Autonomous Vehicle Path Transition Control for Smooth Lane Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous driving vehicles face challenges in smoothly transitioning between paths, leading to passenger discomfort due to sudden changes, as existing systems fail to effectively adapt to changing surroundings and maintain stable driving conditions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control apparatus that determines a convergent longitudinal distance for a transition path based on the difference between the current and new paths, generating a transition path to connect them smoothly, ensuring the vehicle changes paths without causing discomfort to passengers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle apparatus uses only one path in autonomous driving, then the control system is simple, but it cannot effectively cope with changes in surrounding situation
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates multiple possible paths (first path, second path, and transition path) before needing to switch between them. This allows the vehicle to have ready-made options for different situations, improving adaptability without requiring complex real-time decision-making when a path change is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects between different driving modes: staying on the current path when conditions are stable, or transitioning to a new path when surrounding situations change. The path transition control apparatus adjusts the driving trajectory in real-time based on environmental feedback, making the system adaptable while maintaining manageable complexity through structured control logic.
2Speed
If the path is changed suddenly during autonomous driving, then the response to surrounding changes is fast, but it causes discomfort or apprehension to passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The transition path is designed as a curved trajectory that smoothly connects the first path and second path, rather than an abrupt angular change. This curved transition reduces lateral acceleration spikes and provides a more comfortable experience for passengers while still achieving timely path changes in response to environmental variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The path transition is executed as a continuous, gradual process rather than an instantaneous switch. The vehicle follows the transition path for a calculated duration, distributing the path change over time to maintain passenger comfort while achieving the necessary responsiveness to environmental changes.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the vehicle transitions smoothly between paths, then passenger comfort is maintained, but the time required for path change increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates the transition path length and required transition time based on vehicle speed and environmental conditions. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system optimizes the balance between smooth transitions (reducing passenger discomfort) and timely response (minimizing time loss), allowing faster transitions at higher speeds while maintaining comfort constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is introduced for autonomous driving of a vehicle. The apparatus may comprise a processor, and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, may cause the apparatus to determine a second path that is different from a first path being used for autonomous driving of the vehicle, determine whether a path transition condition is met, based on a determination that the path transition condition is met and based on a travel distance between the first path and the second path, determine a convergent longitudinal distance within which a path transition from the first path to the second path is to be completed, generate, based on the determined convergent longitudinal distance, a transition path connecting the first path with the second path, and may cause the vehicle to drive autonomously along the transition path.