Method for determining a lane course of a lane

• US 9,738,279 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Eichhorn, Andreas von, Zahn, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jelani
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US14/919,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20160039413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 701 26, 701 1, 701 22, 701301, 701117, 701118, 701 25, 701 36, 701 70, 701410, 701 42, 701465, 701487
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/60 using satellite communication
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

The invention relates to determining a lane course with the aid of a plurality of recorded routes of vehicles using a compensation curve. Each of the plurality of recorded routes includes individual position indications in an order of passing during a respective journey. The method includes selecting a route from the plurality of recorded routes, determining a number of checkpoints for the compensation curve based on the selected route, and determining an initial compensation curve based on the number of checkpoints and the selected route from the plurality of routes. The method further includes performing, in a repeating fashion until an abort criterion has been satisfied, determining a new compensation curve using a previously-determined compensation curve and individual position indications of the plurality of routes, wherein determining the new compensation curve is performed independently of an order of position indications in one of the respective routes and being independent of the fact that a position indication used is assigned to a route from the plurality of routes, and outputting the new compensation curve as the lane course.

Claims

1. A method for operating an advance driver assistance system, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of recorded routes of vehicles, each of the plurality of recorded routes including individual position indications in an order of passing during a respective journey;

determining a lane course based on a B-spline compensation curve, wherein determining the lane course includes a processor performing the following acts;

selecting a route from the plurality of recorded routes;

determining, based on the selected route, a number of checkpoints to be used in generating the B-spline compensation curve, and a value of each checkpoint;

generating a first B-spline compensation curve based on the number of checkpoints and the value of each checkpoint;

generating a second B-spline compensation curve based on the first B-spline compensation curve and individual position indications of the plurality of routes, wherein determining the second B-spline compensation curve is independent of an order of position indications in one of the respective routes and is independent of the fact that a position indication used is assigned to a route from the plurality of routes;

assigning the second B-spline curve as the first B-spline curve and repeating the act of generating the second B-spline compensation curve until an abort condition is satisfied;

and when the abort condition is satisfied, assigning the second B-spline compensation curve as the lane course; and

displaying a warning to a driver of the vehicle when it is determined by advance driver assistance system, based on the lane course, that a collision is likely.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the following acts which are carried out before all other acts:

determining those routes from the plurality of routes which at least one of follow the same lane and represent the same driving maneuver; and

including only the determined routes in the plurality of routes.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein determining those routes from the plurality of routes further comprising determining, for each such route, whether each such route has position indications in a first predefined position region and in a second predefined position region.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining the number of checkpoints comprises:

dividing a length of a randomly selected route by a predefined divisor length; and

selecting the number of checkpoints on the basis of a result of said dividing.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining the second B-spline compensation curve comprises, for each individual position indication used:

determining a point on the first B-spline compensation curve which is at the shortest distance from the respective individual position indication;

determining said point as a base point for the respective individual position indication.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein determining the new compensation curve comprises, for each individual position indications used:

determining a point on the first B-spline compensation curve which is at the shortest distance from the respective individual position indication;

determining said point as a base point for the respective individual position indication.

7. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein determining the new compensation curve comprises, for each individual position indications used:

determining a point on the first B-spline compensation curve which is at the shortest distance from the respective individual position indication;

determining said point as a base point for the respective individual position indication.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining the second B-spline compensation curve comprises performing a multiplication of matrices, wherein at least one matrix of said matrices comprises the individual position indications used in said determining of the second B-spline compensation curve.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position indications are determined with the aid of a satellite navigation system.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method comprises the following acts which are performed after a final determination of the second B-spline compensation curve:

for a section of the second B-spline compensation curve where the section comprises the entire second B-spline compensation curve, for the position indications used in the section of the second B-spline compensation curve;

determining a respective shortest distance between the individual position indication and the second B-spline compensation curve;

determining a frequency distribution on the basis of the respective shortest distance;

determining whether the frequency distribution indicates that there are at least two parallel lanes based on at least two detected maxima of the frequency distribution; and

deriving a number of lane courses corresponding to a number of the at least two detected maxima from the second B-spline compensation curve of the final determination.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having processor executable code embodied therein, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

11. An apparatus for avoiding collisions involving a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store individual position indications and parameters of B-spline compensation curves, and

a processor configured to;

receive a plurality of recorded routes of vehicles, each of the plurality of recorded routes including individual position indications in an order of passing during a respective journey;

select a route from the plurality of recorded routes,

determine a number of checkpoints for a B-spline compensation curve, and a value for each checkpoint, based on the selected route,

generate an initial B-spline compensation curve based on the number of checkpoints and the value of each checkpoint,

repeat the following acts until an abort criterion has been satisfied;

generate a new B-spline compensation curve based on a previously-determined B-spline compensation curve and individual position indications of the plurality of routes,

wherein determining the new B-spline compensation curve is independent of an order of position indications in one of the respective routes and is independent of the fact that a position indication used is assigned to a route from the plurality of routes, and

when the abort condition is satisfied, assigning the new B-spline compensation curve as the lane course;

determine that a collision with the vehicle is likely based on the lane course; and

display a warning to a driver of the vehicle when it is determined that a collision is likely.