ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20170355368A1
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: O'Dea, Kevin A., Rajvanshi, Akshat
• Granted Patent: US 10,328,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/803 Relative lateral speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/106 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0015 specially adapted for safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00

Abstract

A system and method are provided for operating an autonomous or semi-autonomous host vehicle. The method includes receiving data measured from a plurality of sensors, wherein the measured data relates to one or more target vehicles in the host vehicle'"'"'s field of view, calculating a desired speed command based on a driver-selected set-speed and the measured data, detecting initiation of a host vehicle lane change to a desired adjacent lane, and in response to initiation of the lane change, selecting an acceleration profile based on at least one set of operating conditions, calculating a modified speed command by adjusting the desired speed command according to the selected acceleration profile; and controlling a host vehicle speed based on the modified speed command.

Claims

1. A method for operating an autonomous or semi-autonomous host vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving data measured from a plurality of sensors, wherein the measured data relates to one or more target vehicles in the host vehicle'"'"'s field of view;

calculating a desired speed command based on a driver-selected set-speed and the measured data;

detecting initiation of a host vehicle lane change from a current lane to a desired adjacent lane;

in response to initiation of the lane change, selecting an acceleration profile based on at least one set of operating conditions;

calculating a modified speed command by adjusting the desired speed command according to the selected acceleration profile; and

controlling a host vehicle speed based on the modified speed command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting initiation of the lane change is based on a turn signal activation of the host vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the acceleration profile includes determining whether a target vehicle is present in the desired adjacent lane and whether the target vehicle speed is less than a current speed of the host vehicle and within a threshold distance from the host vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the desired adjacent lane is determined by a direction of the activated turn signal of the host vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the acceleration profile includes determining whether the desired adjacent lane is a faster lane or a slower lane relative to the current host vehicle speed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the acceleration profile includes a positive acceleration profile, a transitional acceleration profile, or a negative acceleration, wherein the positive acceleration profile and the transitional acceleration profile include a positive supplemental speed request that adjusts the desired speed command to increase the host vehicle speed, and the negative include a negative supplemental speed request that adjusts the desired speed command to decrease the host vehicle speed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the acceleration profile includes determining whether a first set of operating conditions relating to a positive acceleration profile are satisfied.

8. The method of claim 7, further including monitoring for conditions that trigger a cancellation of the positive acceleration profile.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions triggering the cancellation of the positive acceleration profile include at least one of the following conditions:

at least one of the conditions in the first set of operating conditions is no longer satisfied;

a time gap between the host vehicle and a target vehicle falls below a minimum threshold;

a relative acceleration of the target vehicle with respect to the host vehicle is less than a threshold; and

a turn signal indicator has been active for a time period that is greater than a host vehicle turn signal threshold.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions triggering the cancellation of the positive acceleration profile include at least one of the conditions in the first set of operating conditions being no longer satisfied.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions triggering the cancellation of the positive acceleration profile include a time gap between the host vehicle and a target vehicle falling below a minimum threshold.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions triggering the cancellation of the positive acceleration profile include a relative acceleration of the target vehicle with respect to the host vehicle being less than a threshold.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions triggering the cancellation of the positive acceleration profile include a turn signal indicator being active for a time period that is greater than a host vehicle turn signal threshold.

14. The method of claim 8, further including determining whether a third set of operating conditions relating to a transitional acceleration profile is satisfied in response to the cancellation of the positive acceleration profile.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the third set of operating conditions include whether the host vehicle lane change is in progress in response to either the turn signal indicator being deactivated, or the turn signal indicator being active for a time period that is greater than a host vehicle turn signal threshold.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the acceleration profile includes determining whether a second set of operating conditions relating to a negative profile are satisfied.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second set of operating conditions include a target vehicle being present in the desired adjacent lane, and wherein the target vehicle speed in the desired adjacent lane is less than a current speed of the host vehicle and within a threshold distance from the host vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the acceleration profile includes a positive or negative torque request.

19. A method for operating an autonomous or semi-autonomous host vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving data measured from a plurality of sensors, wherein the measured data relates to one or more target vehicles in the host vehicle'"'"'s field of view;

receiving a desired speed command based on a driver-selected set-speed and the measured data;

detecting a host vehicle lane change from a current lane to an adjacent lane based on an activation of a host vehicle turn signal;

determining a relative speed between the host vehicle and a target vehicle in the adjacent lane;

selecting a positive or a negative acceleration profile based on the relative speed and a plurality of operating conditions;

calculating a modified speed command by adjusting the desired speed command according to the selected acceleration profile; and

controlling a host vehicle response in an anticipatory manner that is designed to mimic a human driver'"'"'s response based on the modified speed command.

20. A control system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a plurality of vehicle sensors configured to measure data relating to one or more target vehicles in the host vehicle'"'"'s field of view; and

an adaptive cruise control system configured to;

receive the measured data relating to the one or more target vehicle;

calculate a desired speed command based on a driver-selected set-speed and the measured data;

detect initiation of a host vehicle lane change to a desired adjacent lane;

in response to initiation of the lane change, select an acceleration profile based on at least one set of operating conditions;

calculate a modified speed command by adjusting the desired speed command according to the selected acceleration profile; and

control the host vehicle speed based on the modified speed command.