System and method for controlling a vehicle

• US 10,144,453 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autonomous Solutions, Inc., CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Autonomous Solutions, Inc., CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Bunderson, Nathan Eric, Petersen, John Arthur Mitsuru, Ray, Brian Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Paige, Tyler D
• Application Number:
  US15/098,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20170297621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 701 41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/38 Electronic maps specially adapted for navigation; Updating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria

Abstract

A control system is configured to receive a first signal indicative of a current position of a vehicle and a second signal indicative of a desired path for the vehicle. The control system is configured to calculate a virtual path between the current position and a target position on the desired path and to output a third signal indicative of curvature command corresponding to an initial curvature of the virtual path to cause a steering control system of the vehicle to adjust a steering angle of the vehicle. The control is also configured to iteratively receive an updated current position, receive any updates to the desired path, calculate an updated target position, calculate an updated virtual path based on the updated current position and updated desired path, and output an updated curvature command corresponding to a respective initial curvature of the updated virtual path as the vehicle travels across a surface.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a control system comprising a processor configured to receive a first signal indicative of a current position of a vehicle and a second signal indicative of a desired path for the vehicle, wherein the processor is configured to calculate a virtual path that commences from the current position and terminates at a target position on the desired path and to output a third signal indicative of a curvature command corresponding to an initial curvature of the virtual path to cause a steering control system of the vehicle to adjust a steering angle of the vehicle, and wherein the processor is subsequently configured to iteratively receive an updated current position, receive any updates to the desired path, calculate an updated target position on the desired path, calculate an updated virtual path that commences from the updated current position and terminates at the updated target position, and output an updated curvature command corresponding to a respective initial curvature of the updated virtual path as the vehicle travels across a surface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive the first signal indicative of the current position of the vehicle from a spatial locating device coupled to the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine the target position based on the desired path, the current position, and one or more of a minimum turning radius of the vehicle, a maximum turning rate of the vehicle, or a current speed of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual path comprises a clothoid segment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine a distance between the current position of the vehicle and the desired path, and to calculate a Dubins path between the current position and the desired path while the distance is greater than a threshold.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the threshold is at least 2 times a turning radius of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to iteratively calculate an intermediate point on the Dubins path and to iteratively calculate a clothoid path from the current position to the intermediate point as the vehicle moves through the field until the distance is less than the threshold.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable code stored thereon, the code comprising instructions to:

receive a first signal indicative of a current position of a vehicle;

calculate a virtual path between the current position and a target position on a desired path for the vehicle;

output a third signal indicative of a curvature command corresponding to an initial curvature of the virtual path to adjust a steering angle of the vehicle; and

iteratively calculate virtual paths commencing from respective updated current positions and terminating at respective updated target positions on the desired path, and output updated curvature commands corresponding to a respective initial curvature of the iteratively calculated virtual paths as the vehicle travels across a surface to guide the vehicle toward or along the desired path.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the code comprises instructions to determine the target position based on the desired path, the current position, and one or more of a minimum turning radius of the vehicle, a maximum turning rate of the vehicle, or a current speed of the vehicle.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the virtual path is continuous to a second derivative of the current position.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the code comprises instructions to determine a distance between the current position of the vehicle and the desired path, to calculate a Dubins path between the current position and the desired path while the distance is greater than a threshold, to iteratively calculate an intermediate point on the Dubins path, and to iteratively calculate a clothoid path from the current position to the intermediate point as the vehicle moves through the field while the distance is greater than the threshold.

12. A method of controlling a vehicle, comprising:

using a processor for;

receiving a first signal indicative of a current position of a vehicle;

receiving a second signal indicative of a desired path for the vehicle;

calculating a virtual path commencing from the current position and terminating at a target position on the desired path;

outputting a third signal indicative of a curvature command corresponding to an initial curvature of the virtual path to cause a steering control system of the vehicle to adjust a steering angle of the vehicle; and

iteratively calculating virtual paths commencing from respective updated current positions and terminating at respective updated target positions on the desired path, and outputting updated curvature commands corresponding to a respective initial curvature of the iteratively calculated virtual paths as the vehicle travels across a surface.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising, using the processor, outputting only the initial curvature of the virtual path such that the vehicle does not travel along an entirety of the virtual path between the current position and the target position.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising, using the processor, receiving the desired path via an operator interface that is configured to receive an input from an operator.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising, using the processor, iteratively calculating virtual paths and outputting updated curvature commands corresponding to the respective initial curvature of the iteratively calculated virtual paths until the vehicle acquires the desired path.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising, using the processor, receiving the current position from a spatial locating device coupled to the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising, using the processor, determining the target position based on the desired path, the current position, and one or more of a minimum turning radius of the vehicle, a maximum turning rate of the vehicle, or a current speed of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising, using the processor, determining a distance between the current position of the vehicle and the desired path, and calculating a Dubins path between the current position and the desired path while the distance is greater than a threshold.

19. The method of claim 12, comprising, using the processor, iteratively calculating an intermediate point on the Dubins path and iteratively calculating a clothoid path from the current position to the intermediate point as the vehicle moves through the field until the distance is less than the threshold.

20. The method of claim 12, comprising iteratively calculating the virtual paths and outputting the updated curvature commands at regular intervals to cause the vehicle to travel along a travel path that is distinct from any of the virtual paths.