Object path prediction method, apparatus, and program, and automatic operation system

• US 8,805,601 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Aso, Kazuaki, Kindo, Toshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amsdell, Dana
• Application Number:
  US12/224,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20090024357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,722 Days
• US Class Current: 701/21
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

An object path prediction method, apparatus, and program and an automatic operation system that can secure safety even in situations that can actually occur are provided. For this purpose, a computer having a storage unit that stores the position of an object and the internal state including the speed of the object reads the position and internal state of the object from the storage unit, generates trajectories in a space-time consisting of time and space from changes of the positions that can be taken by the object with the passage of time based on the read position and internal state of the object, and predicts probabilistically paths of the object by using the generated trajectories.

Claims

1. An object path prediction method for predicting a path of an object by a computer, having a storage unit that stores at least a position of the object and an internal state including a speed of the object, comprising:

a trajectory generation step comprising;

generating a trajectory, by a computer in a space-time constituted by time and space from changes of the position that can be taken by the object with a passage of time based on a read position and internal state of the object after reading the position and the internal state of the object from the storage unit;

an operation selection step of selecting an operation performed on the object from a plurality of operations;

an object operation step of causing the operation selected in the operation selection step to be performed for a predetermined period of time starting from a reference point in time; and

a determination step of determining whether the position and the internal state of the object after the operation selected is performed in the object operation step satisfy control conditions concerning control of the object and movement conditions concerning movable areas of the object, wherein

a set of processing from the operation selection step to the determination step is repeatedly performed until a trajectory generation time in which the trajectory is generated has been reached, and

when, as a result of a determination in the determination step, the position and the internal state of the object does not satisfy the control conditions and the movement conditions, the reference point in time is not set forward before returning to the operation selection step; and

a prediction step of probabilistically predicting the path of the object by using the trajectory generated in the trajectory generation step.

2. The object path prediction method according to claim 1, wherein the operation selection step selects the operation in accordance with an operation selection probability granted to each of the plurality of operations, and

when, as a result of the determination in the determination step, the position and the internal state of the object satisfy the control conditions and the movement conditions, the reference point in time is set forward before returning to the operation selection step.

3. An object path prediction apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit that stores at least a position of an object and an internal state including a speed of the object;

a trajectory generation unit that

generates a trajectory in a space-time constituted by time and space from changes of the position that can be taken by the object with a passage of time based on a read position and internal state of the object after reading the position and the internal state of the object from the storage unit,

selects an operation performed on the object from a plurality of operations,

causes the selected operation to be performed for a predetermined amount of time starting from a reference point in time, and

determines whether the position and the internal state of the object after the operation selected is performed to satisfy control conditions concerning control of the object and movement conditions concerning movable areas of the object, wherein

a set of processing from the selection to the determination is repeatedly performed until a trajectory generation time in which the trajectory is generated has been reached, and

when, as a result of a determination, the position and the internal state of the object does not satisfy the control conditions and the movement conditions, the reference point in time is not set forward before returning to selecting the operation in the trajectory generation unit; and

a prediction unit that probabilistically predicts the path of the object by using the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores therein a computer program for performing an object path planning prediction, the computer program causing a computer to execute the object path prediction steps of:

a trajectory generation step comprising;

generating a trajectory, by a computer, in a space-time constituted by time and space from changes of the position that can be taken by the object with a passage of time based on a read position and internal state of the object after reading the position and the internal state of the object from the storage unit;

an operation selection step of selecting an operation performed on the object from a plurality of operations;

an object operation step of causing the operation selected in the operation selection step to be performed for a predetermined period of time starting from a reference point in time; and

a determination step of determining whether the position and the internal state of the object after the operation selected is performed in the object operation step satisfy control conditions concerning control of the object and movement conditions concerning movable areas of the object, wherein

a set of processing from the operation selection step to the determination step is repeatedly performed until a trajectory generation time in which the trajectory is generated has been reached, and

when, as a result of a determination in the determination step, the position and the internal state of the object does not satisfy the control conditions and the movement conditions, the reference point in time is not set forward before returning to the operation selection step; and

a prediction step of probabilistically predicting the path of the object by using the trajectory generated in the trajectory generation step.