Patent Application
20210245740
The present system relates to vehicle automatic driving assist systems and to autonomous driving vehicles.
In certain jurisdictions (such as California), motorcycle lane splitting is legal. In these jurisdictions, motorcycles are legally permitted to pass cars and other motor vehicles by “splitting” the traffic lane with the car already in the lane. In this application the term “motor vehicle” refers to automobiles, trucks and other passenger vehicles capable of being operated on highways including, for example, highways. These motor vehicles include vehicles powered by a variety of means including, for example, a conventional internal combustion engine or an electric propulsion system or a hybrid system.
Unfortunately, car and truck drivers are too often surprised by motorcycles passing their vehicles at a high rate of speed (and passing on either side of their vehicles). The problem of motorcycles passing cars or trucks becomes especially dangerous when the car driver is about to change lanes. This problem often occurs when the motorcycle is speeding between two lanes of stopped cars (such as when the motorcycle is lane-splitting to move to the front of a traffic jam).
More and more cars and trucks operate with automatic driver assist systems (which help the driver drive their car by sensing objects around the car), or with autonomous vehicle driving systems (in which the car drives itself). In both of these cases, it would instead be desirable to warn these drivers of quickly approaching motorcycles (which approach from behind the rear of the car where they can't be easily seen by the car's driver). It would be especially desirable that such driver assist systems or autonomous driving systems drive the car in a manner that increases safety for the motorcycle during lane splitting.
In preferred aspects, the disclosed system provides a driving assist system for permitting safe motorcycle lane splitting, comprising: (a) a motor vehicle; (b) at least one of an automated driving assist system or an autonomous driving system operating in the motor vehicle; (c) sensors on the motor vehicle for detecting the presence and motion of objects surrounding the motor vehicle; and (d) a control system within the automated driving assist system or the autonomous driving system for: (i) sensing a motorcycle approaching the motor vehicle when the motorcycle and the motor vehicle are both traveling in the same direction and the motorcycle is approaching the rear of the motor vehicle; (ii) determining whether the motorcycle will pass the motor vehicle on the left side or the right side of the motor vehicle, and then; (iii) controlling the automated driving assist or autonomous driving system to steer the motor vehicle either: (A) to the right side of a traffic lane if the motorcycle will pass on the left side of the motor vehicle, or (B) to the left side of the traffic lane if the motorcycle will pass on the right side of the motor vehicle.
In optional aspects, the system further comprises a warning system that alerts the driver that the motorcycle will pass the motor vehicle and that the motor vehicle will therefore move to one side of the traffic lane (to permit safe lane splitting with the motorcycle). This warning system may optionally include a mechanism for vibrating the steering wheel, or a light on a dashboard or on the rear-view mirror or an audible chime.
In preferred aspects, the control system determines that a sensed object is a motorcycle by determining the size and speed of the sensed object. The sensors that sense the presence of the motorcycle may optionally be a LIDAR system or a camera system. Other sensing systems are also contemplated, all keeping within the scope of the present invention.
The present system also includes a method of permitting safe motorcycle lane splitting with a motor vehicle having an automated driving assist or an autonomous driving system, comprising: sensing a motorcycle approaching a motor vehicle, wherein the motorcycle and the motor vehicle are traveling in the same direction and the motorcycle is approaching the rear of the motor vehicle; determining whether the motorcycle will pass the motor vehicle on the left side or the right side of the motor vehicle, and then; controlling an automated driving assist or an autonomous driving system in the motor vehicle to steer the motor vehicle to: (i) the right side of a traffic lane if the motorcycle will pass on the left side of the motor vehicle, or (ii) the left side of the traffic lane if the motorcycle will pass on the right side of the motor vehicle.
Cars A, B, C and D are all travelling in the same direction with cars A and C travelling in the rightmost lane and cars B and D travelling in the leftmost lane.
As can be seen, a motorcycle M is also travelling in the same direction as cars A, B, C and D. Motorcycle M now wishes to perform a “lane-splitting” manoeuver.
Motorcycle lane-splitting is legal in some jurisdictions (such as California) and simply involves the motorcycle sharing a lane together with a car (i.e.: the car and the motorcycle travelling together in the same traffic lane, side-by-side one another). A danger of motorcycle lane-splitting is that the safety distance between the car and the motorcycle at its side may be minimal, or even dangerously small when lane spacing is tight. Car and other motor vehicle drivers in such lane-splitting states have become somewhat used to motorcycles attempting such lane splitting. Lane-splitting is typically only done when the motorcycle is passing the car, so it is over quite quickly. Commonly, the car drivers will move slightly to the right (when the motorcycle is passing on their left side) or vice versa, to increase the safety distance between themselves and the motorcycle. Unfortunately, however, not all car drivers show such curtesy to motorcycles. Another problem that car drivers have is that they often do not perceive the approaching motorcycle in the first place. Car drivers tend to see other cars on the road easier than they see motorcycles. This is because the motorcycle is a small object that quickly approaches the rear of the car (and from either side of the car).
The above lane-splitting problems become even more troublesome when motorcycles use lane-splitting to get through traffic jams (another common problem in California). At such times, the car drivers' attentions are primarily focused on the slowing traffic ahead of them and they are braking and reducing speed. This period of reduced car speed is when the motorcycles approach even faster from behind the car. In addition, car drivers are most inclined to change traffic lanes (often frantically) as they approach a traffic jam. This, unfortunately, is the same period of time during which motorcycles are apt to overtake them to try to share the traffic lanes. All of this represents a huge safety problem (for motorcycles and for cars).
In accordance with the present systems and methods, however, motorcycle safety (and car and other motor vehicle safety) is increased since the car can be equipped with the present automatic system for both detecting the presence of a motorcycle, and increasing the safety space between the car and the motorcycle during the lane-splitting maneuver. First, by waring the car drive to the presence of the motorcycle, the car driver will not attempt to change lanes in front of an approaching motorcycle. Second, by automatically steering the car a safe distance away from the motorcycle during lane-splitting, safety is improved.
As will be shown, the present system increases motorcycle safety when only one car is equipped with the present system, or when some or all of the cars travelling on the road are equipped with the present system. As will also be shown, the present system is equally advantageous both when used in current driver assist systems (i.e.: systems that automatically help a human driver optimally steer a car through traffic), or in fully automated driving systems (i.e.: systems in which the driving is fully automated and a human driver does not steer the car). Moreover, as both of these types of driver assist systems become increasingly more common in more and more cars on the road, the present system and methods will beneficially affect safety both for more and more motorcycles and cars over time.
Returning to
Car A has sensors 10 for detecting the presence and motion of objects surrounding the motor vehicle and a control system 20 within the automated driving assist system or an autonomous driving system. Control system 20 interfaces with sensors 10 to sense motorcycle M approaching car A. In the example of
The present control system 20 determines whether motorcycle M will pass car A on its left side or its right side. As can be seen comparing
As can be seen in
Control system 20 (together with sensors 10) determines that a sensed object is a motorcycle by determining the size and speed of the sensed object. In preferred aspects, control system 20 also senses boundaries of the traffic lane and does not steel the motor vehicle across the boundaries of its traffic lane.
In optional preferred embodiments, sensors 10 may comprise a LIDAR system or a camera system. In further optional preferred embodiments, control systems 20 may communicate with one another from one car to another.
In optional preferred embodiments, (presumably those embodiments with systems that assist a human in driving the car or other motor vehicle), the present system also includes a warning system 30 that alerts the human driver that a motorcycle will pass the motor vehicle and that the motor vehicle will automatically move to one side of the traffic lane (or instruct the human driver to steer to one side of the traffic lane). Optionally, the warning system 30 comprises: a mechanism for vibrating a steering wheel, a light on a dashboard or on the rear-view mirror, a chime, or some combination of these. Other warning system possibilities are also contemplated, all keeping within the scope of the present invention.
As illustrated in
