Autonomous Vehicle Steering Control Using High Precision Map Curvature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing driverless vehicle direction control methods require extensive computation, particularly involving image processing, leading to frequent steering actions that negatively impact passenger experience due to the need for continuous analysis of surrounding road information.
Innovation Solution
A driverless vehicle steering control method and apparatus that utilize a high precision map to determine the curvature radius of a turn, calculate the rotation angle of the steering wheel based on the curvature radius, distance between the front and rear axles, and axle length, and control the steering wheel to rotate accordingly, thereby reducing the number of steering actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surrounding road information is acquired using vehicle-mounted camera, laser radar, or GPS and comprehensive analysis is performed, then the turning angle can be determined, but the amount of computation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing road curvature radius information in a high-precision map before the vehicle reaches the turning section. When the vehicle enters the turning section, the control unit directly retrieves the pre-stored curvature radius data, eliminating the need for real-time image processing and complex computations. This allows accurate determination of the turning angle while significantly reducing computational load during actual operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If tangential processing is performed for every point on the curve and one steering action is performed at every point of tangency, then the turning path can be precisely followed, but the vehicle is steered frequently which lowers passenger experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the turning path into distinct sections: a first turning section with a first curvature radius and a second turning section with a second curvature radius. Instead of continuous steering adjustments at every point, the control unit switches steering actions only when the vehicle transitions between these segmented sections. This reduces the frequency of steering actions while maintaining precise turning path following through strategic segmentation of the road geometry.
3Measurement precision
If real-time image processing is performed to determine turning angle, then accurate direction control can be achieved, but the computational load and steering frequency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by using pre-captured road geometry data from high-precision maps that were created through prior surveying and data collection. Instead of performing real-time image processing to measure road curvature, the system copies the pre-analyzed curvature radius information from the map database. This copying approach maintains accurate direction control while eliminating the need for computationally intensive real-time image processing.
Data Source
AI summary
The present application discloses at least a the steering control method and apparatus for a driverless vehicle. In some embodiments, the method includes: acquiring in real time a current location of a driverless vehicle; finding, on a high precision map, a curvature radius of a turn on a road at the current location; acquiring a distance between a front axle and a rear axle and an axle length of the driverless vehicle in response to finding the curvature radius; determining a rotation angle of a steering wheel of the driverless vehicle based on the curvature radius, the distance between the front axle and rear axle, and the axle length; and controlling the steering wheel of the driverless vehicle to rotate by the rotation angle. This implementation can reduce the number of times the driverless vehicle is steered, thereby improving passenger experience of the driverless vehicle.