ECU Lane Change Region Selection for Autonomous Vehicles

Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous vehicles face challenges in rapidly and appropriately changing lanes, especially when speed differences between lanes are significant, which can lead to decreased opportunities for lane changes and increased accident risk, necessitating a method to adapt lane changes to situational demands without obstructing traffic flow.

Innovation Solution

An electronic control unit (ECU) with autonomous driving logic that determines the most appropriate lane change region by classifying lane change commands into scenarios, determining attributes of potential regions, correcting these attributes based on the vehicle's current lane information, and selecting an optimal lane change region to ensure safe and efficient lane changes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the autonomous vehicle changes lanes rapidly to respond to changing situations, then the adaptability and response speed improve, but the accident risk and traffic obstruction increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to changing situationsVSAvoidaccident risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the lane change process into multiple evaluation stages: determining lane change necessity, selecting candidate regions, evaluating safety attributes, and final execution. This segmentation allows the system to balance rapid response with thorough safety checking by breaking down the complex decision into manageable steps that can be executed quickly yet comprehensively

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary evaluation of lane change regions by pre-determining safety attributes and candidate regions before actual lane change execution. This preliminary action includes assessing traffic flow, speed differences, and spatial relationships in advance, allowing the vehicle to make rapid decisions based on pre-processed information rather than computing everything at the moment of decision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the vehicle speed difference between current lane and change target lane increases, then the productivity and lane change efficiency improve, but the number of opportunities to change lanes decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelane change efficiencyVSAvoidnumber of opportunities to change lanes

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent dynamically adjusts lane change strategies based on real-time speed differences between lanes. When speed differences are large, the system modifies evaluation criteria to favor regions with better speed compatibility, and adjusts the weighting of different safety attributes. This dynamic adaptation allows the vehicle to maintain lane change efficiency while recognizing and responding to reduced opportunities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes evaluation parameters based on speed difference conditions. When speed difference exceeds thresholds, the system adjusts safety attribute weights, modifies candidate region selection criteria, and alters the acceptable risk thresholds. These parameter changes enable the vehicle to optimize lane change decisions for high-speed-difference scenarios while maintaining overall adaptability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the autonomous vehicle performs comprehensive evaluation of lane change regions, then the safety and reliability improve, but the processing time and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety of lane changeVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary evaluation of lane change regions by pre-determining safety attributes and candidate regions before actual lane change execution. This preliminary action includes assessing traffic flow, speed differences, and spatial relationships in advance, allowing the vehicle to make rapid decisions based on pre-processed information rather than computing everything at the moment of decision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the lane change process into multiple evaluation stages: determining lane change necessity, selecting candidate regions, evaluating safety attributes, and final execution. This segmentation allows the system to balance rapid response with thorough safety checking by breaking down the complex decision into manageable steps that can be executed quickly yet comprehensively

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10365655B2ECU, autonomous vehicle including ECU, and method of controlling lane change for the same

Publication Date: 2019.07.30 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A method of controlling lane change of an autonomous vehicle is provided. The method includes determining a type of a command for lane change by an autonomous driving logic of an electronic control unit (ECU) in response to the command for lane change being generated. When the command for lane change is not a specific command for lane change, attributes of each of at least one region included in a change target region is determined using information regarding the change target region. The attributes of each of the at least one region are corrected using information regarding a lane in which the autonomous vehicle is driven and a lane change region is determined from the at least one region based on the corrected attributes of each of the at least one region.