Controlling vehicle lateral lane positioning

• US 8,781,670 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2013
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dolgov, Dmitri, Urmson, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/903,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20140121880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/28
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Methods and systems for controlling vehicle lateral lane positioning are described. A computing device may be configured to identify an object in a vicinity of a vehicle on a road. The computing device may be configured to estimate, based on characteristics of the vehicle and respective characteristics of the object, an interval of time during which the vehicle will be laterally adjacent to the object. Based on the characteristics of the vehicle, the computing device may be configured to estimate longitudinal positions of the vehicle on the road during the interval of time. Based on the respective characteristics of the object, the computing device may be configured to determine a lateral distance for the vehicle to maintain between the vehicle and the object during the interval of time at the longitudinal positions of the vehicle, and provide instructions to control the vehicle based on the lateral distance.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, an object on or proximate to a road on which a vehicle is travelling;

estimating, based on characteristics of the vehicle and respective characteristics of the object, one or more positions at which the vehicle will be adjacent to the object, wherein the characteristics of the vehicle include a speed and a direction of motion of the vehicle, and wherein the respective characteristics of the object include a respective speed and a respective direction of motion of the object;

determining, based on the respective characteristics of the object, a distance for the vehicle to maintain between the vehicle and the object at the one or more positions of the vehicle; and

providing, using the computing device, instructions to control the vehicle based on the distance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the object comprises:

receiving, from an image-capture device coupled to the vehicle, an image, wherein identifying the object comprises identifying the object in the image, and wherein the image-capture device is one of a camera or a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective characteristics of the object further include one or more of a size of the object, a respective position of the object on the road, or a type of the object.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving one or more of LIDAR-based information from a LIDAR device coupled to the vehicle or an image of the object captured by a camera coupled to the vehicle, wherein the LIDAR-based information comprises a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud that includes a set of points based on light emitted from the LIDAR device and reflected from the object;

receiving, from a radio detection and ranging (RADAR) device coupled to the vehicle, RADAR-based information relating to one or more respective motion characteristics of the object; and

determining the one or more respective characteristics of the object based on the one or more of the LIDAR-based information and the image, and the RADAR-based information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the one or more positions comprises estimating one or more positions further based on road geometry.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating, based on the characteristics of the vehicle, the one or more positions of the vehicle on the road comprises estimating the one or more positions based on the speed of the vehicle and an estimated acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to have access to a mapping of given characteristics of a given object to a given distance to be maintained between the vehicle and the given object, and wherein determining the distance comprises comparing the respective characteristics of the object to the given characteristics in the mapping.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the instructions to control the vehicle comprises modifying a trajectory of the vehicle on the road such that the vehicle maintains the distance between the vehicle and object at the one or more positions, and wherein modifying the trajectory comprises modifying at least a steering angle of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to control the vehicle in an autonomous operation mode.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

identifying one or more objects on or proximate to a road on which a vehicle is travelling based on a trajectory;

for each object of the one or more objects;

estimating, based on one or more characteristics of the vehicle and one or more respective characteristics of a respective object, one or more respective positions at which the vehicle will be adjacent to the respective object;

determining, based on the one or more respective characteristics of the respective object, a respective distance for the vehicle to maintain between the vehicle and the respective object at the one or more respective positions of the vehicle; and

assigning, based on the one or more respective characteristics of the respective object, a respective weight to the respective distance determined for the respective object;

determining a modified trajectory for the vehicle based on determined respective distances relating to the vehicle and the one or more objects and based on respective weights assigned to the respective distances, wherein the respective weights are indicative of respective degrees of influence of the respective distances on determining the modified trajectory; and

providing instructions to control the vehicle based on the modified trajectory.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the function of determining the modified trajectory comprises determining the modified trajectory further based on one or more of road condition, and a type of a lane of the vehicle on the road.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computing device is configured to control the vehicle in an autonomous operation mode.

13. A control system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory having stored thereon executable instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, cause the control system to perform functions comprising;

identifying one or more objects on or proximate to a road on which a vehicle is travelling based on a trajectory;

for each object of the one or more objects;

estimating, based on one or more characteristics of the vehicle and one or more respective characteristics of a respective object, one or more respective positions at which the vehicle will be adjacent to the respective object; and

determining, based on the one or more respective characteristics of the respective object, a respective distance for the vehicle to maintain between the vehicle and the respective object at the one or more respective positions of the vehicle;

determining a modified trajectory for the vehicle based on determined respective distances relating to the vehicle and the one or more objects, wherein determining the modified trajectory comprises;

taking the respective distance into account as a hard constraint indicating strict adherence to maintaining at least the respective distance between the vehicle and the respective object, or

taking the respective distance into account as a soft constraint that can be violated, based on the one or more respective characteristics of the object; and

providing instructions to control the vehicle based on the modified trajectory.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the function of providing instructions to control the vehicle based on the modified trajectory comprises providing instructions to control the vehicle in an autonomous operation mode.

15. The control system of claim 13, wherein the one or more respective characteristics of the object include one or more of whether the object is moving or stationary, a longitudinal speed of the object, a lateral speed of the object, a direction of motion of the object, a size of the object, a respective position of the object on the road, or a type of the object.

16. The control system of claim 15, further comprising:

a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device coupled to the vehicle, wherein the LIDAR device is configured to provide LIDAR-based information comprising a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud that includes a set of points based on light emitted from the LIDAR device and reflected from each object of the one or more objects;

a camera coupled to the vehicle, wherein the camera is configured to provide one or more images of each object of the one or more objects; and

a radio detection and ranging (RADAR) device coupled to the vehicle, wherein the RADAR device is configured to provide RADAR-based information relating to one or more respective motion characteristics for each object of the one or more objects,

wherein the functions further comprise determining the one or more respective characteristics of each object of the one or more objects based on one or more of the LIDAR-based information, the one or more images, or the RADAR-based information.

17. The control system of claim 13, wherein the control system is configured to have access to a mapping of given characteristics of a given object to a given distance to be maintained between the vehicle and the given object, and wherein the function of determining the respective distance comprises comparing the one or more respective characteristics of the respective object to the given characteristics in the mapping.