Patent Application
20200302797
The disclosure relates to a vehicle control apparatus and method for controlling a vehicle to enter a target area from a side road.
The related art of Japanese Application Laid Open 2018-045482 discloses a method that when there is in a traffic jam the vehicle is guided to leave the main road from an exit that is not in a traffic jam. In addition, the method will provide a timing that the vehicle can join the traffic lane between traffic jams.
In addition, when entering the main road from a side road or a cross road, it is necessary to consider the issue of traffic jam. Therefore, the processor burden for the vehicle control is high, and the joint timing is limited. When turn across a road from a side road, it spent a lot of time to confirm the safety of the target lane and other lanes.
According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a vehicle control apparatus is provided. The vehicle control apparatus comprises a surrounding detection part, detecting surrounding status of a host vehicle; and a control part, performing a moving control of the host vehicle according to the surrounding status. In a road system including a first road and a second road intersected with the first road that includes a first lane that is an innermost lane, a second lane that is an opposite lane of the first lane and a specified area arranged between the first and the second lanes, when the host vehicle enters the first lane, the control part determines whether the specified area or the first lane is set as a target position according to a traffic situation of the first lane.
According to another embodiment of the disclosure, a vehicle control method, executed by a control part of a host vehicle, is provided. The vehicle control method comprises: detecting surrounding status of the host vehicle; performing a moving control of the host vehicle according to the surrounding status; in a road system including a first road and a second road intersected with the first road that includes a first lane that is an innermost lane, a second lane that is an opposite lane of the first lane and a specified area arranged between the first and the second lanes, when the host vehicle enters the first lane, determining whether the specified area or the first lane is set as a target position according to a traffic situation of the first lane.
In general, the surrounding detection part 12 may include cameras mounted in the vehicle for capturing surrounding images (such as front images, rear images and side images), radars and LIDARs respectively detecting distances and relative speeds between the surrounding objects (other vehicles or static objects) and the vehicle. The vehicle also may include various sensors for sensing speed, acceleration, decelerating, moving distance, etc. of the vehicle 10. For those skilled in the art, the arrangement of these sensors, detecting components, and the like can be suitably modified based on the requirement. The disclosure only describes the at least required portion for making the description easy.
As known, there are two road system in the world, the right-hand traffic system such as America and the left-hand traffic system such as Japan. In the following embodiment, the right-hand traffic system is used as an example for explaining the disclosure, but not limited thereto. The concept, including the apparatus, the method or the corresponding programs, described in the disclosure can be also applied to the left-hand traffic system with a simple modification.
Moreover, a specified area 126 is arranged between first lane 122 and the second lane 124. For example, the specified area 126 is a yellow lane, which is usually found in the American road system. The yellow lane 126 is a special lane designed for the vehicle to make a left turn to leave the main road, and the vehicle may only stay in the yellow lane 126 for a predetermined distance or time. According to the disclosure, when the vehicle tries to make a left turn and the target lane is in a traffic jam as shown in
At step S12, when the host vehicle 100 arrive the start point S and prepare to make a left turn, the control part 14 of the host vehicle 100 determines a target position according to the surrounding status detected by the surrounding detection part 12. Then, the control part 14 sets the specified area 126 or the first lane (i.e., the innermost lane) as the target position according to a traffic situation of the first lane 122. At step S13, the control part 14 of the host vehicle 100 performs a moving control of left turn to enter the determined target position. In other words, the disclosure utilizes the specified area 126 as a buffer area to make the host vehicle 100 move across the first road 120. When the traffic situation of the first lane 122 according to the surrounding status detected by the surrounding detection part 12 does not allow the host vehicle 100 to directly enter the first lane 122, the host vehicle 100 is controlled to make a left turn to enter the specified area 126 (the target position), i.e., the yellow lane along the path 200a as shown in
In addition, according to the embodiment of the disclosure, the traffic volume, the speed of other vehicles 104 moving in the first lane 122 and the traffic jam, etc. may be used to determine the traffic situation of the first lane 122. For example, when the traffic volume, such as numbers of the vehicles 104 moving in the first lane 122 exceeds a predetermined value, it means the first lane 122 is not in a condition for the host vehicle 100 to enter and the specified area 126 is set as the target position. When the traffic volume of the first lane 122 is less than the predetermined value, the first lane 122 is set as the target position. Namely, when first lane 122 is not occupied by of the other vehicles 104, the traffic situation is determined to be good for directly making a left turn to enter the first lane 122. Otherwise, the host vehicle 100 will turn left to enter the specified area 126 and keeps moving in the specified area 126 for a while to prepare to make a lane change to enter the first lane 122 at a suitable timing.
In addition, when speeds of other vehicles 104 moving in the first lane 122 are less than a predetermined speed, the specified area 126 is set as the target position, and when the speeds of the other vehicles 104 moving in the first lane are equal to or larger than the predetermined speed, the first lane 122 is set as the target position. Accordingly, when the speeds of the other vehicles 104 detected by surrounding detection part 12 is determined to be low, it means the first lane 122 is occupied by of the other vehicles 104, the traffic situation is determined to be not good for directly making a left turn to enter the first lane 122. Then, the host vehicle 100 is controlled to enter the specified area 126, and keeps moving in the specified area 126 for a while to prepare to make a lane change to enter the first lane 122 at a suitable timing.
In addition, when the first lane 122 is in a traffic jam, the specified area 126 is set as the target position, and when the first lane 122 is not in a traffic jam, the first lane 122 is set as the target position. Namely, if the first lane 122 is in the traffic jam, the host vehicle 100 is controlled to enter the specified area 126, and keeps moving in the specified area 126 for a while to prepare to make a lane change to enter the first lane 122 at a suitable timing.
According to the above description, by using the specified area 126 (for example, the yellow lane), even though the traffic situation of the target lane, i.e., the first lane 122 is not in a condition for the host vehicle 100 to directly make a left turn to enter, the host vehicle 100 may enter the specified area 126 first and find a suitable timing to enter the target lane, i.e., the first lane 122. Therefore, the standby time for turning left to enter the target lane may be effective reduced.
In
In
Accordingly, even though even though the traffic situation of the target lane, i.e., the first lane 122 is not in a condition for the host vehicle 100 to directly make a left turn to enter, but if the vehicles 104 behind the open area 300 intend yield the host vehicle 100 to enter the first lane 122, the host vehicle 100 may directly enter open area 300 of the first lane 122 without using the specified area 126. Once such situation is detected, the host vehicle 100 can quickly enter the first lane 122. Therefore, the standby time for turning left to enter the target lane may be effective reduced in some particular situations.
Next, the detail of the vehicle control method according to the disclosure is described with reference to
Referring to
When the lane A is determined as safe at step S100, i.e., the detected distance between the other vehicle 106 and the host vehicle 100 is larger than or equal to the safety distance D1 (YES, stepS100), the control process moves to step S106 to determines whether the lane C is in a traffic jam or not. The determination of the traffic situation of the lane C may refer to the above description related to
When the lane C is determined as being not in a traffic jam as shown in
In addition, when the lane C is determined to be in the traffic jam at step S106 (YES, step S106), then the control process moves to step S110. At Step S110, the control part 14 makes the host vehicle 100 move to the lane B (the yellow lane in the embodiment) first. When the host vehicle 100 enters the lane B along the path 200a from the start point S, the host vehicle 100 temporally keeps in the lane B and the process moves to step S112. Then, the control process further determines whether the lane C is safe or not at step S112. At this time, the control part 14 of the host vehicle 100 that moves in the lane B will determine a suitable timing to make a lane change from the lane B to the lane C according to the traffic situation of the lane C detected by the surrounding detection part 12.
When the lane C is determined to be safe (YES, step S112), then the process moves to step S114 and the host vehicle 100 is controlled to move from the lane B to the lane C (lane change) along the path 200b. As the host vehicle 100 moves to the lane C, the control process is finished.
Similarly, when the lane C is determined to be not safe (NO, step S112), then the process moves to step S116. The host vehicle 100 keeps in the lane B and is on standby for entering the lane C. Then, the control process returns to step S112 again to determine whether the lane C is safe or not.
According to the aforementioned vehicle control method, when the vehicle turns left or right to enter the target lane from the side road or a cross road, the vehicle can enter the target lane by effectively using the specified area, for example the yellow lane, according to the traffic situation. As a result, the standby time of the vehicle at the side road or the cross road can be effectively reduced.
In addition, according to the aforementioned vehicle control method, when it determines that entering the target lane, i.e., the first lane (the innermost lane) directly is difficult due to the traffic situation for the host vehicle, the specified area is effectively used to reduce the time enter the target lane. Thus, the standby time for turning left or right to enter the target lane can be effectively reduced.
As shown in
When the lane B is determined to be safe at step S104, the control process moves to step S106 to determine the traffic situation of the lane C (YES, step S104). The followings steps and determinations are the same as those shown in
In this embodiment as described above, before the host vehicle 100 make a left turn, the safety confirmation of the lane B is further performed in addition to the safety confirmation of the lane A. Therefore, the safety of the vehicle control method can be further increased and improved. In addition to the aforementioned effect of reducing the standby time at the side road or the cross road, the safety for left (or right) turn can be further enhanced according to the embodiment.
As shown in
In addition, when the control process determines that the lane B does not exist at step S90, the process moves to step S92 to determine whether the lane A is safe or not (NO, step S90). When the lane A is determined to be safe, the control process moves to step S94 to further determine whether the lane C is safe or not (YES, step S92). At this time, if both the lanes A and C are determined to be safe, the control process moves to step S108 (YES, step S94) and the host vehicle 100 is controlled to directly turn left to the lane C. To determine whether the lane A is safe or not, the control part 14 of the host vehicle 100 will make decision at step S92 according to a safety distance D2 between the oncoming vehicle 106 and the intersection of the first road 120 and the second road 140.
In addition, according to the embodiment 3, the safety distance D1 for determining whether the lane A is safe at step S100 is different from the safety distance D2 for determining whether the lane A is safe at step S92. The safety distance between the coming vehicle 106 in the lane A and the intersection depends on whether the lane B, i.e., the yellow lane, exists or not. In general, the safety distance used for step S92 is less than the safety distance used in step S100. Namely, when there is the lane B, a longer safety distance D1 is required to determine whether the lane A is safe or not.
Accordingly, according to the embodiment, by further including a step of determining whether there is a specific lane (the yellow lane for example), the entire vehicle control method for making a left or right turn from a side road or a cross road can be more complete. Also, as described in the embodiment 1 or 2, the embodiment 3 may also effectively reduce the standby time of the vehicle at the side road or the cross road.
Others Configurations
According to the descriptions of the disclosure, followings configurations are provided. First, a vehicle control apparatus is provided. The vehicle control apparatus comprises a surrounding detection part, detecting surrounding status of a host vehicle; and a control part, performing a moving control of the host vehicle according to the surrounding status. When the host vehicle enters a first lane that is an innermost lane of a first road intersected with a second road where a specified area exists between the first lane and a second lane, the control part determines whether the specified area or the first lane is set as a target position according to a traffic situation of the first lane.
In the above vehicle control apparatus, when a traffic volume of the first lane exceeds a predetermined value, the control part sets the specified area as the target position. When the traffic volume of the first lane is less than the predetermined value, the control part sets the first lane as the target position.
In the above vehicle control apparatus, when speeds of other vehicles moving in the first lane are less than a predetermined speed, the control part sets the specified area as the target position. When the speeds of the other vehicles moving in the first lane are equal to or larger than the predetermined speed, the control part sets the first lane as the target position.
In the above vehicle control apparatus, when the innermost lane is in a traffic jam, the control part sets the specified area as the target position. When the first lane is not in a traffic jam, the control part sets the first lane as the target position.
In the above vehicle control apparatus, the control part further determines whether the specified area is safe for entering. In this manner, the safety confirmation can be further increased.
In the above vehicle control apparatus, in case of a plurality of other vehicles moving in the first lane, a first portion of the plurality of the other vehicles pulls apart from a second portion of the plurality of the other vehicles to form an open area in front of the host vehicle, when the second portion of the plurality of the other vehicles behind the open area stops or decelerates to be lower than speeds of the first portion of the plurality of the other vehicles beyond the open area, the first lane is set as the target position.
In the above vehicle control apparatus, in case of a plurality of other vehicles stops in the first lane, a first portion of the plurality of the other vehicles start moving to pull apart from a second other portion of the plurality of the other vehicles to form an open area in front of the vehicle, when the second portion of the plurality of the other vehicles behind the open area still stops or moves with speeds lower than seeds of the first portion of the plurality of the other vehicles beyond the open area, the first lane is set as the target position.
According to another embodiment of the disclosure, a vehicle control method, executed by a control part of a host vehicle, is provided. The vehicle control method comprises: detecting surrounding status of the host vehicle; performing a moving control of the host vehicle according to the surrounding status; when the host vehicle enters a first lane that is an innermost lane of a first road intersected with a second road where a specified area is arranged between the first lane and a second lane, determining whether the specified area or the first lane is set as a target position according to a traffic situation of the first lane.
In the above vehicle control method, the method further comprises: when a traffic volume of the first lane exceeds a predetermined value, setting the specified area as the target position; and when the traffic volume of the first lane is less than the predetermined value, setting the first lane as the target position.
In the above vehicle control method, the method further comprises: when speeds of other vehicles moving in the first lane are less than a predetermined speed, setting the specified area as the target position; and when the speeds of the other vehicles moving in the first lane are equal to or larger than the predetermined speed, setting the first lane as the target position.
In the above vehicle control method, the method further comprises: when the first lane is in a traffic jam, setting the specified area as the target position; and when the first lane is not in a traffic jam, setting the first lane as the target position.
In the above vehicle control method, the method further determines whether the specified area is safe for entering. In this manner, the safety confirmation can be further increased.
In the above vehicle control method, in case of a plurality of other vehicles moving in the first lane, a first portion of the plurality of the other vehicles pulls apart from a second portion of the plurality of the other vehicles so as to form an open area in front of the host vehicle, the method further comprises: when the second portion of the plurality of the other vehicles behind the open area stops or decelerates to be lower than speeds of the first portion of the plurality of the other vehicles beyond the open area, setting the first lane as the target position.
In the above vehicle control method, in case of a plurality of other vehicles stops in the first lane, a first portion of the plurality of the other vehicles start moving to pull apart from a second portion of the plurality of the other vehicles so as to form an open area in front of the host vehicle, the method further comprises: when the second portion of the plurality of the other vehicles behind the open area still stops or moves with speeds lower than speed of the first portion of the plurality of the other vehicles beyond the open area, setting the first lane as the target position.
In the above configuration, by using the specified area (for example, the yellow lane), even though the traffic situation of the first lane is not in a condition for the host vehicle to directly make a left turn to enter, the host vehicle may enter the specified area first and find a suitable timing to enter the target lane, i.e., the first lane. Therefore, the standby time for turning left to enter the target lane may be effective reduced.
In the above configurations, even though even though the traffic situation of the target lane is not in a condition for the host vehicle to directly make a left turn to enter, but if the other vehicles behind the open area intend yield the host vehicle to enter the first lane, the host vehicle may directly enter open area of the first lane without using the specified area. Once such situation is detected, the vehicle can quickly enter the first lane. Therefore, the standby time for turning left to enter the target lane may be effective reduced in some particular situations.
In the above vehicle control apparatus or method, the specified area is a yellow line, which is usually found in the American road system, or a zebra zone. In the above configurations, by using the special lane or zone, it is more effective and saves time to turn across a road from a side road.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure covers modifications and variations provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
