METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING A VEHICLE

• US 20160264136A1
• Filed: 10/17/2014
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: MINOIU ENACHE, Nicoleta
• Granted Patent: US 9,862,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/207 Steering angle of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00

Abstract

A method for automatically controlling a vehicle includes giving a reference local path and a potential speed of the vehicle. The method also includes calculating a stirring angle automatic setpoint that makes it possible to calculate a lateral acceleration proportional to the square of the potential speed of the vehicle, making the vehicle describe an arc of a circle including a point of intersection with the reference local path at a distance from the vehicle. A speed setpoint is generated and set to a value equal to that of the potential speed when the lateral acceleration has a value lower than a maximum permissible lateral acceleration value and the value of the potential speed is decreased when the lateral acceleration has a value higher than or equal to the maximum permissible lateral acceleration value so as to calculate a reduced lateral acceleration by repeating the calculating.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method for automatically controlling a vehicle, comprising:

giving a reference local trajectory and a potential speed of the vehicle;

calculating a turning angle automatic set point that causes the vehicle to describe a circular arc including a point of intersection with said reference local trajectory'"'"' at a distance from the vehicle, including calculating a lateral acceleration proportional to the square of the potential speed of the vehicle describing said circular arc;

comparing said calculated lateral acceleration with a maximum permissible lateral acceleration value;

generating a speed set point set to a value equal to that of the potential speed when said lateral acceleration has a value lower than said maximum permissible lateral acceleration value; and

adjusting, including reducing the value of the potential speed when said lateral acceleration has a value greater than or equal to said maximum permissible lateral acceleration value so as to calculate a reduced lateral acceleration by reiteration of the calculating step.

12. The automatic control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein, in said calculating step, the distance that separates the vehicle from said point of intersection with the trajectory is calculated proportionately to the potential speed of the vehicle.

13. The automatic control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the distance that separates the vehicle from said point of intersection with the trajectory is calculated in said calculating step by multiplying the potential speed of the vehicle by a variable coefficient increasing when said lateral acceleration has a value greater than or equal to said maximum permissible lateral acceleration value and the absolute value of a distance between said circular arc and the reference local trajectory is less than a maximum permissible distance.

14. The automatic control method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said distance is calculated as equal to the greatest of the measurable distances between a point of the circular arc and a point of the trajectory both located on the same radius of the circular arc.

15. The automatic control method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said maximum permissible distance is calculated equal to an overevaluation of the absolute value of the distance calculated in a previous execution of the calculating step.

16. The automatic control method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

generating a speed set point set to a value equal to that of the potential speed before reduction when the value of the potential speed after reduction is less than a minimum permissible potential speed value.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, causes the one or more computers to execute the method as claimed in claim 11.

18. A device for automatically controlling a vehicle, comprising:

an automatic control module receiving as input a reference local trajectory descriptor, said module holding in memory a non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 17 for generating a turning angle automatic set point so as to maintain a calculated lateral acceleration short of a maximum permissible lateral acceleration value.

19. The automatic control device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the device receives as input measured speed feedback so as to generate a braking and/or acceleration torque automatic set point to maintain said lateral acceleration short of a maximum permissible lateral acceleration value.

20. A motor vehicle comprising an automatic control device as claimed in claim 18 in order to operate in autonomous mode.