Method and system for automatically controlling a following vehicle with a scout vehicle

• US 10,429,854 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Darms, Michael, Meinecke, Marc-Michael, Bartels, Arne, Junge, Lutz
• Primary Examiner(s): Merlino, David P.
• Application Number:
  US15/377,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20170168504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• 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 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control

Abstract

A method and system for automatically controlling at least one following vehicle, where a scout trajectory is produced for a scout vehicle and the scout vehicle is guided along the scout trajectory. Scout environmental data are captured by scout sensors and a desired trajectory is produced for the following vehicle. Following vehicle environmental data are captured by following vehicle sensors. Reference trajectory data are produced based on the scout trajectory and reference environmental data are produced based on the scout environmental data. The reference trajectory data and the reference environmental data are transmitted to the following vehicle. A trajectory similarity is determined by a trajectory comparison of the desired trajectory produced and the transmitted reference trajectory data, an environment similarity is determined by an environmental data comparison of the captured following vehicle environmental data and the transmitted reference environmental data.

Claims

1. A method for automatically controlling at least one following vehicle, the method comprising:

producing a scout trajectory for a scout vehicle and the scout vehicle is guided along the scout trajectory;

capturing scout environmental data by scout sensors;

producing a desired trajectory for a following vehicle, wherein following vehicle environmental data are captured by following vehicle sensors;

producing reference trajectory data based on the scout trajectory and reference environmental data based on the scout environmental data;

transmitting the reference trajectory data and the reference environmental data to the following vehicle;

determining a trajectory similarity by a trajectory comparison based on the desired trajectory produced and the transmitted reference trajectory data;

determining an environment similarity by an environmental data comparison based on the captured following vehicle environmental data and the transmitted reference environmental data; and

activating automatic control of the following vehicle along the desired trajectory depending on the trajectory similarity and the environment similarity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to no automatic control of the following vehicle being activated, a safe driving mode of the following vehicle is activated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the scout vehicle is automatically controlled.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a scout trajectory quality is also determined, and the automatic control of the following vehicle is also activated based on the scout trajectory quality.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the scout trajectory is produced based on an image processing system, the scout trajectory quality is determined by the image processing system.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the scout trajectory quality is determined based on inputs by a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the scout trajectory, the scout environmental data, the desired trajectory, and/or the following vehicle environmental data are transmitted to an external server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the reference trajectory data and/or the reference environmental data are produced by the external server and are transmitted from the external server to the following vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference trajectory data and/or the reference environmental data are also produced based on additional data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference trajectory data and/or the reference environmental data are also produced based on the desired trajectory and/or the following vehicle environmental data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the following vehicle captures the scout trajectory by the following vehicle sensors.

12. A system for automatically controlling at least one following vehicle using a scout vehicle, wherein the scout vehicle includes a navigation system configured to produce a scout trajectory for the scout vehicle for guiding the scout vehicle along the scout trajectory, and wherein the scout vehicle includes scout sensors which capture scout environmental data, the system comprising:

a following vehicle that includes a navigation system configured to produce a desired trajectory for the following vehicle, wherein the following vehicle includes following vehicle sensors which capture following vehicle environmental data, wherein the following vehicle is guided along the desired trajectory,

wherein reference trajectory data, which is based on the scout trajectory and produces reference environmental data, which is based on the scout environmental data, are received by the following vehicle,

wherein a trajectory similarity is determined in the navigation system of the following vehicle by performing a trajectory comparison based on the desired trajectory and the received reference trajectory data,

wherein an environment similarity is determined in the navigation system of the following vehicle by performing an environmental data comparison based on the captured following vehicle environmental data and the received reference environmental data, and

wherein, depending on the trajectory similarity and the environment similarity, automatic control of the following vehicle along the desired trajectory is activated.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the scout vehicle is automatically controlled.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein a scout trajectory quality is used to perform automatic control activation of the following vehicle.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the system further comprises an external server, which receives the scout trajectory, the scout environmental data, the desired trajectory, and/or the following vehicle environmental data.