Lane change control device and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9643650-B2
Application number	US-201514983469-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an automatic lane change control of a vehicle is possible using a lane change control device including: a space recognition unit that detects a front object using a camera sensor of a vehicle, recognizes an empty space, and determines a target position, within the empty space on the basis of a lane modeling equation determined from a lateral offset, the vehicle's traveling velocity (V), and a lane change request time (t); a path generation unit that generates a path for moving from a current vehicle position to the target position; and a control unit that performs a lane change control that controls at least one of the vehicle's steering angle and a vehicle velocity such that the vehicle moves to the target position along the path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lane change control device for controlling a vehicle, the device comprising:
a space recognition unit, including a camera sensor, that
detects a front object using the camera sensor of the vehicle,
recognizes an empty space, in which the front object is not located, inside an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a traveling lane, and
determines a target position, to which the vehicle is to move, within the empty space on a basis of a lane modeling equation determined from a lateral offset, which is a distance between a center of the camera sensor and a center of the adjacent lane, a vehicle's traveling velocity (V), and a lane change request time (t);

a control unit that performs a lane change control and controls at least one of the vehicle's steering angle and a vehicle velocity such that the vehicle moves to the target position along a path generated for moving from a current vehicle position to the target position; and
a maximum steering angle limiting unit, including a velocity sensor of the vehicle, that limits a maximum steering angle on a basis of velocity information acquired using the velocity sensor of the vehicle,
wherein the control unit is configured to move the vehicle along the path to the empty space, on a basis of the vehicle's width, length, and limited maximum steering angle.

2. The lane change control device of claim 1 , wherein the control unit initiates the lane change control only when at least one of a turn signal input condition requiring that a turn signal input (turn indicator activation) exist, a vehicle velocity condition requiring that the vehicle's traveling velocity be equal to or higher than a predetermined velocity, a distance condition requiring that a distance to a front vehicle in the traveling lane be equal to or larger than a predetermined length, a lane boundary recognition condition requiring that both a lane boundary of the traveling lane and a lane boundary of the adjacent lane be recognized, a lane position condition requiring that the vehicle be positioned in a predetermined area in the traveling lane, an acceleration condition requiring that vehicle's lateral acceleration and longitudinal acceleration be within a predetermined range, a road curvature condition requiring that a road curvature be equal to or lower than a predetermined value, a stable behavior condition requiring that a vehicle's yaw rate is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and a driver non-intervention condition requiring that a steering torque be equal to or lower than a predetermined value in an absence of acceleration/braking manipulation, is satisfied.

3. The lane change control device of claim 1 , wherein the control unit releases the lane change control that has been operating when one of a turn signal ending condition requiring that turn signal input be extinct, a lateral distance condition requiring that a lateral distance to a side object be equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and a driver intervention condition requiring that a steering torque be equal to or higher than a predetermined value or an acceleration/braking manipulation exist, is satisfied while performing the lane change control.

4. The lane change control device of claim 3 , wherein the lane change control device further comprises side camera sensor to detect a side object, and
the control unit calculates an acceleration for moving along the path without colliding with the detected side object, on a basis of a relative velocity with regard to the detected side object, and controls the acceleration of the vehicle.

5. The lane change control device of claim 4 , wherein the control unit calculates a target steering angle for moving along the path, and the target steering angle is calculated by a proportional deviation (PD) feedback control that attenuates a front predicted lateral offset error of the vehicle with regard to the path and a front predicted heading angle error with regard to the path.

6. The lane change control device of claim 5 , wherein the control unit provides a driver with an alarm when at least one of a case in which the path has not been generated, a case in which the lane change control release has been performed, and a case in which the lane change control entry condition has not been satisfied, is satisfied.

7. A lane change control method, for controlling a vehicle, the method comprising:
detecting a front object using two front cameras of the vehicle;
recognizing an empty space, in which the front object is not locate, inside an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a traveling lane;
determining a target position, to which the vehicle is to move, within the empty space on a basis of a lane modeling equation determined from a lateral offset, which is a distance between a center of the front cameras and a center of the adjacent lane, a vehicle's traveling velocity (V), and a lane change request time (t);
limiting a maximum steering angle on a basis of velocity information acquired using a velocity sensor of the vehicle;
generating a path for moving from a current vehicle position to the target position, on a basis of the vehicle's width, length, and limited maximum steering angle; and
controlling, by a control unit, at least one of the vehicle's steering angle and a vehicle velocity to perform a lane change control such that the vehicle moves to the target position along the path.

8. The lane change control method of claim 7 , wherein the performing lane change control further comprises determining a control entry by initiating the lane change control only when at least one of a turn signal input condition requiring that a turn signal input (turn indicator activation) exist, a vehicle velocity condition requiring that the vehicle's traveling velocity be equal to or higher than a predetermined velocity, a distance condition requiring that a distance to a front vehicle in the traveling lane be equal to or larger than a predetermined length, a lane boundary recognition condition requiring that both a lane boundary of the traveling lane and a lane boundary of the adjacent lane be recognized, a lane position condition requiring that the vehicle be positioned in a predetermined area in the traveling lane, an acceleration condition requiring that vehicle's lateral acceleration and longitudinal acceleration be within a predetermined range, a road curvature condition requiring that a road curvature be equal to or lower than a predetermined value, a stable behavior condition requiring that a vehicle's yaw rate is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and a driver non-intervention condition requiring that a steering torque be equal to or lower than a predetermined value in an absence of acceleration/braking manipulation, is satisfied.

9. The lane change control method of claim 8 , wherein the performing control further comprises releasing control by releasing the lane change control that has been operating when one of a turn signal ending condition requiring that turn signal input be extinct, a lateral distance condition requiring that a lateral distance to a side object be equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and a driver intervention condition requiring that a steering torque be equal to or higher than a predetermined value or an acceleration/braking manipulation exist, is satisfied while performing the lane change control.

10. The lane change control method of claim 9 , wherein, in the performing control, an acceleration for moving along the path without colliding with a side object, which has been detected using a side camera, is calculated, on a basis of a relative velocity with regard to the side object, and controls the acceleration of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Mando Corp

Inventors

• Sim Sang Kyun

Classifications

• B60W2540/20

  Direction indicator values · CPC title

• B60W2710/207

  Steering angle of wheels · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B60W2554/801

  Lateral distance · CPC title

• B60W10/04

  including control of propulsion units · CPC title