Lane Change Maneuver Research Articles

Autonomous Vehicle Motion Control Considering Path Preview with Adaptive Tire Cornering Stiffness Under High-Speed Conditions

The field of autonomous vehicle technology has experienced remarkable growth. A pivotal trend in this development is the enhancement of tracking performance and stability under high-speed conditions. Model predictive control (MPC), as a prevalent motion control method, necessitates an extended prediction horizon as vehicle speed increases and will lead to heightened online computational demands. To address this, a path preview strategy is integrated into the MPC framework that temporarily freezes the vehicle state within the prediction horizon. This approach assumes that the vehicle state will remain consistent for a specified preview distance and duration, effectively extending the prediction horizon for the MPC controller. In addition, a stability controller is designed to maintain handling stability under high-speed conditions, in which a square-root cubature Kalman filter (SRCKF) estimator is employed to predict tire forces to facilitate the cornering stiffness estimation of vehicle tires. The double lane change maneuver under high-speed conditions is conducted through the Carsim/Simulink co-simulation. The outcomes demonstrate that the SRCKF estimator could provide a reasonably accurate estimation of lateral tire forces throughout the whole traveling process and facilitates the stability controller to guarantee the handling stability. On the premise of ensuring handling stability, integrating the preview strategy could nearly double the prediction horizon for MPC, resulting in the limited increase of online computation burden brought while maintaining path tracking accuracy.

System to Assist the Driver During a Single Lane Change Maneuver, in the Conditions of Danger Arising from a Change in the Condition of the Road Surface

The article describes the application of a vehicle simulation model to assess the driving hazards that arise due to changes in the tyre–road adhesion during a lane change. An experimentally verified vehicle dynamics model was used. The typical single lane change maneuver, performed on dry concrete, wet concrete, and ice-covered roads, was simulated for three vehicle speeds. The disturbance was introduced as a changed tyre–road adhesion on the target lane. Typical sinusoidal (one-period) input was applied to the steering wheel. Adhesion change may lead to an accident when considering the driver’s reaction time. An original control algorithm has been built. It is the driver assistance system with a double PID controller of the steering wheel angle. The system parameters were determined based on the principles recommended in the automatic control engineering monographs. The controller fulfils its tasks for motion at very high speeds on a homogeneous road surface and for the case where the tyre–road adhesion is changed during a maneuver. Thanks to this, the threat can be avoided.

Estimation of mixed traffic flow including the impact of bus bay in the connected environment

The incorporation of connectivity and automation is crucial to the development of urban transportation, with connected and automated buses (CABs) anticipated to enhance network efficiency, however, bus stops, particularly bus bays, will substantially impact surrounding traffic, resulting in lane changes and additional delays. A novel analytical model is derived to capture the dynamics of the mixed traffic flow, which includes CABs, CAVs (connected and automated vehicles), and HVs (human-driven vehicles), according to the fundamental relationship between speed and density. This model separately accounts for the average headway considering platooning intensity, the increase in density due to lane changes, and the additional delay incurred by CABs entering and exiting the bus bay. Furthermore, a simulation model is constructed, wherein control rules for longitude movements and lane-changing maneuvers are defined according to different driving mechanisms. The simulation results are used to propose mutual verification for the accuracy of the proposed analytical model. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses are conducted to assess the influence of various parameters, including the proportion of left-turning buses, the number of arriving CABs, the proportion of stopping buses, and the location of bus bay.

The direct yaw-moment control based on adaptive fuzzy LQR for distributed drive electric vehicles

This paper introduced a hierarchical control strategy for direct yaw moment (DYC) to enhance the handling and stability of distributed drive electric vehicles (DDEVs) at medium to high speeds. The upper controller entailed a speed-following PI controller and an adaptive fuzzy linear quadratic regulator (AFLQR) controller, with the control objectives centered on reducing the absolute value of the sideslip angle and tracking the desired yaw rate. The proposed approach utilizes a fuzzy logic-based AFLQR controller, which could dynamically adjust the weighting parameters for sideslip angle and yaw rate in response to the vehicle speed and sideslip angle, offering better adaptability to varying driving conditions. At the lower control level, a tire-dynamic-load-based torque distribution method was applied. The control strategy’s efficacy was demonstrated through co-simulation involving CarSim and Simulink. This evaluation compared AFLQR control against non-yaw control, conventional LQR control and sliding mode control (SMC), focusing on handling and stability during sinusoidal steering wheel input test and double lane change maneuver. Results highlight that AFLQR reduces the sideslip angle by 7.88% and the yaw rate error by 84.29% compared to LQR, enhancing vehicle handling and stability. Lastly, a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experiment verified the control strategy’s validity.

RAG-based explainable prediction of road users behaviors for automated driving using knowledge graphs and large language models

The prediction of road user behaviors in the context of autonomous driving has attracted considerable attention from the scientific community in recent years. Most works focus on predicting behaviors based on kinematic information alone, a simplification of reality since road users are humans, and as such they are highly influenced by their surrounding context. In addition, a large plethora of research works rely on powerful Deep Learning techniques, which exhibit high-performance metrics in prediction tasks but may lack the ability to fully understand and exploit the contextual semantic information contained in the road scene, not to mention their inability to provide explainable predictions that can be understood by humans. In this work, we propose an explainable road users’ behavior prediction system that integrates the reasoning abilities of Knowledge Graphs (KG) and the expressiveness capabilities of Large Language Models (LLM) by using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques. For that purpose, Knowledge Graph Embeddings (KGE) and Bayesian inference are combined to allow the deployment of a fully inductive reasoning system that enables the issuing of predictions that rely on legacy information contained in the graph, as well as on current evidence gathered in real-time by onboard sensors. Two use cases have been implemented following the proposed approach: 1) Prediction of pedestrians’ crossing actions; and 2) Prediction of lane change maneuvers. In both cases, the performance attained exceeds the current state-of-the-art in terms of anticipation and F1 score, showing a promising avenue for future research in this field.

Lane change path planning using sweeping region for full-sized autonomous driving bus in urban environment

This paper presents a path planning method for the lane change maneuver of a full-sized autonomous driving bus in urban environment. A sampling method is incorporated for lane change path planning. Path candidates for lane changes are generated using the pattern of a quintic polynomial function. For optimal path selection among the candidates, a cost function and constraints are designed and applied, considering ride quality, lane change efficiency, and safety. Safety conditions account for lane departure and collision with obstacles. Considering large vehicles such as buses, the region swept by the vehicle body is derived by exploiting the geometrical relationship of the control point and corners, assuming that the control point follows the investigated path candidate. The sweeping region is utilized for accurate and efficient evaluation of the safety condition of the path candidate. Subsequently, longitudinal motion is planned based on Model Predictive Control (MPC) to maintain adequate clearance with surrounding vehicles and follow the desired speed. The proposed algorithm has been evaluated based on closed-loop simulations and vehicle-in-the-loop tests. The test results show that the proposed algorithm plans a safe lane change path, ensuring the vehicle body remains within the safe region. Additionally, the proposed algorithm is shown to enhance real-time performance.

Failed lane-changing detection and prediction using naturalistic vehicle trajectories

Lane-changing maneuvers are crucial driving behaviors closely linked to various collisions, such as rear-end and sideswipe collisions. Precisely predicting lane-changing maneuvers can aid drivers in making informed decisions, thus enhancing driving safety. However, existing research primarily focuses on successful lane-changing maneuvers, neglecting failed ones. This study comprehensively investigates the detection and prediction of failed lane-changing maneuvers in discretionary scenarios using naturalistic vehicle trajectory data. The Mexican hat wavelet (MHW) is employed to accurately detect key time points in successful or failed lane-changing events, including the start, occurrence of failure, and end of the lane-changing maneuver. Subsequently, a failed lane-changing prediction model based on GA-XGBoost is developed to proactively perceive whether a lane-changing maneuver will succeed before it initiates. Moreover, the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) technique assesses feature importance and interaction effects between features in the prediction model. The results demonstrate that MHW effectively identifies critical time points in lane-changing events. The proposed GA-XGBoost model achieves an impressive 94.55% accuracy in predicting failed lane-changing maneuvers before the driver initiates the lane-changing maneuver. SHAP values reveal that failed lane-changing maneuvers often result from a high collision risk between the subject vehicle (SV) and the following vehicle in the target lane (FVT). Consequently, drivers should pay increased attention to approaching vehicles from behind. Moreover, accelerating during lane-changing helps maintain a safe distance from FVT, improving the likelihood of a successful lane-changing. Integrating the proposed model into advanced driver-assistance systems or autonomous driving systems has the potential to significantly enhance driving safety.

An Improved Vehicle Path-Tracking Model Based on Adaptive Nonlinear Model Predictive Control via Online Big Bang—Big Crunch Algorithm and Artificial Neural Network

<div>In this article, a novel tuning approach is proposed to obtain the best weights of the discrete-time adaptive nonlinear model predictive controller (AN-MPC) with consideration of improved path-following performance of a vehicle at different speeds in the NATO double lane change (DLC) maneuvers. The proposed approach combines artificial neural network (ANN) and Big Bang–Big Crunch (BB–BC) algorithm in two stages. Initially, ANN is used to tune all AN-MPC weights online. Vehicle speed, lateral position, and yaw angle outputs from many simulations, performed with different AN-MPC weights, are used to train the ANN structure. In addition, set-point signals are used as inputs to the ANN. Later, the BB–BC algorithm is implemented to enhance the path-tracking performance. ANN outputs are selected as the initial center of mass in the first iteration of the BB–BC algorithm. To prevent control signal fluctuations, control and prediction horizons are kept constant during the simulations. The results showed that all AN-MPC weights are successfully tuned online and updated during the maneuvers, and the path-following performance of the ego vehicle is improved at different NATO DLC speeds using the proposed ANN + BB–BC, compared to the method where ANN is used only.</div>

Responses of Vehicular Occupants During Emergency Braking and Aggressive Lane-Change Maneuvers.

To validate active human body models for investigating occupant safety in autonomous cars, it is crucial to comprehend the responses of vehicle occupants during evasive maneuvers. This study sought to quantify the behavior of midsize male and small female passenger seat occupants in both upright and reclined postures during three types of vehicle maneuvers. Volunteer tests were conducted using a minivan, where vehicle kinematics were measured with a DGPS sensor and occupant kinematics were captured with a stereo-vision motion capture system. Seatbelt loads, belt pull-out, and footrest reaction forces were also documented. The interior of the vehicle was 3D-scanned for modeling purposes. Results indicated that seatback angles significantly affected occupant kinematics, with small female volunteers displaying reduced head and torso movements, except during emergency braking with a upright posture seatback. Lane-change maneuvers revealed that maximum lateral head excursions varied depending on the maneuver's direction. The study concluded that seatback angles were crucial in determining the extent of occupant movement, with notable variations in head and torso excursions observed. The collected data assist in understanding occupant behavior during evasive maneuvers and contribute to the validation of human body models, offering essential insights for enhancing safety systems in autonomous vehicles.

Spatio-Temporal Corridor-Based Motion Planning of Lane Change Maneuver for Autonomous Driving in Multi-Vehicle Traffic

Spatio-Temporal Corridor-Based Motion Planning of Lane Change Maneuver for Autonomous Driving in Multi-Vehicle Traffic

Choice-based macroscopic lane-change prediction model for weaving areas

This paper introduces two macroscopic lane change models, separately for small vehicles (passenger cars and vans) as well as heavy vehicles. The model is structured using a Nested Logit discrete choice framework. The model was estimated and validated using unique trajectory data collected from a busy weaving section in Antwerp, Belgium. The models exhibit an average and maximum rate of inaccurate prediction results, amounting to 11% and 16%, respectively. Additionally, the model underestimates the total number of lane change maneuvers, with a margin of no more than 4.1–7.7%. This study aims to fill the gap in macroscopic lane change models, which mainly depend on theoretical underpinnings, by including empirical data from the analysis of more than 31,000 observed maneuvers. Furthermore, it differentiates among three maneuver intents, a unique alternative-specific discrete choice framework. This differentiation allows for the consideration of drivers’ systematic taste variations. In contrast to other models that utilize empirical datasets and are heavily dependent on expensive video-based data, including the entire traffic flow, this study introduces a novel approach for estimating the position and frequency of maneuvers by using just a small fraction (1–2%) of vehicle trajectories, supplemented by loop detector data, therefore eliminating the need for information from surrounding vehicles. Additionally, the work’s uniqueness is its validation methods extending beyond just numerical evaluations. The practical usability and usefulness of the model are shown in real-world traffic circumstances. Finally, the model is integrated in the context of a macroscopic simulation that represents a highly consistent lane balance based on the Scalable Quality Value statistics.

Fuzzy Logic-Based Autonomous Lane Changing Strategy for Intelligent Internet of Vehicles: A Trajectory Planning Approach

The autonomous lane change maneuver is a critical component in the advancement of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). To enhance safety and efficiency in dynamic traffic environments, this study introduces a novel autonomous lane change strategy leveraging a quintic polynomial function. To optimize the trajectory, we formulate an objective function that balances the time required for lane changes with the peak acceleration experienced during the maneuver. The proposed method addresses key challenges such as driver discomfort and prolonged lane change durations by considering the entire lane change process rather than just the initiation point. Utilizing a fifth-order polynomial for trajectory planning, the strategy ensures smooth and continuous vehicle movement, reducing the risk of collisions. The effectiveness of the method is validated through comprehensive simulations and real-world vehicle tests, demonstrating significant improvements in lane change performance. Despite its advantages, the model requires further refinement to address limitations in mixed traffic conditions. This research provides a foundation for developing intelligent vehicle systems that prioritize safety and adaptability.

Unveiling gap acceptance behaviour during lane change with EDIV data: A deep dive into driving behaviour on expressway using a three level mixed effect linear regression approach

Lane change has a potential significance in road safety. Gap acceptance phenomena serves as a primary and critical phase in lane change maneuver. This study aims to investigate the gap acceptance behaviour of drivers during lane changes on expressways, with a focus on understanding how various factors influence drivers' decisions to change lanes. An extensive dataset collected through various sensors tailored for expressway driving, known as the ‘Expressway Drive: Instrumented Vehicle (EDIV) Dataset’ is utilized. Driving data from 59 drivers covering a distance of around 4000 km was used in the current study. Total 2578 lane changing events are identified through computing lateral deviations measured through 3D LiDAR sensor. Substantial differences are observed within the groups in primary analysis which suggest that lane-change direction significantly affect gap acceptance. To effectively manage both intra- and inter-cluster variances, this study employs two separate three levels mixed-effects linear models. These models account for the interdependence of gap acceptance characteristics within individual drivers and for different directions of lane changes by incorporating random effects. Furthermore, these models examine relationships between lead/ lag gap acceptance and the various influencing factors as fixed effects. It was found that factors such as speed of the subject vehicle, gap position, relative speeds, and surrounding vehicle types had influence on gap acceptance during lane changes on expressways. The insights gained from this study could inform the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) as well as development of autonomous vehicles, contributing to improved road safety and traffic flow management in high-speed environments.

Investigating off-road vehicle lateral stability with integrated chassis control

This study investigates the improvement of off-road vehicle lateral stability by integrated control of active rear steering (ARS) and rear differential braking (RDB) and how the performance of such systems compares on smooth and rough roads. The ARS and RDB controllers comprise a sliding mode controller (SMC) for which critical design choices are the SMC reference model, SMC gain and integration rule. Findings include that the kinematic model reference error is preferred over the phase plane location error on both terrains, the SMC gain is terrain dependent, and the rear axle slip angle is the preferred integration rule over the stability index (SI) on both terrains. The study also found that RDB, and to a lesser degree ARS, tends to improve on the baseline vehicle path-following ability for a double lane change (DLC) manoeuvre on both terrains, but RDB has a larger loss of speed compared to ARS. The Rear axle slip angle was found to be a terrain-dependent tuneable integration rule to combine ARS and RDB, and this resulted in a control system that has the good path-following ability of RDB but the low loss of speed associated with ARS after tuning.

Influence of surrounding traffic on lane change dynamics: Insights from a video-based laboratory study

The inherent complexity associated with lane-changing manoeuvres can significantly disrupt traffic flow and increase the risk of collisions. While the lane-changing vehicle influences the surrounding traffic, it is also simultaneously influenced by it. This study aims to examine how the presence and behaviour of surrounding vehicles affect the lane changer's behaviour. A study was conducted in the laboratory using video stimuli of various simulated lane-changing scenarios to achieve the research aim. The study used a two-block design. In the first block, the impact of the lag vehicle was evaluated by varying its gap and behaviour (acceleration, deceleration or maintaining speed) relative to the lane-changing vehicle. In the second block, both the lead and lag gaps were manipulated with respect to the lane-changing vehicle. Data from the participants (n=29) were collected on dependent variables, including lane change decisions (gap acceptance or rejection), perceived cooperation, and reaction time. The analysis was conducted using an Aligned Rank Transform ANOVA. The findings of this laboratory-based study suggest that the lag vehicle, specifically its behaviour, has more influence on lane change decisions than the lead vehicle in the target lane. Additionally, when a lag vehicle decelerates to create a gap in response to a lane changer's request, its actions are perceived as more cooperative, compared to when it accelerates or maintains speed. Furthermore, decisions to change lanes are made faster when the lag vehicle shows a deceleration behaviour. The results of this laboratory-based study provide valuable insights for improving current lane-changing models. We also discuss the implications of findings for improving algorithms governing autonomous vehicle interactions in mixed traffic. Finally, we discuss the benefits and limitations of laboratory-based approaches in studying causal relationships among different factors, as well as the generalizability of our findings.

Autonomous vehicle lane-change maneuver accounting for emotion-induced driving behavior in other vehicles

Autonomous vehicle lane-change maneuver accounting for emotion-induced driving behavior in other vehicles

Coordinated chassis control of a tractor-semitrailer combination operating at its handling limits using the MHA methodology

The performance benefits associated with coordinated control of a tractor-semitrailer combination are tested in this paper. More specifically, the paper evaluates performance as the number of available actuators is varied. Coordinating a large number of actuators to control articulated vehicles is a challenging task. To tackle this challenge effectively, a method that can be consistently applied across various levels of actuation is required. The modified Hamiltonian Algorithm (MHA) methodology is found to be suitable for the analysis. The method employs a multivariable nonlinear controller to provide steering and braking actuator inputs for simultaneous stability control and path following for articulated vehicles, even when operating in the nonlinear region of the tyres. This paper specifically investigates the potential performance benefits of using individual wheel braking compared to having limited control with regard to the semitrailer under challenging conditions. To achieve this, the original MHA technique is extended to be applicable to articulated vehicles. As a benchmark scenario, an autonomous safety-critical lane change manoeuvre on a low-friction road is performed by using a relatively simple steering controller. Simulation is conducted through co-simulation of Matlab/Simulink and TruckMaker. Results show that using individual wheel brake actuators for both units combined with automated steering can offer significant performance advantages compared to simpler chassis control strategies.

Integrating vehicle trajectory planning and arterial traffic management to facilitate eco-approach and departure deployment

Eco-approach and departure (EAD) enable continuous vehicle motion in urban signalized corridors. Since such a motion can extend to the EAD vehicles’ followers, it makes EAD a promising technology to benefit the traffic flow where automated vehicles and conventional vehicles coexist. Most existing EAD studies envision an ideal setting that neglects real-world operational conditions such as lane changes, multi-movement intersection configuration, partially automated fleet, and/or limited traffic state awareness. This study aims to fill the gap by designing an EAD algorithm considering real-world traffic operation constraints. The proposed algorithm uses a model predictive controller to minimize vehicle speed reduction and variation based on the real-time traffic signal control plan and measured queues at the intersection. The required inputs are readily available at many modern intersections. We observed that the proposed controller’s performance might degrade because of lane-changing maneuvers and lead-left turn traffic signals. These observations motivated our development of a lane change management strategy and a signal control implementation strategy to facilitate the EAD implementation. The lane change management strategies separate the EAD operations and lane-changing maneuvers in time and space. The signal control implementation strategy applies lag-left turn signals to enable EAD operation for both the through and left-turn vehicles. Compared to the non-EAD case, our EAD approach produces 2.5% to 7.8% energy savings while keeping similar intersection mobility. Notably, this approach brings about 2.5% to 3.6% energy savings in a 2% CAV case. This result demonstrates the feasibility of deploying EAD at low connected automated vehicle penetration rates.

MicroSimACC: an open database for field experiments on the potential capacity impact of commercial Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

Commercial availability of vehicle automation has become mainstream. Most of today’s new vehicles can perform longitudinal car following autonomously via Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). Field experiments demonstrate that today’s commercially available ACC vehicles provide similar headways and capacities as human-driven vehicles on freeways under steady-state and free-flow conditions. However, field tests also demonstrated that the design of today’s commercially available ACC vehicles can lead to further capacity reduction when operating in non-steady-state conditions where queues are present and speeds frequently fluctuate. These experiments generated MicroSimACC, a comprehensive set of field data that encompasses full speed range car following with interruptions from lane change manoeuvres. This will benefit the research community by providing benchmark data for developing models to be integrated into microscopic simulations for more prospective analyses and planning.

Evaluating the safety and efficiency impacts of forced lane change with negative gaps based on empirical vehicle trajectories

A lane-changing (LC) maneuver may cause the follower in the target lane (new follower) to decelerate and give up space, potentially affecting crash risk and traffic flow efficiency. In congested flow, a more aggressive LC maneuver occurs where the lane changer is partially next to the new follower and creates negative gaps, namely negative gap forced LC (NGFLC). Although NGFLC forms the foundation of sideswipe crashes, little has been done to address its impacts and the contributing factors. To tackle this issue, a total of 15,810 LC trajectory samples are extracted from three drone videos at different locations. These samples are categorized into NGFLC and normal LC groups for comparative analysis. Five commonly used conflict indicators are extended into two-dimensional to evaluate the crash risk of LC maneuver. The change of time gaps during LC maneuver are examined to quantify the impact of LC on traffic flow efficiency. We find that NGFLCs significantly increase crash risk, reflected by the number of hazardous LC events and potential crash areas compared to normal LC. Additionally, results reveal that both the lane changer and the new follower tend to maintain a larger time gap after NGFLCs. Factors including time headway, relative speed, and historical gaps in the target lane significantly affect NGFLC incidence. Once the movement of the leader in the original lane is taken into account, the prediction accuracy improves from 81% to 91%. The transferability tests indicate that the findings about the negative impact of NGFLC and the accuracy of its prediction model are consistent across different locations. These findings hold implications for driving assistance systems to better predict and mitigate NGFLCs.