Trajectory planning system calculating a laterally offset trajectory for a vehicle

A method for calculating a laterally offset trajectory based on a maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset with respect to the center of a host lane of a vehicle, the method comprising:

• monitoring, by one or more controllers, perception data collected by a plurality of perception sensors until determining an occurrence of an offset event requiring the vehicle to deviate from an original trajectory;
• in response to determining the occurrence of the offset event, calculating a non-linear error component of the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset with respect to the center of a host lane, wherein the non-linear error component is calculated as a function of a target lane position error across a relevant time window;
• calculating the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset based on a lane width of the host lane, a width of the vehicle, the target lane position error, and a buffer distance, wherein the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset is dynamically adjusted based on non-linear error created in real-time as the vehicle deviates from the laterally offset trajectory;
• comparing the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset with an arbitrated in-lane lateral offset value, wherein the arbitrated in-lane lateral offset value and the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset are both oriented in the same direction;
• in response to determining the arbitrated in-lane lateral offset value is greater than the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset, updating the laterally offset trajectory of the vehicle with the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset;
• and
• applying a rate limiter to the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset in real-time while instructing the vehicle to travel along the laterally offset trajectory.

A trajectory planning system that calculates a laterally offset trajectory based on a maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset with respect to the center of a host lane of a vehicle, the trajectory planning system comprising:

• one or more controllers that receive perception data indicative of an exterior environment surrounding the vehicle collected by a plurality of perception sensors that are part of the vehicle, the one or more controllers including one or more processors that execute instructions to:
• monitor the perception data collected by the plurality of perception sensors until determining an occurrence of an offset event requiring the vehicle to deviate from an original trajectory;
• in response to determining the occurrence of the offset event, calculate a non-linear error component of the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset with respect to the center of a host lane, wherein the non-linear error component is calculated as a function of a target lane position error across a relevant time window;
• calculate the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset based on a lane width of the host lane, a width of the vehicle, the target lane position error, and a buffer distance, wherein the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset is dynamically adjusted based on non-linear error created in real-time as the vehicle deviates from the laterally offset trajectory;
• compare the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset with an arbitrated in-lane lateral offset value, wherein the arbitrated in-lane lateral offset value and the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset are both oriented in the same direction;
• in response to determining the arbitrated in-lane lateral offset value is greater than the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset, update the laterally offset trajectory of the vehicle with the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset;
• apply a rate limiter to the maximum allowable in-lane lateral offset in real-time while instructing the vehicle to travel along the laterally offset trajectory;
• monitor the perception data collected by the plurality of perception sensors indicative of the exterior environment surrounding the vehicle until detecting the presence of a side obstacle located in a bordering lane;
• in response to detecting the presence of a side obstacle, determine the vehicle is about to perform a lane change maneuver, wherein the vehicle follows a laterally offset lane change trajectory while executing the lane change maneuver to switch from the host lane to a neighboring lane when executing the lane change maneuver, and the bordering lane that includes the side obstacle is adjacent to the neighboring lane;
• in response to determining the presence of the side obstacle and determining the vehicle is about to perform the lane change maneuver, calculate an estimated lateral separation distance between the vehicle and the side obstacle based on an original trajectory of the vehicle;
• compare the compare the estimated lateral separation distance with a lateral separation threshold distance measured between the vehicle and the side obstacle;
• in response to determining the estimated lateral separation distance is less than the lateral separation threshold distance, calculate a target lane lateral offset error;
• compare the target lane lateral offset error with a threshold maximum allowable error value;
• and
• in response to determining the target lane lateral offset error is less than the threshold maximum allowable error value, calculate a lateral offset correction value, wherein the lateral offset correction value maintains the lateral separation threshold distance measured between the vehicle and the side obstacle as the vehicle follows the laterally offset lane change trajectory.