Vehicle Travel Path Planning in Narrowed Road Lanes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for determining travel paths for autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles are inefficient and do not adequately reduce the search space for navigation, leading to potential obstacles and delays in path determination.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a shrinking hypercube optimization process to limit the search space for travel paths based on curbs and other features, using a node-based connector path determination process to enhance navigation efficiency and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the search space for travel paths is not reduced, then the system can potentially find all possible paths, but the computation time and processing efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes irrelevant portions of the search space by defining a narrowed road lane that excludes areas beyond curbs and certain environmental features. This extraction eliminates unnecessary computational regions while preserving all valid travel paths, directly resolving the contradiction between comprehensive path search and computation efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the road lane into multiple sections based on environmental features such as curbs, sidewalks, and parking areas. Each segment is independently analyzed with appropriate search space narrowing, allowing efficient parallel processing while maintaining complete path coverage across the entire road network
2Productivity
If the search space is narrowed based on curbs and features, then the computation efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying environmental features (curbs, sidewalks, parking areas) and pre-defining narrowed road lanes before path determination begins. This preprocessing step creates a simplified search space structure that reduces real-time computational complexity while maintaining navigation efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary narrowed road lane concept that acts as a mediator between the full road lane and the path search algorithm. This intermediary structure simplifies the search space without requiring complex modifications to the underlying path determination algorithms, thereby reducing overall system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are methods for travel path determination, which can include obtaining mapping data characterizing an environment, the mapping data indicating mapping data indicating boundaries of a first road lane in the environment; identifying a portion of the first road lane as a narrowed road lane, the narrowed road lane having a reduced width in at least a portion of the narrowed road lane compared to a width of the first road lane; evaluating a plurality of candidate travel paths in a search space that includes the narrowed road lane and excludes at least a portion of the first road lane that is not included in the narrowed road lane; and determining a particular travel path for a vehicle through the narrowed road lane based on the evaluation of the plurality of candidate travel paths. The plurality of candidate travel paths include the particular travel path.