Patent ID: 11884277
Assignee: BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. A method comprising the acts of:
receiving, at a controller, sensor data of at least one sensor system;
identifying, by the controller, objects, free-space boundaries and roadway limitations based on the sensor data;
defining, by the controller:
a plurality of non-overlapping lane segments to each have a closed lane segment boundary that bounds a virtual area within a roadway lane surrounding the vehicle, based on each side of the closed lane segment boundary corresponding to one or more of: confines of the identified objects, free-space boundaries and roadway limitations, wherein the virtual area indicates a corresponding area of the roadway lane that can be freely traveled, and
a lane as a set of the non-overlapping lane segments that indicate a collective area surrounding the vehicle that can be freely traveled, wherein the collective area is a non-overlapping distribution of the virtual areas;

generating, by the controller, the computer model having the defined lane, the computer model being available to a driver assistance system of the vehicle;
determining, by the driver assistance system, based on the computer model, a vehicle-related distance with respect to the lane segment boundary of the lane; and
controlling the vehicle, by the driver assistance system, in an automated driving mode based on the computer model.