry / exit road section is identified on the left front side of the vehicle, the predetermined driving lane may be corrected taking into account a change in the number of lanes of the driving road in the identified entry / exit road section.

[0054] First, a process of determining a driving lane using forward information in the processor 330 will be briefly described.

[0055] The processor 330 may match the lane in which the vehicle is located (i.e., the driving lane) among the lanes of the driving road using the forward information acquired by the information acquisition device 310. The processor 330 may calculate the probability that the lane is the driving lane by assigning a matching point to each lane of the driving road, and perform driving lane matching using the matching point.

[0056] In addition, the processor 330 can track the driving lane of the vehicle based on the front information obtained by the information acquisition device 310. The processor 330 can use the front information obtained by the information acquisition device 310 to identify changes in the lateral distance of the vehicle, thereby tracking the driving lane. The processor 330 can track the driving lane by determining whether a lane change has occurred in the driving lane determined in the previous cycle in each predetermined cycle. The processor 330 can identify the driving lane determined in the previous cycle and use the front information obtained by the information acquisition device 310 in the current cycle to determine whether there is a lane change to the left lane or the right lane. Subsequently, the processor 330 can perform driving lane tracking by reflecting the confirmed lane change result to the driving lane determined in the previous cycle.

[0057] Processor 330 can determine the matching reliability for matching the driving lane and the tracking reliability for tracking the driving lane. Here, matching reliability can represent the highest probability that a lane is the driving lane among multiple lanes of the driving road. When assigning a matching point to each lane for matching the driving lane, processor 330 can determine the matching reliability based on the highest matching point. Tracking reliability for the current cycle can be determined using fusion reliability (which is the accuracy of driving lane determination performed in the previous cycle) and the reliability of the left / right lateral distance confirmed by camera 210.

[0058] The processor 330 may determine the driving lane based on the matching reliability and the tracking reliability by fusing the matching result of the driving lane and the tracking result of the driving lane. For example, when the matching reliability is higher than the tracking reliability, the processor 330 may determine the matched driving lane (the matching result of the driving lane) as the driving lane; when the tracking reliability is higher than the matching reliability, the processor 330 may determine the tracked driving lane (the tracking result of the driving lane) as the driving lane.

[0059] When the vehicle's driving lane is determined, the processor 330 can use the determined driving lane to control various vehicle configurations for driving. The processor 330 can send the driving lane determination result to the driver assistance device 400. The driver assistance device 400 can assist (support) the driver's operation based on the driving lane determination result. The driver assistance device 400 can perform driver assistance functions such as a lane change assistance function and / or a motorway entrance and exit ramp deceleration function.

[0060] Furthermore, the processor 330 can determine whether the vehicle has entered a branch road of the driving road based on the determined driving lane, and determine whether the vehicle has deviated from the route. The processor 330 can determine whether the vehicle has entered a branch road by comparing the driving lane determination result with the information of the forward branch road. The processor 330 can use the result of the determination of entering the branch road and the information of the branch road to determine whether the vehicle has deviated from the route.

[0061] Next, a process of correcting the determination of the driving lane in the left entrance / exit section in the processor 330 will be described in detail.

[0062] The processor 330 may obtain forward information through the information acquisition device 310. The processor 330 may use the obtained forward information to determine whether an entrance / exit road section exists on the left front side of the vehicle. The processor 330 may extract information about the start and end points of the entrance / exit road section from the image information acquired by the camera 210, or extract information about the start and end points of the entrance / exit road section from the map data of the navigation device 100.

[0063] When an entry / exit section is identified on the left front side of the vehicle, the processor 330 may correct the number of lanes of the driving road in the identified entry / exit section. In the case of a conventional map or an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) map, it may not be possible to fully indicate that the total number of lanes of the road in a short section such as an entry section or an exit section has changed. In this case, the correction may be made by increasing the total number of lanes in the entry / exit section.

[0064] The number of lanes on the driving road in the entrance section (hereinafter referred to as the number of lanes of the entrance section) can be calculated as the sum of the total number of lanes on the main road before the intersection and the total number of lanes on the entrance ramp. Figure 3A As shown, when the total number of lanes N on the main road where the vehicle is traveling 主路 is 4 and the total number of lanes on the entrance ramp is N 入口 When the number of lanes N on the main road before the intersection point JC1 is 1, the processor 330 can 主路 Number of lanes with entrance ramps N 入口 The number of lanes N (=4+1=5) of the entrance section is calculated by adding them together.

[0065] The number of lanes of the driving road in the exit section (hereinafter referred to as the number of lanes of the exit section) can be calculated by adding the total number of lanes of the main road after the branch point and the total number of lanes of the exit ramp. Figure 3B As shown, the total number of lanes N on the main road where the vehicle is traveling 主路 is 4 and the total number of lanes on the exit ramp is N 出口When the number of lanes N on the main road after the branch point JC2 is 1, the processor 330 can 主路 Number of lanes with exit ramps N 出口 The number of lanes N (=4+1=5) of the exit section is calculated by adding them together.

[0066] The processor 330 can use information about the start and end points of the entry / exit road segment to determine (detect) a correction type and a correction time point. Here, the correction type can be categorized by the type of ramp intersection identified on the left front side of the vehicle and the start and end points, and can be divided into an entry road segment start point (intersection point), an entry road segment end point, an exit road segment start point, and an exit road segment end point. The correction time point can refer to the time point when the vehicle passes the start or end point of the entry / exit road segment.

[0067] Table 1

[0068]

[0069] Here, the current driving lane determination result is the driving lane determined in the current cycle. The number of lanes in the entry section is the number of lanes in the entry section, which is the corrected number of lanes in the driving road. The number of lanes before the entry section is the number of lanes in the driving road calculated immediately before the start of the entry section (before the number of lanes in the driving road is corrected). The number of lanes in the exit section is the number of lanes in the driving road in the exit section, which is the corrected number of lanes in the driving road. The number of lanes before the exit section is the number of lanes in the driving road calculated immediately before the start of the exit section. When the determined correction time point is reached, the processor 330 can perform (execute) correction on the driving lane determination result using the corrected number of lanes in the driving road according to the correction method that matches the determined correction type.

[0070] For example, when a vehicle is traveling in the second of four lanes on a main road and identifies an entrance road segment located on the left front side, processor 330 can correct the lane number of the driving road by adding the lane number of the main road to the lane number of the entrance ramp (=4 + 1 = 5). Therefore, the lane number of the driving road before correction is 4, and the lane number of the driving road after correction is 5. When the vehicle passes the starting point of the entrance road segment, processor 330 can correct the current driving lane determination result based on the correction method that matches the starting point of the entrance road segment as the correction type. In other words, since the current driving lane determination result is the second lane, the lane number of the entrance road segment is 5, and the lane number of the main road before the intersection is 4, processor 330 can determine the corrected driving lane as the value obtained by subtracting the lane number of the main road before the intersection from the sum of the current driving lane determination result and the lane number of the entrance road segment (i.e., 2 + 5 - 4 = 3).

[0071] The process of correcting the determination of the driving lane in the left entrance / exit section may be performed after the process of tracking the driving lane or after the process of fusing the matching result of the driving lane with the tracking result of the driving lane.

[0072] Figure 4 1 is a flowchart of a method for correcting a determination result of a driving lane according to an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment describes a process of correcting determination of a driving lane in an entrance / exit section located on the left front side of a vehicle.

[0073] The lane recognition device 300 may determine whether an entrance / exit road section is recognized on the left front side of the vehicle (step S110). The processor 330 of the lane recognition device 300 may use the front information acquired by the information acquisition device 310 to recognize the existence of the left entrance / exit road section.

[0074] When it is determined that there is a left entrance / exit road section, the driving lane recognition device 300 can correct the lane number of the driving road (step S120). The processor 330 can correct the lane number of the driving road based on the lane number of the main road on which the vehicle is traveling and the lane number of the entrance ramp / exit ramp.

[0075] The processor 330 may determine a correction type and a correction time point based on the information about the start and end points of the identified entry / exit road section (step S130). Here, the correction type may be categorized as an entry road section start point, an entry road section end point, an exit road section start point, and an exit road section end point. The correction time point may refer to the time point at which the vehicle passes through the entry / exit road section.

[0076] Processor 330 may correct the predetermined driving lane at the correction time point using a correction method based on the correction type (step S140). Processor 330 may identify a correction method that matches the correction type by referring to a reference table that defines correction methods based on the correction type pre-stored in storage device 320 (i.e., Table 1). Processor 330 may correct the driving lane determined in the current cycle using the identified correction method.

[0077] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0078] The lane recognition device 300 may acquire forward information (step S210). The information acquisition device 310 of the lane recognition device 300 may recognize forward information of the vehicle using at least one of the camera 210 and the radar 220. Alternatively, the lane recognition device 300 may recognize forward information of the vehicle based on the road information acquired from the navigation device 100.

[0079] The driving lane recognition device 300 may perform driving lane matching using the acquired front information (step S220 ). The driving lane recognition device 300 may assign matching points to each lane of the driving road and perform driving lane matching using the assigned matching points.

[0080] The driving lane recognition device 300 may determine the matching reliability for matching the driving lane (step S230). Here, the matching reliability may represent the highest probability among the probabilities that a certain lane is the driving lane for a plurality of lanes.

[0081] Lane recognition device 300 can track the lane using the acquired forward information (step S240). Lane recognition device 300 can identify changes in the vehicle's lateral distance (i.e., whether a lane change has occurred) by analyzing image information acquired by camera 210. Lane recognition device 300 can track the lane using the changes in the lane and lateral distance determined in the previous cycle.

[0082] The driving lane recognition device 300 may determine the tracking reliability for tracking the driving lane (step S250). Here, the tracking reliability may be identified using the fusion reliability and the reliability of the lateral distance change, where the fusion reliability is the accuracy of the driving lane determined in the previous cycle.

[0083] When a left-side entrance / exit road section is identified in front of the vehicle, the driving lane recognition device 300 may correct the tracked driving lane (step S260). The driving lane recognition device 300 may identify the entrance / exit road section located on the left front side of the vehicle based on the acquired front information. The driving lane recognition device 300 may correct the lane number of the driving road in the entrance / exit road section and use the corrected lane number of the driving road to correct the tracked driving lane.

[0084] The lane recognition device 300 may determine the driving lane by fusing the lane matching result and the corrected lane tracking result based on the matching reliability and the tracking reliability (step S270). The lane recognition device 300 may determine the lane with higher reliability as the driving lane, out of the lanes identified by matching and the lanes identified by tracking.

[0085] The driving lane recognition device 300 can determine whether the vehicle has entered a branch road and whether the vehicle has deviated from the route based on the determined driving lane (step S280). The driving lane recognition device 300 can determine whether the vehicle has entered a branch road by comparing the driving lane determination result with information about the branch road ahead. The driving lane recognition device 300 can determine whether the vehicle has deviated from the route based on the result of determining whether the vehicle has entered a branch road and the information about the branch road.

[0086] The driving lane recognition device 300 may control the driver assistance function based on the determined driving lane (step S290). The driving lane recognition device 300 may transmit the driving lane determination result to the driver assistance device 400. The driver assistance device 400 may perform the driver assistance function based on the driving lane determination result.

[0087] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0088] The lane recognition device 300 may acquire forward information (step S310). The information acquisition device 310 of the lane recognition device 300 may use at least one of the camera 210 and the radar 220 to recognize forward information of the vehicle. Alternatively, the lane recognition device 300 may recognize forward information of the vehicle based on the road information acquired from the navigation device 100.

[0089] The driving lane recognition device 300 may perform driving lane matching using the acquired front information (step S320 ). The driving lane recognition device 300 may assign matching points to each lane of the driving road and perform driving lane matching using the assigned matching points.

[0090] The driving lane recognition device 300 may determine the matching reliability for matching the driving lane (step S330). Here, the matching reliability may represent the highest probability among the probabilities that a certain lane is the driving lane for a plurality of lanes.

[0091] Lane recognition device 300 can track the lane using the acquired forward information (step S340). Lane recognition device 300 can identify changes in the vehicle's lateral distance (i.e., whether a lane change has occurred) by analyzing image information acquired by camera 210. Lane recognition device 300 can track the lane using the changes in the lane and lateral distance determined in the previous cycle.

[0092] The driving lane recognition device 300 may determine the tracking reliability for tracking the driving lane (step S350). Here, the tracking reliability may be identified using the fusion reliability and the reliability of the lateral distance change, where the fusion reliability is the accuracy of the driving lane determined in the previous cycle.

[0093] The lane recognition device 300 may determine the driving lane by fusing the lane matching result and the lane tracking result based on the matching reliability and the tracking reliability (step S360). The lane recognition device 300 may determine the lane with higher reliability as the driving lane, out of the lanes identified by matching and the lanes identified by tracking.

[0094] When a left-side entrance / exit road section is identified in front of the vehicle, the driving lane recognition device 300 may correct the determined driving lane (step S370). The driving lane recognition device 300 may identify the entrance / exit road section located on the left front side of the vehicle based on the acquired front information. The driving lane recognition device 300 may correct the lane number of the driving road in the entrance / exit road section and use the corrected lane number of the driving road to correct the determined driving lane.

[0095] The lane recognition device 300 can determine whether the road has branched and whether the vehicle has deviated from the route based on the corrected lane (step S380). The lane recognition device 300 can determine whether the vehicle has entered a branch road by comparing the corrected lane determination result with information about the branch road ahead. The lane recognition device 300 can determine whether the vehicle has deviated from the route based on the result of determining whether the vehicle has entered a branch road and the information about the branch road.

[0096] The driving lane recognition device 300 may control the driver assistance function based on the corrected driving lane (step S390). The driving lane recognition device 300 may transmit the corrected driving lane determination result to the driver assistance device 400. The driver assistance device 400 may perform the driver assistance function based on the corrected driving lane determination result.

[0097] Figure 7A and Figure 7B 2 is a schematic diagram for describing an example of preventing a lane change assist function from malfunctioning on a left exit section according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0098] When the vehicle is driving in the first lane, the lane change assist function does not support lane changes to the left lane. Figure 7A and Figure 7B As shown in FIG, when a vehicle is traveling in the first lane of a main road, the vehicle's driving lane recognition device 300 may determine the first lane as the driving lane. Figure 7A As shown, when the determination result of the driving lane is not corrected when the vehicle enters the exit section, the driving lane recognition device 300 may determine the first lane as the driving lane in the exit section and determine that the lane cannot be changed to the left lane, thereby causing an error in deactivating the lane change assist function. On the other hand, Figure 7B As shown, when the vehicle enters an exit section and the lane determination result is corrected, the vehicle's lane recognition device 300 can perform the correction by correcting the number of lanes on the road in the exit section, thereby correcting the first lane to the second lane as the lane determination result. Therefore, it can be determined that a lane change to the left lane is possible, and the lane change assist function can be activated.

[0099] Figure 8A and Figure 8B 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a malfunction of the entrance / exit ramp deceleration prevention function on the left exit section of a dedicated road according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] When entering an on-ramp or off-ramp on a motorway (e.g., a highway), the motorway on-ramp or off-ramp deceleration function can support deceleration based on the curvature of the on-ramp or off-ramp. Figure 8A and Figure 8B As shown in FIG, when a vehicle is traveling in the first lane of a main road, the vehicle's driving lane recognition device 300 may determine the first lane as the driving lane. Figure 8A As shown, when the determination result of the driving lane is not corrected when entering the exit section, since the driving lane determined by the driving lane recognition device 300 is the first lane, the driver assistance device 400 may determine that the vehicle has entered the left exit ramp and support deceleration due to the curvature of the exit ramp, resulting in an increase in the risk of a rear collision accident due to unnecessary deceleration. On the other hand, as Figure 8B As shown, when the vehicle enters an exit section, the vehicle's lane identification device 300 corrects the lane number of the road in the exit section, thereby correcting the first lane to the second lane as the lane determination result. Since the corrected lane determination result is the second lane, the driver assistance device 400 can determine whether the vehicle has entered the left exit ramp and allow the vehicle to maintain its speed if the vehicle has not entered the left exit ramp.

[0101] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system for executing a method for recognizing a driving lane of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0102] Reference Figure 9The 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 device 1600 , and a network interface 1700 , which are connected to each other via a bus 1200 .

[0103] The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in the memory 1300 and / or the storage device 1600. The memory 1300 and the storage device 1600 may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storage media. For example, the memory 1300 may include a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1310 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1320.

[0104] Therefore, the operation of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented directly in hardware or in a software module executed by the processor 1100 or in the form of a combination thereof. The software module can be present in a storage medium (i.e., memory 1300 and / or storage device 1600) such as RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk, removable hard disk and CD-ROM. An exemplary storage medium can be connected to the processor 1100, and 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 1100 and the storage medium can be present in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can be present in a user terminal. In another case, the processor 1100 and the storage medium can be present in a user terminal as separate components.

[0105] The above description is only an illustration of the technical concept of the present invention. Without departing from the basic characteristics of the present invention, various modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical concept of the present invention, but are used to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the appended claims, and all technical concepts within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as included within the scope of the present invention.

[0106] According to the present invention, a driving lane of a vehicle is identified in consideration of a change in the number of lanes of a driving road in an entrance / exit section located on the left front side of the vehicle, thereby preventing a malfunction of a driver assist function.

[0107] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be changed and modified in various different ways by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle, the device comprising: an information acquisition device configured to acquire forward information of a road on which the vehicle is traveling; and Processor, which is configured as: Identify an entrance section and an exit section on the left front side of the vehicle based on the forward information; When an entry section and an exit section on the left front side of the vehicle are identified, information about the start point and the end point of the entry section and the exit section is extracted from the front information; Determining a correction type and a correction time point using information about the start and end points of the entry and exit segments; Correcting the number of lanes of the road in the entry section and the exit section by a correction method according to the correction type at a correction time point to determine a driving lane of the vehicle; The correction types are divided into the entry section starting point, the entry section end point, the exit section starting point and the exit section end point; The correction time point refers to the time point when the vehicle passes through the entry section and the exit section.

2. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: Using forward information to perform lane matching and lane tracking; The driving lane is determined by combining driving lane matching and driving lane tracking.

3. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: determining a matching reliability for matching driving lanes; Determines the tracking reliability for tracking the lane of travel.

4. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: The driving lane is determined based on the matching reliability and the tracking reliability by combining the matching of the driving lane and the tracking of the corrected driving lane.

5. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: Correct the number of lanes on the road using the number of lanes on the on-ramp and off-ramp; determining a correction type based on information of the start and end points of the on-ramp and the off-ramp; Corrects the tracking of the driving lane according to the correction type.

6. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: When identifying the entry and exit sections, the number of lanes of the road is calculated using the number of lanes of the main road before the intersection and the number of lanes of the entrance ramp.

7. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: When an exit road segment is identified, the number of lanes of the road is calculated using the number of lanes of the main road after the branch point and the number of lanes of the exit ramp.

8. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: When the correction type is the entry section start point, tracking of the driving lane is corrected based on the current driving lane, the number of lanes of the entry section, and the number of lanes of the road before the intersection.

9. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: When the correction type is the entry section end point, tracking of the driving lane is corrected based on the current driving lane, the number of lanes before the entry section, and the number of lanes of the entry section.

10. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: When the correction type is exit section start point, the tracking of the driving lane is corrected based on the current driving lane, the lane number of the exit section, and the lane number of the main road after the intersection.

11. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: When the correction type is the exit section end point, the tracking of the driving lane is corrected based on the current driving lane, the number of lanes before the exit section, and the number of lanes of the exit section.

12. The device for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: Using forward information to perform lane matching and lane tracking; determining a matching reliability for matching driving lanes; determining tracking reliability for tracking travel lanes; determining a driving lane by combining matching of the driving lane and tracking of the driving lane based on matching reliability and tracking reliability; The determined driving lane is corrected using the corrected number of lanes of the road.

13. A method for identifying a driving lane of a vehicle, the method comprising: Obtaining forward information of the road on which the vehicle is traveling; Identify an entrance section and an exit section on the left front side of the vehicle based on the forward information; When an entry section and an exit section on the left front side of the vehicle are identified, information about the start point and the end point of the entry section and the exit section is extracted from the front information; Determining a correction type and a correction time point using information about the start and end points of the entry and exit segments; Correcting the number of lanes of the road in the entry section and the exit section by a correction method according to the correction type at a correction time point to determine a driving lane of the vehicle; The correction types are divided into the entry section starting point, the entry section end point, the exit section starting point and the exit section end point; The correction time point refers to the time point when the vehicle passes through the entry section and the exit section.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein Determining the vehicle's driving lane includes: Use the forward information to perform driving lane matching; Perform driving lane tracking using forward information; determining a matching reliability for matching driving lanes; determining tracking reliability for tracking travel lanes; Correcting the tracking of the driving lane using the corrected number of lanes of the driving road; The driving lane is determined based on the matching reliability and the tracking reliability by combining the matching of the driving lane and the tracking of the corrected driving lane.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein Correcting lane tracking includes: Correct the number of lanes on the road using the number of lanes on the on-ramp and off-ramp; determining a correction type based on information of the start and end points of the on-ramp and the off-ramp; Corrects the tracking of the driving lane according to the correction type.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The number of lanes of the corrected driving road includes: When identifying the entry and exit sections, the number of lanes of the road is calculated using the number of lanes of the main road before the intersection and the number of lanes of the entrance ramp.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The number of lanes on the corrected roads includes: When an exit road segment is identified, the number of lanes of the road is calculated using the number of lanes of the main road after the branch point and the number of lanes of the exit ramp.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein Correction tracking of the driving lane according to the correction type includes: When the correction type is the entry segment start point, the tracking of the driving lane is corrected based on the current driving lane, the number of lanes of the entry segment, and the number of lanes of the road before the intersection; When the correction type is the entry section end point, tracking of the driving lane is corrected based on the current driving lane, the number of lanes before the entry section, and the number of lanes of the entry section.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein Correction tracking of the driving lane according to the correction type includes: When the correction type is the start of the exit section, the tracking of the driving lane is corrected based on the current driving lane, the number of lanes in the exit section, and the number of lanes in the main road after the intersection; When the correction type is the exit section end point, the tracking of the driving lane is corrected based on the current driving lane, the number of lanes before the exit section, and the number of lanes of the exit section.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein Determining the vehicle's driving lane includes: Use the forward information to perform driving lane matching; Perform driving lane tracking using forward information; determining a matching reliability for matching driving lanes; determining tracking reliability for tracking travel lanes; determining a driving lane by combining matching of the driving lane and tracking of the driving lane based on matching reliability and tracking reliability; The determined driving lane is corrected using the corrected number of lanes of the road.

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