A method and electronic device for determining the timing of changing lanes when going down a ramp

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and electronic device for determining the timing of lane change when going down a ramp. In the method for determining the timing of lane change when going down a ramp, when it is determined that a vehicle has a need to go down a ramp, the latest lane change point between the current lane and the adjacent middle lane is determined in reverse from the final target lane according to the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, the preset single lane change time, the preset number of allowed lane changes, and the respective maximum speed limits of all the middle lanes between the current lane and the final target lane, and then the lane change start point of the current lane where the vehicle is located is dynamically determined, that is, the start lane change distance is dynamically adjusted, which solves the long tail problem of the long solid line and avoids the problem of setting a fixed lane change distance in the prior art, which makes it easy to fail to change lanes in time and miss the intersection in the case of a long solid line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle planning and control, and in particular to a method and electronic equipment for determining a lane-changing timing when going down a ramp. Background Art

[0002] Due to the diverse road topologies that appear when changing lanes from the main road to the exit ramp on a high-speed elevated road, such as long solid lines, it is easy for drivers to fail to change lanes in time and miss the intersection. In addition, during traffic congestion, choosing to change lanes and exit ramps too late can easily reduce the opportunity to change lanes, ultimately causing the ramp to be missed, while driving into the outer lane with a lower speed limit or adjacent to the entrance ramp too early can easily reduce traffic efficiency. These daily driving problems also exist for the autonomous driving function of navigation-assisted piloting, affecting the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, a method and electronic device for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp are proposed to overcome the above problems or at least partially solve the above problems.

[0004] One object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining the timing of changing lanes that can solve the long tail problem of a long solid line, thereby avoiding the situation where a lane cannot be changed in time and the off-ramp at an intersection is missed.

[0005] A further object of the present invention is to avoid the problem that a continuous lane change strategy causes premature entry into a lane with a lower speed limit, thereby reducing traffic efficiency.

[0006] Another further object of the present invention is to improve the lane change success rate in congested scenarios, thereby further taking into account both the lane change success rate and traffic efficiency and improving user experience.

[0007] In particular, according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp is provided, comprising:

[0008] Step S200, when it is determined that the vehicle has a need to get off the ramp within a first specified distance ahead of the vehicle, determining the current lane where the vehicle is located, the final target lane required for the off-ramp, and all possible intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane;

[0009] Step S300, determining whether the current lane is adjacent to the final target lane; if not, executing step S400; if so, executing step S600;

[0010] Step S400, in the direction from the final target lane to the current lane, according to the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, the preset single lane change time, the preset number of lane changes allowed, and the respective maximum speed limits of all intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane, reversely determine the latest lane change point between the current lane and the intermediate lane adjacent thereto, and determine the lane change start point of the current lane based on the latest lane change point at least according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time, and the preset number of lane changes allowed;

[0011] Step S500, after the vehicle changes lanes from the current lane to a middle lane adjacent to the current lane from the lane change start point, the middle lane to which the vehicle changes lanes is used as a new current lane, and the process returns to step S300;

[0012] Step S600, based on the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, and at least based on the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, jointly determine the lane change starting point from the current lane to the final target lane, and the process ends.

[0013] Optionally, the step S400 specifically includes:

[0014] Step S410, taking the middle lane adjacent to the final target lane as the first lane, and taking the lane adjacent to the first lane in the direction from the final target lane toward the current lane as the second lane, determining the latest lane change point between the first lane and the final target lane as the first reference point by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the first lane as the first distance according to the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes;

[0015] Step S420, determining a road switching point between the second lane and the first lane as a second reference point by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and taking the distance between the second reference point and the first reference point as a second distance;

[0016] Step S430, comparing the first distance and the second distance, taking the larger one of the two as a first lane change distance, and taking the point before the first reference point by the first lane change distance as the latest lane change point between the second lane and the first lane;

[0017] Step S440, determining whether the second lane is the current lane; if not, executing step S450; if so, executing step S460;

[0018] Step S450, calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the second lane as the second lane change distance according to the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, calculating the sum of the first lane change distance and the second lane change distance as the new first distance, taking the second lane as the new first lane, taking the lane adjacent to the new first lane in the direction from the final target lane toward the current lane as the new second lane, and returning to step S420;

[0019] Step S460, obtaining the traffic congestion state of the first lane, calculating the autonomous lane changing distance of the second lane as a third lane changing distance according to the traffic congestion state of the first lane and the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane changing time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, adding the first lane changing distance and the third lane changing distance to obtain a distance sum, and determining the distance sum before the first reference point as the lane changing starting point for the vehicle to change lanes from the current lane to the first lane;

[0020] The step S500 specifically includes:

[0021] After the vehicle changes lanes from the current lane to the first lane starting from the lane change start point, the first lane is used as a new current lane and the process returns to step S300.

[0022] Optionally, the step S600 specifically includes:

[0023] The latest lane change point between the current lane and the final target lane is determined as the first reference point by querying the road topological connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, and the autonomous lane change distance before the first reference point is determined as the lane change starting point for the vehicle to change from the current lane to the final target lane, and the process ends; or

[0024] The latest lane change point between the current lane and the final target lane is determined as the first reference point by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and the traffic congestion status of the final target lane is obtained. The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated according to the traffic congestion status of the final target lane, the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes. The autonomous lane change distance before the first reference point is determined as the lane change starting point for the vehicle to change lanes from the current lane to the final target lane, and the process ends.

[0025] Optionally, calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the first lane according to the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes includes:

[0026] The autonomous lane change distance of the first lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes;

[0027] The autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, including:

[0028] The autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes;

[0029] The traffic congestion state is represented by a congestion coefficient, and the autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is calculated according to the traffic congestion state of the first lane and the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, including:

[0030] The autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is obtained by adding the product of the congestion coefficient of the first lane, the maximum speed limit of the second lane and the preset single lane change time and the product of the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

[0031] Optionally, calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, a preset single lane change time, and a preset allowed number of lane changes includes:

[0032] The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes; or

[0033] The traffic congestion state is represented by a congestion coefficient, and the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated according to the traffic congestion state of the final target lane, the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time, and the preset allowed number of lane changes, including:

[0034] The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is obtained by adding the product of the congestion coefficient of the final target lane, the maximum speed limit of the current lane and the preset single lane change time, and the product of the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

[0035] Optionally, the congestion coefficient of the lane is obtained by:

[0036] Obtain the current traffic efficiency of the lane and the maximum traffic efficiency when no vehicle is running;

[0037] Twice the ratio of the current traffic efficiency to the limit traffic efficiency is taken as the congestion coefficient of the lane.

[0038] Optionally, the limit traffic efficiency is the maximum speed limit of the lane; and

[0039] The current traffic efficiency is a current average vehicle speed of the lane within a second specified distance ahead of the vehicle, or a function of the current average vehicle speed and the number of vehicles in the lane.

[0040] Optionally, obtaining the current traffic efficiency of the lane includes:

[0041] The current average speed of the lane within the second specified distance in front of the vehicle, or the current average speed and the number of vehicles in the lane, is obtained through a camera carried by the vehicle.

[0042] Optionally, before step S200, the method further includes:

[0043] Step S100, obtaining the high-precision map within the first specified distance in front of the vehicle, planning the lane-level driving path of the vehicle within the first specified distance based on the high-precision map and the vehicle's own navigation map, and determining whether the vehicle has a need to off-ramp based on the lane-level driving path.

[0044] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device is also provided, comprising a memory, a processor, and a machine executable program stored on the memory and running on the processor, and when the processor executes the machine executable program, it implements any of the aforementioned methods for determining the timing of changing lanes when exiting a ramp.

[0045] In the method for determining the timing of changing lanes when exiting a ramp of the present invention, when it is determined that the vehicle has a need to exit a ramp, the latest lane change point between the current lane and the intermediate lane adjacent to it is determined in reverse from the final target lane based on the road topological connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, the preset single lane change time, the preset number of allowed lane changes, and the respective maximum speed limits of all intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane, and then the lane change start point of the current lane where the vehicle is located is dynamically determined, that is, the start lane change distance is dynamically adjusted, which solves the long tail problem of long solid lines and avoids the problem of setting a fixed lane change distance in the prior art, which makes it easy to fail to change lanes in time and miss the intersection in the case of long solid lines.

[0046] Furthermore, when reversely determining the latest lane change point between the current lane and the adjacent middle lane, a multiple comparison recursive algorithm is adopted, while taking into account the road topological connectivity relationship of the high-precision map and the autonomous lane change distance when changing lanes, further ensuring the lane change success rate.

[0047] Furthermore, in the method for determining the timing of lane change when exiting a ramp of the present invention, each time the vehicle changes lanes from the current lane to the middle lane adjacent to it, the middle lane to which the vehicle has changed lanes is used as the new current lane, and the lane change starting point of the new current lane is re-determined, so that the vehicle still maintains driving in the lane before the re-determined lane change starting point, thereby avoiding the problem of continuous lane change strategy causing the vehicle to enter the lower speed limit lane too early, thereby reducing traffic efficiency.

[0048] Furthermore, in the method for determining the timing of changing lanes when exiting a ramp of the present invention, when determining the starting point of lane change between the current lane and the adjacent middle lane, the traffic congestion state (specifically the congestion coefficient) of the adjacent middle lane is introduced into the calculation of the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane, so that when the vehicle changes lanes in the current lane, the lane change distance can be dynamically advanced according to the traffic congestion state of the adjacent middle lane, thereby improving the lane change success rate in congested scenarios, thereby further taking into account the lane change success rate and traffic efficiency, and improving user experience.

[0049] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented according to the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present invention are listed below.

[0050] Based on the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will become more aware of the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention. Moreover, the same reference symbols are used throughout the accompanying drawings to represent the same components. In the accompanying drawings:

[0052] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart of a method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0053] Figure 2 A schematic flow chart of a method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0054] Figure 3A schematic flow chart of a method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0055] Figure 4 A schematic flow chart of a method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0056] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a scenario showing a method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0059] In order to solve or at least partially solve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for determining the timing of changing lanes when exiting a ramp. Figure 1 FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 The method may at least include the following steps S200 to S600.

[0060] Step S200, when it is determined that a vehicle within a first specified distance ahead of the vehicle has a need to get off the ramp, determine the current lane where the vehicle is located, the final target lane required for the off-ramp, and all possible intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane.

[0061] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that if the current lane is adjacent to the final target lane, there is no intermediate lane between the current lane and the final target lane, that is, the number of intermediate lanes between the two is 0. If the current lane is not adjacent to the final target lane, there may be one or more intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane.

[0062] The final target lane may be a deceleration lane connected to a ramp. According to the provisions of regional traffic regulations, when the vehicle is required to drive on the right, the final target lane is located on the right side of the current lane, and when the vehicle is required to drive on the left, the final target lane is located on the left side of the current lane. The present invention does not specifically limit the relative positional relationship between the current lane and the final target lane.

[0063] Step S300, determine whether the current lane is adjacent to the final target lane; if not, execute step S400; if so, execute step S600.

[0064] Step S400, in the direction from the final target lane to the current lane, according to the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, the preset single lane change time, the preset number of allowed lane changes, and the respective maximum speed limits of all intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane, reversely determine the latest lane change point between the current lane and the adjacent intermediate lanes, and on the basis of the latest lane change point, determine the lane change start point of the current lane at least according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset number of allowed lane changes.

[0065] Step S500, after the vehicle changes lanes from the current lane to the middle lane adjacent to the current lane starting from the lane change starting point, the middle lane to which the vehicle changes lanes is used as the new current lane, and the process returns to step S300.

[0066] Step S600, based on the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, and at least based on the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, the lane change starting point from the current lane to the final target lane is determined, and the process ends.

[0067] In the method for determining the timing of changing lanes when exiting a ramp provided by an embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the vehicle has a need to exit a ramp, the latest lane change point between the current lane and the intermediate lane adjacent to it is determined in reverse from the final target lane based on the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, the preset single lane change time, the preset number of allowed lane changes, and the respective maximum speed limits of all intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane, and then the lane change start point of the current lane where the vehicle is located is dynamically determined, that is, the start lane change distance is dynamically adjusted, which solves the long tail problem of long solid lines and avoids the problem of setting a fixed lane change distance in the prior art, which makes it easy to fail to change lanes in time and miss the intersection in the case of long solid lines.

[0068] In step S200 above, it can be determined in a variety of ways whether the vehicle has a need to get off the ramp. For example, when a user's off-ramp request is received, it is determined that the vehicle has a need to get off the ramp; or, when a off-ramp command issued by the cloud is received, it is determined that the vehicle has a need to get off the ramp, etc.

[0069] In some embodiments, it can be determined whether the vehicle needs to go off the ramp by performing path planning for the vehicle. Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2In some embodiments, before step S200, the method for determining the lane change opportunity when going off a ramp of the present invention may further include step S100:

[0070] Obtain a high-precision map within a first specified distance in front of the vehicle, plan a lane-level driving path for the vehicle within the first specified distance based on the high-precision map and the vehicle's own navigation map, and determine whether the vehicle needs to exit the ramp based on the lane-level driving path.

[0071] Those skilled in the art will understand that a lane-level driving path refers to a driving path that can indicate path switching between lanes, which can display the number of lanes, ground markings, entrances and exits, and special lanes, etc., and can display the user's lane position in real time. When the planned lane-level driving path shows that the vehicle needs to change lanes to the deceleration lane to enter the ramp, it can be determined that the vehicle has a need to get off the ramp.

[0072] The high-precision map can be sent from the cloud or pre-installed in the vehicle, and the present invention does not impose specific restrictions on this. Preferably, the high-precision map is sent from the cloud to the vehicle, thereby avoiding the consumption of storage resources caused by pre-storing a large number of high-precision maps in the vehicle.

[0073] By determining whether the vehicle needs to exit the ramp based on the planned route, the process of determining the timing of lane change when exiting the ramp can be automatically started in a more timely and accurate manner, avoiding missing the opportunity to change lanes and ensuring the success rate of lane changes.

[0074] In the above step S400, the lane change start point of the current lane where the vehicle is located is dynamically determined by reversely determining the latest lane change point between the current lane and the middle lane adjacent to it.

[0075] In some further embodiments, when determining the latest lane change point between the reverse current lane and the adjacent middle lane, a multiple comparison recursive algorithm may be used. Figure 3 As shown, step S400 may include:

[0076] Step S410: the middle lane adjacent to the final target lane is used as the first lane, and the lane adjacent to the first lane in the direction from the final target lane toward the current lane is used as the second lane. The latest lane change point between the first lane and the final target lane is determined as the first reference point by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map. The autonomous lane change distance of the first lane is calculated as the first distance according to the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

[0077] Step S420, determining a road switching point between the second lane and the first lane as a second reference point by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and taking the distance between the second reference point and the first reference point as a second distance;

[0078] Step S430, comparing the first distance and the second distance, taking the larger one of the two as the first lane change distance, and taking the point before the first reference point by the first lane change distance as the latest lane change point between the second lane and the first lane;

[0079] Step S440, determining whether the second lane is the current lane; if not, executing step S450; if so, executing step S460;

[0080] Step S450, calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the second lane as the second lane change distance according to the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, calculating the sum of the first lane change distance and the second lane change distance as the new first distance, taking the second lane as the new first lane, taking the lane adjacent to the new first lane in the direction from the final target lane toward the current lane as the new second lane, and returning to step S420;

[0081] Step S460, obtaining the traffic congestion status of the first lane, calculating the autonomous lane changing distance of the second lane as the third lane changing distance according to the traffic congestion status of the first lane and the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane changing time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, adding the first lane changing distance and the third lane changing distance to obtain the distance sum, and determining the distance sum before the first reference point as the starting point for the vehicle to change lanes from the current lane to the first lane.

[0082] Accordingly, see Figure 3 Step S500 may specifically include:

[0083] After the vehicle changes lanes from the current lane to the first lane starting from the lane change start point, the first lane is used as the new current lane and the process returns to step S300.

[0084] In this embodiment, when determining the latest lane change point between every two adjacent lanes in reverse, a multiple comparison recursive algorithm is adopted, while taking into account the road topological connectivity relationship of the high-precision map and the autonomous lane change distance when changing lanes, further ensuring the lane change success rate.

[0085] Furthermore, each time the vehicle changes lanes from the current lane to the adjacent middle lane, the middle lane is used as the new current lane, and the lane change starting point of the new current lane is re-determined, so that the vehicle remains in the lane before the re-determined lane change starting point, avoiding the problem of continuous lane change strategy causing the vehicle to enter the lower speed limit lane too early, thereby reducing traffic efficiency.

[0086] Furthermore, when determining the lane change starting point between the current lane and the adjacent middle lane, the traffic congestion status of the adjacent middle lane is introduced into the calculation of the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane, so that when the vehicle changes lanes in the current lane, the lane change distance can be dynamically advanced according to the traffic congestion status of the adjacent middle lane, thereby improving the lane change success rate in congested scenarios, thereby further taking into account the lane change success rate and traffic efficiency, and improving user experience.

[0087] In some specific embodiments, calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the first lane according to the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes in step S410 may specifically include:

[0088] The autonomous lane change distance of the first lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

[0089] Similarly, the autonomous lane change distance of the second lane calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes in step S450 may specifically include:

[0090] The autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

[0091] By limiting the autonomous lane change distance of any middle lane other than the current lane to the product of the maximum speed limit of the middle lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, an appropriate and sufficient margin distance is provided for lane changing, thereby ensuring the success rate of lane change.

[0092] In some specific embodiments, the traffic congestion state can be represented by a congestion coefficient. Further, in step S460, the autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is calculated according to the traffic congestion state of the first lane and the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, which may specifically include:

[0093] The autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is obtained by adding the product of the congestion coefficient of the first lane, the maximum speed limit of the second lane and the preset single lane change time, and the product of the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

[0094] In this embodiment, when the second lane is the current lane, the congestion coefficient of the adjacent middle lane is introduced in the calculation of the autonomous lane change distance of the second lane, so that when the vehicle changes lanes in the current lane, it can dynamically advance the lane change distance according to the traffic congestion status of the adjacent middle lane, thereby improving the lane change success rate in congested scenarios.

[0095] In the above step S600, when the current lane is adjacent to the final target lane, the lane change starting point from the current lane to the final target lane is directly determined.

[0096] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 As shown, step S600 may specifically include:

[0097] By querying the road topology connectivity in the high-precision map, the latest lane change point between the current lane and the final target lane is determined as the first reference point. The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset number of allowed lane changes. The autonomous lane change distance before the first reference point is determined as the starting point for the vehicle to change lanes from the current lane to the final target lane, and the process ends. This method is particularly suitable for situations where the final target lane is short and its congestion status has little impact on the vehicle's traffic efficiency.

[0098] Similar to the above, the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes may specifically include:

[0099] The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

[0100] In some alternative embodiments, see Figure 4 As shown, step S600 may specifically include:

[0101] By querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, the latest lane change point between the current lane and the final target lane is determined as the first reference point, and the traffic congestion status of the final target lane is obtained. The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated based on the traffic congestion status of the final target lane and the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset number of allowed lane changes. The autonomous lane change distance before the first reference point is determined as the starting point for the vehicle to change lanes from the current lane to the final target lane, and the process ends. This method is particularly suitable for situations where the final target lane is long and its congestion status has a greater impact on the vehicle's traffic efficiency.

[0102] Similar to the above, the traffic congestion state of the final target lane can also be represented by a congestion coefficient. Furthermore, the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane calculated according to the traffic congestion state of the final target lane and the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes can specifically include:

[0103] The product of the congestion coefficient of the final target lane, the maximum speed limit of the current lane and the preset single lane change time is added to the product of the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes to obtain the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane.

[0104] The preset single lane change time and the preset number of allowed lane changes in this application can be set according to experience values. The preset number of allowed lane changes refers to the number of lane change attempts allowed when changing from one lane to another adjacent lane. In general, the preset number of allowed lane changes can be set to 2. The preset single lane change time can be the sum of the time used for a single lane change and the lane change failure suppression time, wherein the lane change failure suppression time refers to the interval time before changing lanes again after a lane change failure. In general, the preset single lane change time can be set to any value in the range of 8s-12s, such as 9s, 10s, 11s, etc., which can be selected according to actual application experience.

[0105] The congestion coefficient is an adjustment factor that is proportional to the degree of traffic congestion ahead of the vehicle and can be set within the range of 0-2.

[0106] In some embodiments, the congestion coefficient of a lane can be obtained by obtaining the current traffic efficiency of the lane and the maximum traffic efficiency when no vehicles are traveling, and taking twice the ratio of the current traffic efficiency to the maximum traffic efficiency as the congestion coefficient of the lane.

[0107] Specifically, for the congestion coefficient of the first lane, the current traffic efficiency of the first lane and the limit traffic efficiency when no vehicle is running are obtained, and twice the ratio of the current traffic efficiency of the first lane to the limit traffic efficiency is used as the congestion coefficient of the first lane. For the congestion coefficient of the final target lane, the current traffic efficiency of the final target lane and the limit traffic efficiency when no vehicle is running are obtained, and twice the ratio of the current traffic efficiency of the final target lane to the limit traffic efficiency is used as the congestion coefficient of the final target lane.

[0108] In one implementation, the lane's limit traffic efficiency may be the lane's maximum speed limit, and the lane's current traffic efficiency may be the lane's current average speed within a second specified distance ahead of the vehicle. The second specified distance is independent of the first specified distance.

[0109] In another embodiment, the lane's limit traffic efficiency may be the lane's maximum speed limit, while the lane's current traffic efficiency may be a function of the lane's current average speed and number of vehicles within the second specified distance in front of the vehicle. This approach considers the impact of average speed and vehicle density (number of vehicles) on traffic efficiency, and although it increases the computational complexity to a certain extent, it also increases the accuracy of the current traffic efficiency, thereby improving the accuracy of the determined lane change opportunity.

[0110] In practical applications, the current traffic efficiency of the lane (the first lane and / or the final target lane) can be obtained in a variety of ways. For example, traffic data can be obtained from the cloud, and the current traffic efficiency can be calculated based on the traffic data.

[0111] In some embodiments, the current average speed of the first lane or the final target lane within a second specified distance in front of the vehicle, or the current average speed and number of vehicles in the first lane or the final target lane can be obtained through a camera mounted on the vehicle (such as a forward-facing camera), and the current traffic efficiency of the first lane or the final target lane can be obtained.

[0112] Specifically, a perception image captured by a camera within a second specified distance in front of the vehicle is obtained, and the perception image is processed to obtain the current average vehicle speed of the first lane or the final target lane, or the current average vehicle speed and the number of vehicles.

[0113] The above describes various implementation methods of each link in the method for determining the timing of changing lanes when going off a ramp of the present invention. The implementation process of the method for determining the timing of changing lanes when going off a ramp of the present invention will be described in more detail below through a specific embodiment.

[0114] Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the scenario of the method for determining the lane change timing when going down the ramp in this embodiment is shown. Figure 5 As shown, the vehicle is driving in the inner left lane 1 with a maximum speed limit of 120km / h (i.e. the current lane), and the final target lane to change lanes is the left 4 deceleration lane with a maximum speed limit of 60km / h. There are two middle lanes, left 2 and left 3, between the current lane and the final target lane, with maximum speed limits of 100km / h and 80km / h respectively. The vehicle needs to change lanes from left lane 1 to left lane 4 via left lane 2 and left lane 3.

[0115] Step 1: The vehicle receives a high-precision map of the area within 4 km ahead from the cloud and plans a lane-level driving path within the map in combination with the navigation map. By searching the road attributes, it is determined that the planned driving path contains an off-ramp scenario from the main road to the deceleration lane.

[0116] Since the current lane is not adjacent to the final target lane, the following steps 2 to 9 are performed sequentially.

[0117] Step 2, by querying the road topology connectivity in the high-precision map, find the latest road switching point between the left 3rd lane (i.e., the first lane) and the left 4th deceleration lane (i.e., the final target lane), recorded as point A. At the same time, point A is also the latest lane change point from the left 3rd lane to the left 4th lane (i.e., the first reference point).

[0118] Step 3: Taking point A as the reference, add the autonomous lane change distance of the left lane 3 to get point B. The first distance L BA =V Lone_left_3rd *t LC *Factor, where V Lane_left_3rd is the maximum speed limit of the left lane 3, t LC is the preset single lane change time, and Factor is the preset number of allowed lane changes.

[0119] Step 4: Find the road switching point between the left lane 2 (i.e., the second lane) and the left lane 3 by querying the road topological connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, record it as point C (i.e., the second reference point), and the distance between point C and point A is L CA This is the second distance.

[0120] Step 5, compare L CA and L BA Size, such as Figure 5 As shown, at this time L BA >L CA , then select L BA is the first lane change distance, and point B is the latest lane change point from the left 2 lane to the left 3 lane.

[0121] Step 6: Since the left 2 lane is not the current lane, take the latest lane change point B as the reference, increase the autonomous lane change distance of the left 2 lane to get point D, L DA =L BA +V Lane_left_2nd *t LC *Factor, where V Lane_left_2rd is the maximum speed limit of the left 2 lanes, V Lane_left_2rd *t LC *Factor is the second lane change distance.

[0122] The left 2 lanes are the new first lane, the left 1 lane is the new second lane, L DA As the new first distance.

[0123] Step 7, similar to step 4, find the road switching point between left lane 1 and left lane 2 by querying the road topological connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, record it as point E (i.e., the new second reference point), and the distance between point E and point A is L DA This is the new second distance.

[0124] Step 8, similar to step 5, compare L EA and L DA size, as shown in Figure 5, at this time L EA >L DA , then select L EAis the new first lane change distance, and point E is the latest lane change point from left lane 1 to left lane 2.

[0125] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that L is likely to appear in the long tail scenario of a long solid line. EA >L DA situation.

[0126] Step 9: Since the left lane 1 is the current lane where the vehicle is located, the autonomous lane change distance of the left lane 1 is increased based on the latest lane change point E. When calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the left lane 1, not only the margin distance required for lane change in the left lane 1 is considered, but also the current traffic efficiency of the left lane 2 is estimated based on the dense number of vehicles and the average speed on the left lane 2 perceived by the forward camera of the vehicle, and then the congestion coefficient of the left lane 2 is obtained. The starting lane change distance L of the left lane 1 is calculated according to the following formula: FA =L EA +V Lane_left_1st *t LC *Factor+V Lane_left_1st *t LC *Factor Lane_left_2rd-congestion , where V Lane_left_1st is the maximum speed limit of the left lane, Factor Lane_left_2rd-congestion is the congestion coefficient of the left 2 lanes, V Lane_left_1st *t LC *Factor+V Lane_left_1st *t LC *Factor Lane_left_2rd-congestion Point F is determined as the starting point of the lane change from the left lane 1 to the left lane 2.

[0127] Step 10: The vehicle starts to try to change lanes when it reaches point F in the left lane 1. After the vehicle successfully changes lanes and enters the left lane 2, the left lane 2 is used as the new current lane. Since the new current lane is still not adjacent to the final target lane, steps 2 to 5 are repeated to determine the latest lane change point B from the left lane 2 to the left lane 3. After that, since the left lane 2 is the current lane where the vehicle is located, similar to step 9, the starting lane change distance L of the left lane 2 is calculated. GA ( Figure 5 Not shown): L GA =L BA +V Lane_left_2rd *t LC *Factor+V Lane_left_2rd *tL C *Factor Lane_left_3rd-congestion , where V Lane_left_2rd is the maximum speed limit for the left 2 lanes, Factor Lane_left_3rd-congestionis the congestion coefficient of the left lane 3. Point G is determined as the starting point of changing lanes from the left lane 2 to the left lane 3.

[0128] Step 11, similar to step 10, the vehicle starts to try to change lanes when it reaches point G in the left lane 2. After the vehicle successfully changes lanes and enters the left lane 3, the left lane 3 is used as the new current lane. At this time, since the new current lane is adjacent to the final target lane, the latest road switching point between the left lane 3 and the left lane 4 (i.e., the final target lane) is found by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, which is recorded as point A. At the same time, point A is also the latest lane change point (i.e., the first reference point) from the left lane 3 to the left lane 4. After that, the autonomous lane change distance L of the left lane 3 is increased. HA ( Figure 5 Not shown): L HA =V Lane_left_3nd *t LC *Factor, point H is determined as the starting point for changing lanes from the left 3rd lane to the left 4th lane. The vehicle will directly enter the left 4th lane after passing point H and meeting the lane change conditions. Since the final target lane in this embodiment is short, its congestion status has little impact on the vehicle's traffic efficiency. Therefore, when calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the left 3rd lane, there is no need to consider the impact of the congestion status of the left 4th lane.

[0129] In this embodiment, all the above steps can be executed by the navigation-assisted pilot automatic driving function installed in the vehicle.

[0130] In this embodiment, the navigation-assisted pilot automatic driving function obtains the latest lane change point of the current lane through iterative calculation of the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, and combines the speed limit of the current lane provided by the high-precision map and the traffic efficiency of the adjacent lanes perceived and estimated by the forward camera to comprehensively obtain how far away from the ramp the car should be from the current lane to start trying to change lanes. By combining the static information provided by the high-precision map and the dynamic information of the traffic flow perceived by the camera, the long-tail problem of long solid lines that cannot change lanes can be solved, and a longer lane change distance can be reserved in traffic congestion, and in traffic smooth conditions, it is avoided to enter the low-speed limit lane too early to affect the traffic efficiency.

[0131] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device 20. Figure 6 As shown, the electronic device 20 includes a memory 21, a processor 22, and a machine executable program 23 stored in the memory 21 and running on the processor 22, and when the processor 22 executes the machine executable program 23, it implements the method for determining the timing of changing lanes when going off the ramp of any of the aforementioned embodiments or combinations of embodiments.

[0132] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments, and for the sake of brevity, they are not further described here.

[0133] In addition, the functional units in various embodiments of the present invention may be physically independent of each other, or two or more functional units may be integrated together, or all functional units may be integrated into one processing unit. The above integrated functional units may be implemented in the form of hardware, or in the form of software or firmware.

[0134] Those skilled in the art can understand that if the integrated functional unit is implemented in the form of software and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention can essentially or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, which includes a number of instructions to enable a computing device (such as a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention when running the instructions. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0135] Alternatively, all or part of the steps of implementing the aforementioned method embodiments may be accomplished by hardware associated with program instructions (such as a computing device such as a personal computer, a server, or a network device), and the program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program instructions are executed by a processor of a computing device, the computing device executes all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0136] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that within the spirit and principles of the present invention, the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments can still be modified, or some or all of the technical features therein can be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate from the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for determining a lane change timing when exiting a ramp, comprising: Step S200, when it is determined that the vehicle has a need to get off the ramp within a first specified distance ahead of the vehicle, determining the current lane where the vehicle is located, the final target lane required for the off-ramp, and all possible intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane; Step S300, determining whether the current lane is adjacent to the final target lane; If not, execute step S400, if so, execute step S600; Step S400, in the direction from the final target lane to the current lane, according to the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, the preset single lane change time, the preset number of lane changes allowed, and the respective maximum speed limits of all intermediate lanes between the current lane and the final target lane, reversely determine the latest lane change point between the current lane and the intermediate lanes adjacent thereto, and determine the lane change start point of the current lane based on the latest lane change point at least according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset number of lane changes allowed; Step S500, after the vehicle changes lanes from the current lane to a middle lane adjacent to the current lane starting from the lane change starting point, the middle lane to which the vehicle changes lanes is used as a new current lane, and the process returns to step S300; Step S600, based on the road topology connectivity relationship of the high-precision map, and at least based on the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, jointly determine the lane change starting point from the current lane to the final target lane, and the process ends.

2. The method for determining the lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to claim 1, wherein The step S400 specifically includes: Step S410, taking the middle lane adjacent to the final target lane as the first lane, and taking the lane adjacent to the first lane in the direction from the final target lane toward the current lane as the second lane, determining the latest lane change point between the first lane and the final target lane as the first reference point by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the first lane as the first distance according to the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes; Step S420, determining a road switching point between the second lane and the first lane as a second reference point by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and taking the distance between the second reference point and the first reference point as a second distance; Step S430, comparing the first distance and the second distance, taking the larger one of the two as a first lane change distance, and taking the point before the first reference point by the first lane change distance as the latest lane change point between the second lane and the first lane; Step S440, determining whether the second lane is the current lane; if not, executing step S450; if so, executing step S460; Step S450, calculating the autonomous lane change distance of the second lane as the second lane change distance according to the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, calculating the sum of the first lane change distance and the second lane change distance as the new first distance, taking the second lane as the new first lane, taking the lane adjacent to the new first lane in the direction from the final target lane toward the current lane as the new second lane, and returning to step S420; Step S460, obtaining the traffic congestion state of the first lane, calculating the autonomous lane changing distance of the second lane as a third lane changing distance according to the traffic congestion state of the first lane and the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane changing time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, adding the first lane changing distance and the third lane changing distance to obtain a distance sum, and determining the distance sum before the first reference point as the lane changing starting point for the vehicle to change lanes from the current lane to the first lane; The step S500 specifically includes: After the vehicle changes lanes from the current lane to the first lane starting from the lane change start point, the first lane is used as a new current lane and the process returns to step S300.

3. The method for determining the lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to claim 1, wherein The step S600 specifically includes: The latest lane change point between the current lane and the final target lane is determined as a first reference point by querying the road topological connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, and the autonomous lane change distance before the first reference point is determined as the lane change starting point of the vehicle changing from the current lane to the final target lane, and the process ends; or The latest lane change point between the current lane and the final target lane is determined as the first reference point by querying the road topology connectivity relationship in the high-precision map, and the traffic congestion status of the final target lane is obtained. The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated according to the traffic congestion status of the final target lane, the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes. The autonomous lane change distance before the first reference point is determined as the lane change starting point for the vehicle to change lanes from the current lane to the final target lane, and the process ends.

4. The method for determining the lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to claim 2, wherein: The autonomous lane change distance of the first lane is calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, including: The autonomous lane change distance of the first lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the first lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes; The autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, including: The autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes; The traffic congestion state is represented by a congestion coefficient, and the autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is calculated according to the traffic congestion state of the first lane and the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, including: The autonomous lane change distance of the second lane is obtained by adding the product of the congestion coefficient of the first lane, the maximum speed limit of the second lane and the preset single lane change time and the product of the maximum speed limit of the second lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

5. The method for determining the lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to claim 3, wherein: The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated according to the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes, including: The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is obtained by multiplying the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes; or The traffic congestion state is represented by a congestion coefficient, and the autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is calculated according to the traffic congestion state of the final target lane, the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time, and the preset allowed number of lane changes, including: The autonomous lane change distance of the current lane is obtained by adding the product of the congestion coefficient of the final target lane, the maximum speed limit of the current lane and the preset single lane change time, and the product of the maximum speed limit of the current lane, the preset single lane change time and the preset allowed number of lane changes.

6. The method for determining the lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: The congestion coefficient of the lane is obtained by: Obtain the current traffic efficiency of the lane and the maximum traffic efficiency when no vehicle is running; Twice the ratio of the current traffic efficiency to the limit traffic efficiency is taken as the congestion coefficient of the lane.

7. The method for determining the lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to claim 6, wherein: The limit traffic efficiency is the maximum speed limit of the lane; and The current traffic efficiency is a current average vehicle speed of the lane within a second specified distance ahead of the vehicle, or a function of the current average vehicle speed and the number of vehicles in the lane.

8. The method for determining the lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to claim 7, wherein: Obtaining the current traffic efficiency of the lane includes: The current average speed of the lane within the second specified distance in front of the vehicle, or the current average speed and the number of vehicles in the lane, is obtained through a camera carried by the vehicle.

9. The method for determining the lane change timing when exiting a ramp according to claim 1, wherein: Before step S200, the method further includes: Step S100, obtaining the high-precision map within the first specified distance in front of the vehicle, planning the lane-level driving path of the vehicle within the first specified distance based on the high-precision map and the vehicle's own navigation map, and determining whether the vehicle has a need to off-ramp based on the lane-level driving path.

10. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a machine executable program stored in the memory and running on the processor, wherein the processor implements the method for determining the timing of changing lanes when exiting a ramp according to any one of claims 1 to 9 when executing the machine executable program.

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