Exit Lane Change Control Using Road Gradient Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing driver assistance systems face limitations in maneuvering vehicles on multi-lane roads with high traffic volumes, particularly in scenarios with limited gaps in adjacent lanes, as they often fail to adapt effectively to road gradients and traffic conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves receiving a driving command to change lanes, adapting vehicle speed based on road gradients and traffic conditions, and initiating the lane change maneuver strategically, using environmental sensors and digital map data to determine gradients and traffic density, and adjusting the speed profile and gap search timing accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the driver assistance system waits for gaps in the adjacent lane before initiating lane change, then the lane change safety is improved, but the lane change timing is delayed and may miss the exit
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary speed adaptation before the lane change maneuver is initiated. By reducing the vehicle speed in advance based on predicted traffic conditions and gradient information, the system creates favorable conditions for lane change (smaller speed difference with adjacent lane vehicles) before gaps become available, thus enabling timely lane changes without compromising safety
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the speed profile based on real-time gradient detection and traffic conditions. When a downward gradient is detected near the exit, the system proactively reduces speed to match expected lower speeds in the adjacent lane, making the vehicle more suitable for lane change at the optimal moment rather than waiting passively for gaps
2Speed
If the vehicle maintains high speed approaching the exit, then the travel time is reduced, but the lane change maneuver becomes unsafe due to large speed difference with adjacent lane vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the speed parameter dynamically based on detected gradient and traffic conditions. When a downward gradient is detected in the region of the exit, the system reduces vehicle speed to match the expected speed profile of the adjacent lane, thereby reducing the speed difference and making lane change safer while still maintaining efficient travel
3Device complexity
If the driver assistance system does not consider road gradient, then the system complexity is reduced, but the lane change maneuver reliability deteriorates in gradient regions
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces gradient information from digital map data as an intermediary parameter to predict traffic conditions in the adjacent lane. This external information source allows the system to anticipate speed patterns of vehicles in the target lane and adapt its speed profile accordingly, improving lane change reliability without requiring direct sensing of all adjacent vehicles
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses gradient information from digital map data to preliminarily assess traffic conditions and predict the speed profile of the adjacent lane before the vehicle reaches the exit region. This preliminary assessment enables proactive speed adaptation, improving lane change reliability in gradient regions without adding complex real-time sensing requirements
Data Source
AI summary
A method for maneuvering a vehicle on a multi-lane road has the steps of: receiving a driving command for maneuvering the vehicle from a first traffic lane of the road via a second traffic lane of the road to an exit of the road; preparing a lane change maneuver from the first traffic lane to the second traffic lane, a speed of the vehicle being adapted for the preparation of the lane change maneuver; determining a gradient of the road in a region of the exit; and adapting the preparation of the lane change maneuver in a manner which is dependent on the determined gradient.