Autonomous Driving Lane Change Control via Position-Dependent Influence Thresholds
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous driving lane change control systems are inflexible, as they only consider the situation of surrounding vehicles and do not account for the vehicle's position, leading to unnatural lane change decisions, such as attempting lane changes near intersections or in curve sections.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous driving system that calculates an 'influence degree' of lane changes on traffic flow and sets an 'acceptable upper limit' based on the vehicle's position along the travel lane, allowing for flexible lane changes by comparing these two parameters to determine whether to execute a lane change.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If lane change is determined only based on surrounding vehicle situation, then the control logic is simple, but the lane change behavior becomes unnatural and inflexible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by setting different acceptable influence degree thresholds for different positions along the travel lane. Specifically, the acceptable upper limit of the influence degree is set to be smaller in curve sections and larger in straight sections, making the control system adapt to local road characteristics rather than using a uniform threshold throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the acceptable influence degree threshold variable rather than fixed. The threshold dynamically changes based on the vehicle's position (curve vs. straight section) and the calculated actual influence degree, allowing the lane change control to be flexible and adaptive to different driving situations.
2Reliability
If lane change is prohibited when surrounding vehicles are nearby, then traffic safety is improved, but lane change opportunities are lost in situations where human drivers would attempt lane changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of acceptable influence degree based on road geometry. In curve sections, the acceptable upper limit is set smaller to prioritize safety, while in straight sections, it is set larger to allow more lane change opportunities. This parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting the safety threshold to the actual risk level of different road sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the travel lane into different sections (curve sections and straight sections) and applies different acceptable influence degree thresholds to each segment. This segmentation allows the system to enforce stricter safety rules in high-risk curve sections while permitting more aggressive lane changes in safer straight sections, thus balancing safety and productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If lane change is executed in curve sections when no surrounding vehicles exist, then lane change options are maximized, but vehicle stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by recognizing curve sections as distinct local conditions and setting a smaller acceptable upper limit of the influence degree specifically for these sections. This local adjustment prevents lane changes in curve sections even when surrounding vehicles are absent, thereby maintaining vehicle stability while the system remains adaptable in straight sections.
4Loss of time
If aggressive lane changes are made near intersections when margin is small, then lane change timing is optimized, but traffic flow disruption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the acceptable influence degree parameter dynamically based on the vehicle's position and road geometry. Near intersections in curve sections, the acceptable upper limit is set smaller, which suppresses aggressive lane changes that would disrupt traffic flow. In contrast, in straight sections with similar timing constraints, the threshold is larger, allowing efficient lane changes with minimal disruption.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous driving system includes: an information acquisition device that acquires surrounding situation information indicating a surrounding situation around a vehicle; and a lane change control device that controls lane change of the vehicle. An influence degree represents influence of the lane change on traffic flow around the vehicle. The lane change control device performs: acceptable range setting processing that sets an acceptable upper limit of the influence degree as a function of a position along a travel lane in which the vehicle travels; influence degree calculation processing that calculates the influence degree based on the surrounding situation information; and lane change determination processing that prohibits the lane change when the influence degree is greater than the acceptable upper limit while executes the lane change when the influence degree is equal to or less than the acceptable upper limit.