Managing the driving of a motor vehicle on a road with a curve bordered by a safety feature

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing the driving of a motor vehicle (1) in a driving situation where the vehicle is on a traffic lane (40) that is curving and bordered by a safety feature (41) such as a wall, a low wall, or a barrier. The invention also relates to a computer system implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle (1) comprising such a system. Figure for the abstract: 4

Description

Title of the invention: Management of the driving of a motor vehicle on a traffic lane with a curve bordered by a safety feature Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of driver assistance systems for motor vehicles. The invention relates in particular to a method for managing the driving of a motor vehicle by means of a computer device installed on board the vehicle. The invention also relates to a device implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle comprising such a device. The invention is applicable to motor vehicles such as motor land vehicles, in particular cars or autonomous shuttles. Prior art

[0002] Autonomous driving of a motor vehicle requires that the vehicle's driver assistance system be able to perceive the driving environment with extreme precision. Various types of sensors, including lidars, are used for this purpose to establish in real time the various components of the space near the vehicle, in particular to determine the positioning of static and moving obstacles. However, experience shows that in a particular driving situation in which a vehicle is traveling on a road with a curve bordered by a safety feature such as a wall, low wall, or barrier, the perception of the driving environment by means of a lidar produces an inconsistency that leads to a failure of the autonomous driving system.Indeed, in such a situation, the lidar produces detection data that associates the safety feature with an obstacle in the form of a rectangle extending into the traffic lane. Based on this detection, the driver assistance system then triggers the vehicle's braking, even though no obstacle is actually present in the traffic lane. This results in an unexpected vehicle stop, which can compromise driving safety and reduce passenger comfort. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention aims to solve this problem. In particular, it aims to provide a solution for managing the driving of a motor vehicle traveling on a roadway with a curve bordered by a safety feature such as a wall, a low wall, or a barrier. Through this, the invention aims to enable the provision of safer and more comfortable autonomous motor vehicles.

[0004] In order to achieve these goals, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method of managing the driving of a motor vehicle by means of a computer device embedded in the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: i. determine, using a map of a vehicle navigation system, data characterizing at least one coordinate and one attribute of a traffic lane on which the vehicle is traveling and data characterizing the presence of a safety element and its positioning relative to the traffic lane; ii. determine, based on data characterizing the driving environment generated by a lidar of the vehicle and data determined during step i), data characterizing the presence of an obstacle on the traffic lane which causes the generation by a vehicle driving assistance system of a braking command; iii. determine data characterizing at least one coordinate of a free space around the vehicle using lidar and / or a vehicle camera; iv. determine, based on the data determined during steps i) and iii), data characterizing the positioning of the free space in relation to the safety element as well as an edge of the traffic lane which is closest to the free space; v. determine, based on the data determined during step iv), data characterizing the consistency of the braking control; and vi. manage the execution of the braking command based on the data determined during step v).

[0005] According to one variant, step v) may include the steps of: • determine that the braking command is inconsistent if the right edge of the traffic lane is closest to the clear space while the obstacle is positioned to the left of the clear space; and • determine that the braking command is inconsistent if the left edge of the traffic lane is closest to the free space while the obstacle is positioned to the right of the free space.

[0006] According to another variant, step vi) may include a step consisting of preventing the execution of the braking command when it is established that it is inconsistent.

[0007] According to yet another variant, step i) may include a step consisting of determining data characterizing the distance which separates the safety element and at least one edge of the traffic lane.

[0008] According to yet another variant, the attribute can define the curvature and orientation of a bend in the traffic lane.

[0009] According to yet another variant, the coordinate of a traffic lane on which the vehicle travels and the coordinate of a free space located near the vehicle can be Cartesian coordinates in the plane.

[0010] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for managing the driving of a motor vehicle, the device comprising an information processing unit, with one or more processors, and a data storage medium, which are configured to implement a method as described above.

[0011] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for the execution of the steps of a process as described above when said program is executed by at least one processor.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a computer-readable medium on which a program as described above is recorded.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle equipped with a device as described above. Brief description of the figures

[0014] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from an examination of the detailed description below, and the accompanying figures, in which:

[0015] [Fig-1] is a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle according to the invention;

[0016] [Fig.2] is a functional diagram of a device according to the invention;

[0017] [Fig.3] is a flowchart of the steps of a process according to the invention; and

[0018] [Fig.4] schematically illustrates the implementation of the process according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0019] Figure 1 shows a schematic illustration of a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention. This vehicle includes a navigation system 2, which interacts conventionally with a satellite positioning system (e.g., GPS, Galileo, Beidou) and incorporates at least one map to locate the vehicle in real time within its driving environment. Conventionally, such a map exhaustively lists the components of the roadway, including the location of any safety features such as walls, low walls, or barriers located near the traffic lanes. The vehicle 1 according to the invention also includes a driver assistance system 3, which interacts conventionally with a lidar 4 and a camera 5 to perceive the vehicle's driving environment, in particular to detect and position static or moving obstacles within it (e.g.,road elements, pedestrians, other vehicles, etc.). Therefore, lidar 4 and camera 5 generate detection data, among other things. which allow us to delimit a free space around vehicle 1, i.e. a space in which no obstacle is present.

[0020] Advantageously, the vehicle 1 according to the invention also includes a device 100 for managing the driving of a motor vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, as described below, which implements a method for managing the driving of a motor vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, as briefly summarized below and described in detail below.

[0021] During the implementation of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention establishes the location of the vehicle as well as various parameters relating to the lane on which it is traveling at the current time. For this purpose, it uses the mapping of the navigation system 2 to establish, in particular, coordinates relating to the right and left edges of the lane, preferably in a Cartesian coordinate system centered on the vehicle. It thus determines whether the lane has a curve, in other words, a bend, and in this case, it establishes the curvature of the bend and its direction (i.e., a bend to the right or to the left). It also establishes whether a safety feature is located at the edge of the bend and, if so, the distance separating each edge of the lane from the safety feature.The device 100 according to the invention simultaneously determines whether the detection data produced by the lidar 4 associates the safety element with a rectangular obstacle extending into the traffic lane. Based on this detection data, the driver assistance system 3 generates a braking command for the vehicle. In such a case, the device 100 according to the invention delimits a free space around the vehicle, using detection data produced by the lidar 4 and / or the camera 5. It then deduces the proximity of this free space to the edges of the traffic lane. The device 100 according to the invention then advantageously determines, based on the proximity of the free space to the edges of the traffic lane and the positioning of the obstacle (i.e., the rectangle) relative to the free space, whether the braking command is appropriate.Device 100 according to the invention determines, in particular, that the braking command is inconsistent if the free space is closer to the right edge of the traffic lane while the obstacle (i.e., the rectangle) is positioned to the left of the free space, and similarly, if the free space is closer to the left edge of the traffic lane while the rectangle is positioned to the right of the free space. Based on these checks, Device 100 according to the invention then prevents the braking command from being executed when it determines that the command is inconsistent. As will be seen below, this is how Device 100 operates. according to the invention is able to enable the provision of safer and more comfortable autonomous motor vehicles.

[0022] Figure 2 illustrates in more detail the device 100 for managing the driving of a motor vehicle according to the invention. It is essentially a computer device, which includes at least one information processing unit 101, comprising one or more processors, a data storage medium 102, on which is recorded in particular a program which includes program code instructions for the execution of the steps of the process according to the invention described below, and an input and output interface 103 enabling the reception and transmission of data.

[0023] Preferably, the device 100 according to the invention is integrated into an independent computer and interacts via its input and output interface 103 and by means of a wired vehicle communication network (e.g., CAN, Ethernet, MOST) – represented in [Fig. 1] by the arrows – with the navigation system 2 and with the driver assistance system 3. Alternatively, the device 100 according to the invention is part, in whole or in part, of the driver assistance system 3. Consequently, the device 100 according to the invention is advantageously capable, in particular, of determining data characterizing at least one coordinate and one attribute of a traffic lane on which the vehicle is traveling, as well as data characterizing the presence of a safety element and its positioning relative to the traffic lane.It can also obtain detection data generated by the lidar 4 and the camera 5 and manage the execution of a braking command generated by the driver assistance system 3.

[0024] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for managing the driving of a motor vehicle, as described below in relation to figures 3 and 4.

[0025] Fig. 3 illustrates by means of a flowchart the steps of the process according to the invention and Fig. 4 illustrates schematically the implementation of the process according to the invention.

[0026] According to a first step 301 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines data characterizing at least one coordinate and one attribute of the traffic lane on which the vehicle is traveling, and data characterizing the presence of a safety feature and its positioning relative to the traffic lane, using for this purpose the mapping of the navigation system 2. Thus, the device 100 according to the invention initiates the implementation of the method according to the invention by first determining the geometry and configuration of the traffic lane on which the vehicle is located at the current time. As illustrated in [Fig. 4], the device 100 according to the invention preferentially establishes the Cartesian coordinates in the plane of a list of points corresponding to each of the left edge 42 and right edge 43 of the traffic lane 40. Based on this, it determines whether the traffic lane 40 has a curve and, if so, identifies the curvature and orientation of the curve using a numerical value, for example, assigning a positive value if the curve is oriented to the left and a negative value if the curve is oriented to the right. Furthermore, it also determines whether the traffic lane 40 is bordered by a safety feature 41 such as a wall, low wall, or barrier, for example, by assigning a Boolean value depending on the presence or absence of such a feature.And in the case where such a safety element 41 is placed at the edge of the traffic lane 40, the device 100 according to the invention determines its positioning relative to the traffic lane 40, by preferentially determining the distance which separates the safety element 41 from each of the edges 42, 43 of the traffic lane 40. Thus, at the end of this first step of the process, the device 100 according to the invention has advantageously established by means of the mapping of the navigation system 2 the driving environment of the vehicle at the current moment, in particular if it is travelling on a traffic lane 40 which has a curve bordered by a safety element 41.

[0027] According to a second step 302 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention obtains detection data of the vehicle's driving environment, which are generated by the lidar 4, in order to determine whether this data defines the presence of an obstacle that extends into the traffic lane 40, in particular in the form of a rectangle 44 as illustrated in [Fig. 4]. To do this, it uses the coordinates of the points that were established during the previous step of the method for each of the edges 42, 43 of the traffic lane 40, based on which it establishes the positioning of the rectangle that the lidar 4 has generated. And when it establishes that the rectangle is at least partially positioned between the two edges 42, 43 of the traffic lane 40, in other words, when it establishes that it extends into the traffic lane 40 as illustrated in [Fig. 4].4], which generates a vehicle braking command by the driving assistance system 3, the device 100 according to the invention advantageously proceeds by carrying out the following steps of the process according to the invention described below.

[0028] According to a third step 303 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention uses detection data generated by the lidar 4 and / or the camera 5 to determine data characterizing a free space around the vehicle. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention determines a space around the vehicle in which no obstacle is detected. As illustrated in [Fig. 4], it thus preferentially establishes the Cartesian coordinates of a set of points that define a free space 45 around the vehicle.

[0029] Next, according to a fourth step 304 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines, based on the data determined during the first step of the method and the data determined during the third step of the method, the positioning of the free space 45 relative to the safety element 41, as well as an edge of the traffic lane 40 that is closest to the free space 45. More specifically, the device 100 according to the invention established, during the first step of the method, the positioning of the safety element 41 relative to each of the edges 42, 43 of the traffic lane 40. It also established, during the preceding step, the positioning of the free space 45. It can thus advantageously determine the shortest distance between the free space 45 and the safety element 41 and deduce therefrom an edge of the traffic lane 40 that is the closer to free space 45.

[0030] Next, according to a fifth step 305 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines, based on the data it determined during the previous step, the consistency of the braking command. More specifically, it determines that the braking command is inconsistent when the right edge 43 of the traffic lane 40 is closest to the free space 45 while the obstacle (i.e., the rectangle determined during the second step) is positioned to the left of the free space 45. This is the situation illustrated in [Fig. 4]. Similarly, the device 100 according to the invention establishes that the braking command is inconsistent when the left edge 42 of the traffic lane 40 is closest to the free space 45 while the obstacle is positioned to the right of the free space 45.

[0031] Finally, according to a sixth step 306 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention manages the execution of the braking command based on the data it determined during the preceding step. Advantageously, it prevents the execution of the braking command when it has established during the preceding step that the command is inconsistent. To this end, it interacts with the driver assistance system 3 by transmitting an instruction to cancel the braking command, an instruction that the driver assistance system 3 executes upon receipt.

[0032] Therefore, thanks to the method and device according to the invention described above, a solution is provided to prevent the braking of an autonomous motor vehicle traveling on a road bordered by a safety barrier due to an erroneous modeling of the safety barrier produced by a lidar onboard the vehicle. In this way, the invention makes it possible to maximize the safety and comfort of autonomous motor vehicles.

Claims

Demands

1. A method for managing the driving of a vehicle by means of a computer device (100) installed on board a motor vehicle (1), characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: i. determine, using a mapping of a vehicle navigation system (2), data characterizing at least one coordinate and one attribute of a traffic lane (40) on which the vehicle travels and data characterizing the presence of a safety element (41) and its positioning in relation to the traffic lane (40); ii. determine, based on data characterizing the driving environment generated by a lidar (4) of the vehicle and data determined during step i), data characterizing the presence of an obstacle (44) on the traffic lane (40) which causes the generation by a driving assistance system (3) of the vehicle of a braking command; iii. determine data characterizing at least one coordinate of a free space (45) around the vehicle using the lidar (4) and / or a camera (5) of the vehicle; iv. determine, based on the data determined during steps i) and iii), data characterizing the positioning of the free space (45) vis-à-vis the safety element (41) as well as an edge (42, 43) of the traffic lane (40) which is closest to the free space (45); v. determine, based on the data determined during step iv), data characterizing the consistency of the braking control; and vi. manage the execution of the braking command based on the data determined during step v).

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that step v) comprises the steps of: • determine that the braking command is inconsistent if it is the right edge (43) of the traffic lane (40) that is the closest to the free space (45) while the obstacle (44) is positioned to the left of the free space (45); and • determine that the braking command is inconsistent if the left edge (42) of the traffic lane (40) is closest to the free space (45) while the obstacle (45) is positioned to the right of the free space.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that step vi) includes a step consisting of preventing the execution of the braking command when it is established that it is inconsistent.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that step i) includes a step consisting of determining data characterizing the distance which separates the safety element (41) and at least one edge (42, 43) of the traffic lane (40).

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the attribute defines the curvature and orientation of a bend in the traffic lane (40).

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coordinate of a traffic lane on which the vehicle travels and the coordinate of a free space around the vehicle are Cartesian coordinates in the plane.

7. Device (100) for managing the driving of a motor vehicle (1), characterized in that the device comprises an information processing unit (101), with one or more processors, and a data storage medium (102), which are configured to implement a method according to any one of the preceding claims.

8. Computer program comprising program code instructions for carrying out the steps of a process according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when said program is executed by at least one processor.

9. A computer-readable medium, characterized in that a program according to claim 8 is stored thereon.

10. Motor vehicle (1), characterized in that the vehicle (1) comprises a device (100) according to claim 7.

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