System and method for adaptive cruise control for defensive driving

• US 10,493,988 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TuSimple, Inc. (TuSimple Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tusimple
• Inventors: Liu, Liu, Lin, Wutu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiswanto, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US15/640,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20190001975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 885 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0022 Gains, weighting coefficients or weighting functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0025 Transfer function weighting factor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A system and method for adaptive cruise control for defensive driving are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes: receiving input object data from a subsystem of an autonomous vehicle, the input object data including distance data and velocity data relative to a lead vehicle; generating a weighted distance differential corresponding to a weighted difference between an actual distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle and a desired distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle; generating a weighted velocity differential corresponding to a weighted difference between a velocity of the autonomous vehicle and a velocity of the lead vehicle; combining the weighted distance differential and the weighted velocity differential with the velocity of the lead vehicle to produce a velocity command for the autonomous vehicle; and controlling the autonomous vehicle to conform to the velocity command.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data processor; and

an adaptive cruise control module, executable by the data processor, being configured to;

receive input object data from a subsystem of an autonomous vehicle, the input object data including distance data and velocity data relative to a lead vehicle;

generate a weighted distance differential corresponding to a weighted difference between an actual distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle and a desired distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle, the desired distance and a distance weight coefficient of the weighted distance differential being separately user configurable;

generate a weighted velocity differential corresponding to a weighted difference between a velocity of the autonomous vehicle and a velocity of the lead vehicle, a velocity weight coefficient of the weighted velocity differential being separately user configurable;

combine the weighted distance differential and the weighted velocity differential with the velocity of the lead vehicle to produce a velocity command for the autonomous vehicle; and

control the autonomous vehicle to conform to the velocity command.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the input object data includes distance data from one or more light imaging, detection, and ranging (LIDAR) sensors.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the weighted distance differential is produced by multiplying a distance weight coefficient with the difference between an actual distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle and a desired distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the weighted velocity differential is produced by multiplying a velocity weight coefficient with the difference between the velocity of the autonomous vehicle and a velocity of the lead vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 further including summing the weighted distance differential and the weighted velocity differential with the velocity of the lead vehicle to produce a velocity command for the autonomous vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein controlling the autonomous vehicle further includes directing a vehicle control subsystem of the autonomous vehicle to cause the autonomous vehicle to achieve a speed corresponding to the velocity command.

7. A method comprising:

receiving input object data from a subsystem of an autonomous vehicle, the input object data including distance data and velocity data relative to a lead vehicle;

generating a weighted distance differential corresponding to a weighted difference between an actual distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle and a desired distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle, the desired distance and a distance weight coefficient of the weighted distance differential being separately user configurable;

generating a weighted velocity differential corresponding to a weighted difference between a velocity of the autonomous vehicle and a velocity of the lead vehicle, a velocity weight coefficient of the weighted velocity differential being separately user configurable;

combining the weighted distance differential and the weighted velocity differential with the velocity of the lead vehicle to produce a velocity command for the autonomous vehicle; and

controlling the autonomous vehicle to conform to the velocity command.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the input object data includes distance data from one or more light imaging, detection, and ranging (LIDAR) sensors.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the weighted distance differential is produced by multiplying a distance weight coefficient with the difference between an actual distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle and a desired distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the weighted velocity differential is produced by multiplying a velocity weight coefficient with the difference between the velocity of the autonomous vehicle and a velocity of the lead vehicle.

11. The method of claim 7 further including summing the weighted distance differential and the weighted velocity differential with the velocity of the lead vehicle to produce a velocity command for the autonomous vehicle.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein controlling the autonomous vehicle further includes directing a vehicle control subsystem of the autonomous vehicle to cause the autonomous vehicle to achieve a speed corresponding to the velocity command.

13. A non-transitory machine-useable storage medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive input object data from a subsystem of an autonomous vehicle, the input object data including distance data and velocity data relative to a lead vehicle;

generate a weighted distance differential corresponding to a weighted difference between an actual distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle and a desired distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle, the desired distance and a distance weight coefficient of the weighted distance differential being separately user configurable;

generate a weighted velocity differential corresponding to a weighted difference between a velocity of the autonomous vehicle and a velocity of the lead vehicle, a velocity weight coefficient of the weighted velocity differential being separately user configurable;

combine the weighted distance differential and the weighted velocity differential with the velocity of the lead vehicle to produce a velocity command for the autonomous vehicle; and

control the autonomous vehicle to conform to the velocity command.

14. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the input object data includes distance data from one or more light imaging, detection, and ranging (LIDAR) sensors.

15. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the weighted distance differential is produced by multiplying a distance weight coefficient with the difference between an actual distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle and a desired distance between the autonomous vehicle and the lead vehicle.

16. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the weighted velocity differential is produced by multiplying a velocity weight coefficient with the difference between the velocity of the autonomous vehicle and a velocity of the lead vehicle.