Method for the planning of trajectories

A method for operating a vehicle pulling a trailer through a cornering maneuver comprising:

• identifying a concave edge and a convex edge of a negotiable road surface;
• determining a path of travel for an inner wheel of the facing towards the convex edge having a convex-side distance from the convex edge;
• computing a first directrix, on which a guide point of the vehicle must move in order to pull the inner wheel along the path of travel;
• computing a second directrix, on which an outer, front wheel of the vehicle facing towards the concave edge must move in order to pull the guide point along the first directrix;
• estimating a concave-side distance between the outer, front wheel and the concave edge;
• computing an adjusted path of travel such that the convex-side distance is closer to the concave-side distance when a difference between the concave-side distance and convex-side distances exceeds a threshold value;
• and
• issuing a command indicating the adjusted path of travel.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions for reading data from a processor in communication with a camera onboard a vehicle pulling a trailer through a cornering maneuver, the processor-executable instructions when executed on the processor in a device configure the device to:

• identify a concave edge and a convex edge of a negotiable road surface from image acquired by the camera;
• determine a path of travel for an inner wheel of the facing towards the convex edge having a convex-side distance from the convex edge;
• compute a first directrix, on which a guide point of the vehicle must move in order to pull the inner wheel along the path of travel;
• compute a second directrix, on which an outer, front wheel of the vehicle facing towards the concave edge must move in order to pull the guide point along the first directrix;
• estimate a concave-side distance between the outer, front wheel and the concave edge;
• compute an adjusted path of travel such that the convex-side distance is closer to the concave-side distance when a difference between the concave-side distance and convex-side distances exceeds a threshold value;
• and
• issue a command indicating the adjusted path of travel.

A driver assistance system for operating a vehicle pulling a trailer through a cornering maneuver comprising an electronic control unit configured to:

• identify a concave edge and a convex edge of a negotiable road surface;
• determine a path of travel for an inner wheel of the facing towards the convex edge having a convex-side distance from the convex edge;
• compute a first directrix, on which a guide point of the vehicle must move in order to pull the inner wheel along the path of travel;
• compute a second directrix, on which an outer, front wheel of the vehicle facing towards the concave edge must move in order to pull the guide point along the first directrix;
• estimate a concave-side distance between the outer, front wheel and the concave edge;
• compute an adjusted path of travel such that the convex-side distance is closer to the concave-side distance when a difference between the concave-side distance and convex-side distances exceeds a threshold value;
• and
• issue a command indicating the adjusted path of travel.