AUTONOMOUS-MODE TRAFFIC LANE SELECTION BASED ON TRAFFIC LANE CONGESTION LEVELS

• US 20180113450A1
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Published: 04/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sherony, Rini
• Application Number:
  US15/298,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20180113450A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display 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 2552/10 Number of lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• 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 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 2720/24 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 : Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 : event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A method and device for an autonomous vehicle control unit for traffic lane selection are disclosed. In operation, a present traffic lane in relation to each of a plurality of traffic lanes for a roadway is identified. A traffic congestion level is determined for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes, and compared with each other to determine a lowest-congested traffic lane of the plurality of traffic lanes. When the lowest-congested traffic lane is other than the present traffic lane, a traffic lane change command is generated that includes identifier data for an adjacent traffic lane having a lower traffic congestion level. The traffic lane change command is transmitted to effect a traffic lane change of the vehicle from the present traffic lane to an adjacent traffic lane.

Claims

1. A method in an autonomous vehicle control unit for traffic lane selection from a roadway having a plurality of traffic lanes in a common direction of travel, the method comprising:

identifying a present traffic lane in relation to each of the plurality of traffic lanes;

determining a traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes;

comparing the traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes to determine a lowest-congested traffic lane of the plurality of traffic lanes;

when the lowest-congested traffic lane is other than the present traffic lane;

generating a traffic lane change command including identifier data for an adjacent traffic lane having a lower traffic congestion level; and

transmitting the traffic lane change command to effect a traffic lane change from the present traffic lane to the adjacent traffic lane.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes comprising:

sensing a vehicle positioned ahead along the common direction of travel; and

determining a distance to the vehicle to produce the traffic congestion level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes comprising:

sensing a vehicle positioned ahead along the common direction of travel; and

detecting a closing of a longitudinal distance to the vehicle; and

determining a rate of the closing of the longitudinal distance to the vehicle to produce the traffic congestion level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the traffic lane change command further comprising:

transmitting the traffic lane change command to a powertrain control unit; and

broadcasting the traffic lane change command.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the broadcasting the traffic lane change command comprising:

a vehicle-to-vehicle communication; and

a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.

6. A method in a vehicle control unit for traffic lane selection of a roadway for an autonomous vehicle operation, the method comprising:

determining a traffic congestion condition for the roadway;

when the traffic congestion condition exceeds a threshold, determining whether the roadway includes a plurality of traffic lanes for travel in a uniform travel direction; and

when the roadway includes the plurality of traffic lanes;

identifying a present traffic lane in relation to each of the plurality of traffic lanes;

determining a traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes;

comparing the traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes to determine whether the present traffic lane is a lowest-congested traffic lane of the plurality of traffic lanes; and

when the lowest-congested traffic lane is other than the present traffic lane, traversing the roadway to the lowest-congested traffic lane by;

generating a traffic lane change command identifying an adjacent traffic lane; and

transmitting the traffic lane change command to effect a lane change from the present traffic lane to the adjacent traffic lane.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

when the lowest-congested traffic lane is other than the adjacent traffic lane, again traversing the roadway to the lowest-congested traffic lane by;

generating another traffic lane change command including identifier data for a next adjacent traffic lane; and

transmitting the another traffic lane change command to effect a traffic lane change from the present traffic lane to the next adjacent traffic lane.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining the traffic congestion condition for the roadway comprising:

retrieving location data;

requesting, based on the location data, map layer data including roadway information;

receiving, in response, the map layer data indicating a present traffic speed for the roadway relative to a free-flowing traffic speed; and

processing the map layer data to produce the traffic congestion condition for the roadway.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the threshold indicates less than a free-flowing traffic speed for the roadway.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the traffic congestion condition for the roadway being based on sensing vehicle-to-vehicle communication levels.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sensing the vehicle-to-vehicle communication levels including sensing a volume of vehicle-to-vehicle communication collisions.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining the traffic congestion condition for the roadway comprising:

receiving a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication message;

retrieving message data from the vehicle-to-infrastructure communication message;

determining a congestion value for the message data; and

assigning the congestion value to the traffic congestion condition.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining whether the roadway includes the plurality of traffic lanes in the uniform travel direction comprising:

retrieving location data;

requesting, based on the location data, map layer data including roadway information data; and

receiving, in response, the map layer data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the map layer data comprises a Route Network Description File indicating an amount of the traffic lanes for the roadway.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining whether the roadway includes the plurality of traffic lanes in the uniform travel direction comprising:

receiving vehicle sensor data;

determining roadway features based on the vehicle sensor data;

inferring from the roadway features to infer more than one traffic lane; and

generating an initial estimate of traffic lane geometry.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmitting the traffic lane change command to effect the lane change from the present traffic lane to the adjacent traffic lane further comprising:

transmitting the traffic lane command to a powertrain control unit; and

broadcasting the traffic lane command.

17. A vehicle control unit for traffic lane selection comprising:

a wireless communication interface to service communication with a vehicle network and user equipment of a vehicle user;

a processor coupled to the wireless communication interface, the processor for controlling operations of the vehicle control unit; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory for storing data and program instructions used by the processor, the processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to;

identify a present traffic lane in relation to each of the plurality of traffic lanes;

determine a traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes;

compare the traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes to determine a lowest-congested traffic lane of the plurality of traffic lanes; and

when the lowest-congested traffic lane is other than the present traffic lane;

generate a traffic lane change command including identifier data for an adjacent traffic lane having a lower traffic congestion level; and

transmit the traffic lane change command to effect a traffic lane change from the present traffic lane to the adjacent traffic lane.

18. The vehicle control unit of claim 17, wherein the processor being further configured to execute further instructions stored in the memory to determine the traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes by:

sensing a vehicle positioned ahead along the common direction of travel; and

determining a distance to the vehicle to produce the traffic congestion level.

19. The vehicle control unit of claim 17, wherein the processor being further configured to execute further instructions stored in the memory to determine the traffic congestion level for the each of the plurality of traffic lanes by:

sensing a vehicle positioned ahead along the common direction of travel; and

detecting a closing of a longitudinal distance to the vehicle; and

determining a rate of the closing of the longitudinal distance to the vehicle to produce the traffic congestion level.

20. The vehicle control unit of claim 17, wherein the processor being further configured to execute further instructions stored in the memory to transmit the traffic lane change command by:

transmitting the traffic lane command to a powertrain control unit; and

broadcasting the traffic lane command.