Lane Change Gap Finding in Time-Based Configuration Space
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for vehicle lane change operations are limited in considering contextual data and are inefficient, as they fail to account for all environmental constraints, leading to suboptimal route planning and execution.
Innovation Solution
The method involves modeling the vehicle's environment to identify 'gaps' where a lane change can be performed without violating constraints, using a constraints satisfaction problem to determine valid trajectories that minimize interaction with objects and adhere to safety margins, thereby reducing the search space for route planning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing techniques are used for lane change operations, then the vehicle can perform basic lane changes, but the decision-making is limited and inefficient due to insufficient contextual data consideration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the lane change decision problem from traditional spatial planning into a temporal configuration space analysis. By modeling constraints in the time dimension and projecting them into configuration space, the system enables comprehensive contextual consideration without sacrificing decision-making efficiency. This dimensional transformation allows the vehicle to evaluate multiple contextual factors (object positions, velocities, accelerations, safety margins) simultaneously across different time points.
2Reliability
If comprehensive environmental constraints are considered in route planning, then lane change safety is improved, but the search space complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and separates constraint evaluation from the main trajectory planning process. By identifying valid gaps in the target lane independently (through constraint satisfaction problem solving) before performing route planning, the system removes harmful complexity from the search space. The planner then only needs to search within pre-validated gap regions, significantly reducing computational complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety considerations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary constraint satisfaction analysis to identify valid gaps before the main planning process. By pre-evaluating which regions in the target lane satisfy all safety constraints (object distances, relative velocities, acceleration limits), the system prepares the search space in advance. This preliminary action ensures that subsequent planning operates only on safe, validated regions, improving both safety and efficiency.
3Measurement precision
If the vehicle evaluates all possible trajectories for lane change, then route planning accuracy is improved, but the computational time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by evaluating only the necessary subset of trajectories rather than all possible paths. By using configuration space analysis to identify valid gaps and constraining the search to these regions, the system achieves sufficient planning accuracy without exhaustive search. The approach performs exactly the right amount of evaluation needed to ensure safety while avoiding unnecessary computational overhead from exploring invalid or unsafe trajectories.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for determining gaps for performing lane change operations are described. A first region in an environment of a vehicle can be determined. The first region can be associated with a first time period through which the vehicle is unable to travel and can correspond to a constraint space. A second region of the environment can be determined. The second region can be associated with a second time period and can correspond to a configuration space. A gap in the environment can be determined based on a portion of the configuration space that is exclusive of the constraint space. A trajectory can be determined based on the gap. The trajectory can be associated with performing a lane change operation and can be associated with a cost. The vehicle can be controlled to perform the lane change operation based at least in part on the trajectory and the cost.