Method and device for operating a trajectory following regulator of a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (101) for operating a trajectory-following controller (200) for automatically longitudinally and / or laterally guiding a vehicle (100). The device (101) is designed to determine a reference state (212) of the vehicle (100) and a reference guidance specification (215) for longitudinally and / or laterally guiding the vehicle (100) on the basis of a planned trajectory (110) of the vehicle (100), to determine a correction value for the reference guidance specification (215) using the trajectory-following controller and on the basis of a comparison of an actual state (213) of the vehicle (100) with the reference state (212), to determine on the basis of the correction value whether the trajectory-following controller (200) is degraded, to determine on the basis of the correction value and on the basis of the reference guidance specification (215) a basic target guidance specification (216), and to provide the basic target guidance specification as a checked target guidance specification (216) for longitudinally and / or laterally guiding the vehicle (100) if the trajectory-following controller (200) is not degraded, and on the other hand to provide a degraded guidance specification which differs from the basic target guidance specification (216) as the checked target guidance specification (216) for longitudinally and / or laterally guiding the vehicle (100) if trajectory-following controller (200) is degraded.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and corresponding apparatus for achieving reliable and robust trajectory following adjustment for automatic longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] The vehicle may have one or more driving functions designed for automatic longitudinal and / or lateral guidance. Within the scope of the driving functions, a planned trajectory can be obtained using the vehicle's planning unit, which describes the vehicle's planned state at a series of previous time points. One or more longitudinal and / or lateral guidance actuators, such as drive motors and / or steering actuators, can operate according to the planned trajectory to automatically guide the vehicle longitudinally and / or laterally along the planned trajectory. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This document addresses the technical task of providing particularly reliable and robust trajectory following adjustment for automatic longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of vehicles.

[0004] This task is addressed by each independent claim. Advantageous embodiments are further described in the dependent claims. It should be noted that additional features of dependent claims of independent claims can form an invention independent of the combination of all features of the independent claims, either without the features of the independent claims or only in combination with a subset of the features of the independent claims, and which can be the subject of the independent claims, divisional applications, or subsequent applications. This applies in the same manner to the technical teachings described herein, which can form inventions independent of the features of the independent claims.

[0005] According to one aspect, an apparatus is described for operating a trajectory following adjuster to automatically guide (motorized) vehicles longitudinally and / or laterally. A longitudinal trajectory following adjuster for longitudinal guidance and a lateral trajectory following adjuster for lateral guidance can be operated. Trajectory following adjustment can be based on a planned trajectory. Here, a planned longitudinal trajectory for longitudinal guidance and a planned lateral trajectory for lateral guidance can be provided.

[0006] The steps described thereafter are typically performed at time points from a series of consecutive time points. A new planned trajectory is provided at each time point. Furthermore, the current target guidance specification being examined is determined at each time point, which is then used for automatic longitudinal and / or lateral vehicle guidance.

[0007] This device is designed to determine, based on a vehicle's planned trajectory (at a given time point), a reference state of the vehicle (at a given time point) and a reference guidance specification (at a given time point) for longitudinal and / or lateral vehicle guidance. The vehicle's planned trajectory can, at a given series of subsequent time points, describe a series of planned states of the vehicle and a corresponding series of planning guidance specifications for longitudinal and / or lateral vehicle guidance. Therefore, the planned trajectory can proactively describe the planned state and planning guidance specifications. The planning period for the planned trajectory can, for example, be 5 seconds or longer.

[0008] For longitudinal guidance, vehicle state can include the vehicle's longitudinal position and / or longitudinal velocity as state parameters. Furthermore, guidance specifications for longitudinally guiding vehicles can include the vehicle's acceleration. For lateral guidance, vehicle state can include the vehicle's lateral offset (within the lane) and / or azimuth angle (within the lane) as state parameters. Furthermore, guidance specifications for laterally guiding vehicles can include the curvature of the vehicle's travel path.

[0009] The planning guidance specifications for a planned trajectory describe how to guide the vehicle to a planned state along the planned trajectory. The planned trajectory can be obtained based on the vehicle's motion model. Furthermore, one or more boundary conditions (e.g., collision-free conditions) can be considered when obtaining the planned trajectory.

[0010] This device can be designed to obtain time information related to a corresponding current point in time. For example, time information can be obtained based on one or more timers on a vehicle. Reference states and reference guidance specifications can be obtained based on time information from a series of planning states or a series of planning guidance specifications for a planned trajectory.

[0011] Furthermore, this device is designed to determine the correction value of the reference guidance specification when using a follower adjuster and based on a comparison of the vehicle's (measured) actual state with a reference state. The adjustment error can be determined by comparing the actual state with the reference state, and this error is passed as an input parameter to the follower adjuster. The correction value can be provided as the output parameter of the follower adjuster.

[0012] The follower regulator can be configured to obtain the correction value of the reference guide specification, such that at least one state parameter of the actual state (especially longitudinal position or lateral offset) gradually approaches the corresponding state parameter of the reference state.

[0013] The device is also designed to determine whether the trajectory follower regulator has degraded based on the correction value. In particular, a relatively high correction value in absolute terms can lead to degradation of the trajectory follower regulator.

[0014] The device can be designed to derive a basic target guidance specification based on correction values ​​and a reference guidance specification. The basic target guidance specification can be derived, in particular, as the sum of the reference guidance specification and the correction values. The device can also be designed to compare the basic target guidance specification with one or more planned guidance specifications from a set of planned guidance specifications, and to determine whether the trajectory following regulator has degraded based on the comparison between the basic target guidance specification and one or more planned guidance specifications from the set of planned guidance specifications.

[0015] Specifically, it can be checked whether the deviation between the basic target guidance specification and one or more planning guidance specifications from a series of planning guidance specifications exceeds a deviation threshold. Furthermore, if the deviation between the basic target guidance specification and one or more planning guidance specifications from a series of planning guidance specifications exceeds the deviation threshold, then trajectory following regulator degradation can be determined.

[0016] A relatively large deviation between the basic objective guidance specification and one or more planning guidance specifications can be an indication of a malfunction in the trajectory follower regulator, which leads to the degradation of the trajectory follower regulator.

[0017] This device can be designed to determine a deviation threshold based on one or more planning guidance specifications (i.e., based on a planned trajectory) from a set of planning guidance specifications and based on a vehicle model for the vehicle's driving dynamics. Therefore, the deviation threshold can be adapted to take into account vehicle dynamics. This allows for pre-control of the adjustment path. By adapting the deviation threshold, the reliability of fault identification in the trajectory following regulator can be further improved.

[0018] The device is designed to provide a basic target guidance specification as a target guidance specification for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle if the trajectory following regulator does not degrade.

[0019] On the other hand, the device is designed to provide a degraded guidance specification, different from the basic target guidance specification, as the target guidance specification to be checked for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle if the trajectory follower degrades. For example, the degraded guidance specification can be determined based on the maximum permissible value of the target guidance specification being checked. Alternatively or additionally, the degraded guidance specification can be determined based on the target guidance specification being checked and / or provided at a previous time point. For example, the target guidance specification being checked in the past (before the trajectory follower degrades) can be maintained at one or more subsequent time points.

[0020] The device can also be designed to determine, with the aid of a vehicle guidance regulator, adjustment parameters for one or more longitudinal and / or lateral guidance actuators (e.g., for controlling drive motors, steering actuators, and / or brake actuators) used to control the vehicle based on the target guidance specifications being examined.

[0021] Therefore, an apparatus is described to enable effective monitoring of a trajectory follower regulator in order to improve the reliability and robustness of trajectory follower regulation.

[0022] As already explained, this device can be designed to determine the reference state and reference guidance specification at a given time point based on the planned trajectory at that time point, respectively, within a series of consecutive time points. When using a follower controller, and based on a comparison of the actual state and the reference state at each time point, a correction value for the reference guidance specification at that time point can be determined. Furthermore, the target guidance specification being checked can be determined at each time point based on the separately determined correction values. Therefore, continuous, reliable, and robust operation of the trajectory follower controller can be achieved.

[0023] According to another aspect, a (road) motor vehicle (especially a passenger car, truck, bus, or motorcycle) is described, which includes the devices described in this document.

[0024] According to one aspect, a method is described for a trajectory following regulator for automatic longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of an operating vehicle. The method includes: determining a reference state of the vehicle and a reference guidance specification for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance based on a planned trajectory of the vehicle. Furthermore, the method includes: determining correction values ​​for the reference guidance specification based on a comparison between the actual state of the vehicle and the reference state when using a following regulator.

[0025] The method further includes: determining whether the trajectory following regulator has degraded based on the correction value. The method also includes: if the trajectory following regulator has not degraded, then obtaining a basic target guidance specification based on the correction value and a reference guidance specification as the target guidance specification to be examined for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle. Alternatively, the method includes: if the trajectory following regulator has degraded, then obtaining a degraded guidance specification different from the basic target guidance specification as the target guidance specification to be examined for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle.

[0026] It should be noted that aspects described in connection with the apparatus, and especially claims described in connection with the apparatus, can also be used as corresponding method features in the method.

[0027] According to another aspect, a software (SW) program is described. The software program can be designed to be executed on a processor (e.g., on a vehicle's control unit) and thereby perform the methods described in this document.

[0028] According to another aspect, a storage medium is described. The storage medium may include a software program designed to be executed on a processor and thereby perform the methods described in this document.

[0029] It should be noted that the methods, apparatuses, and systems described in this document can be used not only individually but also in combination with other methods, apparatuses, and systems described in this document. Furthermore, any aspect of the methods, apparatuses, and systems described in this document can be combined with each other in various ways. The features of the claims, in particular, can be combined with each other in various ways. Moreover, features listed in parentheses should be understood as optional features. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The present invention will then be described in detail with the aid of embodiments.

[0031] Figure 1a Exemplary components of the vehicle are shown;

[0032] Figure 1b An exemplary planning trajectory for automated longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of a vehicle is shown;

[0033] Figure 2 An exemplary trajectory-following adjuster is shown; and

[0034] Figure 3 A flowchart is shown for an exemplary method for running a trajectory-following regulator. Detailed Implementation

[0035] As stated at the outset, this document relates to reliable and robust trajectory following adjustment for automated longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of (motorized) vehicles. In this case, Figure 1a An exemplary vehicle 100 is shown, having one or more environmental sensors 102, each designed to detect sensor data (also referred to as environmental data) related to the environment of the vehicle 100. Exemplary environmental sensors 102 include cameras, radar sensors, laser rangefinders, ultrasonic sensors, etc. The vehicle 100 also includes one or more vehicle sensors 105 designed to detect sensor data related to the (actual) state of the vehicle 100, such as the vehicle 100's position, speed, acceleration, and / or yaw rate.

[0036] The (control) device 101 of vehicle 100 may be designed to evaluate environmental data, such as identifying one or more objects (e.g., other vehicles) in the surrounding environment of vehicle 100. Furthermore, device 101 may be designed to enable automatic longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of vehicle 100 based on environmental data, particularly based on one or more detected objects and sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors 105. For this purpose, one or more longitudinal and / or lateral guidance actuators 103 of the vehicle (e.g., drive motors, braking devices, and / or steering devices) may be manipulated.

[0037] Within the scope of automatic longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of vehicle 100, the planned trajectory of vehicle 100 can be determined based on sensor data from one or more environmental sensors 102 and sensor data from one or more vehicle sensors 105 (as exemplarily in...). Figure 1b (As shown in the figure). For a series of previous time points, the planned trajectory 110 can respectively describe the planned state 111 of the vehicle 100 at the corresponding time point. In addition, for a series of previous time points, the planned trajectory 110 can respectively describe the guidance specification 112 for vehicle guidance, by which the vehicle 100 follows the planned trajectory 110 (and thus has the series of planned states 111).

[0038] The planned trajectory 110 can be obtained by considering one or more boundary conditions, for example:

[0039] • Vehicle 100 remains within the boundary conditions of the road lane; and / or

[0040] • Boundary conditions to avoid collisions with objects in the surrounding environment of vehicle 100; and / or

[0041] • The planned trajectory 110 can be determined by the boundary conditions that vehicle 100 can drive, taking into account the technical requirements of vehicle 100.

[0042] In addition, when calculating the planned trajectory 110, the motion mode of vehicle 100 can be considered.

[0043] For the longitudinal and lateral guidance of vehicle 100, dedicated planning trajectories 110 can be obtained separately. The planning trajectory 110 for longitudinal guidance can be described as a planning state parameter (planning state 111).

[0044] • The longitudinal position of vehicle 100 in the lane traversed by vehicle 100; and / or

[0045] • The longitudinal speed of vehicle 100.

[0046] The planned specification 112 can correspond to the longitudinal acceleration of vehicle 100 (which is related to the driving torque of the drive motor of vehicle 100).

[0047] The planning trajectory 110 used for lateral guidance can be described as a planning state parameter (planning state 111).

[0048] • Lateral deviation of vehicle 100 within the lane traversed by vehicle 100; and / or

[0049] • The orientation angle of vehicle 100 (relative to the direction of the lane through which vehicle 100 is traveling).

[0050] The planned specification 112 can correspond to the curvature of the driving path of vehicle 100 (which is related to the steering angle of vehicle 100).

[0051] Longitudinal acceleration can be used as a guide specification during longitudinal guidance, and / or curvature can be used as a guide specification during lateral guidance, so as to guide vehicle 100 along the planned trajectory 110.

[0052] During the operation of vehicle 100, the actual state of vehicle 100 may differ from the planned state 111 of vehicle 100. The actual state of vehicle 100 may include actual longitudinal position and / or actual longitudinal speed during longitudinal guidance. In addition, the actual state of vehicle may include actual lateral offset and / or actual azimuth angle during lateral guidance.

[0053] With the help of the trajectory following adjuster, vehicle 100 can be guided back to the planned trajectory 110. To this end, an adjustment error can be calculated based on the actual state and the planned state 111. This adjustment error is converted into a correction value by means of the following adjuster to correct the guidance specification from the planned trajectory 110. The corrected guidance specification (also referred to in this document as the (possibly checked) target guidance specification) can then be passed to the vehicle guidance adjuster, which is designed to calculate adjustment parameters, such as driving torque and / or steering angle, for one or more longitudinal and / or lateral guidance actuators 103 of vehicle 100 based on the corrected guidance specification.

[0054] Figure 2An exemplary trajectory following regulator 200 is shown, which receives a planned trajectory 110 from a planning unit. The regulator 200 includes a reference unit 201 configured to determine a reference state 212 for a vehicle 100 based on the planned trajectory 110 and time information relevant to the current time point. The reference state 212 may correspond to a planned state 111 or a combination and / or projection of one or more planned states 111 from the planned trajectory 110. The reference state 212 can indicate the state that the vehicle 100 should have at the current time point in order to travel on the planned trajectory 110.

[0055] Furthermore, the reference unit 201 can be designed to derive a reference guidance specification 215 for vehicle guidance based on the planned trajectory 110 and time information, such as a combination and / or projection of one or more planned guidance specifications 112 of the planned trajectory 110. The reference guidance specification 215 can specify the vehicle guidance specifications to be implemented so that the vehicle 100 remains on the planned trajectory 110.

[0056] As previously mentioned, vehicle 100 is not typically located exactly on the planned trajectory 110, thus (at the current time point) the actual state 213 of vehicle 100 differs from the reference state 212. In the adjustment unit 202, one or more state parameters of the actual state 213 can be compared (using a follower adjuster) with corresponding one or more state parameters of the reference state 212. In longitudinal guidance, state parameters, i.e., position and / or longitudinal velocity along the longitudinal direction, can be considered in particular. In lateral guidance, state parameters, i.e., lateral offset and / or azimuth angle, can be considered in particular. Based on the calculated deviation between the actual state 213 and the reference state 212, a correction value for the reference guidance specification 215 can be obtained. Based on the combination, and especially the sum, of the reference specification 215 and the correction value, a corrected or (basic) target guidance specification 214 can be obtained. In longitudinal guidance, the (basic) target guidance specification 214 can correspond to a target longitudinal acceleration. In lateral guidance, the target guidance specification 214 can correspond to a target curvature.

[0057] To improve the robustness of the trajectory following regulator 200, the trajectory following regulator 200 may include a monitoring unit 204 designed to compare the obtained (basic) target guidance specification 214 with the planned trajectory 110, particularly with the planned guidance specification 112. Specifically, it can check whether the deviation between the (basic) target guidance specification 214 and one or more planned guidance specifications 112 from the planned trajectory 110 exceeds a (predefined or obtained) deviation threshold. If this is the case, then the degradation unit 203 can be prompted to adapt the target guidance specification 214 obtained by the trajectory following regulator 200 and / or to obtain a degraded guidance specification. Within the scope of degradation, for example, it can be prompted that…

[0058] • The (valid) target specification 214 (as the target guiding specification 216 being checked) obtained in the previous time step is retained in the current time step; and / or

[0059] • (Basic) Target Guiding Specification 214 is limited to the maximum permissible deviation from the corresponding Planning Guiding Specification 112, and is therefore provided in a limited manner as the Target Guiding Specification 216 to be examined; and / or

[0060] • Target boot specification 214 is limited to the maximum allowed value, and therefore the maximum allowed value is provided as the target boot specification 216 to be checked.

[0061] The deviation threshold can be determined and / or adapted based on one or more planned guidance specifications 112 from the planned trajectory 110 and on a model of the basic dynamics of the vehicle 100. Therefore, the dynamic share of the deviation can be considered in an effective and reliable manner. The reliable and anticipated dynamic change process of the guidance specifications (especially the (basic) target guidance specification 214) can be determined based on one or more planned guidance specifications 112 and on a model of the basic dynamics of the vehicle 100, and used to calculate the permissible deviation, i.e., the deviation threshold.

[0062] Therefore, the degradation unit 203 can determine the target guidance specification 216 to be checked. If no degradation has occurred, then the target guidance specification corresponds to the (basic) target guidance specification 214, and if degradation has occurred, then the target guidance specification corresponds to the degraded target guidance specification (wherein the degraded target guidance specification can be determined as described in the list above). The target guidance specification 216 to be checked can be passed to the vehicle guidance adjuster so that the adjustment parameters for one or more longitudinal and / or lateral guidance actuators 103 of the vehicle 100 can be determined by the vehicle guidance adjuster.

[0063] Figure 3 A flowchart (possibly computer-implemented) of a method 300 for operating a trajectory-following regulator 200 to automatically guide (motorized) vehicle 100 longitudinally and / or laterally is shown. The trajectory-following regulator 200 may be designed to guide vehicle 100 (back) onto a planned trajectory 110. Method 300 may be executed via a (control) device 101 of vehicle 100. Method 300 may be executed separately at time points from a series of consecutive time points, and repeated at consecutive time points. These time points may be consecutive at the same time intervals (e.g., every 20 ms or every 100 ms).

[0064] Method 300 includes (at corresponding time points) determining 301 a reference state 212 for vehicle 100 and a reference guidance specification 215 for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of vehicle 100 based on a planned trajectory 110 of vehicle 100. The planned trajectory 110 can be re-determined at corresponding time points. Furthermore, the planned trajectory 110 can define the planned state 111 and the planned guidance specification 112 at various subsequent time points, from which the reference state 212 and the reference guidance specification 215 can be derived.

[0065] Furthermore, method 300 also includes determining a correction value for reference guidance specification 215 302 based on a comparison of the (measured) actual state 213 of vehicle 100 with reference state 212 when using a follower regulator (e.g., a proportional, integral, and / or derivative regulator). The follower regulator can be configured to make the state parameters of the actual state 213 (especially longitudinal position or lateral offset) approximate the corresponding state parameters of the reference state 212.

[0066] Method 300 also includes determining whether the trajectory follower 200 has degraded based on the correction value. Here, an excessively high correction value (in absolute terms) can be an indicator of the error of the trajectory follower 200, which may lead to degradation.

[0067] Furthermore, method 300 also includes: if the trajectory following adjuster 200 does not degenerate, then a basic target guidance specification 216 is obtained based on the correction value and the reference guidance specification 215 as the target guidance specification 216 to be checked for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle 100. The basic target guidance specification 216 may in particular correspond to the sum of the reference guidance specification 215 and the correction value.

[0068] On the other hand, method 300 includes: if the trajectory following regulator 200 degenerates, then 305 obtaining a degenerate guidance specification 216, different from the basic target guidance specification 216, as the target guidance specification 216 to be examined for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle 100. Guidance specifications limited in absolute value can be used in particular as degenerate guidance specifications.

[0069] As described above, a basic target guidance specification 216 can be obtained based on the correction value and the reference guidance specification 215. The basic target guidance specification 216 can be compared with guidance specifications 112 from one or more planned trajectories 110. Specifically, it can be checked whether the deviation between the basic target guidance specification 215 and the guidance specifications 112 from one or more planned trajectories 110 exceeds a deviation threshold. This deviation threshold can be obtained based on the planned trajectory 110 and a vehicle model used for the driving dynamics of the vehicle 100. Therefore, it is also possible to determine whether the trajectory following regulator 200 has degraded based on a distance threshold. Thus, particularly reliable and robust degradation of the trajectory following regulator 200 can be achieved.

[0070] The measures described in this document enable particularly reliable and robust trajectory following adjustment for automatic longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of vehicle 100.

[0071] This invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. In particular, it should be noted that the specification and drawings are intended to illustrate the principles of the proposed methods, apparatus, and systems only by way of example.

Claims

1. A device (101) for operating a trajectory following adjuster (200) to automatically guide a vehicle (100) longitudinally and / or laterally, wherein, The device (101) is designed for, - Based on the planned trajectory (110) of the vehicle (100), obtain the reference state (212) of the vehicle (100) and the reference guidance specification (215) for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle (100). - In the case of using a follower adjuster and based on a comparison between the actual state (213) of the vehicle (100) and the reference state (212), a correction value for the reference guidance specification (215) is obtained. - Determine whether the trajectory following regulator (200) has degraded based on the correction value. - Based on the correction value and the reference guidance specification (215), a basic target guidance specification (216) is obtained, and if the trajectory follower (200) does not degenerate, the basic target guidance specification is provided as the checked target guidance specification (216) for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle (100), and - If the trajectory follower (200) degrades, then a degraded guidance specification different from the basic target guidance specification (216) is provided as the checked target guidance specification (216) for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle (100).

2. The apparatus (101) according to claim 1, wherein, - The planned trajectory (110) of the vehicle (100) describes a series of planned states (111) of the vehicle (100) and a corresponding series of planning guidance specifications (112) for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle (100), and - The device (101) is designed for, - Compare the basic objective guidance specification (214) with one or more planning guidance specifications (112) from the series of planning guidance specifications (112), and - Based on the comparison between the basic target guidance specification (214) and one or more planning guidance specifications (112) from the series of planning guidance specifications (112), determine whether the trajectory follower (200) is degenerate.

3. The apparatus (101) according to claim 2, wherein, The device (101) is designed for, - Check whether the deviation between the basic objective guidance specification (214) and one or more planning guidance specifications (112) from the series of planning guidance specifications (112) exceeds the deviation threshold, and - If the basic target guidance specification (214) deviates from one or more planning guidance specifications (112) from the series of planning guidance specifications (112) by more than the deviation threshold, the trajectory follower regulator (200) is determined to be degraded.

4. The apparatus (101) according to claim 2, wherein, The device (101) is designed to determine the deviation threshold based on one or more planning guidance specifications (112) from the series of planning guidance specifications (112) and based on a vehicle model for the driving dynamics of the vehicle (100).

5. The apparatus (101) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The device (101) is designed for, - Retrieve time information related to the current time point, and - Based on the time information, the reference state (212) and the reference guidance specification (215) are obtained from the series of planning states (111) or from the series of planning guidance specifications (112).

6. The apparatus (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The device (101) is designed to obtain the degradation guidance specification based on the following: - The maximum allowed value of the target guidance specification (216) being inspected, and / or - The target guidance specification (216) provided at a previous point in time.

7. The apparatus (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The device (101) is designed to obtain the basic target guidance specification (214) based, in particular, as the sum of the reference guidance specification (215) and the correction value.

8. The apparatus (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The device (101) is designed to, with the aid of a vehicle guidance adjuster, determine the adjustment parameters of one or more longitudinal and / or lateral guidance actuators (103) for manipulating the vehicle (100) based on the target guidance specification (216) being examined.

9. The apparatus (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The follower regulator is configured to obtain a correction value for the reference guidance specification (215) such that at least one state parameter of the actual state (213) gradually approaches the corresponding state parameter of the reference state (212).

10. The apparatus (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The device (101) is designed to, at a series of consecutive time points respectively: - Based on the planned trajectory (110) at the corresponding time point, obtain the reference state (212) and reference guidance specification (215) at the corresponding time point. - Using the follower regulator and based on a comparison of the actual state (213) and the reference state (212) at the corresponding time points, the correction value of the reference guidance specification (215) at the corresponding time point is obtained, and - Based on the respective calculated correction values, the target guidance specifications (216) to be checked at the corresponding time points are provided.

11. The apparatus (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, - For the longitudinal guidance, the states (212, 213) of the vehicle (100) include the longitudinal position and / or longitudinal velocity of the vehicle (100) as state parameters, and - For the longitudinal guidance, the guidance specifications (215, 214, 216) for longitudinally guiding the vehicle (100) include the acceleration of the vehicle (100), and / or - For the lateral guidance, the state (212, 123) of the vehicle (100) includes the lateral offset and / or azimuth angle of the vehicle (100) as state parameters, and - For the lateral guidance, the guidance specifications (215, 214, 216) for lateral guidance of the vehicle (100) include the curvature of the travel path of the vehicle (100).

12. A method (300) for operating a trajectory following regulator (200) to automatically guide a vehicle (100) longitudinally and / or laterally, wherein, The method (300) includes: - Based on the planned trajectory (110) of the vehicle (100), obtain (301) the reference state (212) of the vehicle (100) and the reference guidance specification (215) for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle (100). - In the case of using a follower adjuster and based on a comparison between the actual state (213) of the vehicle (100) and the reference state (212), the correction value of the reference guidance specification (215) is obtained (302). - Based on the correction value, determine whether the trajectory following regulator (200) has degraded (303). - If the trajectory following adjuster (200) does not degenerate, then a basic target guidance specification (216) is obtained (304) based on the correction value and the reference guidance specification (215) as the checked target guidance specification (216) for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle (100), and - If the trajectory follower (200) degenerates, then a degenerate guide specification (305) different from the basic target guide specification (216) is obtained as the checked target guide specification (216) for longitudinal and / or lateral guidance of the vehicle (100).

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