Automated Lane Change Control With Lateral Position Hold
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in managing lane change maneuvers when a threat vehicle enters the target lane during an ongoing lane change, as abruptly aborting the maneuver can cause unstable vehicle motion and confuse surrounding traffic, especially for large trucks.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle computer system that performs an automated lane change maneuver and, upon detecting a threat vehicle, implements a lateral position hold along the lane demarcation line for a predetermined time before deciding to abort or complete the lane change, allowing the threat vehicle to clear the path safely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lane change maneuver is aborted immediately when a threat vehicle is detected, then collision risk is reduced, but vehicle motion stability deteriorates and surrounding traffic is confused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lane change maneuver into multiple stages (initial stage, intermediate stage, final stage) based on the vehicle's lateral position. Different abort strategies are applied to different stages: immediate abort for early stages, lateral position hold for intermediate stages, and controlled completion for final stages. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing immediate collision avoidance when safe, while maintaining stability when the vehicle is already committed to the maneuver.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic decision-making by continuously monitoring the vehicle's real-time position and determining the current stage of the lane change maneuver. The system dynamically adjusts the abort strategy based on the detected stage and threat vehicle position, transitioning from aggressive abort behavior to stable hold behavior to controlled completion behavior. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between collision avoidance and motion stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the lane change maneuver is continued when a threat vehicle is detected, then vehicle motion stability is maintained, but collision risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a lateral position hold maneuver as an intermediary state between immediate abort and continued completion. When a threat vehicle is detected during the intermediate stage, the system holds the vehicle's lateral position along the lane demarcation line for a predetermined time, allowing the threat vehicle to clear the path. This intermediary action maintains vehicle stability while actively managing collision risk, resolving the contradiction between stability and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary assessment of the threat vehicle's position and trajectory before deciding whether to continue or abort. By evaluating whether the threat vehicle will clear the path within the predetermined hold time, the system makes informed decisions that prevent collisions while maintaining stability. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by proactively managing both safety and stability concerns.
3Reliability
If the vehicle returns to the original lane late in the lane change maneuver, then collision risk is reduced, but vehicle motion becomes unstable and surrounding traffic is confused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lane change maneuver into stages and applies different abort strategies to each segment. For late-stage maneuvers (final stage), the system determines that aborting would cause more harm than benefit and instead allows controlled completion. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by preventing late-stage aborts that would cause traffic confusion while maintaining safety through earlier-stage aborts and intermediate position holds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the decision parameter from a binary abort/continue choice to a three-state system (abort, hold, complete) based on the maneuver stage. This parameter change allows the system to select the most appropriate action for each situation, resolving the contradiction between collision avoidance and traffic flow stability by preventing harmful late-stage aborts while maintaining safety through earlier interventions.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provide a vehicle computer coupled to a vehicle. The vehicle computer may be configured to compute (e.g., generate) an automated lane change maneuver moving the vehicle from a first lane into a second, adjacent lane. The lane change maneuver may have commenced while the maneuver was safe to conduct, but a threat vehicle (or another threat object) may be subsequently detected moving into the same target lane. The option to immediately abort the maneuver and return to the original lane may not be appropriate after some time into the lane change maneuver. The vehicle computer may control the vehicle in a lateral position hold along the lane demarcation line for a predetermined amount of time before moving into the second lane when the threat vehicle clears the second lane or returning to the first lane when the threat vehicle does not clear the second lane.