Lane change detection system and method for an autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12007769-B2
Application number	US-202117561038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2021
Priority date	Aug 7, 2018
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle configured to perform a lane change maneuver is described herein. The autonomous vehicle includes several different types of sensor systems, such as image, lidar, radar, sonar, infrared, and GPS. The autonomous vehicle additionally includes a computing system that executes instructions on a lane change detection system and a control system. The lane change detection system includes a region of interest module and an object trajectory module for determining whether the autonomous vehicle will collide with another object if the autonomous vehicle maneuvers into an adjacent lane. An instruction module of the lane change detection system is further used to facilitate operational control of a mechanical system of the autonomous vehicle, such as an engine or a steering system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous vehicle that is autonomously travelling in a travel lane of a roadway, the autonomous vehicle comprising:
an engine;
a steering system;
a sensor system that generates a sensor signal;
a computing system in communication with the engine, the steering system, and the at least one sensor system, wherein the computing system comprises:
a processor; and
memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing system to perform acts comprising:
defining a region of interest based on the sensor signal, wherein a size and shape of the region of interest are defined based on a current speed of the autonomous vehicle, and further wherein the region of interest is at least partially projected into a second travel lane of the roadway that is adjacent to the travel lane of the roadway within which the autonomous vehicle is travelling;
determining that the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver from the travel lane into the second travel lane based on
the sensor signal indicating that the object is travelling in the second lane towards the region of interest and will enter the region of interest within a predefined window of time; and

controlling the engine and the steering system to cause the autonomous vehicle to maneuver into the second travel lane upon determining that the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver into the second travel lane.

2. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executed by the processor when predetermined criteria are satisfied, the predetermined criteria including at least one of the object being detected as being within a threshold distance to the autonomous vehicle or speed of the autonomous vehicle reaching a predefined speed.

3. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1 , the acts further comprising:
determining that the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver into the second travel lane based further upon a route to be traveled by the autonomous vehicle including a turn off of the roadway.

4. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a size and shape of the region of interest are further defined based on predetermined passenger comfort metrics.

5. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the sensor system is selected from the group consisting of lidar, camera, radar, sonar, infrared, and global positioning system (GPS).

6. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1 , the acts further comprising:
determining a trajectory of the object, wherein the autonomous vehicle maneuvers into the second travel lane based upon the region of interest and the trajectory of the object.

7. The autonomous vehicle of claim 6 , the acts further comprising:
maneuvering the autonomous vehicle into the second travel lane despite at least a portion of the object being disposed adjacent to the autonomous vehicle.

8. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computing system incorporates a plurality of planning techniques to control the autonomous vehicle, the planning techniques comprising:
a first planning technique to maneuver the autonomous vehicle along the travel lane;
a second planning technique to determine a trajectory of the object in the second travel lane when the autonomous vehicle approaches a boundary of the travel lane; and
a third planning technique to define a trajectory of the autonomous vehicle in the second travel lane.

9. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the processor executes instructions according to the first planning technique when one of the second planning technique or the third planning technique is aborted.

10. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 , wherein when the second planning technique is executed by the processor, the acts further comprise:
determining a time when the object is expected to enter and exit the region of interest, wherein a time when the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver from the travel lane into the second travel lane is based upon the time when the object is expected to enter and exit the region of interest.

11. A method performed by an autonomous vehicle that is autonomously travelling in a travel lane of a roadway, the method comprising:
generating a sensor signal by a sensor system;
detecting an object travelling towards the autonomous vehicle in a second travel lane in the roadway that is adjacent to the travel lane, where the object is detected based upon the sensor signal generated by the sensor system;
defining a region of interest based on the object being detected, wherein a size and shape of the region of interest are defined based upon a current speed of the autonomous vehicle, and further wherein the region of interest is at least partially projected into the second travel lane in the roadway;
determining, based upon the sensor signal, that the object
will be disposed in the region of interest within a window of time;

determining that the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver from the travel lane into the second travel lane based upon the determining that the object will be disposed in the region of interest within the window of time;
upon determining that the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver from the travel lane into the second travel lane, maneuvering the autonomous vehicle from the travel lane into the second travel lane.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the region of interest is defined in response to at least one of:
the object being detected as being within a threshold distance to the autonomous vehicle; or
the current speed of the autonomous vehicle exceeding a speed threshold.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising determining that the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver into the second travel lane based further upon a route to be traveled by the autonomous vehicle including a turn off of the roadway.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein a size and shape of the region of interest are further defined based on predetermined passenger comfort metrics.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining a trajectory of the object, wherein the autonomous vehicle maneuvers into the second travel lane based upon the region of interest and the determined trajectory of the object.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
maneuvering the autonomous vehicle into the second travel lane despite at least a portion of the object being disposed adjacent to the autonomous vehicle.

17. An autonomous vehicle comprising:
a computer-readable storage medium that comprises instructions that, when executed by one of more graphics processing units (GPUs), cause the one or more GPUs to perform acts comprising:
defining a region of interest based on a sensor signal output by a sensor system of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the autonomous vehicle is autonomously travelling in a travel lane of a roadway, wherein a size and shape of the region of interest are defined based on a current speed of the autonomous vehicle, and further wherein the region of interest is at least partially projected into a second travel lane of the roadway that is adjacent to the travel lane of the roadway;
determining that the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver from the travel lane into the second travel lane based on
the sensor signal indicating that the object is travelling in the second lane towards the region of interest and will enter the region of interest within a predefined window of time; and

controlling an engine and a steering system to cause the autonomous vehicle to maneuver into the second travel lane upon determining that the autonomous vehicle is to maneuver into the second travel lane.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc
• Gm Cruise Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Gross Drew
• Ghose Shiva
• Haghighat Sohrab

Classifications

• G05D1/617

  Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80) · CPC title

• G05D1/247

  using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons · CPC title

• G05D1/248

  generated by satellites, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• G05D1/81

  Handing over between on-board automatic and on-board manual control · CPC title

• G05D1/249

  from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle, e.g. from cameras · CPC title