Curve Driving Control for Timely Vehicle Merging Speed

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing driving control systems fail to accelerate a vehicle's speed to the required target speed at a merging point when the lane merges into another lane on the downstream side of a curve section, leading to potential delays or missed merges.

Innovation Solution

The system adjusts the acceleration upper limit to a higher corrected limit when approaching a merging point on a downstream curve section, allowing the vehicle to reach the target speed by increasing acceleration within safe limits, thereby ensuring timely lane changes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the acceleration upper limit is set to a reference limit during curve travel, then ride comfort and safety are maintained, but the vehicle speed cannot be increased to the target speed required at the merging point

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveride comfort and safetyVSAvoidvehicle speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The acceleration upper limit is dynamically adjusted based on the vehicle's proximity to the merging point. When the distance to the merging point is within a predetermined threshold, the acceleration upper limit is increased from the reference limit to a higher value, enabling the vehicle to accelerate more aggressively to reach the target speed while still maintaining safety and comfort through controlled acceleration profiles

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the acceleration parameter (acceleration upper limit) based on the spatial parameter (distance to merging point). By detecting when the vehicle enters a specific section near the merging point, the system modifies the acceleration limit parameter to allow higher acceleration, thereby resolving the conflict between maintaining comfort and achieving target speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of time

If the acceleration upper limit is increased to reach target speed at merging point, then the vehicle can accelerate in time, but ride comfort may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime to reach merging pointVSAvoidride comfort
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system selectively changes the acceleration upper limit parameter only when specific conditions are met (vehicle is within predetermined distance of merging point). This conditional parameter change allows the system to optimize acceleration timing and magnitude, reducing time loss while maintaining ride comfort through controlled acceleration profiles

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system prepares for the upcoming merging by detecting the merging point position in advance and calculating the required target speed. This preliminary action allows the system to plan the acceleration profile ahead of time, ensuring that acceleration is applied optimally to reach the target speed at the merging point while maintaining comfort

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4349674B1Driving control method and driving control device
Publication Date: 2025.08.27 NISSAN MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP4349674B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4349674B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4349674B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Driving control device (100) has a control device (10) that controls driving of a subject vehicle (V0) so that front-rear acceleration (Af) of the subject vehicle (V0) when traveling along a curved route (C) becomes an acceleration upper limit or less. Provided that a merging point (Px) exists in a certain section (Zx) on the downstream side of the curved route (C), when the distance between the position of the subject vehicle (V0) traveling along the curved route (C) and the merging point (Px) is a predetermined distance or less, the control device (10) sets the acceleration upper limit to a corrected acceleration upper limit (AU1) that is higher than a reference acceleration upper limit (AU0) when the merging point (Px) does not exist in the certain section (Zx).