Automated Lane Change Featuring Re-Planning in Dynamic Environments and Sensitivity Analysis of Main Operational Parameters

Lane changes are frequent maneuvers in everyday driving and have to be included in automated driving functions. We present a real-time capable implementation of an algorithm for an automated lane change with the capability of dynamic re-planning in case the environmental situation changes, e.g. other traffic participants change their intention and the previously calculated trajectory does not guarantee safety anymore. Trajectories are described by polynomials and stored in look-up tables for different longitudinal velocities, longitudinal accelerations and maneuver duration times. Using a single-track model within a linear-quadratic control, the lateral deviation to the reference trajectory and the vehicle’s orientation are controlled. The influence of parameter changes from additional payload, tire-road friction coefficients and tire properties on the vehicle-controller interaction are investigated with a sensitivity analysis on data generated with a simulation. The performance of the algorithm is presented and it is shown that many parameter variations will probably be perceived by occupants, but will not lead to safety-critical situations.