Vehicle Lane Change Control for Minimal Risk Maneuvers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) face challenges in performing minimal risk maneuvers during autonomous driving due to issues with vehicle state and surrounding environment, requiring effective control methods for lane changes and vehicle stops under various conditions.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle apparatus equipped with a processor and memory that uses sensors to obtain vehicle and environmental information, determines required vehicle-to-vehicle distances, generates control signals for lane changes, and adjusts driving parameters to perform safe maneuvers, including lane changes and stops, based on predefined events or their absence.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the vehicle performs a lane change maneuver to mitigate risk, then the vehicle can avoid potential hazards, but the required distance to another vehicle increases, reducing maneuverability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety of lane change maneuverVSAvoidmaneuverability in tight spaces
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent dynamically adjusts the required vehicle-to-vehicle distance based on whether a predefined event (such as autonomous driving issue) has occurred. When an event occurs, the system uses a first control signal with a shorter required distance, enabling lane changes in tighter spaces. When no event occurs, it uses a second control signal with a longer required distance for enhanced safety. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between safety requirements and maneuverability in tight spaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the vehicle maintains a larger safety distance from other vehicles, then collision risk is reduced, but the vehicle's responsiveness to urgent lane change needs is diminished

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollision avoidanceVSAvoidresponsiveness of lane change execution
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of required vehicle-to-vehicle distance based on the occurrence of predefined events. When an autonomous driving issue occurs, the system switches to a first control signal that reduces the required distance parameter, enabling faster and more responsive lane change execution. When no event occurs, it maintains a larger distance parameter for collision avoidance. This parameter switching mechanism resolves the contradiction between collision avoidance and responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the vehicle uses a conservative lane change control strategy with larger required distances, then safety is improved, but the ability to perform timely lane changes in emergency situations is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety during lane changeVSAvoidtime delay in emergency lane change
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent prepares two different control signals in advance: a first control signal for use when autonomous driving issues occur, and a second control signal for normal conditions. This preliminary preparation allows the system to immediately switch to the appropriate control strategy without calculation delays during emergencies, resolving the contradiction between safety and response time by having safety parameters pre-configured for different scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4647312A1Method and apparatus for controlling minimal risk maneuver
Publication Date: 2025.11.12 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP4647312A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4647312A1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4647312A1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

An apparatus of a vehicle may comprise a processor and a memory storing at least one instruction that, when executed by the processor communicating with the memory, is configured to cause the apparatus to obtain, using a sensor, vehicle state information of the vehicle and surrounding environment information of the vehicle, determine a present vehicle-to-vehicle distance and a required vehicle-to-vehicle distance, generate, based on the present vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the required vehicle-to-vehicle distance, a lane change control signal comprising a first control signal or a second control signal, and control, based on the lane change control signal, driving of the vehicle.