Driving Path Determination Using Weighted Roadway Boundaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional driver assistance systems fail to reliably determine a driving path in complex traffic situations, particularly in roadworks areas with multiple lane markings, due to their inability to differentiate and weigh various roadway boundaries effectively.
Innovation Solution
The method determines a driving path by weighting detected lane markings and boundaries based on their type and properties, with raised boundaries given higher priority, and evaluates the most probable path considering lane width, similarity to neighboring paths, boundary crossings, and necessary driving maneuvers, using a sensor system that includes cameras, lidar, and radar for environment detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional driver assistance systems detect multiple lane markings in complex traffic situations, then the system can identify more roadway boundaries, but the system cannot reliably determine the driving path due to inability to differentiate and weigh various boundaries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different weights to different types of roadway boundaries based on their local characteristics. Lane markings receive lower weights while raised boundaries (crash barriers, beacons, construction walls) receive higher weights. This differential weighting allows the system to handle complex traffic situations with multiple boundaries by prioritizing more reliable boundary types for path determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of boundary reliability by introducing a weighting scheme that transforms qualitative boundary types (lane marking vs. raised boundary) into quantitative weights. This parameter transformation enables the evaluation unit to compute the most probable driving path by summing weights of boundaries on each side, resolving the contradiction between detecting multiple boundaries and determining the correct path.
2Reliability
If the system weights raised boundaries more heavily than lane markings to determine the most probable driving path, then the system can resolve ambiguity in complex situations, but the system complexity increases due to probability calculations and multiple evaluation criteria
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the boundary detection and evaluation process into distinct components: detection of roadway boundaries, classification into types (lane marking vs. raised boundary), assignment of weights based on type, and computation of the most probable path by summing weights. This segmentation manages complexity by breaking down the probabilistic evaluation into discrete, manageable steps while maintaining high reliability through systematic weighting.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation unit acts as an intermediary that mediates between raw sensor data and driving path determination. It introduces a weighting mechanism as an intermediate layer that translates diverse boundary types into comparable reliability metrics, enabling the system to resolve ambiguity without requiring complex decision-making logic at higher system levels.
3Measurement precision
If the system evaluates multiple possible driving paths based on weighting criteria, then the system can accurately identify the most probable path, but the computational time and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by evaluating only the necessary boundaries and path options required for safe driving, rather than exhaustively analyzing all possible paths. The weighting scheme enables the evaluation unit to identify the most probable path through efficient summation of boundary weights, avoiding computationally intensive exhaustive search while maintaining high identification accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for assisting a driver of a vehicle, wherein, in order to determine a driving tube for a road vehicle in a complex traffic situation, a surroundings sensing sensor senses a carriageway in front of the vehicle, and the determination is carried out as a function of detected lane markings and proud carriageway delimiting means.