FR3096639A1 - ASSISTANCE IN DRIVING VEHICLES, BY SIGNALING OPEN AND CLOSED PORTIONS OF TRAFFIC LANES - Google Patents

Abstract

A method assists the driving of vehicles on real traffic lanes monitored by cameras, and comprises: a first step (10-50) where the acquired images are analyzed to detect moving vehicles, then one determines flows from the vehicles detected and each flow of a zone is associated with a first portion of a virtual traffic lane, then each first determined portion in a zone is compared with each second portion of the traffic lanes. actual traffic present in this zone, a second portion of a zone being open or closed to traffic when it corresponds or not to a first portion of this zone, and - a second step (60) in which the vehicles are transmitted , before they reach an area, a definition of each second portion open or closed to traffic in that area. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 2

Description

ASSISTANCE TO THE DRIVING OF VEHICLES, BY SIGNALING OPEN AND CLOSED PORTIONS OF TRAFFIC LANES

Technical field of the invention

The invention relates to driving assistance for land vehicles traveling on traffic lanes.

State of the art

It is important to note that the invention concerns both land vehicles with non-automated driving and land vehicles with at least partially automated (or autonomous) driving.

It is considered here that a land vehicle is at least partially automated (or autonomous) when it can be driven on a road in an automated way (partially or totally (without the intervention of its driver)) during an automated driving phase, or manually (and therefore with intervention by the driver on the steering wheel and/or the pedals) during a manual driving phase. For example, the automated (or autonomous) driving of a vehicle (with at least partially automated driving) may consist of partially or totally directing this vehicle or providing any type of assistance to a natural person driving this vehicle.

Driving a land vehicle, whether performed by a driver or by an on-board driving control device (in the case of autonomy (or automation)), requires anticipation and therefore a good knowledge of the portions open and closed to traffic of the traffic lanes that must be used soon.

The closure of a portion of a traffic lane is generally the result of an accident or a breakdown that has just occurred or of works. The traffic information servers are rarely up to date with regard to the sections closed to traffic because the feedback and then the integration of (confirmed) information relating to accidents, breakdowns or works is frequently slow. Consequently, a driver must be constantly very vigilant to be able to detect far in front of his vehicle if a portion of the traffic lane is closed, which is tiring. For its part, an on-board driving control device must use the environmental information, which is supplied to it by sensors such as cameras, lidars or radars, to detect in an automated manner, by means of interpretation algorithms complex, if a portion of the traffic lane is closed in front of his vehicle. However, this automated detection is relatively unreliable. Indeed, the field of perception of the sensors is currently spatially limited (typically less than 250 m) and does not provide an overall perception of the scene, and the characterization of the opening/closing of a portion of a traffic lane. is the result of complex processing of (non-global) data fusion and interpretation(s).

The aim of the invention is therefore in particular to improve the situation.

Presentation of the invention

It proposes in particular for this purpose an assistance method, on the one hand, intended to allow assistance in the driving of vehicles, communicating by wave, on real traffic lanes monitored by cameras acquiring digital images , and, on the other hand, comprising:

- a first step in which the acquired images are analyzed in order to detect moving vehicles, then at least one flow of vehicles is determined from these detected vehicles and each flow determined in an area is associated with a first portion of a virtual traffic lane, then each first portion determined in a zone is compared with each second portion of the real traffic lanes present in this zone, and it is considered that a second portion of a zone is open, respectively closed, to traffic vehicles when it corresponds, respectively does not correspond, to a first portion of this zone, and

- a second step in which a definition of each second portion open to traffic and/or a definition of each second portion closed to traffic in this zone.

Thanks to the invention, each vehicle concerned has at all times definitions of the second portions open and closed to traffic in at least the zone that it will soon cross, which allows its possible on-board driving control device or his potential driver to anticipate his conduct.

The assistance method according to the invention may include other characteristics which may be taken separately or in combination, and in particular:

- in its first step, each flow of vehicles can be determined by means of a method known as data partitioning (or “data clustering”);

- in its second stage, each definition can be transmitted by wave to the vehicles by at least one communicating station belonging to a road infrastructure of which the real traffic lanes form part;

- in its second stage, each definition can be transmitted by wave to the vehicles by at least one traffic information server;

+ in its second stage, the traffic information server can belong to a road infrastructure of which the real traffic lanes are part or to a system providing cartographic information.

The invention also proposes a computer program product comprising a set of instructions which, when it is executed by processing means, is suitable for implementing a driving assistance method of the type presented here. - before to indicate the portions of the traffic lane which are open to traffic and/or the portions of the traffic lane which are closed to traffic in zones.

The invention also proposes an assistance device, on the one hand, intended to assist the driving of vehicles, communicating by wave, on real traffic lanes monitored by cameras acquiring digital images, and, on the other hand, on the other hand, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory arranged to perform the operations consisting of:

- analyze the acquired images in order to detect moving vehicles, then

- determining at least one flow of vehicles from these detected vehicles, and associating each flow determined in an area with a first portion of a virtual traffic lane, then

- comparing each first portion determined in an area with each second portion of the actual traffic lanes present in this area, and considering that a second portion of an area is open, respectively closed, to vehicle traffic when it corresponds , respectively does not correspond to a first portion of this zone.

The invention also proposes a road information server comprising an assistance device of the type presented above, and a communication module capable of being transmitted by wave to vehicles traveling on real traffic lanes. , before they arrive in an area, a definition of each second portion open to traffic and/or a definition of each second portion closed to traffic in this area.

For example, this traffic information server can belong to a road infrastructure of which the real traffic lanes are part or to a system for providing map information.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examination of the detailed description below, and of the appended drawings, in which:

schematically and functionally illustrates an example of an information server equipped with an example embodiment of a driving assistance device according to the invention, and

schematically illustrates an example of an algorithm implementing a driving assistance method according to the invention.

Detailed description of the invention

The aim of the invention is in particular to propose a driving assistance method, and an associated driving assistance device, intended to allow the signaling of open and/or closed portions of traffic lanes for land vehicles.

In what follows, it is considered, by way of non-limiting example, that land vehicles are of the automobile type. For example, cars. But the invention is not limited to this type of vehicle. It relates in fact to any type of land vehicle that can travel on roads and comprising at least one wave communication module. Consequently, it relates in particular to cars, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, minibuses, coaches, road construction machinery and agricultural machinery.

It is important to note that for the invention to be able to be implemented, it is necessary that each terrestrial vehicle concerned comprises at least one communication module by wave, but also that the real traffic lanes on which these vehicles circulate land are fully monitored by cameras acquiring digital images.

Each communication module of a vehicle concerned by the invention is arranged so as to communicate (and therefore exchange messages) with other communication modules, directly and/or indirectly (that is to say via at least a communication network (at least partially wireless)). These other communication modules may belong to other vehicles or else to information servers or communicating stations of the road infrastructure of which the road in question forms part. Therefore, communications can be done at short distance, for example according to the WiFi, LiFi standard, or at longer distance, for example by means of a mobile telephony standard (in particular 4G or 5G). It should be noted that Car2X, CAR 2 CAR or Infra2Car can also be produced with WiFi-G5 or cellular (4G or 5G) technologies.

As mentioned above, the invention proposes in particular a driving assistance method intended to allow the signaling of open and/or closed portions of traffic lanes for land vehicles. This driving assistance method can be partially implemented by a driving assistance device DA comprising at least one processor PR, for example of digital signal (or DSP ("Digital Signal Processor")), and least one MD memory.

The memory MD is live in order to store instructions for the implementation by the processor PR of part of the driving assistance method. The processor PR can comprise integrated (or printed) circuits, or else several integrated (or printed) circuits connected by wired or wireless connections. By integrated (or printed) circuit is meant any type of device capable of performing at least one electrical or electronic operation.

A DA driving assistance device can therefore be produced in the form of a combination of electrical or electronic circuits or components (or “hardware”) and software modules (or “software”).

As illustrated without limitation in FIG. 1, the (driving) assistance device DA can be part of a (possibly road) information server SI.

When this information server SI stores road information, it also comprises, as shown, a communication module MC able to communicate by wave with vehicles traveling on real traffic lanes. Furthermore, this road information server SI may belong to a road infrastructure of which the real traffic lanes form part or to a system for supplying cartographic information.

But as a variant, a DA assistance device could be part of at least one communicating station (or “roadside unit”) belonging to the aforementioned road infrastructure.

As illustrated without limitation in Figure 2, the securing method, according to the invention, comprises first 10-50 and second 60 steps.

In the first step 10-50 of the process (driving assistance) we begin by analyzing the images acquired by the cameras monitoring portions of the traffic lane(s), in order to detect moving vehicles. It will be understood that the acquired images can be transmitted to the assistance device DA (and therefore here to the information server SI) by the cameras, or else the cameras can process the information and then transmit the result of their processing(s). ). This analysis is carried out by the assistance device DA in the substep 10 of the first step 10-50 of the example algorithm of Figure 2.

Then, at least one flow of vehicles is determined from the vehicles detected in the acquired images. This vehicle flow determination is carried out by the assistance device DA in the sub-step 20 of the first step 10-50 of the example algorithm of FIG. 2.

For example, in the first step 10-50 one (the DA assistance device) can determine each flow of vehicles by means of a method called data partitioning (or “data clustering”). As a variant, vehicles can be tracked with a history of their respective trajectories (for example, if there is no flow because the traffic is very sparse, it is still possible to analyze the trajectory history of a only vehicle to deduce the taxiways).

Then, each flow (or history of trajectories) determined in a (geographical) area is associated with a first portion p1 of a virtual traffic lane. It is considered here that if there is a flow of vehicles in a portion of a traffic lane, it is because these vehicles are traveling on a portion (known as the first) of a virtual traffic lane. This association is carried out by the assistance device DA in the sub-step 30 of the first step 10-50 of the example algorithm of FIG. 2.

A first portion p1 can comprise the surface which is observed by one or more successive surveillance cameras. The same portion can be in the detection field of different cameras, and in this case the processing unit receives the data from the different cameras and performs the analysis on it.

Then, each first portion p1 determined in a (geographical) zone is compared with each second portion p2 of the real traffic lanes which are present in this same (geographical) zone. The objective here is to determine whether a first virtual portion p1 corresponds (in terms of geographical location) to a second real portion p2. This comparison is carried out by the assistance device DA in the sub-step 40 of the first step 10-50 of the example algorithm of FIG. 2.

Finally, it is considered that a second portion p2 of an area is open to vehicle traffic when it corresponds to a first portion p1 of this same area, while it is considered that a second portion p2 of a zone is closed to vehicle traffic when it does not correspond to a first portion p1 of this same zone. This consideration is carried out by the assistance device DA in the sub-step 50 of the first step 10-50 of the example algorithm of FIG. 2.

In the second step 60 (of the assistance method), the vehicles are transmitted by radio, before they arrive in a zone, a definition of each second portion p2 open to traffic and/or a definition of every second portion p2 closed to traffic in this zone. In other words, either only the definitions of the second portions p2 which are open to traffic are transmitted, or only the definitions of the second portions p2 which are closed to traffic, or even both the definitions of the second portions p2 which are open to traffic and the definitions of the second portions p2 which are closed to traffic. In the first alternative, each vehicle will deduce from the definitions of the second portions p2 open to traffic received the definitions of the second portions p2 closed to traffic in the zone considered. In the second alternative, each vehicle will deduce from the definitions of the second portions p2 closed to traffic received the definitions of the second portions p2 open to traffic in the zone considered.

Thus, each vehicle concerned has at all times definitions of the second portions p2 open and closed to traffic in at least the zone that it will soon cross. These definitions can be used by an on-board driving control device (in the case of autonomy (or automation)), or by the driver (thanks to a map display), in order to anticipate the driving of the vehicle in question.

The definitions of the second open and/or closed portions p2 can, for example, be stored in a memory MS forming part of the information server SI, as illustrated without limitation in FIG. 1. But this memory could also be part of the device d DA assistance, for example, to update the map(s) already available in the DA assistance device. Furthermore, this memory can be updated regularly and/or each time the state (open or closed) of a second portion p2 changes, for example.

It will be noted that in the second step 60 each definition can, for example, be transmitted by wave to the vehicles by at least one communicating station belonging to the road infrastructure of which the real traffic lanes form part. When the assistance device DA is part of an information server SI (possibly road information), the latter (SI) transmits to the communicating station which is in charge of an area the definitions of the second portions p2 contained in this area . When the assistance device DA is part of a communicating station, the latter has in situ the definitions of the second portions p2 contained in the zone for which it is responsible.

Alternatively, when the assistance device DA is part of a road information server SI, the latter (SI) can transmit directly to the vehicles concerned (via an at least partially wireless communication network) the definitions of the seconds portions p2 contained in the area they will soon cross. In this case, the communication module MC transmits by wave to vehicles traveling on real traffic lanes, before they reach an area, a definition of each second portion p2 open to traffic and/ or a definition of each second portion p2 closed to traffic in this zone.

It will also be noted that in the second step 60 each definition can, for example, also be transmitted by way of waves to the computer cloud (or “cloud”) for an update of mapping(s).

It will also be noted that the invention also proposes a computer program product (or computer program) comprising a set of instructions which, when it is executed by processing means of the electronic circuit (or hardware) type, such as for example the processor PR, is capable of implementing the driving assistance method described above to signal the portions of traffic lane which are open to traffic and/or the portions of traffic lane which are closed to circulation in (geographical) areas.

It will also be noted, as illustrated without limitation in FIG. 1, that the driving assistance device DA can also comprise, in addition to its random access memory MD and its processor PR, a mass memory MM, in particular for storing data defining the digital images acquired by the surveillance cameras, and intermediate data involved in all its calculations and processing. Furthermore, this driving assistance device DA can also comprise an input interface IE for receiving at least the data defining the digital images in order to use them in calculations or processing, possibly after having formatted them. and/or demodulated and/or amplified, in a manner known per se, by means of a digital signal processor PR′. In addition, this driving assistance device DA can also comprise an output interface IS, in particular for delivering the definitions of the second open and/or closed portions p2.

It will also be noted that one or more sub-steps of the first or second step of the driving assistance method can be performed by different components. Thus, the driving assistance method can be implemented by a plurality of digital signal processors, random access memory, mass memory, input interface, output interface.

Claims (9)

Method for assisting the driving of vehicles, communicating by wave, on real traffic lanes monitored by cameras acquiring digital images, characterized in that it comprises i) a first step (10-50) in in which said acquired images are analyzed in order to detect moving vehicles, then at least one flow of vehicles is determined from said detected vehicles and each flow determined in an area is associated with a first portion of a virtual traffic lane, then each first portion determined in a zone is compared with each second portion of said real traffic lanes present in this zone, and it is considered that a second portion of a zone is open, respectively closed, to the circulation of said vehicles when it corresponds , respectively does not correspond to a first portion of this zone, and ii) a second step (60) in which said vehicles are transmitted by wave, before they arrive in a zone, a definition of each second portion open to traffic and/or a definition of every second portion closed to traffic in this area. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in said first step (10-50) each flow of vehicles is determined by means of a so-called data partitioning method. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in said second step (60) each definition is transmitted by wave to said vehicles by at least one communicating station belonging to a road infrastructure of which said real traffic lanes form part. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in the said second step (60) each definition is transmitted by way of waves to the said vehicles by at least one traffic information server (SI). Method according to claim 4, characterized in that in said second step (60) said road information server belongs to a road infrastructure of which said real traffic lanes form part or to a system for providing map information. Computer program product comprising a set of instructions which, when it is executed by processing means, is capable of implementing the driving assistance method according to one of the preceding claims for signaling the portions of taxiway which are open to traffic and/or portions of taxiway which are closed to traffic in areas. Assistance device (DA) for assisting the driving of vehicles, communicating by wave, on real traffic lanes monitored by cameras acquiring digital images, characterized in that it comprises at least one processor (PR) and at least one memory (MD) arranged to perform the operations consisting in i) analyzing said acquired images in order to detect moving vehicles, then ii) determining at least one flow of vehicles from said detected vehicles and associating each determined flow in a zone with a first portion of a virtual traffic lane, then iii) comparing each first portion determined in a zone with each second portion of said real traffic lanes present in this zone, and in considering that a second portion of a zone is open, respectively closed, to the circulation of said vehicles when it corresponds, respectively does not correspond, to a first portion of this zone. Road information server (SI), characterized in that it comprises an assistance device (DA) according to claim 7, and a communication module suitable for transmitting by wave to vehicles traveling on of actual traffic, before they reach an area, a definition of each second portion open to traffic and/or a definition of each second portion closed to traffic in this area. Road information server according to claim 8, characterized in that it belongs to a road infrastructure of which said real traffic lanes form part or to a system for providing map information.