Autonomous Follower Vehicle Path Generation via Real-Time Curve Fitting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current autonomous vehicle following technologies face challenges in enhancing safety and simplifying the process, particularly in scenarios with large open spaces and varying environmental conditions, where they often rely on historical lead vehicle route data and may mimic unnecessary movements, leading to increased data transfer requirements and complexity.

Innovation Solution

A method for a follower vehicle to determine its path by fitting a curve to the current positions and headings of the lead vehicle, allowing it to move autonomously without relying on historical data, thereby reducing data transfer and enabling flexible path choices, even in situations with large open spaces, and allowing the follower vehicle to avoid swaying movements of the lead vehicle.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If autonomous vehicle following relies on historical lead vehicle route data and mimics movements, then the follower vehicle can maintain a path, but data transfer bandwidth increases and complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautonomous vehicle following safetyVSAvoidautonomous vehicle following complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential information needed for path following (current position and heading of lead vehicle) while discarding historical route data. This reduces data transfer requirements and system complexity while maintaining safety through real-time curve fitting to establish the follower vehicle's path.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If autonomous vehicle following relies on historical lead vehicle route data, then the follower vehicle can maintain a path, but data transfer bandwidth increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautonomous vehicle following safetyVSAvoiddata transfer bandwidth

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If follower vehicle mimics lead vehicle movements, then the follower vehicle can follow the lead vehicle, but unnecessary movements are replicated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautonomous vehicle followingVSAvoidautonomous vehicle following safety

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of having the follower vehicle mimic the lead vehicle's movements directly, the patent inverts the approach by having the follower vehicle establish its own path through curve fitting based on current position and heading data. This allows the follower to achieve following without replicating unnecessary lead vehicle movements like swaying.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS11511746B2Method for establishing a path for a vehicle

Publication Date: 2022.11.29 VOLVO AUTONOMOUS SOLUTIONS AB

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for a follower vehicle (2) following a lead vehicle, comprising—determining a position (PL) and a heading (HL) of the lead vehicle (1), —determining a position (PF) and a heading (HF) of the follower vehicle (2), —subsequently establishing a path for the follower vehicle (2) by fitting a curve (C1) to said positions (PL, PF) and said headings (HL, HF), —and controlling the follower vehicle (2) so as to move along the established path.