Road-Center Navigation Path Generation for Smooth Vehicle Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation path generation techniques for vehicles, especially autonomous ones, often fail to consider free space around the vehicle, leading to paths that are close to boundaries or obstacles, resulting in insufficient space for maneuvering and frequent jerks during navigation, particularly in curves and U-turns.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate a safe navigation path by selecting a boundary, determining boundary points, identifying tangents, and projecting perpendicular lines to find center points, which are then connected using curve fitting techniques to create a path at the center of the road, ensuring sufficient space and smooth navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If existing navigation path generation techniques are used, then the vehicle can navigate from source to destination, but the navigation path is generated close to boundaries or obstacles, resulting in insufficient free space for vehicle maneuvering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D path representation to 3D path representation by incorporating vehicle height and vertical clearance considerations. The path generation system evaluates not only horizontal distance from boundaries but also vertical clearance requirements, creating a three-dimensional safety margin that ensures sufficient maneuvering space in all spatial dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary safety margin calculations during path generation by projecting vehicle boundaries forward along the planned trajectory. It anticipates future vehicle positions and adjusts the path to maintain adequate clearance from obstacles and boundaries, preventing maneuvering issues before they occur rather than reacting to them during execution.
2Length of stationary object
If navigation path is generated close to boundaries, then the path length is reduced, but the vehicle experiences frequent jerks and cannot perform smooth maneuvers in curves and U-turns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts path parameters including lateral offset distance from boundaries, curvature radius, and speed profiles based on vehicle characteristics and environmental constraints. By optimizing these parameters, the system generates paths that balance length efficiency with movement smoothness, ensuring adequate space for curves and U-turns while minimizing unnecessary path extensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates dynamically adaptive navigation paths that adjust to vehicle motion requirements. Rather than static paths, the generated trajectories incorporate variable curvature and speed recommendations that match vehicle dynamics capabilities, enabling smooth transitions through curves and U-turns while maintaining overall path efficiency.
3Device complexity
If navigation path is generated without considering vehicle constraints, then the path generation process is simpler, but the vehicle experiences insufficient space for free movement and frequent jerks
Solution Approach 1:
The path generation system automatically incorporates vehicle constraint parameters such as length, width, turning radius, and acceleration limits without requiring manual intervention. The system self-adjusts the generated paths based on these embedded vehicle characteristics, ensuring safe navigation while maintaining automated operation and reducing the need for complex manual path planning procedures.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed subject matter relates to a field of telematics that performs a method for generating safe navigation path for navigating a vehicle. A path generation system associated with the vehicle may receive a reference path, between source point and destination point, confined between left and right boundaries of road. Further, the path generation system may determine plurality of boundary points positioned along selected boundary and may identify a tangent for a point positioned between adjacent determined boundary points from along the selected boundary. Further, a line perpendicular to the tangent may be projected from each of the plurality of boundary points until the perpendicular line reaches other boundary. The path generation system may identify centre point on each perpendicular line and connects each centre point to generate the safe navigation path at centre of road that minimizes jerks and ensures smooth navigation and free movement of vehicle on road.