# US 12,110,026 B2 · Lane split decision techniques for vehicle lateral control path planning > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,110,026 B2 - Document ID: US12110026B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/336,642 - Filed: 2021-06-02 - Published: 2022-12-08 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-02 - Assignees: Fca US LLC - Applicants: Michael A Carlson; Amy K Farris - Inventors: Michael A Carlson; Amy K Farris - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110026B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres} - B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems - B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers - B60W 60/001: {Planning or execution of driving tasks} - B60W 60/0053: {from vehicle to occupant} - B60W 10/18: including control of braking systems - B60W 2510/202: Steering torque - B60W 2540/20: Direction indicator values - B60W 2552/00: Input parameters relating to infrastructure - 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 Autonomous driving systems and methods for a vehicle include a driver intent determination system configured to determine a driver intent for which of two different lanes the driver intends the vehicle to follow during a lane split scenario and a controller configured to operate the vehicle according to an autonomous driving feature whereby the controller automatically controls steering of the vehicle, determine which of the two different lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature, determine which of the two different lanes that the vehicle will follow during the lane split scenario based at least on the determined driver intent and which of the two different lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature to obtain a target lane, and automatically control at least the steering system of the vehicle to follow the target lane. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An autonomous driving system for a vehicle for selecting one of two different lanes during a lane split scenario, the system comprising: a driver intent determination system configured to determine a driver intent for which of the two different lanes the driver intends the vehicle to follow during the lane split scenario and after a lane split point based on a turn signal status, steering torque, and navigational data; and a controller configured to: operate the vehicle according to an autonomous driving feature whereby the controller automatically controls steering of the vehicle; determine which of the two different lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature based on a plurality of lane support features, determined by a set of vehicle systems, of the lane after the lane split point, wherein the set of vehicle systems includes at least one perception sensor, a navigation system, and a high-definition (HD) maps database; determine which of the two different lanes that the vehicle will follow during the lane split scenario based at least on the determined driver intent and which of the two different lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature to obtain a target lane; and automatically control at least a steering system of the vehicle to follow the target lane, wherein when only one of the two different lanes is supported for the autonomous driving feature and the determined driver intent also indicates the supported lane of the two different lanes, the controller is configured to select the supported lane of the two different lanes as the target lane, wherein when only one of the two different lanes is supported for the autonomous driving feature and the determined driver intent indicates the non-supported lane of the two different lanes, the controller is further configured to issue a driver take-over request whereby the driver must at least temporarily take over control of the vehicle, and wherein when the driver intent cannot be determined based on at least one of the turn signal status and the steering torque and both of the two different lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature, the driver intent determination system is configured to determine the driver intent based on the navigational data and the controller is configured to select one of the two different lanes as the target lane according a preset route specified by the navigational data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein when no route has been preset as specified by the navigational data, the controller is configured to select one of the two different lanes as the target lane based on road usage information output by the navigation system using the HD maps database. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein when there is no road usage information output by the navigation system using the HD maps database, the controller is configured to select one of the two different lanes as the target lane based on which of the two different lanes corresponds to a road having more total lanes than a road corresponding to the non-target lane or non-selected lane of the two different lanes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein when the roads corresponding to the two different lanes have equal quantities of total lanes, the controller is configured to default to selecting a left lane of the two different lanes as the target lane when the vehicle is operating in a right-side travel jurisdiction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of lane support features includes a geo-fence defining a boundary between (i) supported areas where lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature and (ii) unsupported areas where lanes are not supported for the autonomous driving feature. ### Claim 6 A lane split decision method for lateral control path planning for a vehicle when encountering a lane split scenario where a selection of one of two different lanes is necessary, the method comprising: determining, by a driver intent determination system of the vehicle, a driver intent for which of the two different lanes the driver intends the vehicle to follow during the lane split scenario and after a lane split point based on a turn signal status, steering torque, and navigational data; operating, by a controller of the vehicle, the vehicle according to an autonomous driving feature whereby the controller automatically controls steering of the vehicle; determining, by the controller, which of the two different lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature based on a plurality of lane support features, determined by a set of vehicle systems, of the lane after the lane split point, wherein the set of vehicle systems includes at least one perception sensor, a navigation system, and a high-definition (HD) maps database; determining, by the controller, which of the two different lanes that the vehicle will follow during the lane split scenario based at least on the determined driver intent and which of the two different lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature to obtain a target lane; and automatically controlling, by the controller, at least a steering system of the vehicle to follow the target lane, wherein when only one of the two different lanes is supported for the autonomous driving feature and the determined driver intent also indicates the supported lane of the two different lanes, the controller selects the supported lane of the two different lanes as the target lane, wherein when only one of the two different lanes is supported for the autonomous driving feature and the determined driver intent indicates the non-supported lane of the two different lanes, the method further comprises issuing, by the controller, a driver take-over request whereby the driver must at least temporarily take over control of the vehicle, and wherein when the driver intent cannot be determined based on at least one of the turn signal status and the steering torque and both of the two different lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature, the driver intent determination system determines the driver intent based on the navigational data and the controller selects one of the two different lanes as the target lane according a preset route specified by the navigational data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein when no route has been preset as specified by the navigational data, the controller selects one of the two different lanes as the target lane based on road usage information output by the navigation system using the HD maps database. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein when there is no road usage information output by the navigation system using the HD maps database, the controller selects one of the two different lanes as the target lane based on which of the two different lanes corresponds to a road having more total lanes than a road corresponding to the non-target lane or non-selected lane of the two different lanes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein when the roads corresponding to the two different lanes have equal quantities of total lanes, the controller default to selecting a left lane of the two different lanes as the target lane when the vehicle is operating in a right-side travel jurisdiction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of lane support features includes a geo-fence defining a boundary between (i) supported areas where lanes are supported for the autonomous driving feature and (ii) unsupported areas where lanes are not supported for the autonomous driving feature.