On-vehicle device, system, and method for vehicle driving assistance

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted device, system and method for vehicle driving assistance are provided. The vehicle-mounted device is configured to: determine, based on sensor data and / or map data, that a vehicle is at risk of crossing a lane boundary where crossing is prohibited; determine whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is steered at a steering upper limit set by a vehicle system, wherein the steering upper limit comprises a parameter for constraining lateral movement of the vehicle in association with vehicle speed; and when it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, calculate an adjusted value of the steering upper limit based on a current vehicle state and a radius of curvature of a current lane, and control an electronic steering system of the vehicle to steer lateral movement of the vehicle at the adjusted value, thereby avoiding the risk.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates generally to the technical field of vehicle driving assistance, and more particularly to an in-vehicle device, system and method for vehicle driving assistance. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, driver assistance systems are widely used in vehicles. In driver assistance systems, sensors perceive environmental and vehicle information in real time. The controller judges the driving state and potential risks based on the perceived information and determines a suitable driving strategy so that the vehicle's actuators can operate the vehicle according to the strategy.

[0003] Lane keeping assist is an important feature of driver assistance systems. Typically, lane keeping assist provides the driver with steering control by controlling the electronic power steering (EPS) system and prevents the vehicle from drifting out of its lane without the driver's awareness.

[0004] However, existing lane keeping assist functions still have shortcomings. For example, existing lane keeping assist functions do not differentiate control strategies based on the different lanes the vehicle is traveling in on structured roads, thus failing to provide effective countermeasures for emergency situations such as the vehicle potentially veering out of the edge lane and leaving the road. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle driving assistance scheme that can effectively avoid the risk of vehicles crossing lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed on structured roads.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, an in-vehicle device for vehicle driving assistance is provided, configured to: when it is determined based on sensor data and / or map data that there is a risk of a vehicle crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from crossing, determine whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is controlled with a steering limit set by the vehicle system, wherein the steering limit includes parameters for constraining the lateral movement of the vehicle in relation to vehicle speed; and when it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, calculate an adjustment value of the steering limit based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and control the vehicle's electronic steering system to control the lateral movement of the vehicle with the adjustment value, thereby avoiding the risk.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the steering limit includes at least one of the following parameters, and the adjustment value of the steering limit includes an adjustment value for at least one of the following parameters:

[0008] - The upper limit of the vehicle body yaw angle corresponding to the vehicle speed level;

[0009] - The upper limit of the wheel angle corresponding to the vehicle speed level;

[0010] - The upper limit of wheel speed corresponding to the vehicle speed level;

[0011] - The upper limit of torque for the vehicle steering actuator corresponding to the vehicle speed level;

[0012] - The upper limit of the steering angle of the vehicle steering actuator corresponding to the vehicle speed level; and

[0013] - The maximum rotational speed of the vehicle steering actuator corresponding to the vehicle speed level.

[0014] According to one embodiment, determining whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is controlled with the steering limit set by the vehicle system includes: calculating the predicted trajectory of the vehicle based on the current vehicle speed, the current vehicle posture and the steering limit; and determining whether the vehicle will cross the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed based on the predicted trajectory.

[0015] According to one embodiment, determining whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is operated at the steering limit set by the vehicle system includes: finding an ideal value of the steering parameter corresponding to the current vehicle speed and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane in a predetermined lookup table; and comparing the calculated ideal value of the steering parameter with the corresponding steering limit value set by the vehicle system to determine whether the ideal value can be achieved.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the in-vehicle device is further configured to: determine whether the vehicle is in an autonomous driving mode or a human driver driving mode when it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided; and to calculate the adjustment value using different calculation parameters for the two driving modes.

[0017] According to one embodiment, when the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode, the adjustment value is calculated based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and further based on the relative distance between the vehicle and the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed.

[0018] According to one embodiment, when the vehicle is in human driver driving mode, the adjustment value is calculated based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and further based on the relative distance between the vehicle and the center line of the current driving lane.

[0019] According to one embodiment, determining that a vehicle is at risk of crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed based on sensor data and / or map data includes: calculating the relative distance and direction between the vehicle's current position and the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed based on sensor data and / or map data; and determining whether the vehicle is at risk based on the calculated relative distance and direction.

[0020] According to one embodiment, determining the risk of a vehicle crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed based on sensor data and / or map data includes: calculating a predicted driving trajectory of the vehicle based on the current state of the vehicle; and determining whether the predicted driving trajectory will intersect with the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the on-board device is further configured to: detect whether the vehicle has returned to a safe area of ​​the driving lane after the vehicle performs lateral movement based on the adjustment value; and disable the adjustment value after detecting that the vehicle has returned to the safe area.

[0022] According to one embodiment, when it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, an alarm is issued in the vehicle, the alarm including one or more of steering wheel vibration, acoustic alarm, optical alarm, and seat belt tightening.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the alarm level increases as the risk level worsens. For example, at a high risk level, the system can be configured to activate visual, voice, and vibration alerts, using strong voice and vibration with repeated reminders. At a moderate risk level, the system can be configured to activate visual and voice alerts, using moderate volume and moderate vibration intensity. In one embodiment, the risk level can be divided into several levels to determine the corresponding alert method.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed includes one or more of the following:

[0025] - The lane boundary of the outermost lane on a structured road, away from the middle lane;

[0026] - Lane markings with solid white lines;

[0027] - Yellow lane markings; and

[0028] - Double yellow lines.

[0029] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system for vehicle driving assistance is provided, comprising: a sensor unit configured to acquire sensor data and / or map data, the sensor unit including one or more of an environmental sensor, a positioning unit, and a wireless communication unit, the environmental sensor including a camera and / or radar; and an in-vehicle device, optionally an in-vehicle device as described above, communicatively connected to the sensor unit and configured to: when it is determined based on the sensor data and / or map data that there is a risk of the vehicle crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from crossing, determine whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is controlled with a steering limit set by the vehicle system, wherein the steering limit includes parameters for constraining the lateral movement of the vehicle in association with the vehicle speed; and when it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, calculate an adjustment value of the steering limit based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and control the vehicle's electronic steering system to control the lateral movement of the vehicle with the adjustment value, thereby avoiding the risk.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for vehicle driving assistance is provided, optionally performed by an in-vehicle device and / or a system as described above, the method comprising: determining, based on sensor data and / or map data, that a vehicle poses a risk of crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from crossing; determining whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is controlled with a steering limit set by the vehicle system, wherein the steering limit includes parameters for constraining the lateral movement of the vehicle in relation to vehicle speed; when it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, calculating an adjustment value of the steering limit based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane; and controlling the vehicle's electronic steering system to control the lateral movement of the vehicle with the adjustment value, thereby avoiding the risk.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present invention, a machine-readable storage medium is provided that stores executable instructions, which, when executed, cause a processor to perform the method described above.

[0032] It should be noted that one or more of the above aspects include the detailed description below and the features specifically pointed out in the claims. The following description and drawings set forth certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects in detail. These features merely indicate various ways in which the principles of each aspect can be implemented, and this disclosure is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Attached Figure Description

[0033] The following description will take into account several aspects disclosed, which are provided to illustrate rather than limit the aspects disclosed.

[0034] Figure 1The illustration schematically shows an operating environment in which some embodiments of the invention can be implemented.

[0035] Figure 2 The illustration schematically shows a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the working principle of a driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 4 The illustration schematically depicts a driving assistance process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method for driving assistance according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The embodiments of the present invention mainly relate to control schemes for driving assistance, which can effectively avoid the risk of vehicles traveling on structured roads crossing lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed.

[0040] In this invention, a "no-crossing lane boundary" can be understood as a road edge that a vehicle cannot cross, as well as lane marking lines. A "no-crossing lane boundary" can include the edge of the outermost lane on a structured road that is far from the middle lane (e.g., in a structured road with multiple lanes, the left edge of the leftmost lane and the right edge of the rightmost lane). This edge may or may not be marked by lane marking lines. Regardless of whether the edge is marked by lane marking lines, it can be determined by sensor data and / or map data. A "no-crossing lane boundary" can also include lane marking lines on the road that cannot be crossed, such as solid yellow lines (e.g., a single solid yellow line or double yellow lines) or solid white lines.

[0041] A key aspect of this invention is the discovery of why existing lane-keeping functions cannot avoid the aforementioned risks: vehicle systems typically calibrate thresholds to constrain lateral movement of the vehicle. These thresholds, calibrated by the system (or system software), constrain the behavior of vehicle actuators. While these calibrated thresholds generally improve vehicle safety, they can have adverse effects on vehicle behavior in certain special or emergency situations. For example, when a steering request exceeds a system-set upper limit, the steering request may not be responded to, potentially leading to the vehicle crossing prohibited boundaries.

[0042] Another important aspect of the present invention is that a control strategy applicable to both human driver driving mode and autonomous driving mode is designed, and different calculation parameters are used for the two driving modes, thereby enabling the present invention to have more accurate and reliable control for both driving modes.

[0043] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] Figure 1 The illustration schematically shows an operating environment in which some embodiments of the invention can be implemented.

[0045] See Figure 1 Vehicle V (this vehicle) is traveling on a structured road. Structured roads, as we understand it, include well-structured roads such as highways and urban arterial roads. These roads have clear road markings, a relatively simple background environment, and readily apparent geometric features. The detection of structured roads can be achieved by detecting lane lines or road boundaries.

[0046] See also Figure 1 The structured road comprises four lanes, L1 to L4. The prohibited lane boundaries include the edge L00 of the leftmost lane L1, the edge L04 of the rightmost lane L4, and the solid line L02. According to the control strategy of the present invention, when it is determined that vehicle V, even with the system-set steering limit, will still cross one of these prohibited lane boundaries, the steering limit is adjusted, and the vehicle steers at the adjusted steering limit to pull the vehicle back to the safe area of ​​the driving lane.

[0047] It is understood that the present invention does not limit the situation where a vehicle may cross lane lines that can be crossed on a structured road (e.g., dashed lines L01 and L03).

[0048] Figure 2 The illustration schematically depicts a vehicle V equipped with a driver assistance system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the driver assistance system 100 is installed on vehicle V and mainly includes onboard equipment 10 and a sensor unit. The sensor unit may include one or more sensors. For example, the sensor unit includes an environmental sensor, a positioning device 40, and a wireless communication unit 50. The environmental sensor may include radar 20 and / or camera 30. These sensors can perform data sensing, capture, transmission, or reception functions.

[0049] Radar 20 can be one or a combination of millimeter-wave radar, microwave radar, and lidar. Radar 20 can be implemented as a front radar positioned in front of the vehicle V, or as multiple radars positioned around the vehicle body. Radar 20 can detect road boundaries and determine a series of positions of the vehicle based on the detection results. The calculation process based on the detection data from radar 20 can be executed in a processor integrated with the radar, or in the onboard device 10.

[0050] Camera 30 may include a vehicle-mounted forward-view camera and / or a vehicle-mounted surround-view camera, etc. Camera 30 can be positioned in front of the vehicle or multiple cameras can be positioned around the vehicle body. Based on the video or image information acquired by camera 30, lane structure and lane boundaries can be determined. The calculation process based on the detection data from camera 30 can be executed in a processor integrated with camera 30 or in the vehicle-mounted device 10.

[0051] The positioning device 40 may include an in-vehicle navigation device or an in-vehicle GPS. With the help of the positioning device 40, the location and movement trajectory of the vehicle can be determined.

[0052] The wireless communication unit 50 can communicate with external devices. For example, the vehicle V can obtain a digital map (MAP) from a cloud server via the wireless communication unit 50. The obtained digital map can be stored in the vehicle's memory and the map data can be updated periodically. Based on the map data, lane boundary information can be obtained.

[0053] Figure 3 The working principle of a driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated schematically. Figure 3 In this context, the sensors (SENSOR1~SENSORn) can be derived from... Figure 2 This is achieved through sensor units within the system. For example, Figure 3 The sensors in the system are respectively composed of Figure 2 The vehicle-mounted equipment 10 is implemented using radar 20, camera 30, positioning device 40, and wireless communication unit 50. It is communicatively connected to each sensor and the electronic power steering system (EPS) 200. The vehicle-mounted equipment 10 includes control logic that, when it is determined that the vehicle V, even with the system-set steering limit, will still cross one of the prohibited lane boundaries, the steering limit is adjusted, and the vehicle is steered at the adjusted steering limit to pull the vehicle back to a safe area within the driving lane.

[0054] The vehicle-mounted device 10 can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. For the hardware implementation, it can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), data signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic units designed to perform their functions, or combinations thereof. For the software implementation, it can be implemented using microcode, program code, or code segments, and can also be stored in a machine-readable storage medium such as a storage component.

[0055] The vehicle-mounted device 10 can be implemented as including multiple functional modules (e.g., multiple software modules). These modules can be implemented in the same chip or circuit, or they can be set in different chips or circuits.

[0056] In one implementation, the vehicle-mounted device 10 may include a memory and a processor. The memory contains instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a driving assistance strategy / driving assistance method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] In one implementation, the in-vehicle device 10 is implemented as in-vehicle software. For example, the in-vehicle software is set (deployed) in the electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle V.

[0058] Figure 4 A driving assistance process 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated schematically. This process 400 can be performed in an on-board device 10.

[0059] In box 402, the on-board device 10 receives sensor data and / or map data.

[0060] In one embodiment, the control unit 10 can obtain information detected by onboard sensors (e.g., radar 20, camera 30, and positioning device 40) connected to the vehicle bus (e.g., CAN bus) via the vehicle bus. This information may include environmental information surrounding the vehicle (e.g., road information) and vehicle status information (e.g., vehicle speed, vehicle attitude, and vehicle position). The onboard device 10 can also obtain surrounding environmental conditions, map data, and road information from the cloud or roadside via the vehicle-mounted wireless communication unit 50, and use this information to assist in analysis and judgment.

[0061] In box 404, the on-board device 10 determines the lane boundaries of interest on the road, i.e., the lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed as described above, based on the received sensor data and / or map data.

[0062] The vehicle-mounted device 10 can perform lane boundary detection using sensing data from a single sensor, the fusion result of sensing data from multiple sensors, or the fusion result based on sensor data and map data.

[0063] In one embodiment, the on-board device 10 can determine lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed using sensing data from a single on-board environmental sensor. For example, the on-board device 10 can calculate the trajectory of the vehicle V (automobile) and the road edges separated by a medium such as metal or concrete using data detected by radar 20. The on-board device 10 can also identify the color, shape, and whether the lane boundaries are dashed or solid lines using video or image information detected by camera 30, and determine the lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed from the identified edges.

[0064] In another embodiment, the onboard device 10 can determine the lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed by means of the fusion of sensing data from multiple onboard environmental sensors. For example, the perception capability of a camera can be affected by weather conditions, in which case fusing sensing data from radar can enhance the accuracy and robustness of lane boundary detection.

[0065] In another embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 10 may use at least one of map data, positioning data, and navigation data to determine the lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed.

[0066] In another embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 10 can fuse edge detection results determined based on map data, positioning data, or navigation data with edge detection results determined based on environmental sensors to obtain more accurate and robust lane boundary detection results.

[0067] In box 406, the on-board device 10 determines whether there is a risk that vehicle V may cross a lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed. The on-board device 10 may use various methods to determine whether vehicle V has such a risk; two specific examples of this determination are described below.

[0068] In one embodiment, in block 4061, the on-board device 10 calculates the relative distance and direction between the vehicle V and the closest edge of the detected lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed. When the calculated relative distance is less than a predetermined distance threshold and the vehicle's movement trend is determined to be close to the edge based on the calculated direction, the vehicle V is determined to have the aforementioned risk.

[0069] In another embodiment, in block 4062, the on-board device 10 calculates the predicted driving trajectory of the vehicle V based on the vehicle's state information (e.g., current vehicle speed and current vehicle posture), and determines whether the calculated predicted driving trajectory will intersect with one of the detected lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed. If the determination result is yes, it is determined that the vehicle V has the aforementioned risk. Conversely, if the determination result is no, it is determined that the vehicle V does not have the aforementioned risk.

[0070] If the above-mentioned risks are determined not to exist in box 406, continue with lane boundary detection and corresponding analysis and calculation in box 404.

[0071] If the aforementioned risk is determined to exist in box 406, process 400 proceeds to box 408.

[0072] In box 408, the on-board device 10 determines whether the aforementioned risk can be avoided if the vehicle is steered at a steering limit preset by the vehicle system. The steering limit includes parameters related to vehicle speed that constrain the lateral movement of the vehicle. In other words, the on-board device 10 determines whether steering the vehicle V at the system-set steering limit is sufficient to pull the vehicle V back to a safe area within the driving lane without crossing the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed.

[0073] The steering limit set by the vehicle system can include parameters used to constrain the lateral movement of the vehicle V in relation to vehicle speed. For example, these constraint parameters can be used to: prevent the vehicle from turning more than a certain angle threshold when the vehicle is traveling on a highway; prevent the torque of the vehicle's steering actuator from exceeding a certain torque threshold when the vehicle is traveling in a tunnel, and so on.

[0074] In one embodiment, the parameters used to constrain the lateral movement of vehicle V can be set in relation to vehicle speed. For example, different upper limits for steering parameters are set for different vehicle speed levels. The parameters used to constrain the lateral movement of the vehicle may include one or more of the following associated with the vehicle speed level: upper limit of vehicle body yaw angle; upper limit of wheel angle; upper limit of wheel speed; upper limit of torque of vehicle steering actuator; upper limit of steering angle of vehicle steering actuator; and upper limit of speed of vehicle steering actuator.

[0075] The vehicle-mounted device 10 can perform the judgment in block 408 in a variety of ways. Two specific judgment examples are described below.

[0076] In one embodiment (block 4081), the on-board device 10 calculates a predicted trajectory based on a system-set steering limit. That is, assuming vehicle V is turning at its current speed and body posture within the system-set steering limit, a predicted trajectory for vehicle V is obtained. Next, it is determined whether the predicted trajectory will intersect with a lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed. If it is determined that the predicted trajectory will intersect with the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed, it can be determined that even if turning within the system-set steering limit, vehicle V will cross the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed; that is, the risk cannot be avoided. Conversely, if it is determined that the predicted trajectory will not intersect with the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed, it can be determined that turning within the system-set steering limit can pull vehicle V back into its driving lane; that is, the risk can be avoided.

[0077] In another embodiment (block 4082), the on-board device 10 looks up the ideal value of the steering parameter corresponding to the current vehicle speed and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane in a predetermined lookup table. The steering parameter may include one or more of steering angle, torque, and speed. The ideal value of the steering parameter can be understood as the ideal execution parameter that ensures the vehicle V does not cross the prohibited lane boundary in the current lane in its current state. This ideal execution parameter may be unattainable due to system steering limits. The lookup table is predetermined, for example, calculated based on extensive real-vehicle test results and / or models. The lookup table contains the correspondence between three parameters: vehicle speed, the radius of curvature of the lane, and the ideal value of the steering parameter.

[0078] Next, the on-board device 10 compares the found ideal value with the corresponding system-set upper limit value. For example, the on-board device 10 compares the ideal value of the steering angle with the upper limit value of the steering angle. When the ideal value exceeds the corresponding upper limit value, that is, the system-set steering upper limit value constrains the vehicle V to achieve steering behavior without crossing the prohibited edge, it can be determined that the vehicle is being controlled at the steering upper limit value preset by the vehicle system, and the aforementioned risk cannot be avoided. Conversely, when the ideal value does not exceed the corresponding upper limit value, that is, the system-set steering upper limit value does not constrain the vehicle V to achieve steering behavior without crossing the prohibited edge, it can be determined that the vehicle is being controlled at the steering upper limit value preset by the vehicle system, and the aforementioned risk can be avoided.

[0079] If the risk is determined to be avoidable in box 408, continue with the risk assessment and corresponding analysis and calculation in box 406.

[0080] If it is determined in box 408 that the aforementioned wind direction cannot be avoided, process 400 proceeds to box 410.

[0081] In box 410, the on-board device 10 calculates an adjustment value for the steering limit based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, so that the vehicle V can be pulled back into the driving lane.

[0082] The on-board device 10 employs different strategies for adjusting the steering limit between autonomous driving mode and human driver driving mode. The calculation process for the steering limit adjustment value is described below for each of these two modes.

[0083] In box 4101, the onboard device 10 determines that the vehicle V is in autonomous driving mode. In autonomous driving mode, the onboard device 10 calculates an adjustment value for the steering limit based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and further based on the relative distance between the vehicle and the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed. For example, after the vehicle V turns with the calculated steering adjustment value (e.g., a value after appropriately relaxing the steering limit set by the system), the distance between the vehicle V and the lane boundary (e.g., the distance between the wheel of the vehicle V closest to the lane boundary and the lane boundary) is less than a predetermined distance threshold.

[0084] In box 4102, the on-board device 10 determines that the vehicle V is in human driver driving mode. In human driver driving mode, the on-board device 10 calculates an adjustment value for the steering limit based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and further based on the relative distance between the vehicle and the center line of the driving lane. For example, after the vehicle V turns with the calculated steering adjustment value (e.g., a value after appropriately relaxing the steering limit set by the system), the distance between the vehicle V and the center line of the driving lane (e.g., the distance between the centerline of the vehicle V and the center line of the driving lane) is less than a predetermined distance threshold.

[0085] In box 412, the on-board device 10 sends a control command to the electronic power steering (EPS) system of the vehicle V, causing the EPS system to control the steering action of the vehicle V at the upper limit adjustment value. Thus, in emergency situations involving the aforementioned risks, the vehicle V can steer at a higher steering limit than the system-set limit, thereby avoiding the aforementioned risks.

[0086] In box 414, the on-board equipment 10 determines whether the vehicle V has returned to the safe area of ​​the driving lane after performing a steering action.

[0087] In one embodiment, the on-board device 10 determines whether the vehicle is within a safe area of ​​the driving lane based on vehicle location information. The on-board device 10 can determine whether the vehicle is within a safe area by means of information sensed by sensors and location information from a positioning device. The present invention does not limit the specific calculation method in this regard.

[0088] The safe zone of a driving lane can be understood as an area within the driving lane where the distance to the center line of the lane and the distance to the lane boundary where crossing is prohibited all meet predetermined thresholds. The boundaries of this safe zone can be adjusted based on lane type, vehicle type, specific application scenario, or customized requirements.

[0089] If it is determined in box 414 that vehicle V has not been pulled back to the safe area, steering control based on the adjustment value can be performed again or multiple times until the vehicle is pulled back to the safe area of ​​the driving lane.

[0090] If it is determined in box 414 that vehicle V has been pulled back to the safe area, process 400 proceeds to box 416.

[0091] In box 416, the on-board device 10 controls the electronic power steering system to stop steering operations based on the steering limit adjustment value and disables the steering limit adjustment value.

[0092] Figure 5 A method 500 for vehicle driving assistance according to a feasible embodiment of the present invention is shown. Method 500 can be performed by the vehicle-mounted device 10 as described above and / or the system 100 as described above; therefore, the above description of the vehicle-mounted device 10 and system 100 also applies here.

[0093] See Figure 5 In step 502, the on-board device 10 determines, based on sensor data and / or map data, that the vehicle is at risk of crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed.

[0094] In step 504, the on-board device 10 determines whether the aforementioned risk can be avoided if the vehicle is operated at the steering limit set by the vehicle system, wherein the steering limit includes parameters for constraining the lateral movement of the vehicle in relation to vehicle speed.

[0095] In step 506, when it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, the on-board device 10 calculates the adjustment value of the steering limit based on the current vehicle status and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane.

[0096] In step 508, the on-board device 10 controls the vehicle's electronic steering system to manipulate the vehicle's lateral movement with the adjustment value, thereby avoiding the aforementioned risks.

[0097] The present invention also provides a machine-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the driving assistance method 500 described above.

[0098] It is understood that processors can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these processors are implemented as hardware or software will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system. As an example, the processor, any portion of the processor, or any combination of processors provided in this invention can be implemented as a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), state machine, gate logic, discrete hardware circuitry, and other suitable processing units configured to perform the various functions described in this disclosure. The functionality of the processor, any portion of the processor, or any combination of processors provided in this invention can be implemented as software executed by a microprocessor, microcontroller, DSP, or other suitable platform.

[0099] It is understood that software should be broadly considered as representing instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, running threads, procedures, functions, etc. Software may reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media may include, for example, memory, which may be, for example, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic stripes), optical disks, smart cards, flash memory devices, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, or removable disks. Although memory is shown as separate from the processor in several aspects set forth in this disclosure, memory may also reside within the processor (e.g., in caches or registers).

[0100] While some embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are given by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover all modifications, substitutions, and alterations made within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device for assisting vehicle driving, configured to: When sensor data and / or map data indicate a risk of a vehicle crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from crossing, it is determined whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is maneuvered at the steering limit set by the vehicle system. The steering limit includes parameters used to constrain the lateral movement of the vehicle in relation to vehicle speed; and When it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, the adjustment value of the steering limit is calculated based on the current vehicle status and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and the vehicle's electronic steering system is controlled to manipulate the lateral movement of the vehicle with the adjustment value, thereby avoiding the risk.

2. The vehicle-mounted device as described in claim 1, wherein, The steering limit includes at least one of the following parameters, and the adjustment value of the steering limit includes an adjustment value for at least one of the following parameters: - The upper limit of the vehicle body yaw angle corresponding to the vehicle speed level; - The upper limit of wheel angle corresponding to the vehicle speed level; - The upper limit of torque for the vehicle steering actuator corresponding to the vehicle speed level; - The upper limit of the steering angle of the vehicle steering actuator corresponding to the vehicle speed level; and - The maximum rotational speed of the vehicle steering actuator corresponding to the vehicle speed level.

3. The vehicle-mounted device as described in claim 1, wherein, Determining whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is controlled at the steering limit set by the vehicle system includes: The predicted trajectory of the vehicle is calculated based on the current vehicle speed, current vehicle posture, and the steering limit; and Based on the predicted trajectory, it is determined whether the vehicle will cross the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed.

4. The vehicle-mounted device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, Determining whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is controlled at the steering limit set by the vehicle system includes: Find the ideal values ​​of the steering parameters corresponding to the current vehicle speed and the radius of curvature of the current lane in the predefined lookup table; and The calculated ideal value of the steering parameter is compared with the corresponding upper limit value of the steering set by the vehicle system to determine whether the ideal value can be achieved.

5. The vehicle-mounted device as described in any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The vehicle-mounted equipment is also configured to: When it is determined that the aforementioned risk cannot be avoided, it is determined whether the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode or human driver mode; and Different calculation parameters are used to calculate the adjustment value for the two driving modes.

6. The vehicle-mounted device as described in claim 5, wherein, When the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode, the adjustment value is calculated based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and further based on the relative distance between the vehicle and the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed.

7. The vehicle-mounted device as described in claim 5, wherein, When the vehicle is in human driver driving mode, the adjustment value is calculated based on the current vehicle state and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and further based on the relative distance between the vehicle and the center line of the current driving lane.

8. The vehicle-mounted device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, Based on sensor data and / or map data, the risk of a vehicle crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed includes: Calculate the vehicle's current position relative to the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed, based on sensor data and / or map data; and The presence of the aforementioned risk is determined based on the calculated relative distance and direction.

9. The vehicle-mounted device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, Based on sensor data and / or map data, the risk of a vehicle crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed includes: The predicted driving trajectory of the vehicle is calculated based on its current state; and Determine whether the predicted driving trajectory will intersect with the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed.

10. The vehicle-mounted device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The vehicle-mounted equipment is also configured to: After the vehicle performs lateral movement based on the adjusted value, it is detected whether the vehicle returns to a safe area within the driving lane; and The adjustment value is disabled after a vehicle is detected returning to the safe area.

11. The vehicle-mounted device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, When it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, an alarm is issued in the vehicle, the alarm including one or more of steering wheel vibration, acoustic alarm, optical alarm, and seat belt tightening.

12. The vehicle-mounted device as claimed in claim 11, wherein, The alert level increases as the risk level worsens.

13. The vehicle-mounted device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The lane boundaries that are prohibited from being crossed include one or more of the following: - The lane boundary of the outermost lane on a structured road, away from the middle lane; - White solid lane markings; - Yellow lane markings; and - Double yellow lines.

14. A system for assisting vehicle driving, comprising: A sensor unit configured to acquire sensor data and / or map data, the sensor unit including one or more of an environmental sensor, a positioning unit and a wireless communication unit, the environmental sensor including a camera and / or radar; as well as The vehicle-mounted device as described in any one of claims 1-13 is communicatively connected to the sensor unit and configured as follows: When it is determined, based on sensor data and / or map data, that a vehicle is at risk of crossing a lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed, it is determined whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is controlled with the steering limit set by the vehicle system, wherein the steering limit includes parameters for constraining the lateral movement of the vehicle in relation to the vehicle speed. and When it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, the adjustment value of the steering limit is calculated based on the current vehicle status and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane, and the vehicle's electronic steering system is controlled to manipulate the lateral movement of the vehicle with the adjustment value, thereby avoiding the risk.

15. A method for vehicle driving assistance, the method being performed by an in-vehicle device as claimed in any one of claims 1-13 and / or a system as claimed in claim 14, the method comprising: Based on sensor data and / or map data, it is determined that the vehicle is at risk of crossing the lane boundary that is prohibited from being crossed; Determine whether the risk can be avoided if the vehicle is operated at the steering limit set by the vehicle system, wherein the steering limit includes parameters for constraining the lateral movement of the vehicle in relation to vehicle speed; When it is determined that the risk cannot be avoided, the adjustment value of the steering limit is calculated based on the current vehicle status and the radius of curvature of the current driving lane; and The vehicle's electronic steering system controls the vehicle's lateral movement with the aforementioned adjustment value, thereby mitigating the aforementioned risk.

16. A machine-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform the method of claim 15.

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