Automated Lane Change Planning Using Fleet Traffic Probabilities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated vehicles face challenges in safely and comfortably executing lane change maneuvers to exit multi-laned roads, particularly when faced with high traffic volumes or columns of vehicles, necessitating manual intervention or risky maneuvers.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a central computer to analyze traffic and lane change data from a vehicle fleet to determine optimal positions for lane changes, considering traffic conditions and historical success data, enabling automated vehicles to merge early into outer lanes for safe and comfortable exits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automated vehicles wait for manual intervention or risky maneuvers to exit, then traffic safety may be compromised, but the complexity of the system increases and driving comfort decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A central computer acts as an intermediary that collects traffic volume data and lane change data from multiple automated vehicles, processes this information centrally, and provides optimized lane change recommendations to individual vehicles. This mediator approach allows complex data processing and probability calculations to be performed centrally rather than requiring each vehicle to independently analyze all traffic parameters, thus improving safety while managing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of traffic conditions and determines optimal lane change positions before the vehicles reach the exit. By calculating probabilities of successful lane changes at different positions in advance and communicating these to vehicles ahead of time, the system enables vehicles to plan their lane change maneuvers optimally without last-minute manual intervention, thereby improving safety and comfort.
2Speed
If automated vehicles require short time gaps to execute lane changes, then maneuver speed increases, but safety and comfort are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The central computer calculates optimal lane change positions and communicates them to vehicles in advance, allowing vehicles to execute lane changes at predetermined optimal moments rather than rushing into maneuvers. This preliminary planning enables safer, more comfortable lane changes while maintaining efficient traffic flow, as vehicles can prepare for maneuvers without requiring abrupt, high-speed executions.
3Reliability
If automated vehicles rely on driver intervention to exit, then safety may be maintained, but productivity and traffic flow efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated vehicles to independently determine optimal lane change positions based on data from the central computer and their own sensor inputs. Each vehicle autonomously executes lane change maneuvers without requiring driver intervention, thereby maintaining safety through automated decision-making while improving traffic flow efficiency by enabling continuous, coordinated lane changes across the vehicle fleet.
Solution Approach 2:
The central computer receives lane change data from automated vehicles about their positions, traffic conditions, and successful maneuvers. This feedback is used to continuously refine probability calculations and provide updated lane change recommendations to vehicles, creating a closed-loop system that improves both safety and efficiency through learned optimization rather than static rules.
4Measurement precision
If automated vehicles use vehicle-to-vehicle communication for lane change coordination, then coordination accuracy improves, but device complexity and dependency on other manufacturers increase
Solution Approach 1:
The central computer serves as a mediator that collects traffic volume data and lane change data from multiple automated vehicles, performs centralized probability calculations, and provides coordinated lane change recommendations. This central mediation approach achieves accurate coordination without requiring direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication protocols, thereby reducing device complexity and avoiding dependency on other manufacturers' communication systems while maintaining precise coordination through centralized data processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of planning a lane change maneuver from one lane to an outer lane to prepare for an approaching exit from a multi-laned section of road for an automated vehicle is provided. The vehicle is or can be coupled to a central computer for data exchange. Traffic data representing a local traffic volume on the multi-laned section of road is received by the central computer. Lane change data about planned and successfully carried out automated lane change maneuvers is received from other automated vehicles of a vehicle fleet by the central computer. A probability of the vehicle being able to carry out an automated lane change maneuver at a particular position given a current traffic volume is determined by the central computer using received traffic data and received lane change data.