An example of recognition of the shape of a road where a vehicle travels is provided. An object type as to whether an object is a moving or stationary object is determined according to a relative speed of the object and a speed of the vehicle. Object-unit data effective for recognizing a road shape is extracted according to the determination. The object-unit data is used for forming data of a roadside object group, based on which a road edge is recognized. A series of the processes is repeatedly performed at a predetermined cycle. After the extraction process, a data addition process is performed to add object-unit data obtained in the extraction process of the previous cycle to object-unit data obtained in the extraction process of the present cycle. In a recognition process, a road edge is recognized according to the object-unit data obtained in the data addition process.

Method and apparatus for recognizing shape of road for vehicles

A method for identifying roadway curvature that includes determining a range of interest and collecting shape points from a map database from a current position of the vehicle to an end of the range of interest that define the location of the roadway. The method converts the shape points from World Geodetic System 84 (WGS84) coordinates to UTM coordinates, and then fits a single set of polynomial equations to define a curve using the converted shape points. The method determines whether the single set of polynomial equations exceeds a predetermined curvature accuracy threshold, and if so, fits multiple sets of polynomial equations to multiple roadway segments over the range of interest using the converted shape points. The method then determines the roadway curvature at any roadway location using solutions to the multiple sets of polynomial equations.

Accurate curvature estimation algorithm for path planning of autonomous driving vehicle

A road shape estimation apparatus, mounted to a vehicle, for estimating a shape of a road on which the vehicle runs, includes: an object detection section for detecting, as a plurality of detected points, a position of a stationary object which is around the vehicle; a starting point determination section for determining a starting point by selecting from among the plurality of detected points, based on a positional relationship between the vehicle and each of the plurality of detected points; a detected point connection section for sequentially connecting between the starting point and one of the detected points that is a point to be connected, so as to start from the starting point, and for thus grouping detected points; and a road shape estimation section for estimating, as a shape of the road, a shape of a connection line obtained by grouping the detected points.

Road shape estimation apparatus

When determining that a subject vehicle traveled a curve, a road shape learning apparatus amends an entrance coordinate, a middle coordinate, and an exit coordinate of the curve based on predetermined amendment values to thereby obtain a post-amendment entrance coordinate, a post-amendment middle coordinate, and a post-amendment exit coordinate. The road shape learning apparatus computes a radius of a circular arc which passes through the post-amendment entrance coordinate, the post-amendment middle coordinate, and the post-amendment exit coordinate and designates the computed radius as a curvature radius of the curve.

Road shape learning apparatus

A technique, which makes it possible to estimate a curve shape of a road more simply and more accurately, is provided. Disclosed is a road shape estimating system for estimating the shape of the road including a curve easement section in which a radius of curvature changes according to a clothoid curve and a circular curve section in which a radius of curvature is constant. The distance Lp from a curve starting point and the radius of curvature Rp of the curve at a vehicle position in the curve easement section, are determined on the basis of the information from a white line recognition camera of the vehicle, a yaw rate sensor and a wheel speed sensor, and the radius of curvature Rreal of the circular curve section is determined from an image of a road sign recognition camera. Then, the length Lclo of the curve easement section is derived by using the information as described above and a clothoid function to estimate the shape of the road.

Road shape inferring system

A road shape estimating device has a data obtaining processing unit for obtaining interpolation point data for a plurality of shape interpolation points which are set along a road and represent a shape of the road, a radius calculation processing unit for calculating a radius of curvature at each of the shape interpolation points based on the interpolation point data for a predetermined section of the road, a corner detection processing unit for detecting a corner in the predetermined section based on the radii of curvature, and a corner dividing processing unit for dividing the corner at a shape interpolation point having a radius of curvature equal to or larger than a threshold in the detected corner. The threshold is set corresponding to an average value of radii of curvature at respective shape interpolation points in the detected corner.

Takayuki Toujyou

Papers

Road shape estimating device, road shape estimating method and program