Control system and method for determining a lane occupancy by vehicles

• US 10,207,712 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schaper, Monika, Grigorians, Hrachia, Glander, Karl-Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Jos, Basil T.
• Application Number:
  US15/402,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20170232970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00 Drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Control system, which is adapted for application in a vehicle and intended to detect following vehicles on the basis of environmental data which are obtained from one or several environmental sensors disposed on the vehicle. The environmental sensors are adapted to provide an electronic controller of the control system with the environmental data which reflect the area in front of, laterally next to and/or behind the vehicle. The control system is at least adapted and intended to detect one or several other vehicles participating in traffic behind the own vehicle with the environmental sensors. A lane associated with each other vehicle, in which the other vehicle(s) drive(s), is detected. An occupancy of the own lane and/or of at least one adjacent lane by the other vehicle(s) is determined. On the basis of the determined occupancy (i) a corresponding indication about the occupancy of the own lane and/or of the at least one adjacent lane is output, (ii) an indication on a safe or unsafe lane change to a specific of the at least one adjacent lane is output and/or (iii) an autonomous lane change to the specific of the at least one adjacent lane is performed by the own vehicle if the determined occupancy allows a safe change of lane.

Claims

1. A control system, which is adapted for application in a vehicle and intended to detect following vehicles on the basis of environmental data which are obtained from one or several environmental sensors disposed on the vehicle, wherein the environmental sensors are adapted to provide an electronic controller of the control system with the environmental data which reflect the area in front of, laterally next to and/or behind the vehicle, and wherein the control system is at least adapted and intended

to detect one or several other vehicles (alter) participating in traffic behind the own vehicle (ego) by means of the environmental sensors,

to detect a lane (L, M, R) associated with each other vehicle (alter), in which the other vehicle(s) (alter) drive(s),

to determine an occupancy of the own lane (L) and/or of at least one adjacent lane (M, R) by the other vehicle(s) (alter),

to determine a traffic density with reference to the occupancy, to compare the traffic density with a threshold value, to rate a lane change as safe if the traffic density exceeds the threshold value, and to rate a lane change as unsafe if the traffic density is lower than the threshold value, wherein the traffic density is calculated by dividing a number of the detected vehicles by a redefined area of the own lane (L) and/or at least one adjacent lane (M, R), and/or by a number of the detected lanes (L, M, R), and

(i) to output an indication on a safe or unsafe lane change to a specific of the at least one adjacent lane (M, R) and/or (ii) to perform an autonomous lane change to the specific of the at least one adjacent lane (M, R) by the own vehicle (ego) if the determined occupancy allows a safe change of lane.

2. The control system according to claim 1, which is adapted and intended to detect the other vehicle(s) (alter) during a predetermined period of time or continuously, to detect the lane (M, R) associated with the other vehicle(s) (alter) and to determine the lane occupancy and to detect the driving situation of the own vehicle (ego) and of the other vehicle(s) (alter) over the time and evaluate them in regard to a safe operation with the aim of determining the point in time after which the safe lane change is possible.

3. The control system according to claim 1, which is adapted and intended to determine the traffic density with reference to the occupancy for each of the lanes (L, M, R), and to rate a lane change as safe if the traffic density for each of the lanes (L, M, R) exceeds the threshold value, and/or to rate a lane change as unsafe if at least the traffic density for the adjacent lane (M, R) is lower than the threshold value, or to determine the traffic density with reference to the occupancy of all lanes (L, M, R), and to rate a lane change as safe if the traffic density across all lanes (L, M, R) exceeds the threshold value, and/or to rate a lane change as unsafe if at least the traffic density of all lanes (L, M, R) is lower than the threshold value.

4. The control system according to claim 3, which is adapted and intended to determine the traffic density of each of the lanes (L, M, R) as a function of a number of other vehicles (alter), which are located in the respective lane (L, M, R) in a predetermined area behind the own vehicle (ego).

5. The control system according to claim 1, which is further adapted and intended to detect a course (310) of the own lane (L) of the vehicle (ego) with the environmental sensors and store it over a predefined road section, and to take the stored course (310) of the own lane (L) into account when detecting the lane (L, R) associated with each of the other vehicle(s) (alter) and when determining the occupancy of the own lane (L) and/or of the adjacent lane (R).

6. The control system according to claim 5, which is adapted and intended to detect the course (310) of the own lane (L) with reference to environmental data for an area (301) lying in front of, laterally in front of and/or laterally next to the vehicle.

7. The control system according to claim 5, which is adapted and intended to detect and store the course (310) of the own lane (L) as a trajectory (320) of the lane progression.

8. A control method, which in a vehicle is for detecting following vehicles based on environmental data obtained from one or several environmental sensor(s) disposed on the vehicle, with the steps of:

providing an electronic controller in the own vehicle (ego) by means of the environmental sensors with environmental data reflecting the area in front of, laterally next to and/or behind the vehicle,

detecting one or several other vehicles (alter) participating in traffic behind the own vehicle (ego) with the environmental sensors,

detecting a lane (L, M, R) associated with each other vehicle (alter), in which the other vehicle(s) (alter) drive(s),

determining an occupancy of the own lane (L) and/or of at least one adjacent lane (M, R) by the other vehicle(s) (alter),

determining a traffic density with reference to the occupancy, to compare the traffic density with a threshold value, to rate a lane change as safe if the traffic density exceeds the threshold value, and to rate a lane change as unsafe if the traffic density is lower than the threshold value, wherein the traffic density is calculated by dividing a number of the detected vehicles by a predefined area of the own lane (L) and/or of at least one adjacent lane (M, R) and/or by a number of the detected lanes (L, M, R), and

(i) outputting an indication on a safe or unsafe lane change to a specific of the at least one adjacent lane (M, R) and/or (ii) performing an autonomous lane change to the specific of the at least one adjacent lane (M, R) by the own vehicle (ego) if the determined occupancy permits a safe change of lane.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein detection of the other vehicle(s) (alter), the detection of the lane (M, R) associated with each other vehicle (alter) and the determination of the lane occupancy take place during a predetermined period of time or continuously, with the step of:

detecting the driving situation of the own vehicle (ego) and of the other vehicle(s) (alter) over the time and evaluate them in relation to its safe operation, with the aim of determining the point in time after which the safe lane change is possible.

10. The control method according to claim 8, wherein the traffic density is determined with reference to the occupancy for each of the lanes (L, M, R), and a lane change is rated as safe if the traffic density for each individual lane (L, M, R) exceeds the threshold value, and/or a lane change is rated as unsafe if at least the traffic density for the corresponding adjacent lane (M, R) is lower than the threshold value, or the traffic density is determined with reference to the occupancy of all lanes (L, M, R), and a lane change is rated as safe if the traffic density across all lanes (L, M, R) exceeds the threshold value, and/or a lane change is rated as unsafe if the traffic density of all lanes (L, M, R) is lower than the threshold value.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the traffic density of each of the lanes (L, M, R) is determined as a function of a number of other vehicles (alter), which are located in the respective lane (L, M, R) in a predetermined area behind the own vehicle (ego).

12. The control method according to claim 8, with the steps of:

detecting a course (310) of the own lane (L) of the vehicle (ego) with the environmental sensors and storing it over a predefined road section, and

taking the stored course (310) of the own lane (L) into account when detecting the lane (L, R) associated with each of the other vehicle(s) (alter) and when determining the occupancy of the own lane (L) and/or of the adjacent lane (R).

13. The control method according to claim 12, with the step of:

detecting the course (310) of the own lane (L) with reference to environmental data for an area (301) lying in front of, laterally in front of and/or laterally next to the vehicle.

14. The control system according to claim 12, with the step of:

detect and store the course (310) of the own lane (L) as a trajectory (320) of the lane progression.