# US 11,897,461 B2 · Methods and systems for autonomous vehicle collision avoidance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,461 B2 - Document ID: US11897461B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/472,180 - Filed: 2021-09-10 - Published: 2023-03-16 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-09-10 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Ramadev Burigsay Hukkeri; Zhongkui Wang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897461B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering - B60W 60/0027: {using trajectory prediction for other traffic participants} - B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters} - B60W 40/04: Traffic conditions - B60W 40/105: Speed - B60W 60/0015: {specially adapted for safety} - B60W 60/00274: {considering possible movement changes} - B60W 2520/06: Direction of travel - B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2554/4044: Direction of movement, e.g. backwards - B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - B60W 2554/802: Longitudinal distance - B60W 2754/20: Lateral distance - B60W 2754/30: Longitudinal distance - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT ## Abstract A method includes identifying an object that is invading a lane that an autonomous vehicle is occupying, and generating a constraint about a point of crossing, where the constraint has a direction and a length, and the point of crossing represents a location of where the object and the autonomous vehicle will collide if the object maintains its current trajectory and the autonomous vehicle maintains its current trajectory. The method includes applying the constraint to a motion plan associated with the autonomous vehicle, and issuing one or more commands to adjust movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: by one or more electronic devices: identifying an object that is invading a lane that an autonomous vehicle is occupying, generating a constraint about a point of crossing, wherein the constraint comprises a direction and a length, and wherein the point of crossing represents a location of where the object and the autonomous vehicle will collide if the object maintains its current trajectory and the autonomous vehicle maintains its current trajectory, applying the constraint to a motion plan associated with the autonomous vehicle, and issuing one or more commands to adjust movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint, wherein generating the constraint about the point of crossing comprises generating the constraint by selecting a higher of a minimum distance or a product value as a constraint length, wherein the minimum distance represents a distance before the point of crossing, and wherein the product value represents a product of a minimum amount of time before the point of crossing and a current speed of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein identifying an object that is invading a lane that the autonomous vehicle is occupying comprises identifying an oncoming object that is crossing a centerline of a road. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein generating the constraint about the point of crossing comprises generating the constraint with the direction of the constraint being parallel to a lane boundary that is located between the autonomous vehicle and the object. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a starting point for the constraint is based on: a distance value between the autonomous vehicle and the point of crossing, and a difference between the distance value and the constraint length. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein generating the constraint about the point of crossing comprises generating the constraint with a lateral position relative to a lane boundary that is a function of an amount of invasion of the object into the lane. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein issuing the command to adjust the movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint comprises issuing the command to adjust lateral motion of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein issuing the one or more commands to adjust the movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint comprises issuing the one or more commands to adjust the longitudinal motion of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 8 A system, comprising: an electronic device; and a computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to: identify an object that is invading a lane that an autonomous vehicle is occupying, generate a constraint about a point of crossing, wherein the constraint comprises a direction and a length, and wherein the point of crossing represents a location of where the object and the autonomous vehicle will collide if the object maintains its current trajectory and the autonomous vehicle maintains its current trajectory, apply the constraint to a motion plan associated with the autonomous vehicle, and issue one or more commands to adjust movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint, wherein to generate the constraint about the point of crossing, the one or more programming instructions further cause the electronic device to select a higher of a minimum distance or a product value as a constraint length, wherein the minimum distance represents a distance before the point of crossing, and wherein the product value represents a product of a minimum amount of time before the point of crossing and a current speed of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein to identify an object that is invading a lane that the autonomous vehicle is occupying, the one or more programming instructions further cause the electronic device to identify an oncoming object that is crossing a centerline of a road. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein to generate the constraint about the point of crossing comprises one or more programming instructions further cause the electronic device to generate the constraint with the direction of the constraint being parallel to a lane boundary that is located between the autonomous vehicle and the object. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein a starting point for the constraint is based on: a distance value between the autonomous vehicle and the point of crossing, and a difference between the distance value and the constraint length. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein to generate the constraint about the point of crossing, the one or more programming instructions further cause the electronic device to generate the constraint with a lateral position relative to a lane boundary that is a function of an amount of invasion of the object into the lane. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein to issue one or more commands to adjust movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint, the one or more programming instructions further cause the electronic device to issue one or more commands to adjust lateral motion of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein to issue one or more commands to adjust movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint, the one or more programming instructions further cause the electronic device to issue one or more commands to adjust longitudinal motion of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 15 A computer program product comprising a memory and programming instructions that are configured to cause a processor to: identify an object that is invading a lane that the autonomous vehicle is occupying; generate a constraint about a point of crossing, wherein the constraint comprises a direction and a length, and wherein the point of crossing represents a location of where the object and the autonomous vehicle will collide if the object maintains its current trajectory and the autonomous vehicle maintains its current trajectory; apply the constraint to a motion plan associated with the autonomous vehicle, and issue one or more commands to adjust movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer program product of claim 15, wherein, to issue the one or more commands to adjust movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint, the programming instructions further cause the electronic device to issue the one or more commands to adjust lateral motion of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The computer program product of claim 15, wherein, to issue the one or more commands to adjust movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to encountering the constraint, the programming instructions further cause the electronic device to issue the one or more commands to adjust longitudinal motion of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The computer program product of claim 15, wherein, to generate the constraint about the point of crossing, the programming instructions further cause the electronic device to select a higher of a minimum distance or a product value as a constraint length, wherein the minimum distance represents a distance before the point of crossing, and wherein the product value represents a product of a minimum amount of time before the point of crossing and a current speed of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the current trajectory of the object is opposite to the current trajectory of the autonomous vehicle in a longitudinal direction, and the constraint is indicative of a lateral motion of the autonomous vehicle.