Autonomous Vehicle Route Selection for Busy Intersection Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Navigating autonomous vehicles safely through busy intersections remains a technically challenging problem due to the complexity of resolving space-time conflicts and maintaining timely space-time reservations, especially at high-traffic intersections, where current techniques face practicality issues with computationally complex arbiter modules.
Innovation Solution
An Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in autonomous vehicles determines a safe navigation path by assessing current traffic conditions and predicting traffic density on both the current and alternate routes, using surrounding infrastructure data and vehicle parameters to select the most suitable route for safe navigation, while continuously monitoring and adjusting the route as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a central arbiter module is used to resolve space-time conflicts and dispatch space-time reservations, then collision avoidance capability is improved, but device complexity and operational practicality deteriorate due to computational complexity and maintenance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex central arbitration function and replaces it with a distributed system where each vehicle independently performs space-time conflict detection and resolution using onboard processors. This eliminates the need for a computationally complex central arbiter while maintaining collision avoidance capability through decentralized decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
Each autonomous vehicle autonomously determines its own navigation path by evaluating space-time conflicts with other vehicles and infrastructure elements. The system enables self-service navigation where vehicles independently resolve conflicts without requiring external arbitration, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining safety.
2Reliability
If traffic is stopped at busy intersections to allow flow in another direction, then collision prevention is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to traffic congestion and occupant frustration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic route selection that continuously adapts to real-time traffic conditions. Instead of static stop-and-go traffic control, the system dynamically adjusts navigation paths based on current traffic density, enabling continuous flow while maintaining safety through real-time conflict detection and alternative route recommendation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary space-time conflict detection before vehicles reach the intersection. By identifying potential conflicts in advance and recommending alternative routes proactively, the system prevents congestion from forming while maintaining safe navigation, rather than reacting to conflicts after they arise.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a method and an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of an autonomous vehicle for determining safe navigation. The ECU determines a current location of the vehicle based on orientation and location information of the vehicle (3031). One or more predefined vehicle parameters and surrounding infrastructure data are determined. Traffic density at the current route (1) of the vehicle is determined based on the surrounding infrastructure data and the current location of vehicle. The ECU determines traffic density at one or more alternate routes (2, 3) for a predefined time and distance from the current location of the vehicle, based on traffic information received from the surrounding infrastructure data for the one or more alternate routes. Thereafter, a route (1, 2, 3) is selected based on the one or more predefined vehicle parameters, the traffic density at current route and the traffic density at the one or more alternate routes for safely navigating vehicle.