Automated Highway Overtaking: A Perspective from Decision-Making

• Main Authors: Tomar, Abhishek Singh, Forrai, Alexandru, Tillema, Frans
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0148-7191; 2688-3627
• DOI: 10.4271/2021-01-0127

This paper presents a comprehensive decision-making algorithm for highway overtaking maneuvers, one of the highest risk maneuvers. For such, an overtaking scenario is divided into four phases: approach phase in which the host or overtaking vehicle (HV) detects a slow-moving lead vehicle (LV) in the same lane; left lane change and passing phase in which the HV performs a left lane change and passes the LV; right lane change phase in which the HV comes back to its original lane and free-flowing phase in which the HV maintains its lane and the initially set velocity. Depending on the phase-wise safety zones, the decision-making algorithm makes two decisions: change lane (1 = left lane change, 0 = maintain the same lane, -1 = right lane change) and adjust speed (1 = accelerate, 0 = maintain the current speed, -1 = decelerate). The proposed decision-making algorithm complements the human driver’s decision-making process and can be easily adapted for individual users. Safety and comfort constraints used for defining safety zones and reference trajectories are verified using the highD dataset, consisting of naturalistic vehicle trajectories on German highways. The decision-making algorithm is coupled with a trajectory planner and an operational controller to develop an automated overtaking system. The developed overtaking system is verified in a virtual environment (a combination of Simcenter Prescan and Matlab) by performing many simulations. The results demonstrate the robustness of the decision-making algorithm.