SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BLOCKING LANE CHANGES AT ACCESS RAMPS

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system (100) and a method (400) for blocking lane changes at on-ramps. The method (400) comprises receiving (402) information corresponding to an on-ramp (304) of a road, determining (404) a current lane identifier of a vehicle (102), and determining (406) whether the current lane identifier corresponds to a second-outermost lane (306) with respect to the on-ramp (304). The method (400) may then either involve executing (408) the lane change if the current lane identifier does not correspond to the second-outermost lane (306), if desired, or preventing (410) the lane change if the current lane identifier does correspond to the second-outermost lane (306).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates to the field of vehicle initiated lane change. In particular, the present disclosure provides a system and method for blocking lane changes at ramps on roads.BACKGROUNDDuring operation, ego vehicles may change lanes for various reasons, such as during passing operations to avoid obstacles, navigate a predetermined path, or pass another vehicle. Lane changes near ramps, however, may be a difficult and potentially dangerous task, particularly when the vehicle is driving at high speeds (e.g., 90 km / h). The experiences of the occupants are impaired when the lane change is initiated, which leads to discomfort or even safety concerns for the occupants of the ego vehicle as well as for other users. Previous solutions do not provide a way to detect such situations and to handle them to be safe for the occupants of the vehicle as well as for other vehicles or pedestrians in the environment.Patent Document CN117048612 describes a method for controlling autonomous lane change of a vehicle including obtaining driving environment information of a driving environment of the vehicle to determine whether or not a ramp scene exists in front of the vehicle, wherein on the condition that the ramp scene exists, it is judged whether or not a target vehicle that reduces the passing performance of the vehicle exists. The target vehicle includes, in particular, a first associated vehicle located in a secondary lane corresponding to the ramp scene and / or a second associated vehicle located in a current lane of the vehicle. The method includes controlling autonomous lane change of the vehicle based on the judgment.Patent document CN114715156 describes a method for controlling a vehicle entering and exiting a ramp. The method includes the steps of obtaining environment data around a vehicle, and the environment data includes a lane in which the vehicle is currently located, a target lane in which the vehicle will enter, and the congestion state of the target lane. The target lane is determined based on the current lane of the vehicle and the entry and exit ramp. After the vehicle reaches the preset maximum lane change position, the congestion state of the target lane is monitored in real time, and according to the congestion state of the target lane, the possibility of the vehicle entering the target lane is determined. The vehicle may be controlled to enter and exit the ramp at the proper time, thereby improving vehicle driving efficiency and reducing traffic accidents.Patent document US20220254256 describes a method for automatically merging a vehicle from a freeway entry to a lane, in which a primary merging position is determined in advance, at which the vehicle is intended to make a lane change from the freeway entry to the lane. When the lane change at or as close to the primary confluence position does not result in hindrance to the users in the lane, the vehicle is controlled so that the lane change is performed at the primary confluence position. Otherwise, the lane change is performed at a secondary merging position determined depending on the detected distances between the users in the lane.WO 2023 / 242488 describes a method for autonomously driving a motor vehicle in lanes of a road using a computing device on board the vehicle.However, the existing systems do not efficiently initiate lane changes for vehicles at entry ramps. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for blocking lane changes at ramps on roads.OBJECT OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSUREA general object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for blocking lane changes at ramps on roads.An object of the present disclosure is to determine a current lane identifier of a vehicle and the location of entry ramps based on sensor data, map data, the linear speed of the vehicle, the distance of the vehicle to the entry ramp, or the like.An object of the present disclosure is to avoid lane change when the vehicle is traveling in the second outermost lane toward the entry ramp.SUMMARYAspects of the present disclosure relate to the field of vehicle initiated lane change. In particular, the present disclosure provides a system and method for blocking lane change at ramps on roads.One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for blocking lane changes at entry ramps, including a controller configured to receive information corresponding to an entry ramp of a road, determine a current lane identifier of a vehicle, determine whether the current lane identifier corresponds to a second most outward lane with respect to the entry ramp based at least on the received information, and prevent the lane change if the current lane identifier corresponds to the second most outward lane.In one embodiment, the current lane identifier may be determined based on sensor data or map data for the road.In one embodiment, the controller may be configured to determine whether the current lane identifier corresponds to the second most outward lane based on one of the following criteria: time-based approach or distance-based approach.In one embodiment, the time-distance-based approach may be based on a relationship between the distance of the vehicle to the ramp of entry and the speed of the vehicle.In one embodiment, the distance-based approach may be based on a distance of the vehicle from the ramp of entry.Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for blocking lane changes at entry ramps, including receiving, by a controller, information corresponding to an entry ramp of a road, determining, by the controller, a current lane identifier of a vehicle, determining, by the controller, whether the current lane identifier corresponds to a second-most lane with respect to the entry ramp based at least on the received information, and preventing, by the controller, the lane change if the current lane identifier corresponds to the second-most lane.Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, in which like numerals represent like components.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings serve to further understand the present disclosure and form part of this description. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates an example vehicle having a system for blocking lane changes at ramps on roads according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows an example of blocking of the controller according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 3A and 3B show example representations of ramp-ups and the position of the vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example of a method for blocking lane changes at ramps on roads according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates an example computer system in or with which embodiments of the system according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are so detailed as to clearly convey the disclosure. However, it is not intended to limit the predictable variations of embodiments with the particularity provided; on the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.The embodiments discussed herein relate to the area of vehicle initiated lane change. In particular, the present disclosure provides a system and method for blocking lane changes at ramps on roads.One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system and method for blocking lane changes at ramps on roads. The system includes a controller that implements the method. The controller is configured to receive information corresponding to an entry ramp of a road, determine a current lane identifier of a vehicle, and determine whether the current lane identifier corresponds to a second most outward lane with respect to the entry ramp based at least on the received information. The controller is configured to execute the lane change when the current lane identifier does not match the second most outward lane, or to prohibit the lane change when the current lane identifier matches the second most outward lane.Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be discussed in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1-5. 1-5.Referring to FIG. 1, a system 100 for blocking lane changes to entrance ramps on roads may be implemented in a vehicle 102. The vehicle 102 may include, but is not limited to, cars, vans, trucks, buses, trains, highwayways, aircraft, and the like. In some embodiments, the vehicle 102 may be an ego vehicle, i.e., a vehicle capable of detecting its environment. In some embodiments, the vehicle 102 may be a self-driving vehicle configured to perform autonomous actions to navigate the vehicle 102. The vehicle 102 may include one or more wheels 104- 1, 104- 2, 104- 3, 104- 4 (collectively referred to as wheels 104). The vehicle 102 may use steering 106 or a controller 110 to control the wheels 104 and turn the vehicle 102. The vehicle 102 may also include one or more sensors 108, such as cameras, proximity sensors, light detection and ranging (LIDAR), global positioning system (GPS), speed sensors, steering angle sensors, terrain sensors, and the like. The sensor 108 may allow the ego vehicle 102 to sense its environment and make autonomous decisions for navigation.In some embodiments, the controller 110 may be configured to autonomously control the vehicle 102. The controller 110 may be implemented as an electronic control unit (ECU) or a vehicle controller (VCU). The controller 110 may receive sensor data from the sensors 108 or use map data stored therein to navigate the vehicle 102 through roads. The controller 110 may control and steer the wheels 104, among other navigation decisions. The controller 110 may control the wheels 104 to change lanes and the like, but is not limited to, to move the vehicle 102 to a destination specified by occupants of the vehicle 102. The controller 110 may generate a path and drive the vehicle 102 to the destination via the path. The controller 110 may also receive sensor data to control the vehicle 102 to avoid collisions / accidents with obstacles, other vehicles, or pedestrians.In some embodiments, the steering 106 may be mechanically connected to the wheels 104. In some examples, the steering 106 may be, but is not limited to, a knuckle steering, a bell crank steering, a rack and pinion steering, and the like. In other embodiments, the steering 106 may be connected to the controller 110. In such embodiments, the steering 106 may send electronic signals to the controller 110 to indicate the angle at which the wheels 104 are to be controlled. The controller 110 may cause the wheels 104 to move to the indicated angle using a series of actuators. The steering 106 may be used when the occupant manually controls the vehicle 102. In further embodiments, the controller 110 may be configured to autonomously control the vehicle 102, e.g., based on sensor data received from the sensors 108. In some embodiments, controller 110 may be connected to steering 106 via an engine. The controller 110 may actuate the engine and cause the steering 106 to steer the wheels 104 based on the sensor data. In still further embodiments, the controller 110 may control the set of actuators to steer the wheels 104 and turn the vehicle 102 based on the sensor data.Unlike existing ego vehicles that are configured to steer their wheels to either make or block lane changes, the system 100 enables a safe lane change or block lane changes as it moves on ramps on roads or road segments. The system 100 controls the wheels 104 using the controller 110 to either perform or prevent lane changes based on at least one of the current lane identifier of the vehicle 102, i.e., the current lane of the vehicle 102 on the road, the distance of the vehicle 102 to the entry ramp, or the linear speed of the vehicle 102.The controller 110 may be configured to receive information about the ramp of the road. The information may match the sensor data or the map data. In some embodiments, a presence of the ramp on the road may be indicated in the sensor data or map data. The controller 110 may be configured to determine a current lane identifier of the vehicle 102. In some embodiments, the current lane identifier may be determined based on the sensor data and / or the map data. In embodiments where sensor data is used, the sensors 108 indicative of imaging devices / cameras may capture images of a road segment of the road from which the controller 110 identifies the lanes on the road (e.g., by color on the road representing the lanes). The controller 110 may use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques suitable for performing segmentation / classification or other techniques known in the art to identify the lanes from the images. Further, the controller 110 may determine the current lane of the vehicle 102 based on the images, e.g., using AI techniques or other known techniques. In other embodiments, the current lane identifier may be determined based on the current location and the distance traveled by the vehicle 102. For example, the vehicle 102 may be preprogrammed to follow a path (e.g., a path between a starting and a destination), and the sensors 108 indicating GPS may indicate the current location of the vehicle 102 on the path. The path and current location may be used by controller 110 to determine the road segment that vehicle 102 is traversing or the road segment that vehicle 102 is traversing.The controller 110 may be configured to determine whether the current lane identifier corresponds to a second most outward lane with respect to the entry ramp based at least on the received information. In some embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to determine whether the current lane identifier corresponds to the second most outward lane based on at least one of the current lane identifier of the vehicle 102, linear speed of the vehicle 102, or distance of the vehicle from the entry ramp. In some embodiments, controller 110 may use either a time- or distance-based approach to determine whether vehicle 102 is in the second most outward lane of the road.The controller 110 may either perform the lane change or prevent the lane change based on the determination. In some embodiments, the controller 110 may perform the lane change when the current lane identifier of the vehicle 102 does not match the second most outward lane, if desired. The lane change may be performed by turning the wheels 104 to an angle that allows the vehicle 102 to change to the adjacent lane. In some embodiments, the controller 110 may prevent the lane change when the current lane identifier of the vehicle 102 corresponds to the second outermost lane. Therefore, when the vehicle 102 travels in the second outermost lane with respect to the entry ramp, lane change in incoming traffic can be avoided, and the experiences of the occupants can be improved.As shown in FIG. 2, controller 110 may include one or more processors 202, as shown in block diagram 200. The one or more processor(s) 202 may be implemented as one or more microprocessor(s), microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuits, and / or any devices that process data based on operating instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) 202 may be configured to fetch and execute computer readable instructions stored in a memory 204 of the controller 110. The memory 204 may store one or more computer readable instructions or routines that may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units via a network service. The memory 204 may be any non-volatile device, for example, volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM), or non-volatile memory such as erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, and the like.In one embodiment, controller 110 may also include one or more interfaces 206. The interface(s) 206 may include a variety of interfaces, e.g., interfaces for data input and output devices referred to as input / output (I / O) devices, memory devices, and the like. Interface(s) 206 may / may enable communication between controller 110, steering 106, and sensors 108. The interface(s) 206 may also provide a communication path for one or more components of the controller 110. Examples of such components include processing engine(s) 208 and database 218.In one embodiment, the processing machine(s) 208 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functions of the processing machine(s) 208. In the examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in various ways. For example, the programming for the processing machine(s) 208 may consist of processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, and the hardware for the processing machine(s) 208 may include a processing resource (e.g., a controller) for executing such instructions.In other embodiments, the processing engine(s) 208 may be implemented by electronic circuitry. Database 218 may include data that is either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by one of the components of processing engine(s) 208. In some embodiments, the database 218 may store the map data.In some embodiments, the processing engine(s) 208 may include a lane determination engine 210, a second-most lane determination engine 212, an actuation engine 214, and other machine(s) 216. The other machine(s) 216 may / may implement functionalities that supplement the applications / functions executed by the controller 110.The lane determination engine 210 may be configured to determine the current lane of the vehicle 102. The determination of the lane may be made using the sensor data or the map data, or any combination thereof.The second-most lane determination engine 212 may be configured to determine the lane identifier corresponding to the second-most lane with respect to the on-road ramp of entry. In some embodiments, the second-most lane determination engine 212 may determine whether the current lane identifier corresponds to the second-most lane based on, but is not limited to, the sensor data, the map data, the distance of the vehicle 102 from the entry ramp, the linear speed of the vehicle 102, or the like.The actuation engine 214 may be configured to steer the wheels 104 depending on whether or not a lane change of the vehicle 102 is required. When the current lane identifier corresponds to the second outermost lane, the lane change is prohibited. If the current lane identifier does not match the second most outward lane, the lane change may be performed if desired. The actuation engine 214 may use the actuators or motors to steer or turn the vehicle 102 accordingly.Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, example representations 300A, 300B of entry ramps I are shown. As shown, the ramp 304 may be displayed in the representations 300A, 300B by the sensor data or the map data. As shown in diagram 300A, the vehicle 102 is traveling in the second most outward lane 306 with respect to the entry ramp 304, the controller 110 may block the lane change for the vehicle 102. As shown in diagram 300B, vehicle 102 is not traveling in the second most outward lane 306, and therefore controller 110 may perform the lane change for vehicle 102 if desired.As shown in FIG. 4, a method 400 for blocking lane changes at entry ramps may include a plurality of blocks 402- 410. Method 400 may be implemented by system 100 or its control device 110.At block 402, method 400 includes receiving, by a controller, information corresponding to an entry ramp (e.g., 304) of a road.In blocking 404, method 400 includes determining, by the controller, a current lane identifier of a vehicle 102.At blocking 406, method 400 includes determining, by the controller, whether the current lane identifier of vehicle 102 corresponds to a second most outward lane (e.g., 306) with respect to the entry ramp 304.The method 400 then proceeds to either block 408, where the method 400 includes executing, by the controller, the lane change if the current lane identifier does not correspond to the second most outward lane 306, if desired, or to block 410, where the method 400 includes prohibiting, by the controller, the lane change if the current lane identifier corresponds to the second most outward lane 306.In FIG. 5, the blocking diagram illustrates a computer system 500 that includes an external computing device 510, a bus 520, a main memory 530, a read only memory 540, a mass storage device 550, a communication port 560, and a processor 570. One skilled in the art will understand that system 500 may include more than one processor 570 and communication ports 560. Processor 570 may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present disclosure. Communication port 560 may be a recommended standard 232 port for use with a modem-based dial-up connection, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a gigabit or 10 gigabit port over copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. Port 560 may be selected depending on a network, such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or other network to which system 500 is connected.In one embodiment, memory 530 may be RAM or other dynamic container well known in the art. Read-only memory (ROM) 540 may be any static device, e.g., programmable read-only memory (PROM) for storing static information. Mass storage 560 may be any current or future mass storage solution that may be used to store information and / or instructions. Example mass storage solutions may include, but are not limited to, parallel advanced technology attachment (PATA) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid state drives (internal or external, e.g., with universal serial bus (USB) and / or Firewire interfaces), one or more optical disks, redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage, e.g., an array of hard disks (e.g., SATA arrays).In one embodiment, bus 520 communicatively couples processor(s) 570 to the other memory, memory, and communication blocks. Bus 520 may be, for example, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) / PCI extended (PCI-X) bus, a small computer system interface (SCSI), a USB bus, or the like, to connect expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems, as well as other buses, such as a front side bus (FSB), that connects processor 570 to computer system 500.In another embodiment, operator and management interfaces, e.g., a display device, keyboard, and a controller for the cursor, may also be coupled to bus 520 to assist in the operator's direct interaction with computer system 500. Other operator and management interfaces may be provided via network connections connected via communication port 560. In some embodiments, the external device 510 may be any type of external hard drives, floppy disk drives, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc rewritable (CD-RW), digital video disc read only memory (DVD-ROM). The above-described components are intended to be illustrative of various possibilities. The example computer system 500 described above is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be developed without departing from the basic scope of application. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the following claims. The present disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions, or examples included to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present disclosure when combined with the information and skills available to the person of ordinary skill in the art.ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure provides a system and method for blocking lane changes at ramps on roads.The present disclosure enables determination of the current lane identifier of a vehicle and the location of entry ramps based on sensor data, map data, the linear velocity of the vehicle, the distance of the vehicle to the entry ramp, or the like.With the present disclosure, a lane change is avoided when the vehicle is moving in the second outermost lane toward the entry ramp.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedCN17048612

[0003] CN 114715156

[0004] US 20220254256

[0005] WO 2023 / 242488

[0006]

Claims

A system (100) for blocking lane changes at entry ramps, comprising: a controller (110) configured to: receive information corresponding to an entry ramp (304) of a road; determine a current lane identifier of a vehicle (102); determine whether the current lane identifier corresponds to a second most outward lane (306) with respect to the entry ramp (304), based at least on the received information; and prevent the lane change if the current lane identifier corresponds to the second most outward lane (306).The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the identifier of the current lane is determined based on sensor data or map data associated with the road.The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the controller (110) is configured to determine whether the current lane identifier corresponds to the second most outward lane (306) based on one of the following: time-based approach or distance-based approach.The system (100) of claim 3, wherein the time-distance-based approach is based on a relationship between a distance of the vehicle (102) to the ramp of entry (304) and a speed of the vehicle (102).The system (100) of claim 3, wherein the distance-based approach is based on a distance of the vehicle (102) from the ramp (304).A method (400) of blocking lane changes at entry ramps, comprising: receiving (402), by a controller (110), information corresponding to an entry ramp (304) of a road; determining (404), by the controller (110), a current lane identifier of a vehicle (102); determining (406), by the controller (110), whether the current lane identifier corresponds to a second most outward lane (306) with respect to the entry ramp (304) based at least on the received information; and prohibiting (410), by the controller (110), the lane change if the current lane identifier corresponds to the second most outward lane (306).The method (400) of claim 6, wherein the identifier of the current lane is determined based on sensor data or map data associated with the road.The method (400) of claim 6, wherein the determination (406) of whether the current lane identifier corresponds to the second most external lane (306) is based on one of the following methods: time-based approach or distance-based approach.The method (400) of claim 8, wherein the time-distance-based approach is based on a relationship between a distance of the vehicle (102) to the ramp of entry (304) and a speed of the vehicle (102).The method (400) of claim 8, wherein the distance-based approach is based on a distance of the vehicle (102) from the ramp (304).

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