US 11,753,014 B2
Method and control unit automatically controlling lane change assist
Hoda Yarmohamadi, Gothenburg (SE); Runar Frimannsson, Nödinge (SE); Foad Mohammadi, Gothenburg (SE); Fredrik Strannerdahl, Ljungskile (SE); and Vishnu Muraleedharan, Gothenburg (SE)
Assigned to Zenuity AB, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed by Zenuity AB, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed on Jan. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/149,807.
Claims priority of application No. 20151933 (EP), filed on Jan. 15, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0213953 A1, Jul. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. B60W 30/18 (2012.01)
CPC B60W 30/18163 (2013.01) [B60W 2552/05 (2020.02); B60W 2552/50 (2020.02); B60W 2554/4041 (2020.02); B60W 2555/60 (2020.02); B60W 2556/10 (2020.02)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method in a control unit for automatically controlling a lane change assist function in a vehicle, the method comprising:
evaluating, in the control unit, a plurality of conditions indicating that a lane change assist function may be activated at a current position of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of conditions comprises conditions selected from the following groups:
sensor based conditions, which are conditions based on sensor data received in the control unit in a first digital signal from one or more sensors of the vehicle and being related to the current position of the vehicle,
historical based conditions, which are conditions based on historical data received in the control unit in a second digital signal from memory and being related to the current position of the vehicle, and
map based conditions, which are conditions based on digital map data received in the control unit in a third digital signal from memory and being related to the current position of the vehicle;
providing, in the control unit, a fourth digital signal enabling activation of the lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle if conditions from at least two different groups of conditions are evaluated as met;
evaluating, in the control unit, one or more further conditions indicating that a lane change assist function may not be activated at the current position of the vehicle,
wherein the one or more further conditions comprises that the sensor data received in the control unit in the first digital signal from the one or more sensors indicate no detection of a non-traversable separator between the vehicle and oncoming traffic,
wherein the further condition that the sensor data indicates no detection of a non-traversable separator between the vehicle and oncoming traffic, is evaluated by:
determining in the control unit, by means of sensor data from the one or more sensors of the vehicle, lateral coordinates of non-traversable road edges on the right side and the left side of the vehicle,
determining in the control unit, by means of sensor data from the one or more sensors of the vehicle, lateral coordinate of an oncoming vehicle,
determining, in the control unit, that the further condition that the sensor data indicates no detection of a non-traversable separator between the vehicle and oncoming traffic is met if the lateral coordinate of the oncoming vehicle is within the lateral coordinates of the non-traversable road edges on the right side and the left side of the vehicle; and
providing, in the control unit, a seventh digital signal disabling activation of the lane change assist function in the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle if at least one of the one or more further conditions of the further plurality of conditions is met.