Autonomous Lane Change Control for Safer Consecutive Merges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous lane change systems struggle to confirm surrounding situations effectively during consecutive lane changes in the same direction, leading to potential safety issues due to reduced lateral acceleration or speed, making it difficult to assess changing conditions before subsequent lane changes.
Innovation Solution
The system controls lateral speed for second and subsequent autonomous lane changes to be slower than the first, allowing for a longer period to confirm surrounding situations by adjusting the lateral speed based on factors like traffic congestion, road conditions, and average traveling speeds to ensure safer lane changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If lateral acceleration or lateral speed is decreased to avoid discomforting occupants during lane changes, then passenger comfort is improved, but the ability to confirm surrounding situations during consecutive lane changes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the lateral speed variable rather than constant. The control device dynamically adjusts lateral speed based on whether it is the first or second lane change in a sequence. For the first lane change, a higher lateral speed is used for efficiency, while for the second consecutive lane change, a lower lateral speed is applied to allow sufficient time for confirming surrounding situations, thus resolving the contradiction between comfort and safety confirmation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of lateral speed based on the lane change sequence number. The control device identifies whether the current lane change is the first or second in a sequence and adjusts the lateral speed parameter accordingly. This parameter change allows the system to optimize both passenger comfort (through controlled deceleration) and surrounding situation confirmation (through slower second lane change)
2Productivity
If autonomous lane change control is performed consecutively two or more times from subject vehicle lane to adjacent lane, then lane change efficiency is improved, but the ability to confirm surrounding situations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lane change process into distinct phases: first lane change with higher lateral speed for efficiency, and second lane change with lower lateral speed for safety confirmation. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both high productivity in the first transition and reliable situation confirmation in the second transition, resolving the contradiction between efficiency and safety
3Reliability
If lateral speed for second and subsequent lane changes is set slower than first lane change, then time to confirm surrounding situations is increased, but overall lane change duration is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using the slower lateral speed only for the second lane change in the sequence, while maintaining faster lateral speed for the first lane change. This partial application of speed reduction allows sufficient time for situation confirmation when needed (second lane change) while minimizing overall time loss (first lane change remains fast), thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and time loss
Data Source
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AI summary
When the subject vehicle (Vo) performs first autonomous lane change control from a subject vehicle lane (L1) to an adjacent lane (L2) and then consecutively perform autonomous lane change control to a next adjacent lane (L3) in the same direction of lane change, lateral speed (Vh2) to perform second and subsequent autonomous lane change control is set slower than lateral speed (Vh1) to perform the first autonomous lane change control. Thus, the second and subsequent autonomous lane change control to the adjacent lane in the same direction of lane change is performed more slowly than the previously performed autonomous lane change control. Time used for confirming surrounding situations is lengthened, and the surrounding situations can be properly confirmed prior to the lane change.