A control device associated with an autonomous vehicle receives sensor data and detects that the autonomous vehicle is approaching a railroad crossing based on the sensor data. The control device determines a target lane to travel while crossing the railroad. The target lane is a lane that has available space with at least a length of the autonomous vehicle on the other side of the railroad as opposed to a side of the railroad where the autonomous vehicle is currently traveling. The control device instructs the autonomous vehicle to travel on the target lane. The control device determines that a train is approaching the railroad crossing and waits for the train to pass the railroad crossing. The control device determines that the train has passed the railroad crossing. The control device instructs the autonomous vehicle to cross the railroad.

A vehicle control method as executed includes acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle by a sensor includes, specifying an entry position located on a second lane adjacent to a first lane where the subject vehicle travels in accordance with the surrounding information of the subject vehicle, specifying a front vehicle located front the entry position and a rear vehicle located rear the entry position, determining the travel state of each of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, determining whether there is a space for the subject vehicle to enter at the entry position, predicting whether the front vehicle starts to travel when the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are determined to be stopped and no space is determined at the entry position, and starting to move the subject vehicle to the entry position when the front vehicle is predicted to start traveling.

A starting point, a set of one or more way points, and a destination point of a route along which the ADV is to be driven are determined. All lane segments near the starting point, the set of way points, and the destination point within a predetermined threshold distance are determined respectively. A set of route candidates are determined with an A-star (A*) searching algorithm based on a set of nodes representing all the lane segments near the starting point, the set of way points, and the destination point respectively. The route is selected from the set of route candidates based on respective costs of the set of route candidates. The ADV is being controlled to drive along the selected route autonomously.

A method for ascertaining a spatial orientation of a trailer of an autonomously driving towing vehicle with trailer. In the method, sensor data of a plurality of different sensor types are processed, so that the trailer and objects in the environment are identified in the sensor data, the sensor data communicated by the various sensor types and processed in this way being combined with one another, and the movement path of the trailer relative to the objects in the environment being determined on the basis of these combined sensor data.

According to a method for assisting reverse driving of a combination (1), an actual value for a hitch angle of the combination (1) is determined by a computing unit (6) depending on sensor data generated by a hitch angle sensor. A hitch length of a trailer (3), given by a distance between a trailer body (11) and a hitch (7) of a vehicle (2), is determined depending on environmental sensor data of the combination (1). A collision value for the hitch angle is determined by the computing unit (6) depending on the hitch length, and the safety measure is triggered by the computing unit (6) depending on the actual value and the collision value for the hitch angle.

A vehicle includes an inertial sensor configured to measure a speed, a steering angle, and a yaw rate, a camera configured to acquire image data, a radar configured to acquire a radar data, and a safety device including an air bag and a seat belt pretensioner. A controller is configured to predict a collision with a first object located at the outside of the vehicle based on the image data or the radar data, predict a collision with a second object that is likely to occur after the collision with the first object based on an angle of reflection predicted at a time of the collision with the first object, and lower a deployment threshold that is compared with a collision severity such that the safety device is deployed before the collision with the second object.

A method of determining whether a planned trajectory of a first vehicle over a road along which the first vehicle and a second vehicle are traveling, is invalid, comprising: obtaining the planned trajectory, comprising a first state of the first vehicle for each of a plurality of time instants; obtaining a second state of the second vehicle for each time instant; determining, for each time instant, a respective lateral range extending from the second vehicle; and determining that the planned trajectory is invalid where, for the first and second states at one or more of the time instants: the first vehicle is within the lateral range and within a lane boundary region of the road; and a direction of a lateral velocity of the first vehicle is towards the second vehicle and a lateral acceleration of the first vehicle away from the second vehicle is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

An automatic driving assist apparatus for a vehicle includes: a map information storage unit; an own vehicle position estimator; a route information input unit; a traveling route setting unit; a target path setting unit configured to set a target path to a center of a traveling lane; a road condition acquirer; and an automatic driving controller. The automatic driving controller further includes a branch lane determiner and a target path lateral position change amount calculator. The target path setting unit corrects the target path with a lateral position change amount calculated by the target path lateral position change amount calculator, to set a new target path.

The system includes a first movement permission area setting unit configured to set a movement permission area for autonomous traveling that includes a part of a traveling path along which the autonomous driving vehicle reaches the target parking space and does not include the target parking space, and a second movement permission area setting unit configured to, when it is determined that the autonomous driving vehicle has arrived near the target parking space or when notification of a start of the automated valet parking for the target parking space is sent from the autonomous driving vehicle, set a movement permission area for automated valet parking that includes the target parking space and a part of the traveling path near the target parking space.

A system and method for predicting a collision between a host vehicle and a target vehicle operating on a multi-lane roadway may include determining the host and target vehicles are converging from respective first and second lanes to a third lane intermediate the first and second lanes. A predetermined set of conditions is evaluated including relationships among the host and target vehicle separations and speeds, and a collision predicted based upon the evaluation.