Autonomous Vehicle Trajectory Planning for Passenger Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous driving vehicles face discomfort to passengers due to harsh braking when an object enters a hard buffer area in front of them, as existing systems treat the buffer area as a hard boundary, leading to unnecessary maximum brake force applications.
Innovation Solution
A method for planning the trajectory of an autonomous driving vehicle that considers a soft buffer area in front of the vehicle, determining object costs based on distance and relative speed costs, and minimizing a cost function to generate control signals for smoother navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hard buffer area is used with maximum brake force, then safety is improved, but passenger comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of buffer area hardness from fixed (hard) to variable (soft/hard transition). The buffer area dynamically adjusts its effectiveness based on object characteristics and situation, allowing maximum braking only when truly necessary while providing softer responses for less critical situations, thus maintaining safety while improving comfort
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer area transitions from a static hard boundary to a dynamic soft boundary that adapts its response characteristics. The system continuously evaluates object costs and adjusts braking force accordingly, making the safety mechanism flexible rather than rigid, which resolves the contradiction between consistent safety application and situation-appropriate comfort
2Reliability
If maximum brake force is applied, then safety response time is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The braking force parameter is changed from fixed (maximum) to variable (adjusted based on object cost). The system applies braking force proportional to the assessed risk level, using maximum force only when object cost exceeds the threshold, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption while maintaining rapid safety response when needed
3Reliability
If a hard buffer area is used, then safety is improved, but passenger comfort deteriorates due to harsh braking
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer area parameter changes from hard (fixed boundary) to soft (adaptive boundary). The system adjusts the buffer area's effective hardness based on object characteristics, allowing smoother deceleration for low-cost objects while maintaining hard boundary protection for high-cost objects, thus improving passenger comfort without compromising safety
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer area becomes a dynamic entity that adjusts its response characteristics in real-time based on object cost evaluation. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to provide appropriate comfort levels for different situations while maintaining safety, resolving the contradiction between fixed safety boundaries and variable comfort requirements
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for operating an autonomous driving vehicle. The method comprises: identifying (1002) a first object of one or more objects that have entered a buffer area predefined relative to an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV); determining (1003) a first distance cost based on a first distance between the first object and the ADV; determining (1004) a first relative speed cost based on a first relative speed between the first object and the ADV; determining (1005) a first object cost associated with the first object based on a combination of the first distance cost and the first relative speed cost; performing speed planning on a trajectory planned for the ADV based at least in part on the first distance cost and the first relative speed cost; and generating (1007) control signals to drive the ADV based on the planned trajectory.