Method for controlling a driving operation of an autonomously controlled vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12528510-B2
Application number	US-202018253511-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2020
Priority date	Nov 25, 2020
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

A method controls a driving operation of an autonomously controlled vehicle. The vehicle has an angular velocity sensor for controlling the vehicle's lateral positioning along an operated road path during a loss of location situation. The method obtains a signal indicative of a characteristic of a road path for operation of the vehicle determining an uncertainty parameter value of the angular velocity sensor for an upcoming position of the road path ahead of the vehicle; and controls the vehicle to a stand-still operation at a stop position, prior to arrival at the upcoming position, along the road path for calibration of the angular velocity sensor when the uncertainty parameter value indicates an unacceptable uncertainty in lateral deviation of the vehicle at the upcoming position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for controlling a driving operation of an autonomously controlled vehicle, the vehicle comprising an angular velocity sensor for controlling the vehicle's lateral positioning along an operated road path during a loss of location situation, the method comprising:
obtaining a signal indicative of characteristics of a road path for operation of the vehicle; determining an uncertainty parameter value of the angular velocity sensor for an upcoming position of the road path ahead of the vehicle, the uncertainty parameter value being compared to a predetermined parameter threshold limit for determining an unacceptable uncertainty in lateral deviation; and controlling the vehicle to a stand-still operation at a predetermined stop position received from a positioning system of the vehicle, prior to arrival at the upcoming position, along the road path for calibration of the angular velocity sensor when the uncertainty parameter value is indicated as an unacceptable uncertainty in lateral deviation of the vehicle at the upcoming position, wherein the predetermined stop position is a position of the road path comprising a vehicle speed reduction characteristic.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the signal indicative of the characteristics of the road path comprises information relating to a width of the road path.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the signal indicative of the characteristics of the road path comprises information relating to speed limit of the road path.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the signal indicative of the characteristics of the road path comprises information relating to curvature characteristics of the road path.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the stop position is provided to the positioning system in the form of offline available data.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined threshold limit is based on the characteristics of the road path for the upcoming position of the road path.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the uncertainty parameter value is based on an uncertainty in the vehicle's current heading and position on the road path.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the uncertainty parameter value is based on determined ability of the vehicle to follow a desired trajectory of the road path.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein calibration of the angular velocity sensor comprises:
obtaining a signal indicative of a value of the angular velocity of the angular velocity sensor when the vehicle is arranged in the stand-still operation; setting the value as an offset angular velocity; and calibrating the angular velocity sensor by subtracting the offset angular velocity from the obtained value of the angular velocity.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the angular velocity sensor is a yaw rate sensor configured to measure a yaw angular velocity during vehicle operation.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the angular velocity sensor is a wheel speed sensor configured to measure a wheel angular velocity during vehicle operation.

12 . A control system configured to control a driving operation of an autonomously controlled vehicle, the control system is connectable to a navigation system and to an angular velocity sensor configured to control the vehicle's lateral positioning along an operated road path during a loss of location situation, wherein the control system is configured to:
obtain a signal indicative of characteristics of a road path for operation of the vehicle; receive a signal from the angular velocity sensor, the signal being indicative of an angular velocity the angular velocity sensor; determine an uncertainty parameter value of the angular velocity signal for an upcoming position of the road path ahead of the vehicle, the uncertainty parameter value being compared to a predetermined parameter threshold limit for determining an unacceptable uncertainty in lateral deviation; and when the uncertainty parameter value is indicated as an unacceptable uncertainty in lateral deviation of the vehicle at the upcoming position, to:
transmit a navigation signal to the navigation system, the navigation signal being arranged to, when executed by the navigation system, cause the navigation system to autonomously operate the vehicle towards a predetermined stop position received from a positioning system of the vehicle, located prior to the upcoming position, and to arrange the vehicle in a stand-still operation when the vehicle arrives at the stop position, the predetermined stop position being a position of the road path comprising a vehicle speed reduction characteristic; and
transmit a calibration signal to the sensor, the calibration signal being arranged to, when executed by the sensor, calibrate the sensor when the vehicle is arranged in the stand-still operation.

13 . An autonomously controlled vehicle, comprising a navigation system, an angular velocity sensor arranged to measure an angular velocity of the vehicle in at least one direction during operation, and a control system according to claim 12 , wherein the control system is connected to the navigation system and to the sensor for communication of control signals therebetween.

14 . A non-transitory computer readable medium carrying a computer program code for performing the method of claim 1 when the program code is run on a computer.

Assignees

• Volvo Autonomous Solutions AB

Inventors

• Tagesson Kristoffer
• Helfrich Thorsten
• Jonasson Mats

Classifications

• B60W2520/12

  Lateral speed · CPC title

• B60W40/105

  Speed · CPC title

• B60W2552/30

  Road curve radius · CPC title

• B60W30/18154

  Approaching an intersection · CPC title

• B60W2555/60

  Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way · CPC title