# US 12,110,040 B2 · Navigation cost computation for lane changes before a critical intersection

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- Number: US 12,110,040 B2
- Document ID: US12110040B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/888,342
- Filed: 2020-05-29
- Published: 2021-12-02
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-29
- Assignees: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
- Applicants: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
- Inventors: Daniele Molinari
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110040B2

## CPC

- B60W 60/0025: {specially adapted for specific operations}
- G01C 21/3407: {specially adapted for specific applications}
- B60W 30/18154: {Approaching an intersection}
- B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres}
- B60W 60/0011: {involving control alternatives for a single driving scenario, e.g. planning several paths to avoid obstacles}
- G01C 21/3453: {Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments}
- G06N 3/04: Architecture, e.g. interconnection topology
- G06N 3/0464: Convolutional networks [CNN, ConvNet]
- G08G 1/162: {event-triggered}
- G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection}
- H04W 4/46: for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
- B60W 2554/4041: Position
- B60W 2554/4042: Longitudinal speed
- B60W 2556/65: Data transmitted between vehicles
- G06N 3/045: Combinations of networks
- G06N 3/063: using electronic means
- 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
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A method to select between tactical driving decisions of a controlled ego vehicle to reach a target destination is described. The method includes determining upcoming tactical driving decisions of the controlled ego vehicle to reach the target destination according to a mission plan. The method also includes ranking upcoming tactical driving maneuvers associated with each of the upcoming tactical driving decisions. The method further includes selecting a tactical driving maneuver prior to a critical intersection according to the ranking of the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers to reach the target destination according to the mission plan.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method to select between tactical driving decisions of a controlled ego vehicle to reach a target destination, the method comprising:
determining upcoming tactical driving decisions of the controlled ego vehicle to reach the target destination according to a mission plan;
ranking upcoming tactical driving maneuvers associated with each of the upcoming tactical driving decisions;
selecting a tactical driving maneuver prior to a critical intersection according to the ranking of the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers to reach the target destination according to the mission plan, in which the critical intersection comprises an intersection in which the ego vehicle is to make a turn based on the mission plan to reach the target destination;
performing the selected tactical driving maneuver prior to the critical intersection; and
turning the ego vehicle at the intersection and performing one or more selected ones of the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers to reach the target destination according to the mission plan.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, in which determining the upcoming tactical driving decisions comprises:
detecting one or more merge gaps between vehicles in a target lane of a roadway prior to the critical intersection; and
selecting a vehicle control action to merge the ego vehicle into each of the one or more merge gaps in the target lane prior to the critical intersection as the upcoming tactical driving decisions.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, in which ranking the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers comprises:
computing a navigation cost function associated with changing lanes into one or more detected merge gaps between vehicles in a target lane of a multilane roadway prior to the critical intersection; and
selecting a vehicle control action to merge the ego vehicle into one of the one or more merge gaps in the target lane prior to the critical intersection as the upcoming tactical driving decisions.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, in which the vehicle control action comprises accelerating a speed of the ego vehicle to successfully merge into the target lane of the multilane roadway.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, in which the vehicle control action comprises decelerating a speed of the ego vehicle to successfully merge into the target lane of the multilane roadway.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, in which determining the upcoming tactical driving decisions comprises determining a position and an acceleration value of a first vehicle and a second vehicle in a target lane of a multilane roadway using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication between the ego vehicle and the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, in which the ego vehicle is on an on-ramp of the multilane roadway and the target lane is a first lane of the multilane roadway.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, in which the ego vehicle is in a first lane of the multilane roadway and the target lane comprises an off-ramp of a multilane roadway.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, in which the ego vehicle is in a drop-lane of a multilane roadway and the target lane is an adjacent lane of the multilane roadway.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising discarding a merge gap from the one or more merge gaps if a navigation cost function for the merge gap is greater than navigation cost functions associated with others of the one or more merge gaps.

### Claim 11

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon to select between tactical driving decisions of a controlled ego vehicle to reach a target destination, the program code being executed by a processor and comprising:
program code to determine upcoming tactical driving decisions of the controlled ego vehicle to reach the target destination according to a mission plan;
program code to rank upcoming tactical driving maneuvers associated with each of the upcoming tactical driving decisions;
program code to select a tactical driving maneuver prior to a critical intersection according to the ranking of the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers to reach the target destination according to the mission plan, in which the critical intersection comprises an intersection in which the ego vehicle is to make a turn based on the mission plan to reach the target destination;
program code to perform, by the controlled ego vehicle, the selected tactical driving maneuver prior to the critical intersection; and
program code to turn the ego vehicle at the intersection and to perform one or more selected ones of the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers to reach the target destination according to the mission plan.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, in which the program code to determine the upcoming tactical driving decisions comprises:
program code to detect one or more merge gaps between vehicles in a target lane of a roadway prior to the critical intersection; and
program code to select a vehicle control action to merge the ego vehicle into each of the one or more merge gaps in the target lane prior to the critical intersection as the upcoming tactical driving decisions.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, in which the program code to rank the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers comprises:
program code to compute a navigation cost function associated with changing lanes into one or more detected merge gaps between vehicles in a target lane of a roadway prior to the critical intersection; and
program code to select a vehicle control action to merge the ego vehicle into one of the one or more merge gaps in the target lane prior to the critical intersection as the upcoming tactical driving decisions.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, in which the program code to determine the upcoming tactical driving decisions comprises program code to determine a position and an acceleration value of a first vehicle and a second vehicle in a target lane of a multilane roadway using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication between the ego vehicle and the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising program code to discard a merge gap from the one or more merge gaps if a navigation cost function for the merge gap is greater than navigation cost functions associated with others of the one or more merge gaps.

### Claim 16

A system to select between tactical driving decisions of a controlled ego vehicle to reach a target destination, the system comprising:
a vehicle perception module, including a convolutional neural network configured to determine upcoming tactical driving decisions of the controlled ego vehicle to reach the target destination according to a mission plan;
a navigation cost function module configured to rank upcoming tactical driving maneuvers associated with each of the upcoming tactical driving decisions;
a vehicle control selection module configured to select a tactical driving maneuver prior to a critical intersection according to the ranking of the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers to reach the target destination according to the mission plan, in which the critical intersection comprises an intersection in which the ego vehicle is to make a turn based on the mission plan to reach the target destination; and
a vehicle behavior controller to perform, by the controlled ego vehicle, the selected tactical driving maneuver prior to the critical intersection, and to turn the ego vehicle at the intersection and to perform one or more selected ones of the upcoming tactical driving maneuvers to reach the target destination according to the mission plan.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16,
in which the navigation cost function module is further configured to compute a navigation cost function associated with changing lanes into one or more detected merge gaps between vehicles in a target lane of a multilane roadway prior to the critical intersection; and
in which the vehicle control selection module is further configured to select a vehicle control action to merge the ego vehicle into one of the one or more merge gaps in the target lane prior to the critical intersection as the upcoming tactical driving decisions.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, further comprises a controller to perform the vehicle control action by accelerating a speed of the ego vehicle to successfully merge into the target lane of the multilane roadway.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, further comprises a controller to perform the vehicle control action by decelerating a speed of the ego vehicle to successfully merge into the target lane of the multilane roadway.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, further comprises a controller to perform the vehicle control action by maintaining a speed of the ego vehicle to successfully merge into the target lane of the multilane roadway.