Automated Lane Change Control With Adaptive Safety Distance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lane change assistants in vehicles often abort automated maneuvers if the safe distance from other vehicles cannot be maintained, leading to reduced customer satisfaction and confidence due to the inability to adapt to dynamic traffic conditions.
Innovation Solution
The method dynamically adjusts safety distances during lane changes based on the status of the longitudinal guidance system, considering whether it is active and adjusting to a target object, allowing for a reduced safety distance when the longitudinal guidance is active, thereby mimicking human driving behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed safe distance is maintained during automated lane changes, then safety requirements are met, but the availability of automated lane changes is reduced and customer confidence decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the safety distance adaptive rather than fixed. The safety distance is dynamically adjusted based on the activation state of the longitudinal guidance system. When longitudinal guidance is active, the lateral guidance system can temporarily reduce the safety distance requirement, enabling lane changes that would otherwise be blocked. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to adapt safety requirements to current operational conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of safety distance from a static value to a conditional value that varies based on system state. Specifically, the safety distance parameter is modified depending on whether longitudinal guidance is active. This parameter change enables the system to maintain reliability when needed while increasing availability when conditions permit, directly addressing the technical contradiction.
2Reliability
If the safe distance is strictly enforced during lane changes, then legal requirements are met, but the lane change procedure is frequently suppressed or aborted
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts safety distance enforcement based on the operational state of longitudinal guidance. When longitudinal guidance is active, the system transitions from strict safety distance enforcement to a more flexible approach, allowing lane changes even when the fixed safety distance cannot be maintained. This dynamic behavior increases lane change execution rate while maintaining legal compliance through conditional adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the longitudinal guidance system's activation state to modulate lateral guidance behavior. The lateral guidance module continuously monitors whether longitudinal guidance is active and adjusts its safety distance requirements accordingly. This feedback mechanism enables the system to enforce safety requirements when appropriate while allowing more flexible operation when longitudinal guidance provides additional safety assurance.
3Reliability
If conventional lateral guidance systems maintain fixed safety distances, then safety margins are preserved, but the system cannot adapt to dynamic traffic conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges lateral guidance and longitudinal guidance systems into a coordinated operation. Instead of operating independently, the lateral guidance module now considers the activation state of longitudinal guidance when determining safety distances. This merging allows the combined system to adapt to dynamic traffic conditions while maintaining safety margins, as the longitudinal system's active monitoring provides additional safety assurance that enables more flexible lateral behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the safety distance parameter based on the operational context provided by longitudinal guidance. When longitudinal guidance is active, the safety distance parameter is relaxed, allowing the system to adapt to dynamic traffic conditions. This parameter change enables adaptation while preserving safety margins through the complementary function of longitudinal guidance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to the at least partially automated execution of a lane-change maneuver (21) by means of a motor vehicle (20). For this purpose, a first safety distance (D1) of the motor vehicle (20) relative to a target object (15) relevant for the lane-change maneuver (21) is determined based on lateral guidance data from a lateral guidance module (32a) of the motor vehicle (20), which performs the lane-change maneuver (21). Subsequently, an activation state of a longitudinal guidance module (31a) of the motor vehicle (20) is determined, indicating that the longitudinal guidance module (31a) is activated for the at least partially automated execution of a longitudinal guidance maneuver of the motor vehicle (20). In addition, a control parameter is determined, indicating that the longitudinal guidance module (31a) takes the target object (15) into account for the longitudinal guidance maneuver.Only when the activation state and the control parameter are present is a second safety distance (D2), which differs from the first safety distance, determined. The lane-changing maneuver (21) is carried out by means of the lateral guidance module (32a) while maintaining the second safety distance (D2) to the target object (15).