Method and apparatus for operating an automated motor vehicle

• US 10,457,292 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Grinenval, Charlotte, Braeuchle, Christian, Hofmann, Konrad, Wickert, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US15/677,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20180050701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 701123, 701 1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0062 Adapting control system settings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0023 in response to energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem

Abstract

A method for operating an automated motor vehicle includes: ascertaining a target trajectory for the motor vehicle, acquiring environmental data of the motor vehicle, ascertaining a tolerance region of the target trajectory based on the acquired environmental data, and guiding the motor vehicle in the tolerance region of the target trajectory in such a way that guidance of the motor vehicle with the smallest possible changes in acceleration and/or with energetically optimized propulsion is definedly more highly prioritized than definedly accurate guidance of the motor vehicle along the target trajectory.

Claims

1. A method for operating an automated motor vehicle, the method comprising:

acquiring, by the controller, environmental data and navigation data of the motor vehicle, wherein the data includes a collision free region or corridor that marks a region in which the motor vehicle can move and in which a risk of collision with longitudinally adjacent vehicles is minimized, wherein the collision free region or corridor represents a prescribed region within which the target trajectory must be constituted;

ascertaining, by a controller, a target trajectory along which the motor vehicle is guided to a target speed or a target position;

ascertaining, by the controller, a tolerance region of the target trajectory based on the acquired data, wherein the tolerance region is around the target speed or the target position of the target trajectory, within which region the motor vehicle is permitted to deviate from the target speed or the target position, and wherein the tolerance region is located within the collision free region; and

guiding, by the controller, the motor vehicle in the tolerance region of the target trajectory;

wherein the guiding is performed according to prioritized criteria that includes;

(a) at least one of a minimization of a change in acceleration of the motor vehicle and an energetic optimization of a propulsion at a first priority level, and (b) accurate guidance of the motor vehicle along the target trajectory at a second priority level that is lower than the first priority level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the guiding is performed via modification of parameters of control devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the guiding is performed via limitation of gradients of actuators of the motor vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the energetic optimization is also used in a manual operating mode of the motor vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the guiding is performed using a first control device of the controller to track trajectory and a second control device of the controller to control at least one of the minimization of the change in acceleration and the energetic optimization.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein operation of the two control devices is controlled by way of anti-wind-up actions.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first control device and the second control device are embodied as a multi-variable controller or as a fuzzy controller.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the guiding includes longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle.

9. An apparatus for operating an automated motor vehicle, comprising:

a first control device; and

a second control device that is functionally connected to the first control device;

wherein the first control device is configured to control guidance of the motor vehicle by performing the following;

acquiring environmental data and navigation data of the motor vehicle, wherein the data includes a collision free region or corridor that marks a region in which the motor vehicle can move and in which a risk of collision with longitudinally adjacent vehicles is minimized, wherein the collision free region or corridor represents a prescribed region within which the target trajectory must be constituted;

ascertaining a target trajectory along which the motor vehicle is guided to a target speed or a target position;

ascertaining a tolerance region of the target trajectory based on the acquired data, wherein the tolerance region is around the target speed or the target position of the target trajectory, within which region the motor vehicle is permitted to deviate from the target speed or the target position, and wherein the tolerance region is located within the collision free region; and

wherein the second control device is configured to, based on the environmental data and the navigation data, modify the guidance based on prioritized criteria that includes;

(a) at least one of a minimization of a change in acceleration of the motor vehicle and an energetic optimization of a propulsion at a first priority level, and (b) accurate guidance of the motor vehicle along the target trajectory at a second priority level that is lower than the first priority level.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first control device and the second control device are embodied as a multi-variable controller or as a fuzzy controller.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for operating an automated motor vehicle, by performing the following;

acquiring, by the controller, environmental data and navigation data of the motor vehicle, wherein the data includes a collision free region or corridor that marks a region in which the motor vehicle can move and in which a risk of collision with longitudinally adjacent vehicles is minimized, wherein the collision free region or corridor represents a prescribed region within which the target trajectory must be constituted;

ascertaining a target trajectory along which the motor vehicle is guided to a target speed or a target position;

ascertaining a tolerance region of the target trajectory based on the acquired data, wherein the tolerance region is around the target speed or the target position of the target trajectory, within which region the motor vehicle is permitted to deviate from the target speed or the target position, and wherein the tolerance region is located within the collision free region; and

guiding the motor vehicle in the tolerance region of the target trajectory, wherein the guiding is performed according to prioritized criteria that includes;

(a) at least one of a minimization of a change in an acceleration of the motor vehicle and an energetic optimization of a propulsion at a first priority level, and (b) accurate guidance of the motor vehicle along the target trajectory at a second priority level that is lower than the first priority level.