阅读说明：本技术 车辆控制方法及设备 (Vehicle control method and apparatus ) 是由 廖宗建 刘贺 张颖 A.W.恩格勒特 于翔鹏 高有才 于 2020-03-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种车辆控制方法,所述方法包括：检测潜在的插队车辆；确定所述潜在的插队车辆的插队相关信息；以及基于所述插队相关信息来执行预防性驾驶操作。该预防性驾驶操作可避免或防止其他车辆并线插队,从而有效提升用户的驾驶体验。(The invention relates to a vehicle control method, comprising: detecting a potential queue vehicle; determining queue-insertion-related information for the potential queue-insertion vehicles; and performing a preventive driving operation based on the queue-break-related information. The preventive driving operation can avoid or prevent other vehicles from being connected in parallel and inserted into a team, so that the driving experience of a user is effectively improved.)

1. A vehicle control method, characterized by comprising:

detecting a potential queue vehicle;

determining queue-insertion-related information for the potential queue-insertion vehicles; and

performing a preventive driving operation based on the queue-break-related information.

2. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the potential oncoming vehicle is traveling on a different lane from a current vehicle.

3. The vehicle control method of claim 1, wherein detecting a potential in-line vehicle comprises:

acquiring information of one or more vehicles around a current vehicle; and

determining the potential in-line vehicle from the one or more vehicles.

4. The vehicle control method of claim 1, wherein determining the fleet-insertion related information for the potential fleet-insertion vehicle comprises:

acquiring the running track of the potential queue-inserting vehicle; and

determining a speed, a location, and an expected queue break time of the potential queue-breaking vehicle based on the travel trajectory.

5. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein performing a preventive driving operation based on the queue-related information includes:

accelerating and/or steering the current vehicle based on the queue-insertion-related information to avoid being queued.

6. The vehicle control method according to claim 5, wherein performing a preventive driving operation based on the queue-related information further comprises:

and sending out a reminding signal to the potential queue-inserting vehicle, wherein the reminding signal comprises a whistle, a high beam and/or a workshop wireless signal.

7. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

brake pre-filling is performed simultaneously with or after the preventive driving maneuver is performed.

8. A vehicle control apparatus, characterized in that the apparatus comprises:

detecting means for detecting a potential vehicle in-line;

determining means for determining queue-insertion-related information for the potential queue-insertion vehicles; and

first executing means for executing a preventive driving operation based on the queue-insertion related information.

9. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the potential oncoming vehicle is traveling on a different lane from a current vehicle.

10. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the detection means includes:

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire information of one or more vehicles around a current vehicle; and

a first determination unit to determine the potential in-line vehicle from the one or more vehicles.

11. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the determining means includes:

a second acquisition unit, configured to acquire a running track of the potential queue vehicle; and

a second determination unit for determining the speed, position and expected queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle based on the running track.

12. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first execution device is configured to accelerate and/or steer the current vehicle based on the queue-related information so as to avoid being queued.

13. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first performing means is further configured to issue an alert signal to the potential lead vehicle, the alert signal comprising a blast, a high beam, and/or a workshop wireless signal.

14. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a second performing means for performing a brake pre-fill at the same time or after the first performing means performs the preventive driving operation.

15. A vehicle control apparatus, characterized in that the apparatus comprises:

determining means for receiving a detection signal and sending a command to perform a preventive driving operation based on the determined squad-related information associated with potential squad vehicles indicated in the detection signal.

16. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the potential oncoming vehicle is traveling on a different lane from a current vehicle.

17. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the determining means includes:

a receiving unit for receiving a detection signal indicative of the potential in-line vehicle;

the acquisition unit is used for acquiring the running track of the potential queue vehicle;

a determination unit for determining the speed, position and estimated queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle based on the running track; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting a command to perform a preventive driving operation based on the speed, position and expected queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle.

18. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the command for the preventive driving operation includes an instruction to accelerate and/or steer the current vehicle so as to avoid being squashed.

19. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 15 or 18, wherein the command for the preventative driving action further comprises instructing issuance of a reminder signal to the potential squad vehicle, the reminder signal comprising a whistle, high beam, and/or workshop wireless signal.

20. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the command for the preventive driving operation includes an instruction to perform a brake pre-fill.

21. A driving assist system comprising the vehicle control apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 20.

22. An automobile comprising the driving assistance system according to claim 21.

23. A computer storage medium, characterized in that the medium comprises instructions which, when executed, perform a vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to vehicle control schemes. More specifically, the invention relates to a vehicle control method, a vehicle control apparatus, a driving assist system, an automobile, and a computer storage medium.

Background

The intelligent driving technology is a vehicle provided with intelligent sensing equipment such as a radar, a camera and high-precision positioning navigation, and can automatically make a decision and execute operations such as vehicle acceleration, deceleration and steering through an artificial intelligence algorithm so as to replace a driver to complete a specific driving task.

According to SAE standards, smart driving techniques can be classified into L1-level to L5-level. Level L1 refers to autonomous driving with a specific function, where the vehicle is still controlled by the driver with this level of autonomous driving skill support, but the vehicle will have some simple primary driving assistance. The level L2 refers to the automatic driving car driving with combined functions, under the level of automatic driving technology, the car will have many rudimentary functions of automatic driving car, but the driver still needs to dominate the driving of the car, generally, the automatic driving technology of this level can have the functions of high-speed automatic auxiliary driving, automatic auxiliary driving in congestion, automatic parking, automatic danger warning braking, etc. The level L3, in which the importance of the driver is reduced, is a conditional automation, in which the driver is controlled to drive an automobile, i.e. in the L3, who can drive automatically in a particular situation, but still has to observe the time of the tight nerves and prepare for the take-over driving. Level L4 and level L5 refer to advanced automation and full automation, respectively, to which the vehicle's automation system almost or already replaces the human driver, whatever the factor does not require the owner's attention. Moreover, the accident rate of vehicles reaching full automation will be much lower than that of human-driven cars.

In existing intelligent driving schemes, such as during the execution of "piloting control," this is typically accomplished by maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance between the current vehicle and predetermined other vehicles (also referred to as "target vehicles") in the area ahead. When there is another vehicle (referred to as a "third vehicle") to be cut into between the current vehicle and the target vehicle, the current vehicle regards the "third vehicle" as the target vehicle, and reduces its own speed so as to ensure that there is a sufficient safety distance or inter-vehicle distance.

On urban roads in China, particularly when traffic jam occurs, the phenomenon of vehicle merging and queue insertion is common. Because the existing intelligent driving scheme usually only adopts a braking mode to decelerate the current vehicle (so as to ensure the distance between vehicles) when the situation is processed, the current vehicle needs to decelerate from time to time when the queue-inserting situation frequently occurs, and the driving experience is poor. Accordingly, an improved vehicle control scheme is desired.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle control method including: detecting a potential queue vehicle; determining queue-insertion-related information for the potential queue-insertion vehicles; and performing a preventive driving operation based on the queue-break-related information.

Alternatively, in the vehicle control method described above, the potential oncoming vehicle travels on a different lane from the current vehicle.

Optionally, in the vehicle control method described above, detecting a potential squad vehicle includes: acquiring information of one or more vehicles around a current vehicle; and determining the potential in-line vehicle from the one or more vehicles.

Optionally, in the vehicle control method, determining the queue-insertion-related information of the potential queue-insertion vehicle includes: acquiring the running track of the potential queue-inserting vehicle; and determining the speed, the position and the expected queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle based on the running track.

Optionally, in the vehicle control method described above, performing a preventive driving operation based on the queue-related information includes: accelerating and/or steering the current vehicle based on the queue-insertion-related information to avoid being queued.

Optionally, in the vehicle control method described above, performing the preventive driving operation based on the queue-related information further includes: and sending out a reminding signal to the potential queue-inserting vehicle, wherein the reminding signal comprises a whistle, a high beam and/or a workshop wireless signal.

Optionally, the vehicle control method may further include: brake pre-filling is performed simultaneously with or after the preventive driving maneuver is performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle control apparatus including: detecting means for detecting a potential vehicle in-line; determining means for determining queue-insertion-related information for the potential queue-insertion vehicles; and first execution means for executing a preventive driving operation based on the queue-insertion related information.

Alternatively, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the potential oncoming vehicle travels on a lane different from the current vehicle.

Optionally, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the detection means includes: a first acquisition unit configured to acquire information of one or more vehicles around a current vehicle; and a first determining unit for determining the potential in-line vehicle from the one or more vehicles.

Optionally, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the determination means includes: a second acquisition unit, configured to acquire a running track of the potential queue vehicle; and a second determination unit for determining the speed, position and expected queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle based on the running track.

Optionally, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the first executing device is configured to accelerate and/or steer the current vehicle based on the queue-related information so as to avoid being queued.

Optionally, in the vehicle control apparatus, the first executing device is further configured to send out a warning signal to the potential queue vehicle, where the warning signal includes a whistle, a high beam, and/or a workshop wireless signal.

Optionally, the vehicle control apparatus described above may further include: a second performing means for performing a brake pre-fill at the same time or after the first performing means performs the preventive driving operation.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle control apparatus including: determining means for receiving a detection signal and sending a command to perform a preventive driving operation based on the determined squad-related information associated with potential squad vehicles indicated in the detection signal.

Alternatively, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the potential oncoming vehicle travels on a lane different from the current vehicle.

Optionally, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the determination means includes: a receiving unit for receiving a detection signal indicative of the potential in-line vehicle; the acquisition unit is used for acquiring the running track of the potential queue vehicle; a determination unit for determining the speed, position and estimated queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle based on the running track; and a transmitting unit for transmitting a command to perform a preventive driving operation based on the speed, position, and expected queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle.

Optionally, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the command for the preventive driving operation includes an instruction to accelerate and/or steer the current vehicle so as to avoid being cut into queue.

Optionally, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the command for the preventive driving operation further includes instructing to issue a warning signal to the potential squad vehicle, the warning signal including a whistle, a high beam, and/or a workshop wireless signal.

Alternatively, in the vehicle control apparatus described above, the command for the preventive driving operation includes an instruction to perform brake pre-charging.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving assist system including the vehicle control apparatus as described above.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automobile including the driving assistance system as described above.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, perform a vehicle control method as set out above.

The vehicle control scheme of the invention can execute preventive driving operation based on the queue-related information of the potential queue-inserting vehicle after the potential queue-inserting vehicle is detected. The preventive driving operation can avoid or prevent other vehicles from being connected in parallel and inserted into a team, so that the driving experience of a user is effectively improved.

Drawings

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like or similar elements are designated by like reference numerals.

FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention; and

fig. 3 shows a practical application scenario of the vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

It is to be understood that the term "vehicle" or other similar term as used herein is intended to encompass motor vehicles in general, such as passenger cars (including sport utility vehicles, buses, trucks, etc.), various commercial vehicles, and the like, as well as hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and the like. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, such as gasoline-powered and electric vehicles.

While exemplary embodiments are described as using multiple units to perform exemplary processes, it should be understood that these exemplary processes may also be performed by one or more modules.

Also, the vehicle control method of the present invention is embodied on a computer-readable medium in the form of executable program instructions in one embodiment, which are implemented by a processor or the like. Examples of computer readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, optical disks, magnetic tape, floppy disks, flash drives, smart cards, and optical data storage devices. The computer readable recording medium CAN also be distributed in network-connected computer systems so that the computer readable medium is stored and implemented in a distributed manner, for example, through an in-vehicle telecommunication service or a Controller Area Network (CAN).

Unless specifically mentioned or otherwise apparent from the context, the term "about" as used herein is understood to be within the normal tolerances in the art, for example within 2 standard deviations of the mean.

Hereinafter, a vehicle control scheme according to exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle control method 1000 according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 1, the method 1000 includes the steps of:

in step S110, a potential queue vehicle is detected;

in step S120, queue-insertion-related information of the potential queue-insertion vehicles is determined; and

in step S130, a preventive driving operation is performed based on the queue-break related information.

The vehicle control method 1000 described above performs a preventive driving operation based on the queue-related information of the potential queue-inserting vehicle after the potential queue-inserting vehicle is detected. The preventive driving operation can avoid or prevent other vehicles from being inserted into a team, so that the driving experience of a user is effectively improved.

In the context of the present invention, a "potential queue vehicle" is also referred to as a possible queue vehicle, i.e. a vehicle with a high probability of queue around (i.e. in front, behind, to the left and to the right of) the current vehicle (also referred to as "own vehicle"). In one embodiment, the potential in-line vehicle travels on a different lane than the current vehicle. For example, the current vehicle is traveling on lane 2, while a potential cut-in vehicle may be traveling on lane 3 adjacent to lane 2. It should be noted that a "potential queue vehicle" is not equivalent to a vehicle that is being queued for queue insertion, as it may include other vehicles that have a potential queue intent but do not perform a queue action. It should be noted that the "lane" may be determined based on a ground mark, or may be defined by the host vehicle based on various algorithms.

In one embodiment, step S110 includes: acquiring information of one or more vehicles around a current vehicle; and determining the potential in-line vehicle from the one or more vehicles. For example, information of the current vehicle or one or more vehicles around the own vehicle may be acquired by a sensor, a camera, radar, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, GPS, or the like. Potential fleet vehicles may then be determined from these vehicles by preset criteria. For example, when a vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane ahead of the current vehicle and the lateral distance (perpendicular to the direction of vehicle travel) between the vehicle and the current vehicle is decreasing, the vehicle ahead may be determined as a candidate for a "potential in-line vehicle". For another example, when a vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane behind the current vehicle and the longitudinal distance between the vehicle and the current vehicle (parallel to the direction of vehicle travel) shortens at an extremely fast rate (e.g., exceeds a preset threshold), the rear vehicle may be determined as a candidate for a "potential in-line vehicle". When there are a plurality of such candidate vehicles, the most likely vehicle for the break in may be selected as a "potential vehicle for the break in" according to various rules.

In the context of the present invention, the term "queue-related information" refers to information relating to "potential queue vehicles" that can be used for subsequent determination of preventive driving operations. For example, "queue-insertion-related information" may include information of the speed, location, and expected queue-insertion time of potential queue-insertion vehicles.

In one embodiment, step S120 includes: acquiring the running track of the potential queue-inserting vehicle; and determining the speed, the position and the expected queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle based on the running track. For example, the running track of a potential queue vehicle over a period of time is obtained through a GPS map, and the speed, the position in the map and the estimated queue time of the potential queue vehicle are obtained through analyzing the running track. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the information of the position and speed of the potential queue vehicle can be obtained directly through the sensors, image acquisition devices, and the like installed around the vehicle without acquiring the running track of the potential queue vehicle in advance.

In the context of the present invention, "preventive driving operation" refers to a driving control operation performed to prevent or avoid a potential queue vehicle from performing a queue. The preventative driving operation may include vehicle operations such as acceleration, deceleration, and/or steering. Throughout the execution of the preventive driving maneuver, a safe headway distance is still maintained between the host/current vehicle and the potential lead-in vehicle and/or the original following vehicle (or target vehicle). The headway distance may be set by the owner of the vehicle, for example, on his or her own, as desired.

In one embodiment, step S130 includes: accelerating and/or steering the current vehicle based on the queue-insertion-related information to avoid being queued. For example, when a "potential vehicle to be inserted" is found to exist in the front right, it is possible to make it difficult to insert the potential vehicle to be inserted by accelerating the vehicle (shortening the longitudinal distance from the target vehicle) and driving the vehicle to the right side of the lane in which the current vehicle is located (shortening the lateral distance from the potential vehicle to be inserted) by analyzing the travel trajectory of the "potential vehicle to be inserted" or other information.

In one embodiment, step S130 may further include: and sending out a reminding signal to the potential queue-inserting vehicle, wherein the reminding signal comprises a whistle, a high beam and/or a workshop wireless signal. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the workshop wireless signal may be communicated by at least one of GPRS, bluetooth, 4G and its progeny mobile communication technology, WIFI, radio frequency communication and NBIOT (Narrow Band Internet of Things), or a combination of these.

In particular, GPRS is a short for general packet radio service technology, a mobile data service available to mobile phone users in global system for mobile communications, and has a fast transmission speed and low power consumption. The NBIOT is built in a cellular network, only consumes about 180KHz of bandwidth, has low deployment cost and can be used for cellular data connection of low-power consumption equipment in a wide area network. The 4G is a fourth generation mobile communication technology, can quickly transmit data, can transmit and receive high-quality audio, video, images and the like by adopting the 4G, 5G and other later generation mobile communication technologies for communication, and is flexible in communication. The WIFI communication mode is high in transmission speed, high-efficiency data transmission can be achieved, the coverage range of WIFI radio waves is wide, and the effective communication distance can be increased. Bluetooth communication is with low costs, and data stability is good, and power consumption is little. The radio frequency communication realizes data transmission by high-frequency electromagnetic waves with long-distance transmission capability, can penetrate most barriers to realize a communication function, can meet communication requirements under most geographic environments when a radio frequency technology is adopted to send signals, and is low in power consumption and high in reliability.

In addition, to ensure the safety of the preventive driving operation described above, in one embodiment, the vehicle control method 1000 may further include: brake pre-charging (not shown in fig. 1) is performed simultaneously with or after the preventive driving maneuver is performed. By "prefill" function, it is meant that the brakes are pre-filled with low pressure before the driver actively operates the brake pedal. This is to reduce the clearance before the braking operation so that the brake pad is already placed on the brake disc before the brake pedal is operated, so that there is less time lost for the braking stroke and for creating an effective braking force when braking. Therefore, by performing brake pre-charging, i.e., pre-pressurizing the brake system, simultaneously with or after performing a preventive driving maneuver, the response time of the brake system may be made shorter. The function can improve the response speed of the braking system under the condition of emergency braking, shorten the braking distance and improve the safety performance of the vehicle.

In addition to the brake pre-filling technique, a brake redundancy technique may also be considered in order to ensure the safety of the above-described preventive driving operation. As an example, in order to ensure redundancy of the brake system, a control unit may be added in addition to the existing electric hydraulic brake unit. When the existing electric hydraulic brake unit fails, the additional control unit is started, and the additional control unit can not only replace the existing brake unit to supply power to the electric brake of the rear wheel, but also supply hydraulic pressure to the front wheel brake. Thus, the brake redundancy technique may also reduce brake reaction time in the event of a failure.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle control apparatus 2000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the vehicle control apparatus 2000 includes a detecting device 210, a determining device 220, and a first executing device 230. Wherein the detection means 210 is arranged to detect potential in-line vehicles. The determining means 220 is used for determining the queue-jumping related information of the potential queue-jumping vehicles. The first executing means 230 is configured to execute a preventive driving operation based on the queue-break related information.

The vehicle control apparatus described above performs the preventive driving operation by the first performing means 230 based on the queue-insertion-related information of the potential queue-insertion vehicle determined by the determining means 220 after the potential queue-insertion vehicle is detected by the detecting means 210. The preventive driving operation can avoid or prevent other vehicles from being inserted into a team, so that the driving experience of a user is effectively improved.

In the context of the present invention, a "potential queue vehicle" is also referred to as a possible queue vehicle, i.e. a vehicle with a high probability of queue around (i.e. in front, behind, to the left and to the right of) the current vehicle (also referred to as "own vehicle"). In one embodiment, the potential in-line vehicle travels on a different lane than the current vehicle. For example, the current vehicle is traveling on lane 2, while a potential cut-in vehicle may be traveling on lane 3 adjacent to lane 2. It should be noted that a "potential queue vehicle" is not equivalent to a vehicle that is being queued for queue insertion, as it may include other vehicles that have a potential queue intent but do not perform a queue action. It should be noted that the "lane" may be determined based on a ground mark, or may be defined by the host vehicle based on various algorithms.

In one embodiment, the detection device 210 includes a first acquisition unit and a first determination unit. The first obtaining unit is used for obtaining information of one or more vehicles around the current vehicle, and the first determining unit is used for determining the potential queue vehicle from the one or more vehicles. For example, the first acquisition unit may acquire information of the current vehicle or one or more vehicles around the own vehicle by a sensor, a camera, radar, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, GPS, or the like. Then, the first determination unit may determine potential queue vehicles from among the vehicles by a preset criterion. For example, when a vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane ahead of the current vehicle and the lateral distance (perpendicular to the direction of vehicle travel) between the vehicle and the current vehicle is decreasing, the vehicle ahead may be determined as a candidate for a "potential in-line vehicle". For another example, when a vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane behind the current vehicle and the longitudinal distance between the vehicle and the current vehicle (parallel to the direction of vehicle travel) shortens at an extremely fast rate (e.g., exceeds a preset threshold), the rear vehicle may be determined as a candidate for a "potential in-line vehicle". When there are a plurality of such candidate vehicles, the first determination unit may select the most likely in-line vehicle as the "potential in-line vehicle" according to various rules.

In the context of the present invention, the term "queue-related information" refers to information relating to "potential queue vehicles" that can be used for subsequent determination of preventive driving operations. For example, "queue-insertion-related information" may include information of the speed, location, and expected queue-insertion time of potential queue-insertion vehicles.

In one embodiment, the determining means 220 comprises: a second acquisition unit, configured to acquire a running track of the potential queue vehicle; and a second determination unit for determining the speed, position and expected queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle based on the running track. For example, the second acquiring unit acquires a running track of a potential queue vehicle over a period of time through a GPS map, and the second determining unit acquires the speed, the position in the map, and the estimated queue time of the potential queue vehicle by analyzing the running track. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the second determining unit can directly obtain the position, speed and other information of the potential queue vehicle through the sensors, image capturing devices and the like installed around the vehicle without the second obtaining unit obtaining the running track of the potential queue vehicle in advance.

In the context of the present invention, "preventive driving operation" refers to a driving control operation performed to prevent or avoid a potential queue vehicle from performing a queue. The preventative driving operation may include vehicle operations such as acceleration, deceleration, and/or steering. Throughout the execution of the preventive driving maneuver, the host vehicle remains at a safe headway distance from the potential in-line vehicle and/or the original following vehicle (or target vehicle). The headway distance may be set by the owner of the vehicle, for example, on his or her own, as desired.

In one embodiment, the first performing means 230 is configured to accelerate and/or steer the current vehicle to avoid being squashed based on said squashed related information. For example, when it is found that there is a "potential oncoming vehicle" in the front right, the first execution means may make it difficult to queue the potential oncoming vehicle by accelerating the vehicle (shortening the longitudinal distance from the target vehicle) while traveling to the right side of the lane in which the current vehicle is located (shortening the lateral distance from the potential oncoming vehicle) by analyzing the travel trajectory or other information of the "potential oncoming vehicle".

In one embodiment, the first performing means 230 is further configured to issue an alert signal to the potential fleet vehicle, the alert signal comprising a siren, a high beam, and/or a workshop wireless signal. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the workshop wireless signal may be communicated by at least one of GPRS, bluetooth, 4G and its progeny mobile communication technology, WIFI, radio frequency communication and NBIOT (Narrow Band Internet of Things), or a combination of these.

In particular, GPRS is a short for general packet radio service technology, a mobile data service available to mobile phone users in global system for mobile communications, and has a fast transmission speed and low power consumption. The NBIOT is built in a cellular network, only consumes about 180KHz of bandwidth, has low deployment cost and can be used for cellular data connection of low-power consumption equipment in a wide area network. The 4G is a fourth generation mobile communication technology, can quickly transmit data, can transmit and receive high-quality audio, video, images and the like by adopting the 4G, 5G and other later generation mobile communication technologies for communication, and is flexible in communication. The WIFI communication mode is high in transmission speed, high-efficiency data transmission can be achieved, the coverage range of WIFI radio waves is wide, and the effective communication distance can be increased. Bluetooth communication is with low costs, and data stability is good, and power consumption is little. The radio frequency communication realizes data transmission by high-frequency electromagnetic waves with long-distance transmission capability, can penetrate most barriers to realize a communication function, can meet communication requirements under most geographic environments when a radio frequency technology is adopted to send signals, and is low in power consumption and high in reliability.

In addition, in order to ensure the safety of the above-described preventive driving operation, in one embodiment, the vehicle control apparatus 2000 may further include: second actuation means (not shown in fig. 2) for performing brake pre-filling simultaneously with or after the preventive driving maneuver. By "prefill" function, it is meant that the brakes are pre-filled with low pressure before the driver actively operates the brake pedal. This is to reduce the clearance before the braking operation so that the brake pad is already placed on the brake disc before the brake pedal is operated, so that there is less time lost for the braking stroke and for creating an effective braking force when braking. Therefore, by performing brake pre-charging, i.e., pre-pressurizing the brake system, simultaneously with or after performing a preventive driving maneuver, the response time of the brake system may be made shorter. The function can improve the response speed of the braking system under the condition of emergency braking, shorten the braking distance and improve the safety performance of the vehicle.

In addition to brake pre-filling techniques, brake redundancy devices may also be considered in order to ensure the safety of the preventive driving operation described above. As an example, in order to ensure redundancy of the brake system, a control unit may be added in addition to the existing electric hydraulic brake unit. When the existing electric hydraulic brake unit fails, the additional control unit is started, and the additional control unit can not only replace the existing brake unit to supply power to the electric brake of the rear wheel, but also supply hydraulic pressure to the front wheel brake. Thus, the brake redundancy arrangement can also reduce the brake reaction time in the event of a failure.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the vehicle control apparatus 2000 includes the detecting means 210, the determining means 220, and the first executing means 230. In another embodiment, however, the vehicle control apparatus 2000 may not include the detecting means and the first executing means, but only the determining means. Specifically, in one embodiment, the vehicle control apparatus includes a determination device for receiving a detection signal and transmitting a command to perform a preventive driving operation based on determined squad-related information associated with potential squad vehicles indicated in the detection signal.

The vehicle control apparatus determines a potential queue-inserting vehicle after receiving the detection signal, and transmits a command to perform a preventive driving operation based on queue-inserting-related information of the potential queue-inserting vehicle. The command of the preventive driving operation can avoid or prevent other vehicles from being inserted into a team, so that the driving experience of a user is effectively improved.

In the context of the present invention, a "potential queue vehicle" is also referred to as a possible queue vehicle, i.e. a vehicle with a high probability of queue around (i.e. in front, behind, to the left and to the right of) the current vehicle (also referred to as "own vehicle"). In one embodiment, the potential in-line vehicle travels on a different lane than the current vehicle. For example, the current vehicle is traveling on lane 2, while a potential cut-in vehicle may be traveling on lane 3 adjacent to lane 2. It should be noted that a "potential queue vehicle" is not equivalent to a vehicle that is being queued for queue insertion, as it may include other vehicles that have a potential queue intent but do not perform a queue action. It should be noted that the "lane" may be determined based on a ground mark, or may be defined by the host vehicle based on various algorithms.

In the context of the present invention, the term "queue-related information" refers to information relating to "potential queue vehicles" that can be used for subsequent determination of preventive driving operations. For example, "queue-insertion-related information" may include information of the speed, location, and expected queue-insertion time of potential queue-insertion vehicles.

In the context of the present invention, "a command to perform a preventive driving operation" refers to a command to perform a driving control operation in order to prevent or avoid a potential queue vehicle from taking a queue. The preventative driving operation may include vehicle operations such as acceleration, deceleration, and/or steering. Throughout the execution of the preventive driving maneuver, the host vehicle remains at a safe headway distance from the potential in-line vehicle and/or the original following vehicle (or target vehicle). The headway distance may be set by the owner of the vehicle, for example, on his or her own, as desired.

In one embodiment, the determining means comprises: a receiving unit for receiving a detection signal indicative of the potential in-line vehicle; the acquisition unit is used for acquiring the running track of the potential queue vehicle; a determination unit for determining the speed, position and estimated queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle based on the running track; and a transmitting unit for transmitting a command to perform a preventive driving operation based on the speed, position, and expected queue-break time of the potential queue-break vehicle. For example, the receiving unit receives a detection signal indicating a potential queue vehicle, the acquisition unit acquires a running track of the potential queue vehicle over a period of time through a GPS map, and the determination unit acquires a speed of the potential queue vehicle, a position in the map, and an estimated queue time through analysis of the running track, and finally transmits an execution command through the transmitting unit. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the determining unit may obtain the position, speed and other information of the potential queue vehicle directly through the sensors, image capturing devices and the like installed around the vehicle without the acquiring unit acquiring the running track of the potential queue vehicle in advance.

In one embodiment, the command for the preventative driving maneuver includes an indication that the current vehicle is accelerating and/or turning to avoid being cut into line. For example, when a "potential queue vehicle" is found to exist in the front right, it is possible to make it difficult to queue the potential queue vehicle by accelerating the vehicle (shortening the longitudinal distance from the target vehicle) and traveling toward the right side of the lane where the current vehicle exists (shortening the lateral distance from the potential queue vehicle) by analyzing the traveling trajectory of the "potential queue vehicle" or other information.

In one embodiment, the command for the preventative driving maneuver further includes an instruction to issue a reminder signal to the potential in-line vehicle, the reminder signal including a whistle, a high beam, and/or a workshop wireless signal. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the workshop wireless signal may be communicated by at least one of GPRS, bluetooth, 4G and its progeny mobile communication technology, WIFI, radio frequency communication and NBIOT (Narrow Band Internet of Things), or a combination of these.

In particular, GPRS is a short for general packet radio service technology, a mobile data service available to mobile phone users in global system for mobile communications, and has a fast transmission speed and low power consumption. The NBIOT is built in a cellular network, only consumes about 180KHz of bandwidth, has low deployment cost and can be used for cellular data connection of low-power consumption equipment in a wide area network. The 4G is a fourth generation mobile communication technology, can quickly transmit data, can transmit and receive high-quality audio, video, images and the like by adopting the 4G, 5G and other later generation mobile communication technologies for communication, and is flexible in communication. The WIFI communication mode is high in transmission speed, high-efficiency data transmission can be achieved, the coverage range of WIFI radio waves is wide, and the effective communication distance can be increased. Bluetooth communication is with low costs, and data stability is good, and power consumption is little. The radio frequency communication realizes data transmission by high-frequency electromagnetic waves with long-distance transmission capability, can penetrate most barriers to realize a communication function, can meet communication requirements under most geographic environments when a radio frequency technology is adopted to send signals, and is low in power consumption and high in reliability.

In addition, in order to ensure the safety of the above-described preventive driving operation, in one embodiment, the command for the preventive driving operation includes an instruction to perform brake pre-charging. By "prefill" function, it is meant that the brakes are pre-filled with low pressure before the driver actively operates the brake pedal. This is to reduce the clearance before the braking operation so that the brake pad is already placed on the brake disc before the brake pedal is operated, so that there is less time lost for the braking stroke and for creating an effective braking force when braking. Therefore, by performing brake pre-charging, i.e., pre-pressurizing the brake system, simultaneously with or after performing a preventive driving maneuver, the response time of the brake system may be made shorter. The function can improve the response speed of the braking system under the condition of emergency braking, shorten the braking distance and improve the safety performance of the vehicle.

In addition to brake pre-filling techniques, brake redundancy devices may also be considered in order to ensure the safety of the preventive driving operation described above. As an example, in order to ensure redundancy of the brake system, a control unit may be added in addition to the existing electric hydraulic brake unit. When the existing electric hydraulic brake unit fails, the additional control unit is started, and the additional control unit can not only replace the existing brake unit to supply power to the electric brake of the rear wheel, but also supply hydraulic pressure to the front wheel brake. Thus, the brake redundancy arrangement can also reduce the brake reaction time in the event of a failure.

Fig. 3 shows a practical application scenario of the vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the current vehicle is 310, and there are four vehicles around the current vehicle, which are vehicle 320, vehicle 330, vehicle 340, and vehicle 350. The vehicle 350 travels on the same lane as the current vehicle 310, and the vehicle 330 and the vehicle 340 travel on the left adjacent lane of the current vehicle 310. The vehicle 320 is traveling on the right adjacent lane of the current vehicle. The vehicle 340 is located at the left front of the current vehicle 310, the vehicle 350 is located at the right front of the current vehicle 310, the vehicle 330 is located at the left rear of the current vehicle 310, and the vehicle 320 is located at the right rear of the current vehicle 320. By obtaining information such as the location of the vehicles 320, 330, 340, and 350 via, for example, GPS, it is assessed which one or more of the vehicles are more likely to be in parallel.

In the example of FIG. 3, after determining that vehicle 320 is a potential squat vehicle, for example, the trajectory of vehicle 320 is tracked and the speed, position, and projected squat time of vehicle 320 are determined based on the trajectory. For example, the trajectory of the vehicle 320 (shown in phantom) is shown in fig. 3, and shows that the vehicle 320 will be in-line at point C. To avoid this queue-up situation, the current vehicle 310 may first accelerate to side a under the control of the vehicle control device, shortening the longitudinal distance to the leading vehicle 350, and shortening the lateral distance to the potential queue-up vehicle 320. Then, the current vehicle 310 changes its acceleration and speed according to the traveling locus of the potential oncoming vehicle 320, and finally reaches point B. Under the control of the vehicle control device, the current vehicle 310 not only ensures the preset safe distance, but also avoids the parallel line and queue insertion of the vehicles 320 on the basis of keeping the original lane running.

The aforementioned vehicle positioning apparatus 2000 may be located in the driving assistance system as an example. The "driving assistance system" refers to a system that senses the surrounding environment at any time during the driving of a vehicle by using various sensors mounted on the vehicle, collects data, identifies static and dynamic objects, and performs a systematic calculation by combining with navigator map data, thereby improving the comfort and safety of the driving of the vehicle. As an extension to the function of the driving assistance system, the vehicle control scheme of the present invention is made applicable to or integrated into an existing driving assistance (lateral or longitudinal) controller by integrating the vehicle control apparatus 2000 into the driving assistance system.

In summary, the vehicle control scheme of the invention may perform a preventive driving operation based on the queue-related information of the potential queue-inserting vehicle after the potential queue-inserting vehicle is detected. The preventive driving operation can avoid or prevent other vehicles from being connected in parallel and inserted into a team, so that the driving experience of a user is effectively improved.

The above example mainly illustrates the vehicle control scheme of the invention. Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be embodied in many other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and various modifications and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.