Vehicle cooperative lane changing method, autonomous vehicle, formation, equipment and medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of automatic driving, in particular to a vehicle collaborative lane changing method, an automatic driving vehicle, a formation, equipment and a medium. According to the method, the target vehicle firstly changes the lane, and the driving speed is controlled on the target lane, so that the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle in front of the target vehicle can be increased in a scene with dense traffic flow, the lane changing space is provided for other vehicles in the vehicle formation, the lane changing conditions of the other vehicles can be met more quickly, and the driving efficiency is improved. And finally realizing overall lane changing of the vehicle formation. Besides, the formation shape can be maintained, external vehicles are not easy to be plugged into the middle of the vehicle formation, and the situation that the distance between the pilot vehicle and the tail vehicle of the vehicle formation is too large, so that the decision-making accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency of the vehicle formation during automatic driving are affected is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of autonomous driving technology, and in particular to a vehicle cooperative lane changing method, an autonomous driving vehicle, an autonomous driving vehicle formation, a computer device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] When a platoon of autonomous vehicles is driving on the road, there is a need to change lanes due to various decision-making considerations such as overtaking, navigation planning, and avoiding obstacle areas.

[0003] Usually, when some existing autonomous driving vehicle formations perform lane change operations, they need to wait until there is enough space in the target lane before all vehicles in the vehicle formation start to change lanes at the same time. This lane change method has a low success rate in scenes with dense traffic. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a vehicle cooperative lane changing method, an autonomous driving vehicle, an autonomous driving vehicle formation, a computer device and a computer-readable storage medium that facilitates overall lane change and is conducive to maintaining the formation of the convoy, in response to at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle cooperative lane change method, which is applied to a target vehicle in an autonomous driving vehicle formation, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0006] When the accessible space of the target lane does not satisfy the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time, receiving or generating a first type of lane change instruction;

[0007] In response to the first type of lane change instruction, when the accessible space of the target lane meets the lane change condition of the target vehicle, the remaining vehicles ahead of the vehicle formation drive from the initial lane to the target lane;

[0008] The driving speed is controlled so that the target vehicle drives to the side and rear of the remaining vehicles at a distance within a first preset range, and a lane-changing space is provided for the remaining vehicles to enter the target lane in front of the target vehicle.

[0009] Among them, the first type of lane change instruction is used to instruct the vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change in a first specified order; the remaining vehicles are configured to drive from the initial lane into the lane change space provided by the target vehicle in the first specified order, thereby completing the overall lane change of the vehicle formation and maintaining the formation.

[0010] In some embodiments, controlling the driving speed so that the target vehicle drives to the side and rear of other vehicles at a distance within a first preset range and providing other vehicles with lane change space to enter the target lane in front of the target vehicle includes the following steps:

[0011] Receive deceleration requests from other vehicles; reduce the speed of the target vehicle according to the deceleration request to provide lane change space; or,

[0012] When the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle ahead in the target lane is less than a preset range, the target vehicle is slowed down to provide space for lane change; or,

[0013] When there is an obstacle area in front of the remaining vehicles on the initial lane and it is predicted that the remaining vehicles cannot complete the lane change at the predetermined speed, the target vehicle reduces its speed and stops to provide space for lane change.

[0014] In some embodiments, the number of vehicles in the vehicle formation is greater than two; the target vehicle is the rear vehicle in the vehicle formation; the first designated order is the order of positions from back to front in the vehicle formation. The remaining vehicles are configured to: control the driving speed of the vehicle that has currently completed the lane change, so that the vehicle that has currently completed the lane change travels to the side and rear of the vehicle to be changed lanes at a distance within a second preset range, and provide the vehicle to be changed lanes with a lane change space to enter the target lane until all vehicles in the vehicle formation complete the overall lane change.

[0015] In some embodiments, the vehicle cooperative lane change method further includes the following steps:

[0016] When the accessible space of the target lane satisfies the condition that all vehicles in the vehicle formation change lanes at the same time, receiving or generating a second type of lane change instruction;

[0017] In response to the second type of lane change instruction, the vehicle travels from the initial lane to the target lane according to a second specified sequence.

[0018] Among them, the second type of lane change instruction is used to instruct vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change according to a second specified order, and the second specified order is the order of positions in the vehicle formation from front to back.

[0019] In some embodiments, the vehicle cooperative lane change method further includes the following steps:

[0020] When the accessible space of the target lane satisfies the condition that all vehicles in the vehicle formation change lanes at the same time, a third type of lane change instruction is received or generated.

[0021] Among them, the third type of lane change instruction is used to instruct all vehicles in the vehicle formation to start driving from the initial lane to the target lane at the same time.

[0022] In some embodiments, the vehicle cooperative lane change method further includes the following steps:

[0023] When the remaining vehicles are in the target lane and the target vehicle cannot drive to the target lane within a preset time, the target vehicle continues to drive in the current lane;

[0024] The driving speed is controlled in the current lane so that the target vehicle drives to the side and rear of the remaining vehicles at a distance within a third preset range, and lane-changing space is provided for the remaining vehicles to enter the current lane in front of the target vehicle.

[0025] Among them, the remaining vehicles are also configured to drive from the target lane into the lane change space of the current lane where the target vehicle is located to restore the formation.

[0026] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle cooperative lane change method, which is applied to a leading vehicle in an autonomous driving vehicle formation, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0027] receiving or generating a decision instruction to move from an initial lane to a target lane;

[0028] According to the decision instruction, when the accessible space of the target lane does not satisfy the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time, a first type of lane change instruction is sent to the following vehicles in the vehicle formation;

[0029] After all following vehicles complete the lane change according to the first specified order, they travel from the initial lane to the lane change space provided by the following vehicles on the target lane, thereby completing the overall lane change of the vehicle formation and maintaining the formation.

[0030] The first type of lane change instruction is used to instruct the vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change in a first specified order. The following vehicles are configured to: in accordance with the first specified order, starting from the target vehicle, each vehicle, when meeting its own lane change conditions, respond to the first type of lane change instruction, and drive from the initial lane to the target lane ahead of the vehicle to be changed in the vehicle formation; control the driving speed, so that it drives to the side and rear of the vehicle to be changed at a first preset range of vehicle distance, and provide the vehicle to be changed with a lane change space to enter the target lane in front of the vehicle that has currently completed the lane change.

[0031] In some embodiments, receiving or generating a decision instruction to drive from an initial lane to a target lane includes the following steps:

[0032] Receive decision instructions input by the safety officer; or,

[0033] Receive decision instructions from a following vehicle; or,

[0034] Generate decision instructions based on navigation planning information; or,

[0035] When the speed of the external vehicle in front of the pilot vehicle on the initial lane is less than the set value of the current stage, a lane change and overtaking instruction of the vehicle formation is generated as a decision instruction.

[0036] In some embodiments, the vehicle cooperative lane change method further includes the following steps:

[0037] Based on the environmental perception data sent by the following vehicle, determine whether the accessible space of the target lane satisfies the conditions for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time; or,

[0038] Based on the environmental perception data sent by the following vehicle and the predicted results of the driving intention of the external vehicle, it is determined whether the accessible space of the target lane meets the conditions for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time.

[0039] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an autonomous driving vehicle, which may be a target vehicle for executing the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure in the first aspect.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an autonomous driving vehicle, which may be a pilot vehicle that executes the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure in the second aspect.

[0041] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an autonomous driving vehicle formation, which may be a vehicle formation consisting of a target vehicle and remaining vehicles in the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure in the first aspect.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an autonomous driving vehicle formation, which may be a vehicle formation composed of a lead vehicle and a follower vehicle in the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure in the second aspect.

[0043] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer device, which includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in any embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0044] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in any embodiment of the present disclosure in the second aspect are implemented.

[0045] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in any embodiment of the present disclosure in the first aspect.

[0046] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in any embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0047] The lane changing scheme provided by the above-mentioned vehicle cooperative lane changing method, autonomous driving vehicle, autonomous driving vehicle formation, computer equipment and computer-readable storage medium is particularly suitable for scenes with dense traffic. By first changing lanes with the target vehicle and controlling the driving speed in the target lane, it is beneficial to increase the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle in front of it in scenes with dense traffic, thereby providing lane changing space for the remaining vehicles in the vehicle formation, so that the lane changing conditions of the remaining vehicles can be met more quickly, and finally the overall lane change of the vehicle formation is achieved. In addition, the lane changing scheme provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is also conducive to maintaining the formation formation, and it is not easy for external vehicles to squeeze into the middle of the vehicle formation, avoiding the distance between the leading vehicle and the rear vehicle of the vehicle formation being too large, which affects the decision-making accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency of the vehicle formation during autonomous driving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship between vehicles in a vehicle formation at time T1 in some embodiments;

[0049] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship between vehicles in a vehicle formation at time T2 in some embodiments;

[0050] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship between vehicles in a vehicle formation at time T3 in some embodiments;

[0051] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship between vehicles in a vehicle formation at time T4 in some embodiments;

[0052] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship between vehicles in a vehicle formation at time T5 in some embodiments;

[0053] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship between vehicles in a vehicle formation at time T6 in some embodiments;

[0054] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship between vehicles in a vehicle formation at time T7 in some embodiments;

[0055] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the position relationship between vehicles in a vehicle formation at time T8 in some embodiments;

[0056] Fig. 9 A flowchart of some steps performed by a target vehicle in some embodiments;

[0057] Fig.10 A flowchart of some steps performed by a pilot vehicle in some embodiments;

[0058] Fig.11 1 is a diagram of the internal structure of a computer device in some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] In order to make the technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the embodiments of the present disclosure and related technical contents are further described in detail below in combination with the accompanying drawings and text descriptions. It should be understood that the implementation methods described below are only used to explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not used to limit more possible implementation methods of the present disclosure.

[0060] It should be noted that the relational terms such as "first", "second" and the like appearing in this document are only used to distinguish things, states or actions, and do not necessarily indicate or imply relative importance or sequential relationships. The terms "include", "comprises" or any other variants thereof are used to indicate non-exclusive inclusion, and the included objects may not be limited to the objects listed in this document. The term "plurality" or other variants are used to indicate that the number of objects is two or more.

[0061] The vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to Figures 1 to 8 The embodiments of the present invention are scenes at different times shown; of course, the present invention may also be applicable to more scenes not shown in the figures.

[0062] Figures 1 to 8 Two adjacent lanes in the same direction are shown, namely, the first lane 121 and the second lane 122. When describing the lane change below, the first lane 121 is sometimes regarded as the initial lane, and the second lane 122 is sometimes regarded as the target lane. In any case, when implementing a certain overall lane change, the lane where the autonomous driving vehicle formation starts the lane change is regarded as the initial lane, and the lane where the autonomous driving vehicle formation completes the lane change is regarded as the target lane. In other scenarios where the vehicle cooperative lane change method is applied, the initial lane and the target lane may not be adjacent.

[0063] Figures 1 to 8 The position relationship of the autonomous driving vehicle formation (referred to as “vehicle formation”) composed of the pilot vehicle 101, the middle vehicle 102, and the rear vehicle 103 at different times is shown, where: Figure 1 Corresponding to time T1, Figure 2 At the moment T2 when the corresponding time moves forward further, Figure 3 At the moment T3 when the corresponding time moves forward further, Figure 4At the moment T4 when the corresponding time moves forward further, Figure 5 At the moment T5 when the corresponding time moves forward further, Figure 6 At the moment T6 when the corresponding time moves forward further, Figure 7 At the moment T7 when the corresponding time moves forward further, Figure 8 The corresponding time is further moved forward to time T8.

[0064] in, Figures 1 to 6 The relative position relationship of each vehicle at certain moments in the process of the autonomous driving vehicle formation moving from the first lane 121 to the second lane 122 is shown; Figure 7 The relative position relationship of each vehicle when the autonomous driving vehicle formation starts to move from the second lane 122 to the first lane 121 is shown; Figure 8 The relative position relationship of the autonomous driving vehicle formation at a certain moment when it moves from the first lane 121 to the second lane 122 is shown.

[0065] In other scenarios where the vehicle cooperative lane changing method is applied, the number of vehicles in the autonomous driving vehicle formation can be flexibly configured as needed without special restrictions; for example, in some other embodiments, the number of middle vehicles 102 can be increased to expand the autonomous driving vehicle formation, or the middle vehicle 102 can be eliminated and only the lead vehicle 101 and the rear vehicle 103 can be retained.

[0066] Figures 1 to 8 In the autonomous driving vehicle formation shown, the vehicles in the team can communicate through the network, and the specific communication method is not limited. For example, communication can be carried out by broadcasting within the team, or by one-to-one data transmission, or by relaying information through a communication base station. Each vehicle in the autonomous driving vehicle formation has one or more computer devices with a processor to run the relevant programs for autonomous driving. In addition, some programs of autonomous driving can be run by servers or terminals other than those of the autonomous driving vehicle formation, such as cloud servers or wireless terminals, and no excessive restrictions are made here.

[0067] Figures 1 to 8 Some other traffic participants besides the autonomous driving vehicle formation are shown, including a first external vehicle 111 , a second external vehicle 112 , and a third external vehicle 113 .

[0068] Figures 1 to 8 The allowed driving direction 140 of the first lane 121 and the second lane 122 is shown, which is also the overall traveling direction of the autonomous driving vehicle formation.

[0069] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle cooperative lane change method. The method can be applied to Figures 1 to 8The target vehicle of the autonomous driving vehicle formation in the environment shown is, for example, the rear vehicle 103. The method may include step S901, step S902 and step S903. Each step is described below.

[0070] Step S901: When the accessible space of the target lane does not satisfy the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time, a first type of lane change instruction is received or generated. The first type of lane change instruction is used to instruct the vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change in a first specified order.

[0071] Step S901 applies to Figures 1 to 6 Scenario. With the first lane 121 as the initial lane and the second lane 122 as the target lane, the target vehicle in the vehicle formation can coordinate with the remaining vehicles to achieve the purpose of overall lane change by executing the vehicle coordinated lane change method. Generally speaking, the target vehicle can be the rear vehicle 103 in the vehicle formation; but in some other cases, the target vehicle can be one of the remaining vehicles in the vehicle formation.

[0072] In some specific implementations, the first type of lane change instruction in step S901 may be generated or issued by any vehicle in the vehicle formation. For example, the first type of lane change instruction may usually be issued by the leading vehicle 101; of course, in some other implementations, it may also be issued by the middle vehicle 102, or generated by the rear vehicle 103 itself.

[0073] Of course, in other more implementations, the first type of lane change instruction can also be generated or issued by a remote server or other terminal, and is not particularly limited here. For example, the first type of lane change instruction can be issued by a remote safety officer or remote driver through a remote terminal controlled by the remote safety officer or remote driver, or can be generated by a remote server through an automatic driving algorithm decision.

[0074] In some specific embodiments, the first type of lane change instruction may be an instruction that, in addition to being responded to by the vehicle that generates the instruction, the vehicle that generates the instruction also sends the instruction to other vehicles in the vehicle formation, so that the other vehicles participate in the overall lane change in the first specified order.

[0075] In some specific embodiments, when the accessible space of the target lane does not satisfy the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time, the instructions received, generated or responded to by the vehicles in the vehicle formation, which are used to instruct the vehicles to participate in the overall lane change in a first specified order, can be regarded as the first type of lane change instructions.

[0076] The first designated order refers to the order in which the vehicles in the vehicle formation change lanes, which means that not all vehicles in the vehicle formation start changing lanes at the same time. The first designated order also means that at least the target vehicle changes lanes first, and the remaining vehicles change lanes at the same time; or, the target vehicle changes lanes first, and some of the remaining vehicles change lanes one by one, and the other vehicles change lanes at the same time; or, the target vehicle changes lanes first, and the remaining vehicles change lanes one by one. In different scenarios, the first designated order can be set according to actual needs.

[0077] In some specific embodiments, the first designated order may refer to the order of positions from rear to front in the vehicle formation, that is, the rear vehicle is first, the middle vehicle is second, and the leading vehicle is last. Figure 1 For example, the first designated order can be based on the driving direction 140, in order from back to front; that is, the first designated order is the order of the rear vehicle 103 first, the middle vehicle 102 second, and the leading vehicle 101 third.

[0078] The judgment of whether the drivable space of the target lane meets the condition of all vehicles in the vehicle formation changing lanes at the same time mentioned in step S901 or elsewhere in this document can be performed by the target vehicle, or by the remaining vehicles in the vehicle formation, or by a remote server or other terminal. Specifically, the drivable space can be quantified by the vehicle distance. For example, in some cases, the drivable space can be quantified by measuring the distance between the external vehicle on the target lane next to the vehicle formation and the external vehicle. In some other cases, it can be estimated whether the external vehicle will block all vehicles in the vehicle formation from changing lanes at the same time based on the driving speed of the external vehicle on the target lane and the driving speed of one or more vehicles in the vehicle formation on the initial lane. If so, it is deemed that the drivable space does not meet the condition of all vehicles in the vehicle formation changing lanes at the same time. If not, it is deemed that the condition is met. In some other cases, if there is no external vehicle within the maximum perception range or the preset perception range of the sensor of the vehicle formation, it is deemed that the drivable space meets the condition of all vehicles in the vehicle formation changing lanes at the same time.

[0079] The aforementioned "condition for all vehicles to change lanes at the same time" may include that the distance between the external vehicles on the target lane is greater than the length of the vehicle formation, or the aforementioned distance is greater than the sum of the length of all vehicles in the vehicle formation and the preset first safety distance. The preset first safety distance may refer to the sum of the distances that each vehicle in the vehicle formation expects to maintain when driving safely, and the specific value may be set according to actual needs. For example, for a vehicle, the distance that the vehicle expects to maintain when driving safely is 2 meters in front and behind, then for a vehicle formation with three vehicles, its first safety distance may be 12 meters or greater. Of course, the "condition for all vehicles to change lanes at the same time" may also include other conditions, such as all vehicles starting to change lanes at the same time and completing the lane change within a set time in the future (for example, within 20 seconds or within 30 seconds). In some other cases, the "condition for all vehicles to change lanes at the same time" may also include that all vehicles start changing lanes from the initial lane at the same time, cross the middle lane, and travel to the target lane. The time and / or the required accessible space. In addition, judging whether a vehicle formation has sufficient time or space conditions for simultaneous lane change can also adopt existing technologies, which are not particularly limited here. The simultaneous lane changing of all vehicles mentioned in this article means that all vehicles in the vehicle formation start to leave one lane and drive to another lane at the same time.

[0080] When this article refers to whether a vehicle in a platoon has met its lane change conditions, it usually refers to whether the drivable space on the target lane can accommodate itself. Specifically, it can be quantified by judging whether the length of the drivable space on the target lane can safely accommodate its length. The length of the drivable space can be quantified by the distance between the front and rear vehicles of the drivable space.

[0081] The vehicle distance in this article can be measured by the sensor system of the vehicles in the vehicle formation. Of course, other methods can also be used for measurement, such as using a sensor system installed beside the road to measure.

[0082] Step S902: In response to the first type of lane change instruction, when the accessible space of the target lane meets the lane change condition of the target vehicle, the remaining vehicles ahead of the vehicle formation drive from the initial lane to the target lane.

[0083] Step S902 illustrates that the target vehicle is the first vehicle that starts and completes the lane change among all vehicles in the vehicle formation. The lane change condition of the target vehicle may be that the sum of the length of the target vehicle and the preset second safety distance is less than the distance between two external vehicles in the nearby target lane. The preset second safety distance may refer to the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle that is expected to be maintained under safe driving, and the specific value may be set according to actual needs, such as 1 meter, 2 meters, 4 meters or other values.

[0084] Figure 1 The drivable space 131 in one case is shown. When the drivable space 131 can accommodate the target vehicle, it is considered that the drivable space of the target lane meets the lane change condition of the target vehicle. Specifically, according to the principle mentioned above, in some cases, the size of the drivable space 131 can be quantified by the distance between the first external vehicle 111 and the second external vehicle 112, which will not be described in detail here. Figure 1 The following situation is shown: there is an enterable space 131 between the first external vehicle 111 and the second external vehicle 112, and the length of the enterable space 131 estimated along the driving direction 140 is greater than the length of the rear vehicle 103 and the preset second safety distance, but is smaller than the sum of the lengths of all vehicles in the vehicle formation and the preset first safety distance, which means that the enterable space 131 meets the lane changing condition of the target vehicle, such as the rear vehicle 103, but does not meet the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time.

[0085] In step S902, the target vehicle travels from the initial lane to the target lane before the remaining vehicles in the vehicle formation, wherein the order of precedence is a reflection of the first designated order.

[0086] Step S903: Control the driving speed so that the target vehicle drives to the side and rear of the remaining vehicles at a distance within a first preset range, and provide lane-changing space for the remaining vehicles to enter the target lane in front of the target vehicle.

[0087] The purpose of step S903 is that the target vehicle controls its own driving speed so that there is enough space in front of itself, thereby providing conditions for the other vehicles to change lanes and preventing external vehicles from cutting in between the target vehicle and the other vehicles. The target vehicle drives to the side and rear of the other vehicles at a distance within a first preset range, which means that the target vehicle follows the side and rear of the last vehicle among the other vehicles, and the distance value to the last vehicle is maintained within the first preset range. The first preset range can be within 2 meters, within 3 meters, or other numerical ranges, which can be set according to specific needs.

[0088] The lane change space provided by the target vehicle is located in the target lane and in front of the target vehicle. Figure 3 Another drivable space 132 is shown, which can be regarded as a lane change space provided by the target vehicle for accommodating the middle vehicle 102 among the remaining vehicles. Figure 4 The scenario in which the middle vehicle 102 has completed the lane change is shown, that is, the middle vehicle 102 has entered the lane change space provided by the target vehicle (here, the rear vehicle 103 ), and is thus located in front of the target vehicle. Figure 5Another drivable space 133 is shown, which can be regarded as a part of the lane change space provided by the target vehicle, or can be regarded as the lane change space provided by the middle vehicle 102. The drivable space 133 is a lane change space for accommodating the pilot vehicle 101. Figure 6 It shows a scenario where the pilot vehicle 101 has completed the lane change, that is, the pilot vehicle 101 has entered the lane change space provided by the rear vehicle 103 or the lane change space provided by the middle vehicle 102 , and is thus located in front of the rear vehicle 103 and the middle vehicle 102 .

[0089] It should be noted that as time goes by, the target vehicle will move, or the relative position between the external vehicles on the target lane and the target vehicle will change. The size and position of the lane change space provided by the target vehicle usually change dynamically over time. In the same principle, the size and position of the lane change space provided by a vehicle in the vehicle formation for another vehicle in the following text will also change dynamically over time.

[0090] In addition, the lane-changing space provided by the target vehicle can be understood as the drivable space provided by the target vehicle, located in front of the target vehicle, for one or more of the remaining vehicles to drive into. The lane-changing space provided by a certain vehicle among the remaining vehicles can be understood as the drivable space provided by the vehicle, located in front of the vehicle, for one or more of the remaining vehicles to drive into. Therefore, the lane-changing space provided by the target vehicle can include the lane-changing space provided by a certain vehicle among the remaining vehicles. The vehicle to be changed in lanes mentioned in this article refers to the vehicle in the vehicle formation that is ready to change lanes.

[0091] The remaining vehicles in the vehicle formation are configured to: enter the lane change space provided by the target vehicle from the initial lane in a first specified order, thereby completing the overall lane change of the vehicle formation and maintaining the formation formation. Since the target vehicle controls the driving speed, the remaining vehicles obtain sufficient space to enter the target lane, and this space can also be regarded as the lane change space provided by the target vehicle. The aforementioned maintenance of the formation formation includes but is not limited to maintaining the tightness between the vehicles in the vehicle formation. If the vehicle formation is squeezed in by an external vehicle, it means that the formation formation has not been maintained. It should be noted that in some specific embodiments, the adjacent relationship between the vehicles in the vehicle formation can be changed by the overall lane change, for example, the relative position relationship between two vehicles may change. In other specific embodiments, the adjacent relationship between the vehicles in the vehicle formation does not change before and after the overall lane change. In some embodiments, maintaining the formation formation includes maintaining the tightness between the vehicles in the vehicle formation, and maintaining the adjacent relationship between the vehicles in the vehicle formation.

[0092] The overall lane change mentioned in this article refers to the lane change operation performed by all vehicles in the vehicle formation from the initial lane to the target lane in a certain order or in no particular order.

[0093] The vehicle cooperative lane change method is particularly suitable for scenes with dense traffic. By first changing lanes with the target vehicle and controlling the driving speed in the target lane, it is beneficial to widen the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle in front of it in scenes with dense traffic, thereby providing lane change space for the remaining vehicles in the vehicle formation, so that the lane change conditions of the remaining vehicles can be met more quickly, and finally the overall lane change of the vehicle formation is realized. In addition, the lane change scheme provided by the vehicle cooperative lane change method is also conducive to maintaining the formation formation, and it is not easy for external vehicles to squeeze into the middle of the vehicle formation, so as to avoid the distance between the leading vehicle and the rear vehicle of the vehicle formation being too large, which affects the decision-making accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency of the vehicle formation during automatic driving. When external vehicles squeeze into the vehicle formation, it is possible to destroy the overall perception ability, overall decision-making ability or overall communication ability of the vehicle formation to the environment, and affect the vehicle formation to perform the preset driving task. For example, in some scenarios, if some vehicles in the vehicle formation are away from the leading vehicle because of being squeezed in, they may face communication barriers between vehicles, resulting in some autonomous driving vehicles being forced to temporarily stop and wait for takeover. In addition, some extreme squeezing behaviors may also cause traffic accidents.

[0094] In some embodiments, step S903 may include: receiving a deceleration request sent by the remaining vehicles; and reducing the target vehicle's driving speed according to the deceleration request to provide space for lane change. Usually, at least one of the remaining vehicles is the vehicle to be changed lanes, and it can be determined whether the driveable space of the current target lane meets its own lane change conditions, and when the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle in front is less than a preset value, it can be regarded as whether the driveable space of the current target lane meets its own lane change conditions. At this time, the vehicle to be changed lanes can send a deceleration request to the target vehicle to instruct the target vehicle to reduce its driving speed, thereby increasing the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle in front of the target vehicle, so that the conditions for the vehicle to be changed lanes are met, thereby executing the lane change, that is, driving from the initial lane to the target lane. Figure 3 For example, assuming that the length of the middle vehicle 102 itself is 6.8 meters, when the middle vehicle 102 is the vehicle to change lanes, when the middle vehicle 102 determines that the distance between the rear vehicle 103 and the first external vehicle 111 is less than 8.8 meters, it is deemed that the enterable space 132 does not meet the lane change conditions of the middle vehicle 102 itself, and a deceleration request can be sent to the rear vehicle 103 at this time; when it is not less than 8.8 meters, it is deemed that the lane change conditions are met, and the lane change can be executed at this time.

[0095] In some embodiments, step S903 may include: when the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle in front of the target lane is less than a preset range, reducing the speed of the target vehicle to provide lane change space. Figure 3 For example, the tail vehicle 103 as the target vehicle measures the distance between itself and the first external vehicle 111 in front through the sensor. When the distance is less than a preset range (such as the aforementioned 8.8 meters), the driving speed of itself is reduced.

[0096] In some embodiments, considering that there are construction areas, accident areas, impassable areas formed by other people's parking, and other obstacle areas in the initial lane and in front of the vehicle formation, the vehicle formation needs to change lanes. To ensure the feasibility and safety of lane change, step S903 may include: when there is an obstacle area in front of the remaining vehicles in the initial lane, and it is predicted that the remaining vehicles cannot complete the lane change at a predetermined speed, reduce the target vehicle's driving speed and stop to provide lane change space. At this time, the target vehicle can even reduce its driving speed to zero as needed. Accordingly, the remaining vehicles are configured to reduce their driving speed and drive into the lane change space provided by the target vehicle.

[0097] In some specific embodiments, it is determined whether there is an obstacle area in front of the remaining vehicles on the initial lane, and it is predicted whether the remaining vehicles can complete the lane change at a predetermined speed. These judgment or prediction actions can be performed by any vehicle in the vehicle formation, or can be performed through the comprehensive collaboration of computer equipment of multiple vehicles.

[0098] In some embodiments, the number of vehicles in the vehicle formation is greater than two, the target vehicle is the rear vehicle of the vehicle formation, and the first designated order is the order of positions in the vehicle formation from back to front. The remaining vehicles in the vehicle formation are configured to: control the driving speed of the vehicle that has completed the lane change, so that the vehicle that has completed the lane change currently travels to the side and rear of the vehicle to be changed at a distance of a second preset range, and provide the vehicle to be changed with a lane change space to enter the target lane until all vehicles in the vehicle formation complete the overall lane change. In this way, each vehicle in the vehicle formation changes lanes in a sequential order, starting from the rear vehicle, each vehicle changes lanes to the target lane, and provides a reasonable lane change space for the next vehicle to be changed, so that the vehicle formation can reliably and safely achieve the overall lane change and maintain the formation formation, and in the case of dense traffic, it is also helpful to avoid being squeezed into the vehicle formation by external vehicles. In this way, the last vehicle to be changed in the vehicle formation can directly drive into the lane change space provided by the previous vehicle, so that all vehicles in the vehicle formation complete the overall lane change.

[0099] It should be noted that the value of the vehicle distance in the aforementioned second preset range or the value of the third preset range mentioned below may be consistent with the value of the vehicle distance in the first preset range, or may be inconsistent, and can be set specifically according to actual needs. Reasonable values ​​of the first preset range, the second preset range, and the third preset range can keep the distance between the vehicle that has completed the lane change and the vehicle to be changed within a reasonable range, avoid external vehicles from jamming, and thus help maintain the formation formation. The specific values ​​can refer to the vehicle distance setting method of the vehicle formation in the prior art, or other values ​​can be set in specific scenarios. Usually, the vehicle distance in the first preset range, the second preset range, or the third preset range can be less than two or three times the length of the vehicle to be changed. In some other embodiments, the vehicle distance in the first preset range, the second preset range, or the third preset range can be between 1 meter and 3 meters larger than the length of the vehicle to be changed. For example, assuming that the length of the vehicle to be changed is 6.8 meters, the vehicle distance in the first preset range, the second preset range, or the third preset range can be between 7.8 meters and 9.8 meters; of course, other values ​​can also be taken according to actual conditions, and they are not listed too much here.

[0100] In a vehicle formation, the distance between each vehicle that has completed lane change and the vehicle to be lane changed may vary at different times in an actual scenario, as long as the variation falls within a certain range, such as a first preset range, a second preset range, or a third preset range.

[0101] In some embodiments, considering that the target lane is not always densely populated, the vehicle cooperative lane change method may further include the following steps:

[0102] When the accessible space of the target lane satisfies the condition that all vehicles in the vehicle formation change lanes at the same time, receiving or generating a second type of lane change instruction;

[0103] In response to the second type of lane change instruction, the vehicle travels from the initial lane to the target lane according to a second specified sequence.

[0104] Among them, the second type of lane change instruction is used to instruct vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change according to a second specified order, and the second specified order is the order of positions in the vehicle formation from front to back.

[0105] The generation method, receiving method or issuing method of the second type of lane change instruction or the third type of lane change instruction described below may be similar in principle to the first type of lane change instruction, that is, these three types of lane change instructions may be generated or issued by a vehicle in the vehicle formation, or may be generated or issued by a server or terminal outside the vehicle formation. If a vehicle in the vehicle formation generates one of the three types of lane change instructions, it will be sent by this vehicle to other vehicles in the vehicle formation. It can be seen that the judgment of whether the accessible space of the target lane meets the conditions for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time can be made by a vehicle in the vehicle formation, or by collaborative decision-making of multiple vehicles, or by a server or terminal outside the vehicle formation, without any special restrictions here.

[0106] by Figure 8 For example, the second designated order refers to an order starting from the leading vehicle 101, followed by the middle vehicle 102, and finally the rear vehicle 103. Figure 8 In the example, the vehicle formation starts to move from the initial lane to the target lane at a certain time T8. At this time, the initial lane is the first lane 121 where the vehicle formation is located when the lane change starts, and the target lane is the second lane 122 where the vehicle formation is expected to be after the overall lane change is completed. Figure 8 The pilot vehicle 101 starts changing lanes first, followed by the middle vehicle 102, and finally the rear vehicle 103. This lane-changing method is mostly suitable for scenarios such as off-ramp or scenarios where there is sufficient space for entry into the target lane.

[0107] In some embodiments, in order to shorten the overall lane change time, the vehicle cooperative lane change method may also include the following steps: when the accessible space of the target lane meets the conditions for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time, receiving or generating a third type of lane change instruction; the third type of lane change instruction is used to instruct all vehicles in the vehicle formation to start driving from the initial lane to the target lane at the same time.

[0108] Figure 7 A scenario with simultaneous lane change initiation is shown. Figure 7 In the example, the initial lane is the second lane 122 , the target lane is the first lane 121 , and the pilot vehicle 101 , the middle vehicle 102 , and the rear vehicle 103 begin to change the driving direction at the same time, thereby executing the operation of changing lanes from the second lane 122 to the first lane 121 .

[0109] The simultaneous lane change operation mentioned in many places herein does not require that the adjacent relationship between the vehicles in the vehicle formation before and after the lane change must be fixed unless otherwise specified. In some specific embodiments, the vehicles in the vehicle formation can exchange positions during the lane change process according to actual needs, which does not affect the maintenance of the formation.

[0110] In some embodiments, by adaptively responding to the first type of lane change instruction, the second type of lane change instruction, or the third type of lane change instruction at different times and in different situations depending on whether the accessible space of the target lane satisfies the simultaneous lane change of all vehicles in the vehicle formation, the flexibility of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method can be improved, and the driving efficiency of the vehicle formation can be improved while ensuring the safety and reliability of the overall lane change.

[0111] In some embodiments, in response to the first type of lane change instructions, the second type of lane change instructions, and the third type of lane change instructions, all vehicles in the vehicle formation maintain a consistent adjacent relationship before and after the overall lane change, which can save data processing resources and reduce the probability of failures or accidents.

[0112] It should be noted that the driving of vehicle formations or the design of autonomous driving algorithms are still based on safety as the main principle. Even if the vehicle cooperative lane change method is implemented, in some extreme cases, external vehicles or other traffic participants may still disrupt the formation. In addition, sometimes, vehicle software or hardware failures will cause the vehicle formation to fail to achieve overall lane changes as expected. In order to deal with abnormal situations including these situations, the vehicle cooperative lane change method can also include the following steps:

[0113] When the remaining vehicles are located in the target lane and the target vehicle cannot drive to the target lane within a preset time range, the target vehicle is allowed to continue driving in the current lane; the driving speed is controlled in the current lane so that the target vehicle drives to the side and rear of the remaining vehicles at a distance within a third preset range, and lane changing space is provided for the remaining vehicles to enter the current lane in front of the target vehicle.

[0114] Among them, the remaining vehicles are also configured to drive from the target lane into the lane change space of the current lane where the target vehicle is located to restore the formation.

[0115] The aforementioned preset time range may be within 1 minute or within 30 seconds, or may be within other numerical ranges, and may be specifically set according to actual needs.

[0116] By taking the target vehicle as a reference and controlling the target vehicle's driving speed, the other vehicles in the vehicle formation are made to drive in front of the target vehicle and keep in the same lane as the target vehicle, so that the formation can be restored quickly and reliably.

[0117] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle cooperative lane changing method for a pilot vehicle in an autonomous driving vehicle formation. It should be noted that, in the case of no conflict in technical solutions, the principles, operations, technical effects, and meanings of the same words involved in the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure and applicable to the target vehicle are also applicable to the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure and applicable to the pilot vehicle. In addition, in the case of no conflict in technical solutions, the principles, operations, technical effects, and meanings of the same words involved in the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure and applicable to the pilot vehicle are also applicable to the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure and applicable to the target vehicle.

[0118] like Fig.10 As shown, the vehicle cooperative lane change method may include the following steps performed by the pilot vehicle:

[0119] Step S1001, receiving or generating a decision instruction to drive from an initial lane to a target lane;

[0120] Step S1002, according to the decision instruction, when the accessible space of the target lane does not satisfy the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time, sending a first type of lane change instruction to the following vehicles in the vehicle formation;

[0121] Step S1003, after all following vehicles complete the lane change according to the first specified order, they drive from the initial lane to the lane change space provided by the following vehicles on the target lane, thereby completing the overall lane change of the vehicle formation and maintaining the formation.

[0122] The first type of lane change instruction is used to instruct the vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change in a first specified order. The following vehicles are configured to: in accordance with the first specified order, starting from the target vehicle, each vehicle, when meeting its own lane change conditions, respond to the first type of lane change instruction, and drive from the initial lane to the target lane ahead of the vehicle to be changed in the vehicle formation; control the driving speed, so that it drives to the side and rear of the vehicle to be changed at a first preset range of vehicle distance, and provide the vehicle to be changed with a lane change space to enter the target lane in front of the vehicle that has currently completed the lane change.

[0123] Figures 1 to 8 The scenario shown may also be applicable to the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure, which is applicable to the pilot vehicle. In this case, the target vehicle may be the rear vehicle 103 or the middle vehicle 102.

[0124] Step S1001, step S1002 and step 1003, send the first type of lane change instruction to the following vehicle of the vehicle formation through the leading vehicle, instructing the following vehicle to complete the lane change in an orderly manner and maintain the distance between the vehicles in the vehicle formation. The leading vehicle changes lanes last, which is conducive to reliably, safely and effectively realizing the overall lane change of the vehicle formation in a scene with dense traffic flow. It is also conducive to maintaining the formation of the vehicle formation, and it is not easy for external vehicles to squeeze into the middle of the vehicle formation, avoiding the distance between the leading vehicle of the vehicle formation and the rear vehicle being too large, which affects the decision-making accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency of the vehicle formation during automatic driving.

[0125] In some embodiments, step S1001 may include one or more of the following implementations:

[0126] (1) Method 1: Receive decision instructions input by the safety officer;

[0127] (2) Method 2: receiving decision instructions from the following vehicle;

[0128] (3) Method 3: Generate decision instructions based on navigation planning information;

[0129] (4) Mode 4: When the speed of the external vehicle in front of the pilot vehicle in the initial lane is less than the set value of the current stage, a lane change and overtaking instruction of the vehicle formation is generated as a decision instruction.

[0130] In the aforementioned method 1, the safety officer can be located in the pilot vehicle and input the decision command through buttons, touch screens or other devices. In method 2, the decision command can be issued by one of the following vehicles. In method 3, the navigation planning information refers to the planning information provided by the navigation algorithm about the selection of roads or lanes by the vehicle formation during driving.

[0131] In mode 4, the setting value of the current stage can be selected according to the actual situation. For example, on a highway, the setting value at a certain stage can be 50km / h. Mode 4 is suitable for the situation where the external vehicle in front of the pilot vehicle is driving too slowly and needs to be overtaken by overall lane change.

[0132] by Figures 1 to 6 For example, the initial lane is the first lane 121, the target lane is the second lane 122, and the vehicle formation is Figure 1In the example, the current driving speed is 60 km / h. When the pilot vehicle 101 determines that the speed of the external vehicle (i.e., the third external vehicle 113) in front of the pilot vehicle 101 is less than the set value (e.g., 60 km / h) of the current stage, the pilot vehicle 101 and the other following vehicles can decelerate. At the same time, the pilot vehicle 101 generates a lane change and overtaking instruction for the vehicle formation as a decision instruction, and then executes steps S1002 and S1003, so that the vehicle formation changes lanes to the second lane 122. After the vehicle formation changes lanes to the target lane, the pilot vehicle 101 can accelerate to overtake the third external vehicle 113, and issue an acceleration instruction to instruct the following vehicles to overtake the third external vehicle 113. The scenario in which the vehicle formation overtakes the third external vehicle 113 is as follows: Figure 6 At some point later, the pilot vehicle 101 may generate a third type of lane change instruction, thereby instructing the vehicle formation to change lanes as a whole back to the first lane 121 .

[0133] In some embodiments, the vehicle cooperative lane changing method also includes the following steps performed by the pilot vehicle: judging whether the drivable space of the target lane meets the conditions for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time according to the environmental perception data sent by the following vehicle; or judging whether the drivable space of the target lane meets the conditions for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time according to the environmental perception data sent by the following vehicle and the prediction results of the driving intention of the external vehicle. In this way, it can be more accurately and reasonably judged whether the drivable space of the target lane meets the conditions for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time. The following vehicle can collect environmental perception data around or near itself (such as the distance between vehicles, the distance between itself and a certain vehicle, the distance between itself and certain obstacles, etc.) through the sensor system carried by itself, and send it to the pilot vehicle. In addition, one or more vehicles in the vehicle formation can also predict the driving intention of the external vehicle, for example, according to the information such as the turn signal, brake light, historical trajectory, historical speed, etc., it can predict whether a certain external vehicle has the intention to change lanes, change speed or overtake, or predict whether a certain external vehicle has the intention of aggressive behavior. The prior art has recorded a variety of such prediction methods or algorithms, which will not be repeated here. The prediction result of the driving intention of the external vehicle will affect the prediction of the change in the size of the drivable space of the target lane. For example, if the prediction result of the driving intention of the external vehicle indicates that the drivable space of the target lane is about to become smaller or uncertain, it can be considered that the drivable space of the target lane does not meet the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time.

[0134] It should be understood that although Fig. 9 , Fig.10 The steps in the flowchart are displayed in sequence as indicated by the arrows, but these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Fig. 9 , Fig.10Unless otherwise specified herein, the steps shown and the steps involved in other embodiments are not strictly limited in order of execution, and the steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the aforementioned embodiments may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages, and these sub-steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these sub-steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a part of the sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0135] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an autonomous driving vehicle, which may be a target vehicle for executing the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure in the first aspect.

[0136] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an autonomous driving vehicle, which may be a pilot vehicle that executes the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure in the second aspect.

[0137] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an autonomous driving vehicle formation, which may be a vehicle formation consisting of a target vehicle and remaining vehicles in the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure in the first aspect.

[0138] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an autonomous driving vehicle formation, which may be a vehicle formation composed of a lead vehicle and a follower vehicle in the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure in the second aspect.

[0139] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer device, which includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in any embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0140] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in any embodiment of the present disclosure in the second aspect are implemented.

[0141] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in any embodiment of the present disclosure in the first aspect.

[0142] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the vehicle cooperative lane changing method provided in any embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0143] In some embodiments, the computer device may be a terminal installed on a vehicle in the vehicle formation, and its internal structure diagram may be as follows: Fig.11 As shown. The computer device includes a processor, a memory, a network interface, a display screen and an input device connected via a system bus. Among them, the processor of the computer device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The network interface of the computer device is used to communicate with an external terminal through a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the vehicle cooperative lane changing method in any embodiment of this invention is implemented. The display screen of the computer device can be a liquid crystal display screen or an electronic ink display screen, and the input device of the computer device can be a touch layer covering the display screen, or a button, trackball or touchpad provided on the housing of the computer device, or an external keyboard, touchpad or mouse, etc.

[0144] Those skilled in the art will understand that Fig.11 The structure shown in the figure is merely a block diagram of a partial structure related to the embodiment scheme of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the embodiment scheme of the present disclosure is applied. The specific computer device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0145] The aforementioned computer readable storage medium may be Fig.11 A computer-readable storage medium in the computer device shown.

[0146] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by instructing related hardware through a computer program. The aforementioned computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchnonous Link) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0147] The technical features of the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0148] The above embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present disclosure, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the protection scope of the present disclosure. It should be pointed out that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle cooperative lane changing method, characterized in that: Applied to a target vehicle in an autonomous driving vehicle formation, the method comprises: When the accessible space of the target lane does not satisfy the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time, receiving or generating a first type of lane change instruction; the first type of lane change instruction is used to instruct the vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change in a first specified order; In response to the first type of lane change instruction, when the accessible space of the target lane meets the lane change condition of the target vehicle, the remaining vehicles ahead of the vehicle formation drive from the initial lane to the target lane; Controlling the driving speed so that the target vehicle drives to the side and rear of the remaining vehicles at a distance within a first preset range, and providing lane-changing space for the remaining vehicles to enter the target lane in front of the target vehicle; The remaining vehicles are configured to drive from the initial lane into the lane change space provided by the target vehicle in the first specified order, thereby completing the overall lane change of the vehicle formation and maintaining the formation.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The controlling of the driving speed so that the target vehicle drives to the side and rear of the remaining vehicles at a distance within a first preset range and providing lane-changing space for the remaining vehicles to enter the target lane in front of the target vehicle includes: receiving a deceleration request sent by other vehicles; reducing the speed of the target vehicle according to the deceleration request to provide the lane change space; or, When the distance between the target vehicle and the external vehicle in front of the target lane is less than a preset range, reducing the speed of the target vehicle to provide the lane change space; or, When there is an obstacle area in front of the remaining vehicles on the initial lane and it is predicted that the remaining vehicles cannot complete the lane change at a predetermined speed, the target vehicle reduces its driving speed and stops to provide the lane change space.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The number of vehicles in the vehicle formation is greater than two; the target vehicle is the rear vehicle of the vehicle formation; the first designated order is the order of positions in the vehicle formation from the back to the front; The remaining vehicles are configured to: control the driving speed of the vehicle that has currently completed the lane change, so that the vehicle that has currently completed the lane change travels to the side and rear of the vehicle to be changed lanes at a distance within a second preset range, and provide the vehicle to be changed lanes with lane changing space to enter the target lane until all vehicles in the vehicle formation complete the overall lane change.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the accessible space of the target lane satisfies the condition that all vehicles in the vehicle formation change lanes at the same time, receiving or generating a second type of lane change instruction; the second type of lane change instruction is used to instruct the vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change in a second specified order, and the second specified order is the order of positions in the vehicle formation from front to back; In response to the second-type lane change instruction, the vehicle travels from the initial lane to the target lane according to a second specified sequence.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the drivable space of the target lane satisfies the condition that all vehicles in the vehicle formation change lanes at the same time, a third type of lane change instruction is received or generated; the third type of lane change instruction is used to instruct all vehicles in the vehicle formation to start driving from the initial lane to the target lane at the same time.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the remaining vehicles are located in the target lane and the target vehicle cannot drive to the target lane within a preset time range, the target vehicle continues to drive in the current lane; Controlling the driving speed in the current lane so that the target vehicle drives to the side and rear of the remaining vehicles at a distance within a third preset range, and providing lane-changing space for the remaining vehicles to enter the current lane in front of the target vehicle; Wherein, the remaining vehicles are further configured to drive from the target lane into the lane change space of the current lane where the target vehicle is located to restore the formation.

7. A vehicle cooperative lane changing method, characterized in that: Applied to a pilot vehicle in an autonomous driving vehicle formation, the method comprises: receiving or generating a decision instruction to move from an initial lane to a target lane; According to the decision instruction, when the accessible space of the target lane does not satisfy the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time, a first type of lane change instruction is sent to the following vehicles in the vehicle formation; the first type of lane change instruction is used to instruct the vehicles in the vehicle formation to participate in the overall lane change in a first specified order; After all the following vehicles complete the lane change according to the first designated order, they drive from the initial lane to the lane change space provided by the following vehicles on the target lane, thereby completing the overall lane change of the vehicle formation and maintaining the formation; Among them, the following vehicles are configured as follows: in accordance with the first specified order, starting from the target vehicle, each vehicle responds to the first type of lane change instruction when its own lane change conditions are met, and drives from the initial lane to the target lane before the vehicle to be changed in the vehicle formation; controls the driving speed to make itself drive to the side and rear of the vehicle to be changed at a distance within a first preset range, and provides the vehicle to be changed with lane changing space to enter the target lane in front of the vehicle that has currently completed the lane change.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The receiving or generating a decision instruction to drive from an initial lane to a target lane includes: receiving the decision instruction input by the safety officer; or, receiving the decision instruction issued by the following vehicle; or, generating the decision instruction according to the navigation planning information; or, When the speed of the external vehicle located in front of the pilot vehicle on the initial lane is less than a set value at the current stage, a lane change and overtaking instruction of the vehicle formation is generated as the decision instruction.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Determine, based on the environmental perception data sent by the following vehicle, whether the accessible space of the target lane satisfies the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes simultaneously; or, According to the environmental perception data sent by the following vehicle and the prediction result of the driving intention of the external vehicle, it is judged whether the drivable space of the target lane meets the condition for all vehicles in the vehicle formation to change lanes at the same time.

10. An autonomous driving vehicle, characterized in that: The autonomous driving vehicle is the target vehicle described in any one of claims 1 to 6 or the pilot vehicle described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

11. An autonomous driving vehicle formation, characterized in that: The autonomous driving vehicle formation includes the target vehicle and the remaining vehicles as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; or, the autonomous driving vehicle formation includes the lead vehicle and the following vehicle as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

12. A computer device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that: When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 are implemented.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 are implemented.

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