Vehicle lane changing

• US 10,229,599 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Khalifeh, Ahmad, Elwart, Shane, Malone, Mark Douglas, Tellis, Levasseur, Jammoul, Shadi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cass, Jean Paul
• Application Number:
  US15/409,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20180204463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/20 Direction indicator values
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• 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 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• 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: B62D 15/0255 Automatic changing of lane, e.g. for passing another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/001 the torque NOT being among the input parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A computer is programmed to score a requested vehicle lane change and actuate vehicle components to perform the lane change upon determining that the score is less than a predetermined threshold within the predetermined time.

Claims

1. A computer, programmed to:

score a requested vehicle lane change based on a curvature radius of a host vehicle current lane, and at least one of (i) a traffic restriction including a lane change restriction, (ii) a weather condition, and (iii) an outside light condition; and

actuate vehicle components to perform the lane change upon determining that the score is less than a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time.

2. The computer of claim 1, further programmed to prevent the lane change upon determining that the score exceeds the predetermined threshold.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is programmed to determine the score upon receiving user input requesting the lane change.

4. The computer of claim 1, further programmed to ignore a user request for the lane change for a predetermined inhibit time upon determining that the score exceeded the predetermined threshold during the predetermined time.

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein determining the score further includes identifying a target lane for the lane change.

6. The computer of claim 1, further programmed to detect one or more second vehicles and determine the score based at least in part on the detected one or more second vehicles.

7. The computer of claim 1, wherein the vehicle components include a host vehicle steering actuator.

8. The computer of claim 1, further programmed to actuate the vehicle components to perform a lane change by:

outputting instructions to a vehicle steering actuator; and

at least one of activating vehicle turn signals and outputting data indicating the lane change via a wireless communication network.

9. A method, comprising:

scoring a requested vehicle lane change based on a curvature radius of a host vehicle current lane, and at least one of (i) a traffic restriction including a lane change restriction, (ii) a weather condition, and (iii) an outside light condition; and

actuating vehicle components to perform the lane change upon determining that the score is less than a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising preventing the lane change upon determining that the score exceeds the predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the score is determined upon receiving user input requesting the lane change.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the score is periodically determined for the predetermined time.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising ignoring a user request for the lane change for a predetermined inhibit time upon determining that the score exceeded the predetermined threshold during the predetermined time.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the score further includes identifying a target lane for the lane change.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting one or more second vehicles and determining the score based at least in part on the detected one or more second vehicles.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle components include a host vehicle steering actuator.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein actuating the vehicle components to perform the lane change further includes:

outputting instructions to a vehicle steering actuator; and

at least one of activating vehicle turn signals and outputting data indicating the lane change via a wireless communication network.