Cooperation-Based Risk Assessment Prediction for Rear-End Collision Avoidance in Autonomous Lane Change Maneuvers

In this study, we present an innovative approach to risk assessment for rear-end collision avoidance using a cooperation concept for an autonomous lane change system. A Kalman filter is designed to estimate the longitudinal acceleration and predict the relative longitudinal position, velocity, and acceleration. Risk assessment is performed using the predicted motion of the object vehicle in the target lane. The cooperation concept is proposed to improve the flexibility of the lane change. If the risk assessment for the lane change indicates collision risk, the cooperativeness of the driver of the object vehicle is determined. If the driver of the object vehicle is regarded as a cooperative driver, within the original lane, the ego vehicle moves toward the target lane in preparation for the lane change. Subsequently, as soon as the risk assessment indicates that there is no collision risk, the lane change is performed. Thus, unlike conventional methods, the autonomous lane change using the proposed risk assessment can be initiated. Furthermore, the proposed risk assessment using cooperation concept is more flexible compared with previous methods for autonomous lane change in cluttered traffic.