Control system and method for determining a lane of a following vehicle

• US 10,173,685 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schaper, Monika, Grigorians, Hrachia
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US15/402,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20170197627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 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 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4044 Direction of movement, e.g. backwards
• 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 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• 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: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A Control system, which is adapted for application in a vehicle and intended to detect following vehicles on the basis of environmental data which are obtained from one or several environmental sensors disposed on the vehicle and which reflect the area in front of, laterally next to, and/or behind the vehicle. The control system is adapted to detect a course of the own lane of the vehicle and to store it over a predefined road section, and to detect one or several other vehicles participating in traffic behind the own vehicle with the environmental sensors. A lane associated with each other vehicle, in which the other vehicle(s) drive(s), is detected, taking the stored course of the own lane into account. An occupancy of the own lane and/or of at least one adjacent lane by the other vehicle(s) is determined.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system for detecting following vehicles on the basis of environmental data, the vehicle control system comprising:

an electronic controller; and

one or several environmental sensors disposed on the vehicle, the environmental sensors being adapted to provide the electronic controller with the environmental data which reflect the area in front of, laterally next to and/or behind the vehicle,

wherein the electronic controller is adapted to;

detect a course (210) of the own lane (L) of the own vehicle (ego) with reference to environmental data provided by the environmental sensors, the environmental data representing one or several demarcation lines of the own lane applied to a surface of a road for an area lying in front of, laterally in front of, and/or laterally next to the vehicle,

store data reflecting a position of the one or several demarcation lines over a predefined road section as a trajectory (220) of the lane progression,

transfer the course of the own lane to all other lanes of the road,

detect one or several other vehicles (alter) participating in traffic behind the own vehicle (ego) by means of the environmental sensors,

detect a lane (L, R) associated with each other vehicle in which the other vehicle(s) (alter) drive(s), taking the stored trajectory (220) of the lane progression of the own lane (L) and the transferred course of the other lanes into account,

determine an occupancy of the own lane (L) and/or of at least one adjacent lane (R) by the other vehicle(s) (alter), taking the stored course (210) of the own lane (L) into account, and

on the basis of the determined occupancy;

(i) to output a corresponding indication about the occupancy of the own lane (L) and/or of the at least one adjacent lane (R), (ii) to output an indication on a safe or unsafe lane change to a specific of the at least one adjacent lane (R) and/or (iii) to perform an autonomous lane change to the specific of the at least one adjacent lane (R) by the own vehicle (ego) if the determined occupancy allows a safe change of lane.

2. The control system according to claim 1, which is adapted to detect the other vehicle(s) (alter) during a predetermined period of time or continuously, to detect the lane (R) associated with the other vehicle(s) (alter) and to determine the lane occupancy and to detect the driving situation of the own vehicle (ego) and of the other vehicle(s) (alter) over the time and evaluate them in regard to a safe operation with the aim of determining the point in time after which the safe lane change is possible.

3. A control method, which in a vehicle is for detecting following vehicles based on environmental data obtained from one or several environmental sensor(s) disposed on the vehicle, with the steps of:

providing an electronic controller in the own vehicle (ego) by means of the environmental sensors with environmental data reflecting the area in front of, laterally in front of and/or laterally next to and/or behind the vehicle,

detecting a course (210) of the own lane (L) of the own vehicle (ego) with reference to environmental data provided by the environmental sensors, the environmental data representing one or several demarcation lines of the own lane applied to a surface of a road for the area lying in front of, laterally in front of, and/or laterally next to the vehicle,

storing data reflecting a position of the one or several demarcation lines over a predefined road section as a trajectory (220) of the lane progression,

transferring the course of the own lane to all other lanes of the road,

detecting one or several other vehicles (alter) participating in traffic behind the own vehicle (ego) with the environmental sensors,

detecting a lane (L, R) associated with each other vehicle (alter), in which the other vehicle(s) (alter) drive(s), taking the stored trajectory (220) of the lane progression of the own lane (L) and the transferred course of the other lanes into account,

determining an occupancy of the own lane (L) and/or of at least one adjacent lane (R) by the other vehicle(s) (alter), taking the stored trajectory (220) of the lane progression of the own lane (L) and the transferred course of the other lanes into account, and

on the basis of the determined occupancy (i) outputting a corresponding indication about the occupancy of the own lane (L) and/or of the at least one adjacent lane (R), (ii) outputting an indication on a safe or unsafe lane change to a specific of the at least one adjacent lane (R) and/or (iii) performing an autonomous lane change to the specific of the at least one adjacent lane (R) by the own vehicle (ego) if the determined occupancy permits a safe change of lane.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein detection of the other vehicle(s) (alter), the detection of the lane (R) associated with each other vehicle (alter) and the determination of the lane occupancy take place during a predetermined period of time or continuously, with the step of:

detecting the driving situation of the own vehicle (ego) and of the other vehicle(s) (alter) over the time and evaluate them in regard to its safe operation, with the aim of determining the point in time after which the safe lane change is possible.