Device and method for determining a threading intention

Abstract

A device for determining an intention of a surrounding vehicle to merge in front of a vehicle, the device comprising: a navigation module (100) configured to obtain data about a road where the vehicle is traveling; a camera (120) configured to obtain image data about an environment around the vehicle; a radar (130) configured to obtain data about an external vehicle; a sensor (140) configured to obtain data on the behavior of the vehicle; and a processor (150, 1100) configured to be electrically connected to the navigation module (100), the camera (120), the radar (130) and the sensor (140), wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: obtain information related to the road where the vehicle is traveling based on data obtained using at least a portion of the navigation module (100), the camera (120), the radar (130), or the sensor (140); and a parameter for determining the intention for the surrounding vehicle traveling in a second lane adjacent to a first lane where the vehicle is traveling to merge, based on the information received, where the information associated with the road includes such information, which are associated with at least one section of a road environment, traffic or road curvature, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: to determine a probability measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the information received; set the parameter for determining the intention that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the probability measure; determine the probability that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the curvature of the road where the vehicle is traveling or an amount of change in the curvature of the road; and if the curvature is smaller than a value, to reduce the probability that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle.

Description

Cross-Reference to Related ApplicationThe present application claims priority to and the entire contents of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0171608 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 13, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the InventionThe present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for determining, using various data, a merging intention of an surrounding vehicle.Description of the Prior ArtWith the development of the automobile industry, a sensor and a system capable of obtaining a plurality of information such as a location, a speed, a rotation angle, a length, and a width of a surrounding vehicle, hereinafter referred to as a "surrounding vehicle" for short, have been developed to provide convenience to the driver. For example, a vehicle may obtain information on a surrounding vehicle using various sensors such as a front radar, a corner radar, a vision device, and a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) device. The vehicle may determine whether the surrounding vehicle has an intention of being threaded in front of the vehicle by the sensor, and may provide various functions such as a function of avoiding collision with the surrounding vehicle to the driver based on the detected result.A conventional vehicle may determine a merging intention by using only a physical value associated with the vehicle, for example a lateral location, a lateral speed and / or lateral acceleration of the vehicle and a surrounding vehicle, to determine a merging intention. Moreover, there is a limitation that the conventional vehicle uses surrounding information only when the conventional vehicle is in the vicinity of a merging or diverging lane in a merging road section or diverging road section. Since the conventional vehicle simply increases a distance to a preceding vehicle in a merging portion or a diverging portion, it may increase a distance to the preceding vehicle even if a surrounding vehicle does not have an intention of actually merging. This may feel irritating to a driver due to unnecessary deceleration.With regard to the prior art, reference can be made to JP 2014-41 434 A, JP 2017-185 855 A and U.S. Pat. No. 2017 / 0 240 109 A1.The information disclosed in this Background section is merely for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.Brief SummaryVarious aspects of the present invention are directed to providing an apparatus and a method for determining a merging intention in a vehicle to accurately determine the merging intention of a surrounding vehicle depending on a situation of the vehicle using a plurality of information associated with a road where the vehicle travels.The technical problems to be solved by the present inventive concept are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and all other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood from the following description by those skilled in the art.According to various aspects of the present invention, an apparatus configured to determine a merging intention ahead of a vehicle may include a navigation module configured to obtain data about a road where the vehicle travels, a camera configured to obtain image data about an environment around the vehicle, a radar configured to obtain data about an external vehicle, a sensor configured to obtain data about the behavior of the vehicle, and a processor configured to electrically connect to the navigation module, the camera, the radar, and the sensor. The processor may be configured to obtain information associated with at least a portion of a road environment, traffic, or road curvature based on data obtained using at least a portion of the navigation module, camera, radar, or sensor and set a parameter for determining an intention for a surrounding vehicle traveling on a second lane adjacent to a first lane where the vehicle is traveling for merging based on the obtained information, wherein the information associated with the road comprises information associated with at least a portion of a road environment, traffic, or road curvature, wherein the processor is configured to determine a likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the obtained information and the parameter for determining the intention, that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the likelihood measure to determine the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the curvature of the road where the vehicle is travelling or an amount of change in the curvature of the road, and if the curvature is less than a value, to reduce the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor may be configured to determine the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge based on information about a portion of a road where the vehicle is traveling, information about the number of lanes of the road where the vehicle is traveling, and information about a lane where the vehicle is traveling.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor may be configured to, when a road section where the vehicle is traveling is connected to an outward lane, increase the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle located in a direction opposite to the outward lane of the vehicle will merge.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor may be configured to, when a road section where the vehicle is traveling is connected to an entrance lane, increase the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle located in the same direction as the entrance lane from the vehicle will merge.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor may be configured to determine the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge based on an average travel speed on the first lane and an average travel speed on the second lane.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the average travel speed in the first lane may be an average speed of the vehicle or a preceding vehicle of the vehicle during a certain time interval. The average travel speed in the second lane may be an average speed of at least some other vehicles traveling in the second lane during the specified time interval.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor may be configured to, when the average travel speed on the first lane is faster than the average travel speed on the second lane, increase the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle will merge.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor may be configured to select the parameter for determining the intention that the surrounding vehicle will merge among predetermined parameters based on the obtained information.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor may be configured to determine a first measure of a probability of merging based on information associated with the road environment, determine a second measure of a probability of merging based on information associated with traffic, determine a third measure of a probability of merging based on information associated with the road curvature, and determine the probability measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge based on the first measure, the second measure, and the third measure.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor may be configured to determine a plurality of amounts of probabilities of merging based on the obtained information and determine a minimum value or a maximum value among the plurality of amounts as the amount of probability that the surrounding vehicle will merge.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the parameter may include at least a part of a vehicle surrounding a lateral position, a lateral speed, a lateral acceleration, and a duration of behavior.According to various aspects of the present invention, a method for determining a merging intention ahead of a vehicle may include: obtaining at least a portion of data about a road where the vehicle is traveling, image data about an environment around the vehicle, data about an external vehicle, or data about the behavior of the vehicle, obtaining information associated with at least a portion of a road environment, traffic, or road curvature based on the obtained data, and adjusting a parameter for determining an intention for a surrounding vehicle traveling on a second lane next to a first lane where the vehicle is traveling to merge based on the obtained information, wherein the information associated with the road includes information associated with at least a portion of a road environment, traffic, or road curvature. The step of adjusting includes determining a likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the obtained information and adjusting the parameter for determining the intention for the surrounding vehicle to merge in front of the vehicle based on the likelihood measure. The step of determining includes determining the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on information regarding a portion of the road where the vehicle is traveling, based on information regarding a number of lanes of the road where the vehicle is traveling, and based on information regarding a lane where the vehicle is traveling, and determining the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the curvature of the road where the vehicle is traveling or a change amount of the curvature of the road, wherein when the curvature is less than a value, the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle is decreased.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the step of determining may include determining the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge based on an average travel speed on the first lane and an average travel speed on the second lane.In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the step of adjusting may include selecting the parameter for determining the intention that the surrounding vehicle will merge among predetermined parameters based on the obtained information.The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are set forth in the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention.Brief Description of the DrawingsFIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus configured to determine a merging intention in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the merging intention ahead of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the merging intention ahead of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the merging intention ahead of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus configured to determine the merging intention in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus configured to determine the merging intention in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus configured to determine the merging intention in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus configured to determine a merging intention in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.In the figures, reference numerals refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the drawing figures.Detailed DescriptionReference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. Although the invention(s) will be described in connection with exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to these exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In adding reference sign additions to elements of each drawing, it is to be understood that the same elements have the same designations, although the same elements are shown in a different drawing. When it is determined in the description of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention that a detailed description of related known configurations or functions obscures the gist of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is omitted.In describing elements of the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "1.", "2.", "first", "second", "A", "B", "(a)", "(b)" and the like may be used herein. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another element, but do not limit the corresponding elements regardless of the type, orientation, or order of the corresponding elements. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in a general dictionary are to be interpreted as having meanings corresponding to contextual meanings in each field of the related art, and are not to be interpreted as having ideal or excessively formal meanings unless clearly defined as such in the present application.FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus configured to determine a merging intention in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus 100 for determining the merging intention in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as "apparatus 100") includes a navigation module 110, a camera 120, a radar 130, a sensor 140, and a processor 150. The device 100 of FIG. 1 may be loaded into the vehicle.The navigation module 110 obtains data on a road where the vehicle travels. The navigation module 110 transmits the obtained data to the processor 150. Information assigned to, for example, a road section (e.g., a crossway ("IC"), a junction ("JC"), a toll section ("TG"), a branch section, a merging section, or the like) where the vehicle is traveling, the total number of lanes of the road where the vehicle is traveling, a lane (e.g., a first lane, a second lane, a third lane, or the like) where the vehicle is traveling, and the like may be obtained from the data obtained from the navigation module 110.The camera 120 obtains image data about an environment around the vehicle. The camera 120 transmits the obtained data to the processor 150. Information related to, for example, a lateral location of the vehicle, a steering angle of the vehicle, a curvature of a road, a change rate of the curvature of the road, and the like may be obtained from the data obtained from the camera 120. Information on a location, a speed, and the like of an external vehicle may be obtained from the data obtained from the camera 120.The radar 130 receives data about an external vehicle. The radar 130 transmits the obtained data to the processor 150. Information associated with, for example, a location, a speed, and the like of the external vehicle may be obtained from the data of the radar 130.The sensor 140 receives data on the behavior of the vehicle. The sensor 140 transmits the obtained data to the processor 150. Information related to, for example, a speed, a yaw rate, and the like of the vehicle may be obtained from the data of the sensor 140.The processor 150 is electrically connected to the navigation module 110, the camera 120, the radar 130, and the sensor 140. The processor 150 may control the navigation module 110, the camera 120, the radar 130, and the sensor 140, and perform a plurality of data processings and various arithmetic operations.According to the invention, the processor 150 may obtain data using at least a portion of the navigation module 110, the camera 120, the radar 130, or the sensor 140. The processor 150 may obtain information associated with at least a portion of the road environment, traffic, or road curvature based on the obtained data. For example, the processor 150 may obtain information on a road environment, for example, information on a portion of a road where the vehicle travels, information on the number of lanes of the road where the vehicle travels, information on a lane where the vehicle travels, and the like. In another example, the processor 150 may obtain information associated with the traffic, for example, an average travel speed on a first lane where the vehicle is traveling, an average travel speed on a second lane where a surrounding vehicle is traveling, and the like. In another example, the processor 150 may obtain information associated with the road curvature, e.g., the curvature of the road where the vehicle is traveling, a change rate of the curvature, and the like.According to the present invention, the processor 150 sets a parameter for determining an intention for a surrounding vehicle traveling on a second lane adjacent to a first lane where the vehicle travels for merging, based on obtained information. For example, the processor 150 may determine a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle will merge based on the obtained information, and adjust a parameter for determining the intention that the surrounding vehicle will merge based on the measure. The processor 150 may determine a likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge, and may apply a parameter that is a criterion for determining the merging intention differently depending on the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle will merge. For example, the processor 150 may determine an intention to thread faster than a usual situation by applying a low criterion for determining a threading intention on a surrounding vehicle with a high threading probability. Thus, an accident by the surrounding vehicle with the high merging probability can be prevented. For another example, the processor 150 may determine a merging intention more conservative than the usual situation by applying a high criterion for determining a merging intention in a surrounding vehicle with a low merging probability. Thus, the processor 150 may reduce an erroneous determination of an intention to cut for the surrounding vehicle with the low cut-off probability. The parameter may include at least a portion of, for example, a lateral location, a lateral velocity, a lateral acceleration, and a duration of behavior of a surrounding vehicle. The processor 150 may adjust a lateral location, a lateral velocity, a lateral deceleration, and a behavior duration, which are criteria for determining the threading intention. For example, when a lateral speed of a surrounding vehicle is maintained at a certain value or more during the driving behavior toward the vehicle, the processor 150 may determine that the surrounding vehicle has an intention of being threaded.According to the present invention, the processor 150 determines a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle will merge based on information related to a portion of a road (e.g., an IC portion, a JC portion, a TG portion, a branching portion, a merging portion, or the like) where the vehicle is traveling, based on information related to the number of lanes of the road where the vehicle is traveling, and based on information related to a lane where the vehicle is traveling. The processor 150 may determine a probability of merging depending on the vicinity of a road where the vehicle is traveling and the position of a lane where the vehicle is traveling. The processor 150 may obtain information on a road section where the vehicle travels, information on the total number of lanes of the road where the vehicle travels, information on a lane where the vehicle travels, and the like from map information. The processor 150 may determine a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle located on a left lane of a right lane of the lane where the vehicle is traveling will merge based on the obtained information. An exemplary embodiment for determining a merging probability when the vehicle is traveling in a diverging section and a merging section will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 may determine a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle traveling on the second lane will merge based on an average traveling speed on a first lane where the vehicle travels and an average traveling speed on a second lane that is adjacent to the first lane. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the average travel speed in the first lane may be an average speed of the vehicle or a preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle during a certain time interval. The average travel speed in the second lane may be an average speed of at least some other vehicles traveling in the second lane during the specified time interval. For example, if the average travel speed on the first lane is higher than the average travel speed on the second lane, the processor 150 may increase the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge. When the traffic on the first lane is less than the traffic on the second lane, the processor 150 may determine that there is a high probability that a surrounding vehicle located on the second lane will merge. Since there is a high probability in the present case that a speed of the vehicle is faster than a speed of the surrounding vehicle, a quick determination of the merging intention may be required to reduce the risk of a collision.According to the present invention, the processor 150 determines a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle will merge based on the curvature of a road where the vehicle is traveling or a change in the curvature. For example, if the curvature is less than a predetermined value, processor 150 may reduce the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle will merge. When a curvature of a road where the vehicle travels is small, when a change in the curvature is large, or when a yaw rate of the vehicle is high, the determination of a lateral location and a lateral speed of the surrounding vehicle may be inaccurate. In addition, if the curvature is small or if the curvature is changed to a great extent, it may be very likely that the surrounding vehicle must remain in this lane. Thus, a probability of erroneously recognizing a merging intention of the surrounding vehicle can be reduced by determining a merging probability as low.According to the present invention, the processor 150 selects a parameter for determining the intention that the surrounding vehicle will merge among predetermined parameters based on the obtained information. The parameter may include, for example, at least a portion of a lateral location, a lateral velocity, a lateral acceleration, and a duration of behavior of the surrounding vehicle. The processor 150 may select one of a plurality of previously stored lateral location parameters, select one of a plurality of previously stored lateral velocity parameters, select one of a plurality of previously stored lateral acceleration parameters, and select one of a plurality of previously stored lateral behavior duration parameters based on the obtained information.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, processor 150 may determine a measure of merge probability based on road environment, traffic, and road curvature. A relationship among a probability of merging according to a road environment, a measure of a merging probability, a parameter for determining a merging intention, and a time for determining a merging intention may be included in Table 1. Table 1 Table 1NormalMeasure 0High High LevelSlowly, slowlyHigh High LevelMeasure 1NormalNormalVery highMeasure 2Low Low LevelFast FastAccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 may set a first measure of a merging probability based on information associated with a road environment and a second measure of a merging probability based on information associated with traffic. The processor 150 may determine a third measure of a merge probability based on information associated with the road curvature and set a level of a merge probability based on the first measure, the second measure, and the third measure. A measure of a merge probability according to a criterion for determining a merge probability may be included in Table 2. Table 2 Table 2Criterion for Determining Threading IntentionLow Low LevelNormalHigh High LevelVery highRoad Environment-012Traffic-012Road Curvature-10--A final measure of a merging probability may be adjusted as in Table 3 according to the sum of a measure of a merging probability according to a road environment, a measure of a merging probability according to traffic, and a measure of a merging probability according to the road curvature. Table 3 Table 3-1Measure 0High High LevelSlowly, slowly01Measure 1NormalNormal23Measure 2Low Low LevelFast FastAccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 may determine a plurality of merge probabilities based on the obtained information and determine a minimum value or a maximum value among the plurality of measures as a measure of a merge probability. For example, the processor 150 may obtain a maximum value between the amounts of the merging probabilities corresponding to the road curvature and the amounts of the merging probabilities corresponding to the traffic. The processor 150 may obtain a minimum value from the obtained maximum value and the amounts of the merge probabilities corresponding to the road curvature. The processor 150 may determine the obtained minimum value as a final measure of a merge probability. A measure of a merge probability according to a criterion for determining a merge probability may be included in Tables 4 and 5. Table 4 Table 4Criterion for Determining Merge ProbabilityNormalHigh High LevelVery highRoad Environment012Traffic012Table 5Table 5Criterion for Determining Merge ProbabilityVery little is presentLow Low LevelNormalRoad Curvature012For example, when a measure corresponding to a road environment is "2", when a measure corresponding to traffic is "1", and when a measure corresponding to the road curvature is "1", a final likelihood measure for merging may be "1". In another example, a final merge probability measure may be "0" when a measure corresponding to a road environment is "2", when a measure corresponding to the traffic is "1", and when a measure corresponding to the road curvature is "0". In another example, a final merge probability measure may be "2" when a measure corresponding to a road environment is "1", when a measure corresponding to traffic is "2", and when a measure corresponding to the road curvature is "2". A parameter for determining a merge intention and a time for determining a merge intention according to a final merge probability measure may be included in Table 6. Table 6 Table 6Measure 0High High LevelLow Low LevelMeasure 1NormalNormalMeasure 2Low Low LevelFast FastA probability of the merge and a parameter for determining a merge intention may be determined by the other various methods.FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the merging intention ahead of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.In the following, it is to be assumed that a device 100 from FIG. 1 carries out a method from FIG. 2. Moreover, in a description of FIG. 2, an operation referred to as being performed by a device may be understood as being controlled by a processor 150 of the device 100.Referring to FIG. 2, in operation 210, the apparatus may obtain at least a portion of data about a road where a vehicle is moving, image data about an environment around the vehicle, data about an external vehicle, or data about the behavior of the vehicle. For example, the apparatus may obtain various data using a navigation module, a camera, a radar, a sensor, and the like.In operation220, the device may obtain information about at least a portion of a road environment, traffic, or road curvature based on the obtained data. For example, the apparatus may obtain information on a road section where the vehicle travels, information on the number of lanes of the road where the vehicle travels, information on a lane where the vehicle travels, and the like from the obtained data. The apparatus may obtain, from the obtained data, information on an average traveling speed on a first lane where the vehicle travels and an average traveling speed on a second lane adjacent to the first lane. The apparatus may obtain information on the curvature of the road where the vehicle is running or a change in the curvature from the obtained data.In operation 230, the apparatus may adjust a parameter for determining an intention for a surrounding vehicle traveling on the second lane adjacent to the first lane where the merging vehicle travels, based on the obtained information. For example, the device may determine a probability that the surrounding vehicle will merge based on the obtained information and adjust a parameter such as a lateral location, a lateral speed, a lateral acceleration, and / or a behavior duration, which(s) is / are a criterion for determining the merging intention based on the probability that the surrounding vehicle will merge.FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the merging intention ahead of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.In the following, it is to be assumed that a device 100 from FIG. 1 carries out an operation from FIG. 3. Moreover, in a description of FIG. 3, an operation referred to as being performed by a device may be understood as being controlled by a processor 150 of the device 100.Referring to FIG. 3, in operation 305, the device may obtain information about a road environment. For example, the apparatus may obtain information indicating whether a road section where a vehicle is traveling is an IC / JC branch section, an IC / JC merging section, a TG section, a branch section, or a merging section.In operation 310, the apparatus may determine whether the road section where the vehicle is traveling is the IC / JC branch section. For example, the apparatus may determine whether the road section where the vehicle is traveling is the IC / JC branch section based on the information obtained in operation 305.If the road section where the vehicle is traveling is the IC / JC branch section in operation 315, then the device may determine a branching location. For example, the device may determine whether the branching location is the left or the right.If the branching location is the right, the device may determine, in operation 320, a location of a lane where the vehicle is travelling. For example, the device may determine whether the lane where the vehicle is traveling is an nth lane.If the lane where the vehicle is travelling is a first lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 325, a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle travelling on a right lane from the vehicle will merge.If the lane where the vehicle is travelling is the nth lane, e.g., if the lane where the vehicle is travelling is not the first lane or an end lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 330, a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle travelling on a left lane and a right lane from the vehicle will merge.If the lane where the vehicle is travelling is the final lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 335, a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle travelling on a left lane and on a right lane (a branch lane) from the vehicle will merge.If the branching location is the left, the device may determine a location of a lane where the vehicle is traveling, in operation 340.If the lane where the vehicle is travelling is the first lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 345, a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle travelling on a left lane (a branch lane) and a right lane from the vehicle will merge.If the lane where the vehicle is travelling is the nth lane, e.g., if the lane where the vehicle is travelling is not the first lane or the final lane, in operation 350, the apparatus may determine a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle travelling on a left lane and a right lane from the vehicle will merge.If the lane where the vehicle is travelling is the final lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 355, a likelihood measure that a surrounding vehicle travelling on a left lane from the vehicle will merge.If the road section where the vehicle is travelling is not the IC / JC branch section, the apparatus may determine, at operation 360, whether the road section where the vehicle is travelling is the IC / JC merging section. When the road section where the vehicle travels is the IC / JC merging section, the apparatus may perform an operation for the IC / JC merging section similar to the operation steps 315 to 355.If the road section where the vehicle is travelling is not the IC / JC merging section in operation 365, the apparatus may determine whether the road section where the vehicle is travelling is the TG section. When the road section where the vehicle is traveling is the TG section, the apparatus may perform an operation for the TG section in a similar manner to the operations 315 to 355.If the road section where the vehicle is travelling is not the TG section, the apparatus may determine, at operation 370, whether the road section where the vehicle is travelling is the branch section. When the road section where the vehicle travels is the branch section, the apparatus may perform a process for the branch section in a similar manner to the operations 315 to 355.If the road section where the vehicle is travelling is not the branch section, the apparatus may determine, at operation 375, whether the road section where the vehicle is travelling is the merging section. When the road section where the vehicle travels is the merging section, the apparatus may perform an operation for the merging section in a similar manner to the operations 315 to 355.If the road section where the vehicle is travelling is not the merging section at operation 380, the device may use a default measure of the probability of merging. The apparatus may determine a threading intent based on the default measure.FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining intention of merging in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.In the following, it is to be assumed that a device 100 from FIG. 1 carries out a method according to FIG. 4. Moreover, in a description of FIG. 4, an operation referred to as being performed by a device may be understood as being controlled by a processor 150 of the device 100.Referring to FIG. 4, in operation 401, the device may obtain information about a location of a lane. For example, the device may obtain information indicating whether the lane is an nth lane.In operation 402, the device may initialize an average speed in the lane, an average speed in a left lane from the lane, and an average speed in a right lane from the lane. For example, the device may initialize a predetermined average speed.In operation 403 the device may determine a location of the lane. For example, the device may determine whether the location of the lane is an nth lane.In operation 404, the apparatus may determine whether a location of a current lane is identical to a location of a previous lane. If the location of the current lane is not identical to the location of the previous lane, the apparatus may perform operation 402 again.If the location of the current lane is identical to the location of the previous lane, the apparatus may determine an average travel speed in the lane and an average travel speed in the right lane of the lane, in operation 405.In operation 406, the device may determine whether the duration of the average driving speed in the driving lane and the average driving speed in the right lane is greater than a certain value T 1. If the duration is less than or equal to the indicated value T 1, the apparatus may perform the operation 403 again.If the duration is greater than the indicated value T 1, the apparatus may determine, at operation 407, whether the average travel speed Vavgof the lane is greater than the average travel speed Vavgof the right lane.If the average driving speed Vavgof the lane is greater than the average driving speed Vavgof the right lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 408, that a probability that a surrounding vehicle located on the right lane will merge is high.If the average driving speed Vavgof the driving lane is less than or equal to the average driving speed Vavgof the right lane, the apparatus may determine, in operation 409, that the probability that the surrounding vehicle located on the right lane will merge is low.If the lane where the vehicle is travelling is the nth lane, e.g., if the lane where the vehicle is travelling is not a first lane or final lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 410, whether the location of the current lane is identical to the location of the previous lane. If the location of the current lane is not identical to the location of the previous lane, the apparatus may perform operation 402 again.If the location of the current lane is identical to the location of the previous lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 411, an average travel speed in the lane, an average travel speed in a right lane from the lane, and an average travel speed of a left lane from the lane.In operation 412, the apparatus may determine whether the duration of the average travel speed in the lane, the average travel speed in the right lane, and the average travel speed in the left lane is greater than the indicated value T 1. If the duration is less than or equal to the indicated value T 1, the apparatus may perform the operation 403 again.If the duration is greater than the indicated value T 1, the apparatus may determine, at operation 413, whether the average travel speed Vavgin the lane is greater than the average travel speed Vavgin the right lane.If the average travel speed Vavgin the lane is greater than the average travel speed Vavgin the right lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 414, that a likelihood that a surrounding vehicle will merge in the right lane is high.If the average driving speed Vavgin the driving lane is less than or equal to the average driving speed Vavgin the right lane, the apparatus may determine, in operation 415, that the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle located in the right lane will merge is low.In operation 416 the device may determine whether the average travel speed Vavgin the lane is greater than the average travel speed Vavgin the left lane.If the average travel speed Vavgin the lane is greater than the average travel speed Vavgin the left lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 417, that a probability that a surrounding vehicle located in the left lane will merge is high.If the average travel speed Vavgin the lane is less than or equal to the average travel speed Vavgin the left lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 418, that the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle located in the left lane will merge is low.If the lane where the vehicle is travelling is the final lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 419, whether a location of a current lane is identical to a location of a previous lane. If the location of the current lane is not identical to the location of the previous lane, the apparatus may perform operation 402 again.If the location of the current lane is identical to the location of the previous lane, the device may determine an average travel speed in the lane and an average travel speed in a left lane from the lane.In operation 421, the apparatus may determine whether the duration of the average travel speed in the lane and the average travel speed in the left lane is greater than the indicated value T 1. If the duration is less than or equal to the indicated value T 1, the apparatus may perform the operation 403 again.When the duration is greater than the specified value T 1, the apparatus may determine whether the average traveling speed Vavgin the traveling lane is greater than the average traveling speed Vavgin the left lane.If the average travel speed Vavgin the lane is greater than the average travel speed Vavgin the left lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 423, that a probability that a surrounding vehicle located in the left lane will merge is high.If the average travel speed Vavgin the lane is less than or equal to the average travel speed Vavgin the left lane, the apparatus may determine, at operation 424, that the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle located in the left lane will merge is low.FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus configured to determine an intention of merging in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when a road section where the vehicle travels is connected to an outward lane, the vehicle may increase the likelihood that a surrounding vehicle located in a direction opposite to the outward lane of the vehicle will merge.Referring to FIG. 5, a vehicle 510 traveling on a first lane of a branch section may determine a probability that a surrounding vehicle 520 traveling on a second lane will merge. Since the travel of the surrounding vehicle 520 traveling on the second lane is not related to the branch portion, the vehicle 510 in the present case may determine the probability that the surrounding vehicle 520 will merge as "normal".When a vehicle 530 is traveling on a second lane of a branch section, it may determine a probability that a left surrounding vehicle 540 traveling on a first lane will merge and a probability that a right surrounding vehicle 550 traveling on a third lane will merge. In the present case, since there is a possibility that the left surrounding vehicle 540 will enter the branch road, the vehicle 530 may determine the possibility that the left surrounding vehicle 540 will merge as "high". Since the travel of the right surrounding vehicle 550 is not related to the branching portion, the vehicle 530 may determine the probability that the right surrounding vehicle 550 will merge as "normal".When a vehicle 560 is traveling in a third lane of a branch section, it may determine a probability that a surrounding vehicle 570 traveling in a second lane will merge. Since, in the present case, there is a probability that the surrounding vehicle 570 will enter a branch road, the vehicle 560 may determine the probability that the surrounding vehicle 570 will merge as "high.".When a vehicle 580 is traveling in a third lane of a diverging section, it may determine a probability that a surrounding vehicle 590 traveling in a diverging lane will merge. Since the probability that the surrounding vehicle 590 entering the diverging lane enters the third lane again is low, the vehicle 580 may determine the probability that the surrounding vehicle 590 will merge as "low".FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus configured to determine an intention of merging in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when a road section where the vehicle travels is connected to an entrance lane, the vehicle may increase the likelihood that a surrounding vehicle located in the same direction as the entrance lane from the vehicle will merge.Referring to FIG. 6, a vehicle 610 traveling in a first lane of a merging section may determine a probability that a surrounding vehicle 620 traveling in a second lane will merge. In the present case, since there is a high possibility that the surrounding vehicle 620 traveling in the merging section connected to a right entrance road will merge to the left, the vehicle 610 may "determine" the possibility that the surrounding vehicle 620 will merge as high.When a vehicle 630 travels in a second lane of a merging portion, it may determine a probability that a left surrounding vehicle 640 traveling in a first lane will merge and a probability that a right surrounding vehicle 650 traveling in a third lane will merge. Since the traveling of the left surrounding vehicle 640 is not related to the merging portion, the vehicle 630 in the present case may determine the probability that the left surrounding vehicle 640 will merge as "normal". Since there is a high possibility that the right surrounding vehicle 650 traveling in the merging section connected to a right merging road will merge to the left, the vehicle 630 may determine the possibility that the right surrounding vehicle 650 will merge as "high".When a vehicle 660 is traveling in a third lane of a merging section, it may determine a probability that a left surrounding vehicle 670 traveling in a second lane will merge and a probability that a right surrounding vehicle 680 traveling in a merging lane will merge. Since the traveling of the left surrounding vehicle 670 is not related to the merging portion, the vehicle 660 in the present case may determine the probability that the left surrounding vehicle 670 will merge as "normal". Since the right surrounding vehicle 680 traveling in the merging lane should merge leftward before the end of the merging section, the vehicle 660 may determine the probability that the right surrounding vehicle 680 will merge as "high".FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus configured to determine an intention of merging in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the average travel speed on a first lane where the vehicle travels is faster than the average travel speed on a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the vehicle may increase the likelihood that a surrounding vehicle will merge.Referring to FIG. 7, a vehicle 710 may travel in a first lane, and a surrounding vehicle 720 may travel in a second lane. An average speed on the first lane may be 50 km / h, and an average speed on the second lane may be 20 km / h. A probability of merging from a high traffic lane to a low traffic lane may be high. Thus, the vehicle 710 may determine a probability that the surrounding vehicle 720, which is traveling on the second relatively high traffic lane, will merge into the first relatively low traffic lane as "high.".A vehicle 730 may travel in a first lane, and a surrounding vehicle 740 may travel in a second lane. An average speed on the first lane may be 10 km / h, and an average speed on the second lane may be 30 km / h. A probability of threading from a low traffic lane to a high traffic lane may be "low.". Thus, the vehicle 730 may determine a probability that the surrounding vehicle 740 traveling on the second lane with relatively low traffic will merge into the first lane with relatively high traffic volume as "normal".FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus configured to determine an intention to cut in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.According to the invention, when a curvature is less than a certain value, the vehicle reduces the likelihood that a surrounding vehicle will merge.Referring to FIG. 8, a vehicle 810 and a surrounding vehicle 820 may travel on a curve. The curvature of the curve may be 400R. Although the surrounding vehicle 820 does not have the intention to thread, it may move in a left end portion of a second lane of the curve. At the moment the vehicle 810 determines a merging intention based on a usual lateral location parameter, the probability of a wrong determination may be high. Thus, the vehicle 810 may determine a probability that the surrounding vehicle 820 will merge as "low" and adjust a parameter.A vehicle 830 and a surrounding vehicle 840 may be driving on a curve. The curvature of the curve may be 300R. When the curvature of a road is small, the accuracy with which the vehicle 830 measures a lateral location and the lateral speed of the surrounding vehicle 840 may be reduced. Thus, the likelihood that the vehicle 830 will incorrectly determine a merging intent may be high. Thus, the vehicle 830 may determine a probability that the surrounding vehicle 840 will merge as low and adjust a parameter.For example, if the curvature of a road is less than or equal to 200R, a vehicle may determine the probability of merging as being "very low.". When the curvature of the road is 200R to 500R, the vehicle may determine the probability of merging as "low". When the curvature of the road is greater than or equal to 500R, the vehicle may determine the probability of merging as "normal".FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 9, the above-mentioned method for determining the intention of merging in front of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by the computer system. A computer system 1000 may include at least a processor 1100, a memory 1300, an input device 1400, an output device 1500, a storage 1600, and a network interface 1700, which are connected to each other via a bus 1200.The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device configured to execute processing of instructions stored in the memory 1300 and / or the storage 1600. The memory 1300 and the storage 1600 may include various types of volatile or nonvolatile storage media. For example, the memory 1300 may include a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).Thus, the operations of the methods or algorithms described in connection with the example embodiments included in the description may be directly implemented with a hardware module executed by the processor 1100, a software module, or combinations thereof. The software module may reside on a storage medium (i.e., the memory 1300 and / or the storage 1600) such as a RAM, a flash memory, a ROM, an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, or a compact disc ROM (CD-ROM). An example storage medium may be coupled to processor 1100. The processor 1100 may read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor 1100. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may be located in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may be arranged as separate components of the user terminal.The apparatus configured to determine an intention to cut in the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may quickly process the cutting in of a surrounding vehicle when a probability of the cutting in is high, and may reduce the probability of misrecognition that the surrounding vehicle will cut in when the probability of the cutting in is low by determining the probability that the surrounding vehicle will cut in using a plurality of information such as road environment, traffic, road curvature, and / or the like.Moreover, various effects indirectly or directly produced by the present invention may be provided.Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.For purposes of clarity and accurate definition in the appended claims, the following terms are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures: "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "upper," "lower," "upper," "lower," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "back," "inner," "outer," "inner," "outer," "forward," and "rearward.".The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and discussion. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the disclosed embodiments, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.List of reference charactersFIG. 1 100 : Apparatus for determining a merging intention 110: Navigation module 120: Camera 130: Radar 140: Sensor 150: Processor FIG. 9: 1100: Processor 1300: Memory 1400: User interface input device 1500: User interface output device 1600: Storage device 1700: Network interface

Claims

An apparatus for determining an intention of a surrounding vehicle to thread in front of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a navigation module (100) configured to obtain data about a road where the vehicle travels; a camera (120) configured to obtain image data about an environment around the vehicle; a radar (130) configured to obtain data about an external vehicle; a sensor (140) configured to obtain data about the behavior of the vehicle; and a processor (150, 1100) configured to be electrically connected to the navigation module (100), the camera (120), the radar (130), and the sensor (140), wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: obtain information related to the road where the vehicle travels based on data obtained using at least a portion of the navigation module (100), the camera (120), the radar (130), or the sensor (140); determining a parameter for determining the intention for the surrounding vehicle traveling in a second lane adjacent to a first lane where the vehicle is traveling for merging based on the obtained information, wherein the information associated with the road comprises information associated with at least a portion of a road environment, traffic, or road curvature, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: determine a likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the obtained information; set the parameter for determining the intention that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the likelihood measure; determining the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the curvature of the road where the vehicle is traveling or an amount of change in the curvature of the road; and if the curvature is less than a value, decreasing the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: determine the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on information related to a portion of the road where the vehicle is traveling, based on information related to a number of lanes of the road where the vehicle is traveling, and based on information related to a lane where the vehicle is traveling.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: when a road section where the vehicle is traveling is connected to an exit lane, increase the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle located in a direction opposite from the exit lane of the vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: when a road section where the vehicle is traveling is connected to an entrance lane, increase the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle located in a same direction as the entrance lane from the vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: determine the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on an average travel speed on the first lane and an average travel speed on the second lane.The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the average travel speed on the first lane is an average speed of the vehicle or a vehicle ahead of the vehicle during a time interval, and wherein the average travel speed on the second lane is an average speed of at least one other vehicle traveling during the time interval on the second lane.The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: when the average travel speed on the first lane is higher than the average travel speed on the second lane, increase the likelihood that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: select the parameter for determining the intention that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle from predetermined parameters based on the obtained information.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: determine a first likelihood measure of merging ahead of the vehicle based on information associated with the road environment; determine a second likelihood measure of merging ahead of the vehicle based on information associated with traffic; determine a third likelihood measure of merging ahead of the vehicle based on information associated with the road curvature; and determine the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge ahead of the vehicle based on the first measure, the second measure, and the third measure.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor (150, 1100) is configured to: determine a plurality of probability measures of merging in front of the vehicle based on the obtained information; and determine a minimum value or a maximum value among the plurality of measures as a probability measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle.A method for determining an intention of a surrounding vehicle to thread in front of a vehicle, the method comprising: obtaining at least a portion of data about a road where the vehicle is travelling, image data about an environment around the vehicle, data about an external vehicle, or data about a behavior of the vehicle; obtaining information associated with at least a portion of a road environment, traffic, or road curvature based on the obtained data; adjusting a parameter for determining the intention for the surrounding vehicle traveling in a second lane adjacent a first lane where the vehicle is traveling to thread in front of the vehicle based on the obtained information, wherein the information associated with the road comprises information associated with at least a portion of a road environment, traffic, or road curvature, wherein the adjusting step comprises: determining a likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will thread in front of the vehicle based on the obtained information; adjusting the parameter for determining the intention for the surrounding vehicle to thread in front of the vehicle based on the likelihood measure, wherein the step of determining comprises: determining the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will thread in front of the vehicle based on information related to a portion of the road where the vehicle is travelling, based on information related to a number of lanes of the road where the vehicle is travelling, and based on information related to a lane where the vehicle is travelling; determining the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on the curvature of the road where the vehicle is traveling or a change amount of the curvature of the road, wherein when the curvature is less than a value, the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle is decreased.The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining comprises: determining the likelihood measure that the surrounding vehicle will merge in front of the vehicle based on an average travel speed on the first lane and an average travel speed on the second lane.

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