Patent Application
20220351620
The present application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 21171863.0, filed on May 3, 2021, and entitled “METHOD FOR GENERATING A ROUTING MAP OF AN AREA TO BE USED FOR GUIDING A VEHICLE IN THE AREA,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The invention relates to a method for generating a routing map of an area to be used for guiding a vehicle in the area. The invention also relates to a method for guiding a vehicle in an area, to a control unit and to a vehicle.
The invention can be applied in heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses and construction equipment. Although the invention will be described with respect to a heavy-duty truck, the invention is not restricted to this particular vehicle, but may also be used in other vehicles, such as passenger cars.
It is known to use advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for different types of vehicles, such as for trucks, buses and construction equipment. ADAS may be used to assist drivers in driving and parking manoeuvres.
Heavy-duty vehicles, and in particular heavy-duty vehicle combinations having at least one articulation joint, may be very difficult to manoeuvre in narrow areas, such as in terminal areas and harbour areas. For example, reversing of a heavy-duty truck and trailer combination, such as a truck and semi-trailer combination and a so-called Nordic combination, is often a challenging task for the driver. Therefore, the driver needs to be very experienced to be able to perform such a driving manoeuvre in a fast and safe manner
Even though it is known to equip vehicles with ADAS to support drivers in more challenging driving situations, there is still a strive to develop further improved technology for supporting guiding of vehicles in certain areas. In particular, there is a need to develop more advanced technology for heavy-duty vehicles, especially for different types of truck and trailer combinations.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved method to be used for guiding a vehicle in an area, which method results in improved guiding efficiency in the area in a cost-effective manner A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method for guiding a vehicle in an area. Yet further objects of the invention are to provide an improved control unit, an improved vehicle and a computer program and/or a computer readable medium.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a method. According to a second aspect, the object is achieved by a method. According to a third aspect, the object is achieved by a control unit. According to a fourth aspect, the object is achieved by a vehicle.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a method for generating a routing map of an area to be used for guiding a vehicle in the area, the method comprising:
By the provision of a method according to the first aspect, improved and more efficient guiding of a vehicle in an area is achieved. The method is based on a realization to use a real-world map of an area which comprises a driving network, wherein a vehicle can be guided along the driving segments of the driving network. As such, the driving network with the driving segments and the actual locations may for example be formed in advance, and/or formed in real-time, and adapted for the specific area. This approach enables to form the driving segments and to locate the actual locations in an optimal manner such that an efficient and safe driving and guiding of the vehicle in the area is obtained. For example, the driving segments may be formed such that specific paths for the vehicle in the area are as short as possible, and/or such that certain sub-areas in the area are avoided, and/or such that the vehicle will not interfere with obstacles during driving and turning, etc. Thereby, an efficient path planning may be achieved by use of the real-world map comprising the driving network. In addition, by generating a routing map as disclosed herein by use of the real-world map, wherein the routing map comprises guiding instructions for the respective driving segments, the vehicle can be efficiently guided along a selected path formed by a plurality of the driving segments from the at least one starting location to the at least one target destination. In addition, the present invention is also based on a realization that it may be desirable to not only provide guiding instructions for guiding the vehicle in a forward direction of the vehicle, but to provide both forward guiding instructions and reverse guiding instructions for the driving network. It has namely been realized that in some situations, and/or at some locations in an area, driving of a vehicle in reverse instead of forward driving may be preferred. For example, some target destinations, such as terminal loading/unloading docks, should preferably be approached by the vehicle reversing the last portion of a path until docking with the terminal loading/unloading dock. As another example, some driving segments may be easier to traverse by reversing instead of driving forwardly. As yet another example, some driving segments may be driven along in either reverse or forward driving depending on the current circumstances. The current circumstances may relate to the path the vehicle is intended to travel, in which direction the vehicle should approach the target destination, the type of vehicle etc. Accordingly, by generating a routing map as disclosed herein, an improved, more efficient and safe guiding of a vehicle is achieved.
A “real-world map” as used herein shall be interpreted broadly and may be defined as a map of an area which includes drivable areas and undrivable areas for the vehicle. The real-world map may not necessarily be a visual reproduction of the area, but may rather be in the form of data associated with coordinates of the area. A drivable area may be constituted by e.g. roads and parking areas, and an undrivable area may be constituted by e.g. buildings and other obstacles.
An “actual location” of the area means a position in the area. The actual location may for example be defined by specific coordinates in a coordinate system, such as coordinates in a geographic or local coordinate system. The actual location may be defined as a point in the area.
A “driving segment” as used herein means a segment of a possible vehicle path along which the vehicle is intended to be guided. As such, a driving segment may for example be defined by a trajectory along which the vehicle is intended to be guided, and/or a driving segment may be defined by a driving lane along which the vehicle is intended to be guided. The driving lane may comprise outer lateral boundaries within which the vehicle is intended to be guided.
A “routing map” as used herein may be defined as a set of data to be used for guiding a vehicle in the area, wherein the data comprises guiding instructions for the vehicle which are associated with the driving segments and the actual locations of the real-world map. As such, the routing map should be interpreted broadly, and is preferably adapted to be used by a control unit.
“Guiding instructions” for the vehicle mean instructions to guide a vehicle from one position to another position along a driving segment. Accordingly, guiding instructions may be instructions to guide a vehicle from one actual location to another adjacent actual location along an intermediate driving segment. For example, the guiding instructions may be in the form of instructions to a driver how to e.g. steer a vehicle along the respective driving segment. Instructions to e.g. turn to the right or left may for example be provided to the driver via a display, an audio device and/or by haptic feedback. Additionally, or alternatively, the guiding instructions may be instructions for a control unit which is arranged to issue control signals to e.g. a vehicle steering system of a vehicle such that the vehicle is driven along the respective driving segment.
To use a “driving network” which forms a graph as disclosed herein is based on a realization to use graph theory for generating the routing map with the guiding instructions. More specifically, the actual locations in the real-world map represent nodes, also denoted as vertices or points, in the graph which are connected by edges, also denoted as links or lines. The driving segments represent the edges in the graph.
Optionally, at least one of the driving segments is preferably provided with forward and reverse guiding instructions for the vehicle. Thereby, for at least one driving segment, it can be chosen whether to drive forward or to reverse along the at least one driving segment. As such, depending on the specific circumstances, the vehicle may be guided along the driving segment by reverse driving or by forward driving, implying increased efficiency and versatility. Still optionally, the forward and reverse guiding instructions may be instructions for guiding the vehicle in the same direction and/or in different directions between two actual locations. As such, according to example embodiments, a driving segment may be associated with one to four different types of guiding instructions.
Optionally, guiding instructions for at least one driving segment may comprise steering instructions for automatically steering the vehicle along the driving segment. This implies increased comfort for a driver, increased efficiency and a safer driving along the driving segment, mitigating the risk of driver guiding errors. Accordingly, as mentioned in the above, the guiding instructions may be instructions for a control unit which is arranged to issue control signals to e.g. a vehicle steering system of a vehicle.
Optionally, the method may further comprise:
Optionally, the weight value for the guiding instructions for each driving segment may be set based on at least one of a time period required for performing the guiding operation along the driving segment, energy consumption, a vehicle swept area required for performing the guiding operation along the driving segment, type of vehicle which is intended to be guided along the driving segment, risk of failures during the guiding along the driving segment, such as jack-knifing. For example, if setting the weight value for the guiding instructions for a driving segment based on a time period required for performing the guiding operation along the driving segment, a more efficient and faster vehicle guiding from a start position to a target destination can be achieved. Furthermore, by e.g. setting the weight values for guiding instructions for each driving segment based on energy consumption, such as fuel consumption, for performing the guiding along the driving segment, less energy may be consumed while guiding the vehicle from a start position to a target destination. In addition, it has also been realized that especially for larger vehicles, and for vehicle combinations comprising at least one articulation joint, a vehicle swept area required for performing the guiding operation along the driving segment may vary. For example, it is often likely that a vehicle swept area for performing a reverse driving manoeuvre along a driving segment is different, typically larger, compared to a vehicle swept area for performing a forward driving manoeuvre along the same driving segment. Thereby, by setting the weight values based on the vehicle swept areas, a more efficient guiding may be achieved. A vehicle swept area means an area which the vehicle will cover and sweep over while driving along a respective driving segment. For example, a vehicle forward driving swept area for a vehicle combination driving along a driving segment will typically be smaller than a vehicle reverse driving swept area for the same driving segment.
Optionally, the guiding instructions may comprise instructions for guiding a vehicle combination comprising at least one articulation joint. In particular, it has been realized that forward and reverse guiding instructions for a vehicle combination may differ more compared to forward and reverse guiding instructions for a single vehicle without any articulation joint. Thereby, by generating a routing map with forward and reverse guiding instructions for a vehicle combination, more efficient guiding may be achieved.
Optionally, generating the routing map may further comprise: for at least one of the actual locations, providing a turning manoeuvre guiding instruction for turning the vehicle around from forward to reverse movement, and/or vice versa. Thereby, a more versatile guiding of the vehicle may be achieved, since the routing map also comprises at least one turning manoeuvre guiding instruction. For example, it may be desired for a vehicle to approach a target destination by reversing towards the target destination. Accordingly, for at least the last driving segment before reaching the target destination, reversing the vehicle is required. Thereby, by e.g. providing a turning manoeuvre guiding instruction for the actual location preceding the target destination, forward driving may take precedence until the last driving segment is reached. Thereafter, at the actual location preceding the target destination, a turning manoeuvre guiding instruction may be performed such that the vehicle can be turned around and then reversed along the last driving segment until reaching the target destination. As yet another example, a turning manoeuvre guiding instruction may be advantageously associated with any other actual location, and may in some embodiments be provided at specific actual locations where it is suitable for a vehicle to perform a turning manouevre. Such a suitable actual location may for example be an actual location where there is enough room for performing a turning manoeuvre, and/or an actual location where it is considered as safe for performing a turning manoeuvre, e.g. the risk of collision is low.
Optionally, generating the routing map may further comprise:
Thereby, a larger routing map may be generated without unnecessarily increasing the complexity of the map. In particular, up-scaling of the routing map may thereby be facilitated. It has namely been realized that by connecting e.g. two subsets of the driving network with a connecting driving segment which is only provided with forward guiding instructions, a vehicle can be more easily guided from one subset to the other subset of the driving network. More specifically, it is generally easier for a vehicle to drive forward than reversing. Thereby, by only allowing forward driving in the connecting driving segments, a less complex routing map can be generated, implying reduced processing power, more efficient guiding, cost-efficiency etc.
Optionally, the area may be at least one of a terminal area, a work site, a harbour area and a parking area. Still optionally, the vehicle may be at least one of a truck, such as a truck and trailer vehicle combination, a construction equipment vehicle and a bus.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a method for guiding a vehicle in an area, comprising:
Thereby, an efficient guiding of the vehicle is achieved, by using the generated routing map of the area for guiding the vehicle from the start location to the target destination. Advantages and effects of the second aspect are also largely analogous to the advantages and effects of the first aspect of the invention. It shall also be noted that all embodiments of the second aspect of the invention are combinable with all embodiments of the first aspect of the invention, and vice versa.
Optionally, the method may further comprise:
According to the third aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a control unit configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of the embodiments of the first aspect of the invention and/or of the method according to any one of the embodiments of the second aspect of the invention.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a vehicle comprising the control unit according to any one of the embodiments of the third aspect of the invention.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the object is also achieved by a computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of any of the methods according to the first and second aspects when said program is run on a computer, such as on the control unit as disclosed herein.
According to a yet further aspect of the invention, the object is also achieved by a computer readable medium carrying a computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of any the methods according to the first and second aspects when said program product is run on a computer, such as on the control unit as disclosed herein.
According to a yet further aspect of the invention, the object is also achieved by a routing map which has been generated according to the method of any one of the embodiments of the first aspect of the invention.
Further advantages and advantageous features of the invention are disclosed in the following description and in the dependent claims.
With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a more detailed description of embodiments of the invention cited as examples.
In the drawings:
The real-world map RWM is a map of an area 1, such as a terminal area or the like, and comprises a driving network forming a graph with actual locations A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I of the area 1. The actual locations A, . . . , I may for example be defined as coordinates in a geographic coordinate system.
The boxes B1, B2, B3 and B4 of the real-world map RWM represent objects, such as buildings, which should be avoided by the vehicle 100 while driving in the area 1. The location of the objects B1, B2, B3 and B4 may also advantageously be defined by coordinates in e.g. a geographic coordinate system. In this regard it shall be noted that the real-world maps RWM and the routing maps RM as shown in the figures are here simplified illustrations and may of course be more complicated depending on the characteristics of the area 1.
The actual locations A, . . . , I are connected by driving segments DS along which the vehicle 100 is intended to be guided, wherein at least one of the actual locations A, . . . ,I is a start location for the vehicle 100 and at least one of the actual locations A, . . . ,I is a target destination for the vehicle 100. For example, the actual location A may be a start location for the vehicle 100 and the actual location E may be a target destination for the vehicle 100.
According to the method of the first aspect of the invention, the routing map RM is generated by providing guiding instructions for the vehicle 100 for each driving segment DS, wherein guiding instructions for at least one driving segment DS comprise forward guiding instructions for guiding the vehicle 100 in a forward direction of the vehicle 100 along the driving segment DS, and wherein guiding instructions for at least another driving segment DS comprise reverse guiding instructions for guiding the vehicle 100 in a reverse direction of the vehicle along the driving segment DS.
In
At least one of the driving segments DS may be provided with forward and reverse guiding instructions for the vehicle 100. For example, the driving segment DS between A and B in FIGS. 1 and 3 may be provided with both forward and reverse guiding instructions from A to B, and/or the driving segment DS between B and I may be provided with forward guiding instructions from B to I and with reverse guiding instructions from I to B.
Guiding instructions for at least one driving segment DS may comprise steering instructions for automatically steering the vehicle 100 along the driving segment DS. Still further, the guiding instructions for all driving segments DS may comprise steering instructions for automatically steering the vehicle 100 along the driving segments DS. Additionally, the guiding instructions may also comprise throttle and/or braking instructions, thereby enabling the possibility for fully autonomous driving along the respective driving segments DS.
The method according to the first aspect of the invention may further comprise:
Furthermore, the weight values may be set so that for driving segments DS with the same or substantially the same physical length, forward guiding takes precedence over reverse guiding. Thereby it can be assured that forward driving is performed more often than reverse driving, implying more efficient driving. For example, if the vehicle is a vehicle combination as e.g. the vehicle 100 shown in
The weight value for the guiding instructions for each driving segment may also be set based on at least one of a time period required for performing the guiding operation along the driving segment DS, energy consumption, a vehicle swept area required for performing the guiding operation along the driving segment DS, type of vehicle 100 which is intended to be guided along the driving segment DS, risk of failures during the guiding along the driving segment DS, such as jack-knifing. Jack-knifing is a condition which can occur for articulated vehicle combinations, such as the vehicle combination 100 in
With respect to
Thereby, a larger routing map RM1, RM2 can be generated without unnecessarily increasing the complexity, as also mentioned in the above. Accordingly, the routing map RM1, RM2 can be up-scaled for a larger area, whereby only forward driving is allowed in the connecting driving segments DSc1, DSc2. As shown in
The areas 1 shown in
With respect to
The vehicle 100 as shown in
With reference to
The guiding instructions are preferably associated with coordinates along the respective driving segments DS, and the vehicle 100 may be equipped with a Global Navigation and Satellite System (GNSS) sensor for determining the actual position of the vehicle 100 in the area 1. Thereby, specific guiding instructions associated with specific coordinates along a driving segment DS can be used by the vehicle 100 when it is determined that the vehicle 100 is positioned at a specific coordinate along the driving segment DS. The vehicle 100 may also be provided with other sensors for the guiding, such as cameras, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensors, sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) sensors, ultrasonic sensors, sensors for determining an actual orientation of the vehicle 100 etc. Thereby, even further improved guiding can be achieved, taking also other circumstances into consideration. For example, a camera (not shown), or any other environment perception sensor, may identify obstacles along the path which should be avoided, such as vulnerable road users (VRU), other vehicles etc. As such, according to an example embodiment, the vehicle 100 may in certain circumstances use other guiding instructions, based on e.g. information from the environment perception sensor, instead of the guiding instructions obtained from the routing map RM. For example, the other guiding instructions may be used when an obstacle is identified by the environment perception sensor, or when an operator indicates that other guiding instructions should be used. According to a yet further embodiment, an operator, such as a driver, may be able to override the guiding instructions associated with the routing map RM and manually control the vehicle 100 instead. Thereby, further improved safety is achieved.
The guiding instructions associated with the routing map RM are preferably guiding instructions for automatically steering the vehicle along the respective driving segments DS. Typically, the guiding instructions are in the form of control signals provided to a vehicle steering system (not shown) of the vehicle 100. The guiding instructions may also be instructions for controlling vehicle speed, such as throttle control and braking control.
The path from A to E formed by driving segments DS therebetween may be selected by use of any one of the aforementioned weight values. Thereby, an efficient, fast and safe path for the vehicle 100 may be found. For example, it may be selected to drive and guide the vehicle 100 from A to E by driving in consecutive order from A to B, from B to I, from I to D and from D to E. Alternatively, depending on the weight values, it may instead be selected to drive and guide the vehicle 100 in consecutive order from A to B, from B to C, from C to D and from D to E.
The present invention also relates to a control unit 140 configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of the embodiments of the first aspect of the invention and/or of the method according to any one of the embodiments of the second aspect of the invention. In the embodiment shown in
The control unit 140 is an electronic control unit and may comprise processing circuitry, one or more memories for storing e.g. the generated routing map RM. The control unit 140 may be adapted to run a computer program as disclosed herein. The control unit 140 may comprise hardware and/or software for performing the methods as disclosed herein. The control unit 140 may be embodied as one device, or it may be constituted by two or more sub-control units which are communicatively connected to each other. The control unit 140 is also preferably communicatively connected to the aforementioned vehicle steering system such that it can issue control signals to the vehicle control system, and/or to any other vehicle system, such as to a throttle control system and a brake control system.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21171863.0 | May 2021 | EP | regional |
