# US 12,005,904 B2 · Autonomous driving system

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- Number: US 12,005,904 B2
- Document ID: US12005904B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/082,118
- Filed: 2022-12-15
- Published: 2023-04-13
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-10
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Ryuta Hashimoto; Yoshinori Watanabe; Kenichiro Aoki; Tomoyuki Kuriyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005904B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres}
- B60W 10/18: including control of braking systems
- B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems
- B60W 30/143: {Speed control (B60W30/16 takes precedence)}
- B60W 40/04: Traffic conditions
- B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
- B60W 2050/0075: {Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means}
- B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
- B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
- B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed
- B60W 2520/14: Yaw
- B60W 2552/05: Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
- B60W 2552/50: Barriers
- B60W 2554/00: Input parameters relating to objects
- B60W 2554/20: Static objects
- B60W 2554/4026: Cycles
- B60W 2554/4029: Pedestrians
- B60W 2554/4041: Position
- B60W 2554/406: Traffic density
- B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance
- B60W 2554/802: Longitudinal distance
- B60W 2554/804: Relative longitudinal speed
- B60W 2556/45: External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
- B60W 2720/10: Longitudinal speed
- B60W 2720/14: Yaw
- B60W 2754/10: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
- B60W 2754/30: Longitudinal distance
- B60W 2754/50: Relative longitudinal speed
- G05D 1/0248: {in combination with a laser (lasers per se H01S)}
- G05D 1/0276: {using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle (involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058)}
- G05D 1/247: using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons
- 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
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

An autonomous driving system acquires information concerning a vehicle density in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a lane on which an own vehicle is traveling, when the own vehicle travels on a road having a plurality of lanes. The autonomous driving system selects the adjacent lane as an own vehicle travel lane, when the vehicle density in the adjacent lane that is calculated from the acquired information is lower than a threshold density that is determined in accordance with relations between the own vehicle and surrounding vehicles. The autonomous driving system performs lane change to the adjacent lane autonomously, or propose lane change to the adjacent lane to a driver, when the adjacent lane is selected as the own vehicle travel lane.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
extracting traffic lane lines of a traveling road on which an own vehicle is traveling by processing image pickup information acquired from a camera mounted on the own vehicle, the traveling road having a plurality of lanes;
recognizing the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling based on the traffic lane lines;
recognizing speeds of other vehicles traveling on an own lane on which the own vehicle is traveling, speeds of other vehicles traveling on an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the own lane, and speeds of other vehicles traveling on a second adjacent lane on an opposite side to the adjacent lane with the own lane therebetween;
determining a vehicle density in the adjacent lane based on the speeds of other vehicles traveling on the adjacent lane;
determining a vehicle density in the second adjacent lane based on the speeds of other vehicles traveling on the second adjacent lane;
calculating a vehicle density in the own lane based on a relation between a standard traveling speed on the traveling road and an actual traveling speed of the vehicles traveling on the own lane;
determining whether to perform a lane change to the adjacent lane or the second adjacent lane based on the vehicle density in the adjacent lane, the vehicle density in the second adjacent lane, and the vehicle density in the own lane; and
upon determining to perform the lane change to the adjacent lane or the second adjacent lane, causing the own vehicle to perform the lane change.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling based on map information concerning the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling and positional information of the own vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining to perform a lane change to the adjacent lane when the vehicle density in the adjacent lane is less than the vehicle density in the own lane and less than the vehicle density in the second adjacent lane, and
determining to perform a lane change to the second adjacent lane when the vehicle density in the second adjacent lane is less than the vehicle density in the own law and less than the vehicle density in the adjacent lane.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, after determining to perform a lane change to the adjacent lane:
proposing a lane change to a driver of the own vehicle; and
performing a lane change to the adjacent lane when the driver of the own vehicle agrees to the lane change.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, after determining to perform a lane change to the adjacent lane, calculating a target trajectory to move the own vehicle from the own lane to the adjacent lane.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the vehicle density in the adjacent lane based on positional information of three or more continuous vehicles that travel on the adjacent lane.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising determining the vehicle density in the adjacent lane based on a statistic average value of respective inter-vehicle distances between the three or more continuous vehicles that travel on the adjacent lane.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising determining the vehicle density in the adjacent lane by assigning weights to respective inter-vehicle distances between the three or more continuous vehicles that travel on the adjacent lane and taking an average value of the weighted inter-vehicle distances after excluding inter-vehicle distances of a threshold value or more.

### Claim 9

An autonomous driving system for an own vehicle comprising an electronic control unit configured to:
extract traffic lane lines of a traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling by processing image pickup information acquired from a camera mounted on the own vehicle, the traveling road having a plurality of lanes;
recognize the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling based on the traffic lane lines;
recognize speeds of other vehicles traveling on an own lane on which the own vehicle is traveling, speeds of other vehicles traveling on an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the own lane, and speeds of other vehicles traveling on a second adjacent lane on an opposite side to the adjacent lane with the own lane therebetween;
determine a vehicle density in the adjacent lane based on the speeds of other vehicles traveling on the adjacent lane;
determine a vehicle density in the second adjacent lane based on the speeds of other vehicles traveling on the second adjacent lane;
calculate a vehicle density in the own lane based on a relation between a standard traveling speed on the traveling road and an actual traveling speed of vehicles traveling on the own lane;
determine whether to perform a lane change to the adjacent lane or the second adjacent lane based on the vehicle density in the adjacent lane, the vehicle density in the second adjacent lane, and the vehicle density in the own lane; and
upon determining to perform the lane change to the adjacent lane or the second adjacent lane, cause the own vehicle to perform the lane change.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The autonomous driving system of claim 9, wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to recognize the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling based on map information concerning the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling and positional information of the own vehicle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The autonomous driving system of claim 9, wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to, after determining to perform a lane change to the adjacent lane:
propose a lane change to a driver of the own vehicle; and
perform a lane change to the adjacent lane when the driver of the own vehicle agrees to the lane change.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The autonomous driving system of claim 9, wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to determine the vehicle density in the adjacent lane based on positional information of three or more continuous vehicles that travel on the adjacent lane.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The autonomous driving system of claim 12, wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to determine the vehicle density in the adjacent lane based on a statistic average value of respective inter-vehicle distances between the three or more continuous vehicles that travel on the adjacent lane.

### Claim 14

A computer readable non-transitory storage medium, having instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
extract traffic lane lines of a traveling road on which an own vehicle is traveling by processing image pickup information acquired from a camera mounted on the own vehicle, the traveling road having a plurality of lanes;
recognize the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling based on the traffic lane lines;
recognize speeds of other vehicles traveling on an own lane on which the own vehicle is traveling, speeds of other vehicles traveling on an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the own lane, and speeds of other vehicles traveling on a second adjacent lane on an opposite side to the adjacent lane with the own therebetween;
determine a vehicle density in the adjacent lane based on the speeds of other vehicles traveling on the adjacent lane;
determine a vehicle density in the second adjacent lane based on the speeds of other vehicles traveling on the second adjacent lane;
calculate a vehicle density in the own lane based on a relation between a standard traveling speed on the traveling road and an actual traveling speed of vehicles traveling on the own lane;
determine whether to perform a lane change to the adjacent lane or the second adjacent lane based on the vehicle density in the adjacent lane, the vehicle density in the second adjacent lane, and the vehicle density in the own lane; and
upon determining to perform the lane change to the adjacent lane or the second adjacent lane, cause the own vehicle to perform the lane change.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to recognize the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling based on map information concerning the traveling road on which the own vehicle is traveling and positional information of the own vehicle.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to, after determining to perform a lane change to the adjacent lane:
propose a lane change to a driver of the own vehicle; and
perform a lane change to the adjacent lane when the driver of the own vehicle agrees to the lane change.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine the vehicle density in the adjacent lane based on positional information of three or more continuous vehicles that travel on the adjacent lane.