Method for controlling a host vehicle for at least partially autonomous driving

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a host vehicle that is at least partially autonomously driven, and the surroundings, legal driving conditions, and traffic ahead of the host vehicle in the current lane are at least detected by sensors. The problem solved by the present invention is to provide an improved method. This problem is solved as follows: A first query related to a possible speed is executed, and a target acceleration is calculated when it is detected that the possible speed is greater than the current speed, and a second query is executed with respect to whether there is a vehicle in an adjacent lane within an observation area, whether to accelerate at the calculated target acceleration (since no vehicle is detected within the observation area) or not to accelerate at the target acceleration (since a vehicle is detected within the observation area).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for controlling an ego vehicle that drives at least partially autonomously, wherein the surroundings, legal driving conditions, and traffic ahead of the ego vehicle in the current lane are detected by sensors. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an associated vehicle for performing the method. Background Art

[0002] DE 10 2014 200 896 A1 describes a driving assistance system for changing lanes when merging into a lane. Sensors detect a partner vehicle that is assumed to indicate consideration to the driver's ego vehicle. Thus, this consideration, the braking process of the partner vehicle, or the lane change process of this vehicle to clear the required lane for its own lane change process is included for this lane change process. The required acceleration is calculated and set, or the vehicle continues to operate at a constant speed if a lane change is not possible.

[0003] However, this consideration of the actions of other road users regarding lane changes is dangerous and may increasingly lead to accidents because not every road user uses all their available attentiveness for driving. The increasing number of opportunities for distraction in vehicles increasingly often leads to dangerous traffic situations. In particular, driving on a highway is an inducement to divert people's attention from road traffic to things such as mobile phones. Although using a cellular phone while driving a vehicle is prohibited, accident statistics tell a different story.

[0004] Due to possible distraction, the driver of the partner vehicle does not see the ego vehicle entering the highway or driving in the right lane. However, the control system now accelerates and initiates a lane change process. However, now the partner vehicle does not brake and can no longer prevent a collision.

[0005] US2015 / 0360721A discloses a method for controlling a vehicle, wherein the main purpose is to perform a safe lane change to autonomously achieve an overtaking maneuver. However, in the present invention, the purpose is to correspondingly adjust the driving speed in its own lane. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to disclose an improved method and an associated improved ego vehicle.

[0007] This is solved by performing a first query regarding possible speeds while staying in the current lane by means of the method according to the invention. When a possible speed greater than the current speed is detected, a target acceleration is calculated. Additionally, a second query is performed regarding whether there is a vehicle in an adjacent lane in the observation area, whether to perform acceleration using the calculated target acceleration because no vehicle has been detected in the observation area, or whether to refrain from performing acceleration using the target acceleration because a vehicle has already been detected in the observation area.

[0008] Possible speeds are caused, for example, by factors such as the road surface, the legally permitted maximum speed, and / or the road route. In an advantageous design of the invention, for example, the possible speed when driving on a winding road is not the legally permitted maximum speed for driving on a rural road, but a reduced speed that ensures driving stability and a high level of safety.

[0009] The observation area is defined here as the area to the left or right of the vehicle in the travel direction. This includes the area in front of or behind the vehicle on the left or right and / or the area in front of or behind the vehicle on the left or right. The observation area is the area recorded by the sensors of the vehicle for performing the method according to the invention.

[0010] These sensors are used to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes. The alternating left and right in the travel direction of the vehicle is distinguished because there are legal requirements that prohibit a partner vehicle from accelerating the vehicle during an overtaking maneuver. For example, in Austria, an overtaking maneuver is defined as passing a slower vehicle on the left side of the slower vehicle. Therefore, this mainly applies to countries with right-hand traffic. In countries with left-hand traffic, the opposite applies.

[0011] The sensors detect the surroundings of the vehicle in the current lane, the legal driving conditions, and / or the traffic ahead during the first query and record it. For example, speed limits and maximum allowable speeds are registered and stored in the memory. Using the data stored in the memory, the calculation unit determines what the maximum allowable speed is. Based on the appearance of the road route, it is also possible to determine the speed that will probably maintain the required safety level. Additionally, it is observed whether the road users in the current lane directly in front of the vehicle are slower or faster than the vehicle. In this way, the first query determines whether it is possible to increase the speed while staying in the current lane and finally calculates the target acceleration when a possible speed greater than the current speed is detected.

[0012] The second query is used to determine whether there are vehicles in adjacent lanes within the observation area. For this purpose, the recording of the observation area by the sensor is evaluated, and a decision is made as to whether there are vehicles within the observation area. If the computing unit answers affirmatively the question regarding the vehicles in the adjacent lanes within the observation area, then acceleration is not performed even though a higher speed might be possible, in order to increase traffic safety. This measure enables the overtaking process of the vehicles in the adjacent lanes to be completed more quickly. This also reduces the time spent in the blind spot. This can be life-saving, especially for the drivers of smaller vehicles, such as motorcyclists.

[0013] If no vehicle is detected within the observation area during the second query, then it is possible to safely accelerate without causing a dangerous traffic situation. Therefore, acceleration is performed with the target acceleration. This procedure additionally complies with legal requirements, for example in the Austrian Road Traffic Regulations, it is prohibited to accelerate if the vehicle is currently being overtaken by another vehicle.

[0014] Therefore, when another vehicle is detected within the observation area, safety is increased due to the prohibition of acceleration. Another positive effect is that the autonomous or partially autonomous vehicle can be operated in accordance with the applicable traffic regulations.

[0015] The object of the invention is also solved by a vehicle adapted and intended to carry out the above method.

[0016] It is particularly advantageous if the observation area extends laterally more than 25 m in the left or right traveling direction along the vehicle. This has the following advantages: A favorable compromise between safety and low storage requirements is achieved by recording the surroundings as generously as possible. Additionally, if the observation area extends diagonally to the left or diagonally to the right more than 25 m behind the rear edge of the vehicle in the traveling direction, the positive effect is further increased.

[0017] It is also advantageous if the observation area extends diagonally to the left or diagonally to the right more than 25 m in front of the front edge of the vehicle in the traveling direction.

[0018] Depending on the situation, if the observation area is a region that is arranged laterally on the left side or laterally on the right side of the vehicle in the traveling direction, then the ratio of the required data volume to the achieved safety can be optimized, where the maximum extension of the observation area depends on the permitted, possible, and / or current speed and / or the speed of the vehicle, and becomes larger as the speed increases. Since the observation area behind the vehicle is particularly important for the process of overtaking the vehicle, it is particularly advantageous if the extension of the observation area behind the rear edge of the vehicle depends on (on the one hand) the speed of the vehicle and (on the other hand) the difference between the possible speed or the current speed of the vehicle, and becomes larger as this difference increases.

[0019] Advantageously, the second query regarding the presence of a vehicle on the side includes recording an observation area on the side of the vehicle by means of at least one sensor. This sensor can be provided separately purely for this purpose or can additionally be used for this function. Thus, the sensor can only detect this observation area or can additionally detect areas outside this observation area, for example behind this observation area, in order to detect the position and speed of a vehicle outside this observation area. Thus, compared to the current speed of the own vehicle, it can be determined whether and at what time a vehicle still outside the observation area overtakes the own vehicle and will thus be within a dynamically adjusted observation area at the start of the overtaking process.

[0020] It is particularly advantageous if the sensor uses ultrasound, radar, camera recording, and / or laser scanning to record the observation area on the side of the vehicle. It has been found that these various technologies are particularly suitable for recording the environment in automotive engineering because the installation space and weight required are small and these sensors are becoming increasingly available at low cost.

[0021] In a particularly advantageous design of the method according to the invention, it is provided that the at least one sensor is part of a lane change assistant and preferably the evaluation software of the lane change assistant is used for the first query. The lane change assistant is also understood as the term blind spot assistant and is actually used synonymously. For this purpose, the lane change assistant also records the observation area on the side of the vehicle and determines whether there is a vehicle within this observation area. If a vehicle is in the so-called blind spot in the required adjacent lane, the lane change assistant generally gives a warning when a lane change is required.

[0022] In order to obtain a method that is perfectly adapted to the environmental conditions, it is advantageously provided that the first query is carried out again after a specific period of time, where this specific period of time specifically corresponds to 100 milliseconds.

[0023] Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the second query is carried out again after a specific period of time, where this specific period of time particularly corresponds to 100 milliseconds.

[0024] In order to also make the overtaking maneuver comfortable and safe for the passengers, it is advantageous that at least one vehicle driving forward in the current lane is detected and picked up by the sensor, and the overtaking maneuver is initiated and the target acceleration for carrying out the overtaking maneuver is calculated. For this purpose, it is advantageous if an overtaking prohibition is recognized and stored in the memory and the control system acts accordingly. For example, in Austria, there are the following exceptions: If there are at least two separate lanes in the same direction of travel, then in the sense that the lane can be freely chosen, overtaking on the right is also permitted in the local area traffic. Thus, it is advantageous that the vehicle differentiates between the local area and the open country and also recognizes the existing lanes, and the control system acts accordingly and allows or prohibits acceleration.

[0025] In an advantageous variant of the method, it is also possible to stipulate the difference between convoy traffic and barrier-free traffic. Description of the Drawings

[0026] The invention is further explained with reference to non-limiting drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 A simplified diagram of the vehicle in road traffic in a first case according to the invention is shown;

[0028] Figure 2 A simplified diagram of the vehicle in road traffic in a second case according to the invention is shown;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic sequence of a first embodiment of the method according to the invention is shown; and

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic sequence of a second embodiment of the method according to the invention is shown. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0031] Figure 1 A first case of applying the method according to the invention to the vehicle 1 is shown. Here, the vehicle 1 travels at the current speed v on the current lane F1. a The vehicle 2 travels at the speed w on the adjacent lane F2. At the moment shown, the two vehicles have the same travel direction along the speed vectors v a and w. A line 3 is arranged between the current lane F1 and the adjacent lane F2 for division. The line 3 is also provided to delimit the lanes F1, F2 from the surrounding area. The vehicle 2 moves on the adjacent lane F2 to the left of the vehicle 1 in the travel direction. The vehicle 1 has at least one sensor 4 for picking up the observation area 5 on the side of the vehicle 1. In the shown embodiment, the observation area 5 is located on the left side of the vehicle 1 in the travel direction. Here, the observation area 5 extends laterally 25 m in the approaching left direction of the vehicle 1, where in this exemplary embodiment, the extension y behind the rear edge 6 of the vehicle 1 is greater than the extension x in front of the front edge 7 of the vehicle 1. In the direction transverse to the travel direction, the observation area 5 extends a distance z preferably exceeding the adjacent lane F2, i.e., especially 1.75 times the lane width if the sensor 4 is arranged centrally on the vehicle 1. If the sensor 4 is arranged laterally on the vehicle 1, 1.25 times the lane width is sufficient to reliably detect whether a vehicle is in the lane F2. In an advantageous design, the observation area 5 extends approximately 25 m to the left rear of the rear edge 6 of the vehicle 1 and approximately 5 m in front of the front edge 7 in the travel direction. In a particularly advantageous design, according to the current speed v of the vehicle 1 a , the current speed w of the vehicle 2 and / or the current speed w of the vehicle 2 and the current speed v of the vehicle 1 adynamically select the observation area 5 based on the difference.

[0032] In Figure 1 , the vehicle 2 is outside the observation area 5. On the contrary, Figure 2 shows a second case where the vehicle 2 is within the observation area 5. This means that the sensor 4 of the host vehicle 1 senses the vehicle 2. In the first case according to Figure 1 , although the vehicle 2 is outside the observation area 5 according to the present invention, the vehicle 2 is also in a position relative to the host vehicle 1 where the host vehicle 1 can determine the position and speed w of the vehicle 2. This is performed by the sensor 4 of the host vehicle 1 or another sensor.

[0033] In particular, Figure 1 and Figure 2 the two cases in represent coherent cases. Here, the speed of the vehicle 2 is greater than the speed of the host vehicle 1, such that the vehicle 2 from behind catches up with the host vehicle 1 and thus drives into the observation area 5.

[0034] Alternatively, two cases may occur where the spatial distance in the traveling direction between the vehicle 2 and the host vehicle 1 remains unchanged, but the speed of one vehicle or both vehicles changes, such that in the second case, the observation area 5 according to the method of the present invention extends much further backward, such that the vehicle 2 is now within the observation area 5. In particular, the difference between the current speed w of the vehicle 2 and the current speed v of the host vehicle 1 a or the difference between the current speed w of the vehicle 2 and the determined possible speed v of the host vehicle 1 m can be used herein to determine the observation area 5. In both cases, the observation area 5 is determined according to the present invention such that an overtaking process of the vehicle 2 is detected at the host vehicle 1 and the vehicle 2 is within the observation area 5, in particular within the extension y behind the rear edge 6 of the host vehicle 1. If the vehicle 2 is located in the extension x close to or in front of the front edge 7 of the host vehicle 1, the overtaking process is still in progress, such that the observation area 5 is selected according to the present invention such that the vehicle 2 is within the observation area 5 during the overtaking process. Therefore, if no vehicle 2 is within the observation area 5, no overtaking process is currently occurring. Thus, according to the present invention, on the one hand, the observation area 5 can be statically selected, for example, 25 m behind the rear edge 6 and 5 m in front of the front edge 7 of the host vehicle 1, or on the other hand, it can be dynamically selected according to the current speed v of the host vehicle 1 a , the current speed w of the vehicle 2, and / or the difference between the current speed w of the vehicle 2 and the current speed v of the host vehicle 1 a .

[0035] Figure 3A schematic process flow is shown. Here, S indicates the start of the method according to the invention. From the records of the sensors of the vehicle 1, knowledge about the surroundings of the vehicle 1 is stored in the memory, in particular road conditions, the legally permitted maximum speed and the road route, the position and speed w of the vehicle 2, and the current speed v of the vehicle 1 a . Thus, the current restrictions and prohibitions as well as the positions and speeds of the vehicle 2 and the vehicle 1 are stored and can be retrieved for the method.

[0036] The method starts with a first query A1. For this purpose, the possible speed v is determined m . The possible speed v m depends on road conditions, legal possibilities, the traffic in front of the vehicle 1, and the possible wishes of the driver. After determining the possible speed v m , a first decision E1 is made as to whether the possible speed v m is greater than or less than the current speed v a . If the current speed v a is smaller, the determined possible speed v m is used to determine the target acceleration, and the method continues with a second query A2.

[0037] When the actual speed V a is greater than the determined possible speed V m , the end E of the method is reached.

[0038] In the second query A2, it is determined whether there is a vehicle 2 in the adjacent lane F2 within the observation area 5. A decision E2 is made on this, and if no vehicle 2 is detected within the observation area 5, acceleration B is performed using the calculated target acceleration, and if a vehicle 2 is detected within the observation area 5, acceleration B is not performed using the target acceleration. In this case, the speed in step G remains constant.

[0039] In contrast, in Figure 4 , after a certain period of time, the method is continued again using the first query A1 or using the second query A2.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a host vehicle (1) that is at least partially autonomously driven, wherein the surroundings, legal driving conditions, and oncoming traffic of the host vehicle (1) in a current lane (F1) are detected by at least one sensor (4), characterized in that a. Perform a first query (A1) regarding a possible speed (v m ) while maintaining the current lane, and calculate a target acceleration when it is detected that the possible speed (v m ) is greater than the current speed, and b. performing a second query (A2) regarding whether a vehicle (2) is located in an adjacent lane (F2) within an observation area (5), and whether to accelerate using a calculated target acceleration because no vehicle (2) is detected within the observation area (5) or not to accelerate using the target acceleration because a vehicle (2) is detected within the observation area (5).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The observation area (5) extends laterally more than 25 m in the left or right traveling direction along the host vehicle (1).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The observation area (5) extends obliquely more than 25 m in the traveling direction to the left rear or right rear of the rear edge (6) of the host vehicle (1).

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The observation area (5) extends obliquely more than 25 m in the traveling direction to the left front or right front of the front edge (7) of the host vehicle (1).

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The observation area (5) is an area that is arranged transversely to the left or right of the host vehicle (1) in the traveling direction, where the maximum extent of the observation area (5) depends on the permitted speed, the possible speed (v m ) and / or the current speed (v a ) of the host vehicle (1) and / or the speed (w) of the vehicle (2), and becomes larger as the speed increases.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The extension of the observation area (5), the extension of the observation area (5) behind the rear edge (6) of the host vehicle (1) depends on on the one hand the speed (w) of the vehicle (2) and on the other hand the difference between the possible speed (v m ) or the current speed (v a ) of the host vehicle (1), and increases as the difference increases.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second query (A2) regarding whether there is a vehicle (2) laterally is performed by at least one sensor (4) including a record of a lateral observation area (5) of the host vehicle (1).

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The at least one sensor (4) records the observation area (5) in the lateral direction of the host vehicle (1) using ultrasonic waves, radar, camera recording, and / or by laser scanning.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The at least one sensor (4) is part of a lane change assistant, and the evaluation software of the lane change assistant is used for the first query (A1).

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first query (A1) is performed again after a specific time period, where the specific time period corresponds to 100 milliseconds.

11. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second query (A2) is performed again after a specific time period, where the specific time period corresponds to 100 milliseconds.

12. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, At least one vehicle driving forward in the current lane (F1) is detected and picked up by the sensor, and an overtaking maneuver is initiated, and a target acceleration for performing the overtaking maneuver is calculated.

13. A host vehicle (1) for performing the method according to one of claims 1 to 12.

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