Lane change path planning algorithm for autonomous driving vehicle

A method for generating a desired path for a vehicle to follow along a roadway, said vehicle including at least one forward-looking camera and a map database, said method comprising:

• providing roadway measurement values from the camera that identifies locations on the roadway;
• providing roadway measurement values from the map database that identifies locations on the roadway;
• determining the desired path along a first segment of the roadway using the roadway measurement values from the camera by solving a fifth order polynomial equation;
• identifying an end of the first segment based on an effective range of the camera where an error between the roadway measurement values from the camera and the desired path along the first segment exceeds a predetermined cost function threshold;
• and
• determining the desired path along a second segment of the roadway using the roadway measurement values from the map database, where the second segment of the roadway begins at the end of the first segment, and wherein determining the desired path along the second segment of the roadway using the roadway measurement values from the map database includes using roadway measurement values at a last location point in the first segment as roadway measurement values as a first location point in the second segment and matching a slope of the desired path at the end of the first segment to a slope of the desired path at the beginning of the second segment.

A system for generating a desired path for a vehicle to follow along a roadway, said vehicle including at least one forward looking camera and a map database, said system comprising:

• means for providing roadway measurement values from the camera that identifies locations on the roadway;
• means for providing roadway measurement values from the map database that identifies locations on the roadway;
• means for determining the desired path along a first segment of the roadway using the roadway measurement values from the camera;
• means for identifying an end of the first segment based on an effective range of the camera;
• and
• means for determining the desired path along a second segment of the roadway using the roadway measurement values from the map database, where the second segment begins at the end of the first segment.