Autonomous Virtual Lane Sharing for Narrow Track Vehicles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Urban traffic congestion and parking issues are exacerbated by single-occupancy vehicles, and traditional solutions like expanding roadways and parking facilities have been ineffective.

Innovation Solution

The development of narrow track vehicles capable of autonomous lane sharing, filtering, and splitting, which treat standard lanes as virtual lanes to increase traffic efficiency and reduce congestion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If narrow track vehicles perform autonomous lane sharing, filtering, and splitting, then traffic efficiency and lane utilization are improved, but system complexity and control difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetraffic efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides a standard lane into multiple virtual lanes (first virtual lane and second virtual lane) to enable narrow track vehicles to navigate through traffic more efficiently. This segmentation allows the vehicle to treat a single physical lane as multiple navigable paths, increasing traffic capacity without adding physical infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the vehicle's position and trajectory in real-time based on traffic conditions, enabling autonomous lane sharing, filtering, and splitting operations. The vehicle can transition between virtual lanes and adjust its path dynamically to optimize traffic flow and avoid congestion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Quantity of substance

If narrow track vehicles treat standard lanes as virtual lanes, then lane capacity and traffic flow are improved, but navigation and control precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelane capacityVSAvoidnavigation precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a virtual lane dimension within the physical lane space, allowing the vehicle to navigate in a more granular spatial framework. By creating first and second virtual lanes within a single standard lane, the system effectively adds a dimensional layer to lane navigation, enabling finer control over vehicle positioning and traffic flow management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS12280783B2Autonomous narrow vehicle lane sharing, filtering, and splitting system

Publication Date: 2025.04.22 COMMUTER CARS CORP

AI summary

Techniques for dividing a lane into a first virtual lane and a second virtual lane are described. A narrow track vehicle may determine that the narrow track vehicle is traversing a lane that is at least 10 feet wide. The narrow track vehicle may divide the lane into a first virtual lane and a second virtual lane and traverse one of the first virtual lane or the second virtual lane based at least in part on location (e.g., when traversing a highway lane, residential lane, etc.) and/or speed of traffic (e.g., when traffic is traveling at or below a threshold speed). In examples, the narrow track vehicle may traverse the environment in between a first lane and a second lane upon determining that a distance between a first object in the first lane and a second object in the second lane meets a threshold distance.