Lane changing with look-down reference systems on automated highways

Abstract

Automated lane changing is a vital component of the steering control system for automated vehicles. The most important requirements of such maneuvers are smoothness and robustness. Look-down sensing systems face the challenge of having to bridge the gap whenever reference lines of the respective lanes are not measurable. This paper discusses two methods that were successfully employed in the platoon scenario of the 1997 National Automated Highway Systems Consortium Feasibility Demonstration in San Diego, USA: infrastructure-guided lane changes using an additional cross-over marker reference, and free lane changes using a yaw rate sensor for dead reckoning. Both systems achieved good passenger comfort and exhibited high reliability. Similar techniques were applied to the entrance and exit ramps of the automated highways. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.