Patent Publication Number: US-2019176831-A1

Title: Apparatus and method for controlling lane change in vehicle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0171607, filed on Dec. 13, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a lane change to a diverging lane connected with a diverging road. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. 
     With the development of the auto industry, a lane change control system capable of automatically changing a lane where a vehicle is traveling has been developed. When a driver operates a turn signal with the intention of changing a lane, the lane change control system may perform a lane change by automatically controlling a vehicle in a lateral direction toward a direction where the turns signal is turned on. The lane change control system may perform a lane change by determining whether a speed, a location, and the like of a surrounding vehicle are suitable for performing the lane change, setting a control path for the lane change, and controlling steering torque along the control path. The lane change control system may provide information associated with a lane change to the driver through a visual, audible, or tactile method. 
     A study on a conventional lane change system concentrates on the precise, smooth control method itself. Further, the conventional lane change system may depend mainly on a camera and a radar to determine environments and driving situations. However, we have discovered that there are situations which are difficult to be recognized using sensors, such as the camera and the radar, on a real road. Particularly, when a vehicle attempts to control a lane change in a situation where it does not obtain a distance which is sufficient to control the lane change like a diverging section of a road or the like, safety of a driver may be undermined. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure has been made to address the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art while advantages achieved by the prior art are maintained intact. 
     An aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for controlling a lane change in a vehicle to provide safety of control of a lane change by classifying a section where a vehicle is able to control the lane change and a section where the vehicle is unable to control the lane change and effectively inform a situation of the lane change to a driver of the vehicle. 
     The technical problems to be solved by the present inventive concept are not limited to the aforementioned problems, and any other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood from the following description by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. 
     In one form of the present disclosure, an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle may include: a turn signal module configured to receive an input for a turn signal, a navigation module configured to obtain map information, a display configured to output a user interface, and a processor configured to be electrically connected with the turn signal module, the navigation module, and the display. The processor may be configured to, when a lane change command is received via the turn signal module, recognize a diverging section located on a road where the vehicle is traveling, based on the map information obtained by the navigation module, determine whether the vehicle is able to change a driving lane of the vehicle to a diverging lane in the diverging section based on a speed of the vehicle, and, when the vehicle is able to change the driving lane, control the vehicle to enter the diverging lane. 
     In one form, the processor may be configured to, when the lane change command is received before the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, control the vehicle to be adjacent to the diverging lane and enter the diverging lane. 
     According to another form, the processor may be configured to, when the lane change command is received before the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, determine whether the vehicle is able to change the driving lane based on a speed of the vehicle and a time predicted for the lane change. 
     The processor may be configured to, when the lane change command is received before the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, calculate a target speed for the lane change based on the speed of the vehicle and a time predicted for the lane change. 
     The processor may be configured to, when a speed of the vehicle is slower than the target speed when the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, determine that the vehicle is able to change the driving lane. 
     The processor may be configured to, when a speed of the vehicle is faster than the target speed when the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, determine that the vehicle is unable to change the driving lane. 
     In addition, the processor may be configured to, when the lane change command is received while the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, determine whether the vehicle is able to change the driving lane based on a speed of the vehicle and a time predicted for the lane change. 
     According to an exemplary form, the processor may be configured to, when the lane change command is received while the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, calculate a distance predicted for the lane change based on a speed of the vehicle and a time predicted for the lane change. 
     In one form, the processor may be configured to, when a distance between the vehicle and a divergence point corresponding to the diverging lane is longer than the distance predicted for the lane change, determine that the vehicle is able to change the driving lane. 
     The processor may be configured to, when a distance between the vehicle and a divergence point corresponding to the diverging lane is shorter than the distance predicted for the lane change, determine that the vehicle is unable to change the driving lane. 
     According to another form, the processor may be configured to determine a lane change possible section and a lane change impossible section for the diverging lane based on a speed of the vehicle, a time predicted for the lane change, and a location of a divergence point corresponding to the diverging lane, when the lane change command is received in the lane change possible section, control the vehicle to enter the diverging lane, and, when the lane change command is received in the lane change impossible section, control the vehicle to keep the driving lane. 
     According to another form, the processor may be configured to, when the lane change command is received before the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, display an object of a first color indicating a reservation of the lane change on the display in a direction where the diverging lane is located. 
     In other form, the processor may be configured to display an object of a second color indicating the lane change possible section on the display in a direction where the diverging lane is located in the lane change possible section. 
     The processor may be configured to, when the lane change command is received in the lane change possible section, display an additional object of the second color indicating a possibility of the control on the display in a direction where the diverging lane is located. 
     In other form, the processor may be configured to, when the lane change command is received in the lane change impossible section, display an object of a third color indicating an impossibility of the control on the display in a direction where the diverging lane is located. 
     According to another form, the processor may be configured to display an object of a fourth color indicating the lane change impossible section on the display in the direction of the diverging lane in the lane change impossible section. 
     In other form, the processor may be configured to display an object of a fourth color indicating the lane change impossible section on the display in both directions with respect to the vehicle on the diverging lane in the lane change impossible section. 
     According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a lane change in a vehicle may include the steps of: when a lane change command is received, recognizing by a processor a diverging section located on a road where the vehicle is traveling, based on map information, determining by the processor whether the vehicle is able to change a driving lane of the vehicle to a diverging lane in the diverging section based on a speed of the vehicle, and, when the vehicle is able to change the driving lane, controlling the vehicle to enter the diverging lane. 
     According to one form, the determining step may include, when the lane change command is received while the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, determining whether the vehicle is able to change the driving lane based on a speed of the vehicle and a time predicted for the lane change. 
     In another form, the determining step may include determining a lane change possible section and a lane change impossible section for the diverging lane based on a speed of the vehicle, a time predicted for the lane change, and a location of a divergence point corresponding to the diverging lane. The controlling step may include, when the lane change command is received in the lane change possible section, controlling the vehicle to enter the diverging lane. 
     Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle; 
         FIG. 2  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle; 
         FIG. 3  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle; 
         FIG. 4  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle; 
         FIG. 5  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle; 
         FIG. 6  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle; 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a lane change in a vehicle; 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a lane change in a vehicle; and 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computing system. 
     
    
    
     The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. 
     Hereinafter, in adding reference denotations to elements of each drawing, although the same elements are displayed on a different drawing, it should be noted that the same elements have the same denotations. In addition, in describing an exemplary form of the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of related well-known configurations or functions blurs the gist of an form of the present disclosure, it will be omitted. 
     In describing elements of forms of the present disclosure, the terms 1 st , 2 nd  first, second, A, B, (a), (b), and the like may be used herein. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element, but do not limit the corresponding elements irrespective of the nature, turn, or order of the corresponding elements. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meanings as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Such terms as those defined in a generally used dictionary are to be interpreted as having meanings equal to the contextual meanings in the relevant field of art, and are not to be interpreted as having ideal or excessively formal meanings unless clearly defined as having such in the present application. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an apparatus  100  for controlling a lane change in a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus  100 ”) may include a turn signal module  110 , a navigation module  120 , a display  130 , and a processor  140 . The apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1  may be loaded into the vehicle. 
     The turn signal module  110  may receive an input of a driver for a turn signal. The turn signal module  110  may include, for example, a turn signal lever, a turn signal, and the like. The turn signal module  110  may transmit an intention to change a lane to the left or right depending on an input of the driver to the processor  140 . 
     The navigation module  120  may be configured to obtain map information. The navigation module  120  may transmit information about a road on which the vehicle is traveling to the processor  140 . The road information may include, for example, a type of the road, the number of total lanes of the road, forward divergence information, and the like. 
     The display  130  may output various user interfaces. The display  130  may visually display information which should be recognized by the driver depending on a driving environment and a control situation, and may display, for example, a graphic, an icon, a text, or the like. 
     The processor  140  may be electrically connected with the turn signal module  110 , the navigation module  120 , and the display  130 . The processor  140  may control the turn signal module  110 , the navigation module  120 , and the display  130  and may perform a variety of data processing and various arithmetic operations. 
     In one form, the processor  140  may receive a lane change command via the turn signal module  110 . For example, when a left turn signal is activated, the processor  140  may recognize a lane change command to change a lane to a left lane. When a right turn signal is activated, the processor  140  may recognize a lane change command to change a lane to a right lane. In the present disclosure, the lane change command may be a command to change a lane to a diverging lane connected with a diverging road. 
     When the lane change command is received via the turn signal module  110 , the processor  140  may recognize a diverging section located on a road where the vehicle is traveling, based on map information obtained by the navigation module  120 . The processor  140  may obtain information (e.g., a first lane, a second lane, a third lane, or the like) about a lane where the vehicle is traveling, information about divergence of a road where the vehicle is traveling, and the like based on information received from the navigation module  120 . The processor  140  may recognize, for example, a diverging section located in front of the vehicle in a specified distance from a current location of the vehicle. 
     In one form, the processor  140  may determine whether the vehicle is able to change a driving lane of the vehicle to a diverging lane in a diverging section based on a speed of the vehicle. For example, when a speed of the vehicle is slow enough to enter the diverging lane or when a location of a divergence point is far enough to enter the diverging lane, the processor  140  may determine that the vehicle is able to change the driving lane to the diverging lane. For another example, when a speed of the vehicle is excessively fast to enter the diverging lane or when a location of the divergence point is excessively close to enter the diverging lane, the processor  140  may determine that the vehicle is unable to change the driving lane to the diverging lane. In another form, the processor  140  may determine a lane change possible section and a lane change impossible section for the diverging lane based on a speed of the vehicle, a time predicted for a lane change, and a location of a divergence point corresponding to the diverging lane. A description will be given in detail of calculating the lane change possible section and the lane change impossible section with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
     In one form, when a lane change command is received before the vehicle is adjacent to a diverging lane (e.g., before the diverging lane appears beside the vehicle), the processor  140  may determine whether the vehicle is able to change a driving lane of the vehicle based on a speed of the vehicle and a time predicted for a lane change. In detail, when the lane change command is received before the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, the processor  140  may calculate a target speed for a lane change based on a speed of the vehicle and a time predicted for the lane change. When a speed of the vehicle is slower than the target speed when the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, the processor  140  may determine that the vehicle is able to change the driving lane. When the speed of the vehicle is faster than the target speed when the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, since there is a high possibility an accident will occur during control of a lane change, the processor  140  may determine that the vehicle is unable to change the driving lane. A description will be given in detail of the above-mentioned form with reference to  FIG. 4 . 
     According to one form, when a lane change command is received while the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, the processor  140  may determine whether the vehicle is able to change the driving lane based on a speed of the vehicle and a time predicted for a lane change. In detail, when the lane change command is received while the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, the processor  140  may calculate a distance predicted for the lane change based on the speed of the vehicle and the time predicted for the lane change. When a distance between the vehicle and a divergence point corresponding to the diverging lane is longer than the distance predicted for the lane change, the processor  140  may determine that the vehicle is able to change the driving lane. When the distance between the vehicle and the divergence point corresponding to the diverging lane is shorter than the distance predicted for the lane change, since there is a high possibility that an accident will occur during control of the lane change, the processor  140  may determine that the vehicle is unable to change the driving lane. A description will be given in detail of the above-mentioned form with reference to  FIG. 5 . 
     According to another form, when the vehicle is able to change the driving lane, the processor  140  may control the vehicle to enter the diverging lane. When a lane change command is received in a lane change possible section, the processor  140  may control the vehicle to enter the diverging lane. When the lane change command is received in a lane change impossible section, the processor  140  may control the vehicle to keep the driving lane. When the lane change command is received before the vehicle is adjacent to the diverging lane, the processor  140  may control the vehicle to be adjacent to the diverging lane and enter the diverging lane. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Lane 
                 Lane 
                   
               
               
                   
                 Current 
                 Before 
                 change 
                 change 
                 After 
               
               
                   
                 location of 
                 diverging 
                 possible 
                 impossible 
                 diverging 
               
               
                   
                 vehicle 
                 section 
                 section 
                 section 
                 section 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Form 1 
                 Turn signal 
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
               
               
                   
                 Control 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                 Form 2 
                 Turn signal 
                 ◯ 
                 X 
                 X 
                 X 
               
               
                   
                 Control 
                 Previous 
                 Lane 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                   
                 deceleration 
                 change 
               
               
                 Form 3 
                 Turn signal 
                 X 
                 ◯ 
                 X 
                 X 
               
               
                   
                 Control 
                 — 
                 Lane 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 change 
               
               
                 Form 4 
                 Turn signal 
                 X 
                 X 
                 ◯ 
                 X 
               
               
                   
                 Control 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Table 1 discloses a control method according to a time when a turn signal is activated, that is, a time when a lane change command is received. When there is no lane change command, the processor  140  may fail to control a lane change (see form 1). When a lane change command is received before a diverging section, the processor  140  may control previous deceleration to a target speed before the diverging section and may control a lane change in a lane change possible section (see form 2). When the lane change command is received in the lane change possible section, the processor  140  may immediately control a lane change (see form 3). When the lane change command is received in a lane change impossible section, the processor  140  may fail to control a lane change (see form 4). A description will be given in detail of forms 1 to 4 with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 6 . 
     The processor  140  may determine whether the vehicle is able to control a lane change and may provide information associated with the control of the lane change to a user through the display  130 . The processor  140  may visually display a graphic, an icon, a text, or the like on the display  130  to transmit a driving environment and a control situation to a driver of the vehicle. 
     According to one form, when a lane change command is received before the vehicle is adjacent to a diverging lane, the processor  140  may display an object of a first color (e.g., yellow) indicating a reservation of a lane change on the display  130  in a direction where the diverging lane is located. According to another form, the processor  140  may display an object of a second color (e.g., green) indicating a lane change possible section on the display  130  in a direction where a diverging lane is located in the lane change possible section. According to other form, when a lane change command is received in the lane change possible section, the processor  140  may display an additional object of the second color indicating a possibility of control on the display  130  in the direction where the diverging lane is located. If a lane change command is received in a lane change impossible section, the processor  140  may display an object of a third color (e.g., red) indicating an impossibility of control on the display  130  in a direction where a diverging lane is located. The processor  140  may display an object of a fourth color (e.g., gray) indicating the lane change impossible section on the display  130  in the direction of a diverging lane in the lane change impossible section. According to another form, the processor  140  may display the object of the fourth color indicating the lane change impossible section on the display  130  in both directions with respect to the vehicle on a diverging lane in the lane change impossible section. A description will be given in detail of the above-mentioned user interface with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 6 . 
       FIG. 2  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a vehicle  200  may include an apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1 . The vehicle  200  may travel in a diverging section. In  FIG. 2 , Dist_a may be a distance between a point where a diverging lane is generated and a divergence point  210 . Dist_b may be a length of a lane change impossible section. Dist_c may be a length of a lane change possible section. When a lane change command to change a lane to the diverging lane is received, the vehicle  200  may calculate Dist_b and Dist_c based on map information received from a navigation module and a speed of the vehicle  200 . The map information may include, for example, a road link and information about the divergence point  210 . An exemplary equation for calculating Dist_b may be Equation 1 below. 
       Dist_ b=V×T _lanechange  [Equation 1]
 
     Herein, V may refer to a current speed of the vehicle  200  and T_lanechange may refer to a predicted time taken to perform a lane change. 
     An exemplary equation for calculating Dist_c may be Equation 2 below. 
       Dist_ c =Dist_ a −Dist_ b   [Equation 2]
 
     Meanwhile, when a speed of the vehicle  200  is excessively fast when a lane change command to change a lane in the direction of the diverging lane is received before the diverging section, the vehicle  200  may fail to obtain a distance sufficient for a lane change due to a short diverging section (e.g., Dist_c&lt;0). In this case, the vehicle  200  may perform previous deceleration before the diverging section. The vehicle  200  may calculate a target speed for the previous deceleration. An exemplary equation for calculating the target speed may be Equation 3 below. 
         V _target=Dist_ a/T _lanechange  [Equation 3]
 
       FIG. 3  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a vehicle  300  may include an apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1 . The vehicle  300  may travel on a road including a diverging section. The vehicle  300  may fail to receive a lane change command while traveling on the diverging section. The vehicle  300  may travel straight without a lane change. The vehicle  300  may output a first screen  310 , a second screen  320 , a third screen  330 , and a fourth screen  340  on its display while traveling on the diverging section. 
     When the vehicle  300  is located before the diverging section, it may change its lane to the left and may fail to change the lane to the right. In this case, the vehicle  300  may output the first screen  310 . The vehicle  300  may display a periphery of a left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change its lane on a left side of a vehicle icon. The vehicle  300  may display a periphery of a right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  300  is located in a lane change possible section, it may change the lane the left and the right. In this case, the vehicle  300  may output the second screen  320 . The vehicle  300  may display the periphery of the left lane and the periphery of the right lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on the left and right sides of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  300  may display a green icon indicating the lane change possible section and the rest of the lane change possible section on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  300  is located in a lane change impossible section, it may change the lane to the left and may fail to change the lane to the right. In this case, the vehicle  300  may output the third screen  330 . The vehicle  300  may display the periphery of the left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on the left side of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  300  may display the periphery of the right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on the right side of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  300  may display a gray icon indicating the lane change impossible section on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  300  is located after the diverging section, it may change the lane to the left and may fail to change the lane to the right. In this case, the vehicle  300  may output the fourth screen  340 . The vehicle  300  may display the periphery of the left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on the left side of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  300  may display the periphery of the right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on the right side of the vehicle icon. 
       FIG. 4  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a vehicle  400  may include an apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1 . The vehicle  400  may travel on a road including a diverging section. The vehicle  400  may receive a lane change command before the diverging section. When the vehicle  400  has an excessively fast speed in a previous deceleration section (before the diverging section), it may decelerate to a target speed. When the vehicle  400  enters a lane change possible section, it may change its lane to a diverging lane. The vehicle  400  may pass through a lane change impossible section to enter a diverging road. The vehicle  400  may output a first screen  410 , a second screen  420 , a third screen  430 , and a fourth screen  440  on its display while traveling on the diverging section. 
     When the vehicle  400  is located in the previous deceleration section, it may change its lane to the left and may fail to change the lane to the right. In this case, the vehicle  400  may output the first screen  410 . The vehicle  400  may display a periphery of a left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on a left side of a vehicle icon. The vehicle  400  may display a periphery of a right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on a right side of the vehicle icon. When a right turn signal is activated, the vehicle  400  may display a yellow icon indicating a reservation of a lane change on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  400  is located in a lane change possible section, it may change the lane to the left and the right. In this case, the vehicle  400  may output the second screen  420 . The vehicle  400  may display the periphery of the left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on the left side of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  400  may display a green icon indicating the lane change possible section and the rest of the lane change possible section on a right side of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  400  may display a green arrow of providing a notification that it is changing the lane and a green lane on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  400  is located in the lane change impossible section, it may fail to change the lane. In this case, the vehicle  400  may output the third screen  430 . The vehicle  400  may display the periphery of the left lane and the periphery of the right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on the left and right sides of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  400  may display a gray icon indicating the lane change impossible section on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  400  is located on the diverging road, it may fail to change the lane. In this case, the vehicle  400  may output the fourth screen  440 . The vehicle  400  may display the periphery of the left lane and the periphery of the right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on the left and right sides of the vehicle icon. 
       FIG. 5  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a vehicle  500  may include an apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1 . The vehicle  500  may travel on a road including a diverging section. The vehicle  500  may receive a lane change command in a lane change possible section. When the lane change command is received, the vehicle  500  may change its lane to a diverging lane. The vehicle  500  may pass through a lane change impossible section to enter a diverging road. The vehicle  500  may output a first screen  510 , a second screen  520 , a third screen  530 , and a fourth screen  540  while traveling on the diverging section. 
     When the vehicle  500  is located in a previous deceleration section, it may change the lane to the left and may fail to change the lane to the right. In this case, the vehicle  500  may output the first screen  510 . The vehicle  500  may display a periphery of a left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on a left side of a vehicle icon. The vehicle  500  may display a periphery of a right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on a right side of a vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  500  is located in the lane change possible section, it may change the lane to the left and the right. In this case, the vehicle  500  may output the second screen  520 . The vehicle  500  may display the periphery of the left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on the left side of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  500  may display a green icon indicating the lane change possible section and the rest of the lane change possible section on a right side of the vehicle icon. When a right turn signal is activated, the vehicle  500  may display a green arrow of providing a notification that it is changing the lane and a green lane on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  500  is located in the lane change impossible section, it may fail to change the lane. In this case, the vehicle  500  may output the third screen  530 . The vehicle  500  may display the periphery of the left lane and the periphery of the right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on the left and right sides of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  500  may display a gray icon indicating the lane change impossible section on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  500  is located on a diverging road, it may fail to change the lane. In this case, the vehicle  500  may output the fourth screen  540 . The vehicle  500  may display the periphery of the left lane the periphery of the right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on the left and right sides of the vehicle icon. 
       FIG. 6  is a drawing illustrating an exemplary operation of an apparatus for controlling a lane change in a vehicle in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a vehicle  600  may include an apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1 . The vehicle  600  may travel on a road including a diverging section. The vehicle  600  may receive a lane change command in a lane change impossible section. Although the lane change command is received, since there is a risk when the vehicle  600  controls a lane change in the lane change impossible section, the vehicle  600  may travel straight without the lane change. The vehicle  600  may output a first screen  610 , a second screen  620 , a third screen  630 , and a fourth screen  640  on its screen while traveling on the diverging section. 
     When the vehicle  600  is located before the diverging section, it may change its lane to the left and may fail to the lane to the right. In this case, the vehicle  600  may output the first screen  610 . The vehicle  600  may display a periphery of a left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on a left side of a vehicle icon. The vehicle  600  may display a periphery of a right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  600  is located in a lane change possible section, it may change the lane to the left and the right. In this case, the vehicle  600  may output the second screen  620 . The vehicle  600  may display the periphery of the left lane and the periphery of the right lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on the left and right sides of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  600  may display a green icon indicating the lane change possible section and the rest of the lane change possible section on a right side of the vehicle icon. 
     When the vehicle  600  is located in the lane change impossible section, it may change the lane to the left and may fail to change the lane to the right. In this case, the vehicle  600  may output the third screen  630 . The vehicle  600  may display the periphery of the left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on the left side of the vehicle icon. When a right turn signal is activated, the vehicle  600  may display a right lane in red to indicate an impossibility of control on a right side of the vehicle icon and may display a red icon indicating the impossibility of the control. 
     When the vehicle  600  is located after the diverging section, it may change the lane to the left and may fail to change the lane to the right. In this case, the vehicle  600  may output the fourth screen  640 . The vehicle  600  may display the periphery of the left lane in green to indicate that it is able to change the lane on the left side of the vehicle icon. The vehicle  600  may display the periphery of the right lane in gray to indicate that it is unable to change the lane on the right side of the vehicle icon. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a lane change in a vehicle in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Hereinafter, it may be assumed that an apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1  performs a process of  FIG. 7 . Further, in a description of  FIG. 7 , an operation described as being performed by an apparatus may be understood as being controlled by a processor  140  of the apparatus  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , in operation  710 , the apparatus may receive a lane change command. For example, when a turn signal is activated, the apparatus may receive the lane change command. The lane change command may be a command to change a driving lane to a diverging lane. 
     In operation  720 , the apparatus may recognize a diverging section located on a road where a vehicle is traveling, based on map information. For example, the apparatus may recognize the diverging section located in a specified distance in front of the vehicle using the map information. 
     In operation  730 , the apparatus may determine whether the vehicle is able to change a driving lane of the vehicle to a diverging lane in the diverging section based on a speed of the vehicle. For example, the apparatus may determine whether the vehicle is able to change the driving lane based on a speed of the vehicle, a time predicted for a lane change, a distance from a divergence point, and the like. 
     When the vehicle is able to change the driving lane to the diverging lane, in operation  740 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to enter the diverging lane. When the vehicle is unable to change the driving lane to the diverging lane, in operation  750 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to keep the driving lane. 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a lane change in a vehicle in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Hereinafter, it may be assumed that an apparatus  100  of  FIG. 1  performs a process of  FIG. 8 . Further, in a description of  FIG. 8 , an operation described as being performed by an apparatus may be understood as being controlled by a processor  140  of the apparatus  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , in operation  800 , the apparatus may determine whether there is a diverging section in front of a vehicle. The apparatus may determine whether there is the diverging section in a specified distance in front of the vehicle using map information. In operation  805 , the apparatus may calculate a lane change possible section and a lane change impossible section based on a speed of the vehicle. For example, the apparatus may calculate the lane change possible section and the lane change impossible section based on a speed of the vehicle, a time predicted for a lane change, and a length of the diverging section. 
     In operation  810 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to travel in a section before the diverging section. In operation  815 , the apparatus may determine whether a turn signal is activated in the direction of a diverging lane in the section before the diverging section. When the turn signal is activated in the direction of the diverging lane, in operation  820 , the apparatus may display a yellow object indicating a reservation of a lane change. In operation  825 , the apparatus may determine whether a length of the lane change possible section is sufficient to change a lane. When the length of the lane change possible section is insufficient to change the lane, in operation  830 , the apparatus may calculate a deceleration target speed to decelerate. In operation  835 , the apparatus may determine whether the vehicle decelerates to a target speed when the vehicle enters the lane change impossible section. When the length of the lane change possible section is sufficient to change the lane or when the vehicle decelerates to the target speed, in operation  840 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to travel straight. In operation  845 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to enter the lane change possible section and may display a green object indicating the lane change possible section and the rest of the lane change possible section. 
     In operation  850 , the apparatus may determine whether a turn signal is activated in the direction of the diverging lane in the lane change possible section. The turn signal may continue being activated after operation  815  or may be activated in the lane change possible section. When the turn signal is activated in the direction of the diverging lane, in operation  855 , the apparatus may control a lane change to the diverging lane. After the vehicle enters the diverging lane, in operation  860 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to enter the lane change impossible section and may display a gray object indicating the lane change impossible section. In operation  865 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to travel straight. In operation  870 , the apparatus may remove the object displayed while performing the process of  FIG. 8 . 
     When the vehicle does not decelerate to the target speed in operation  835  or when the turn signal is not activated in operation  850 , in operation  875 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to travel straight. In operation  880 , the apparatus may control the vehicle to enter the lane change impossible section and may display a gray object indicating the lane change impossible section. In operation  885 , the apparatus may determine whether the turn signal is activated in the direction of the diverging lane in the lane change impossible section. When the turn signal is activated in the direction of the diverging lane, in operation  890 , the apparatus may display a red object indicating an impossibility of control. When the turns signal is not activated in the operation  885  or after operation  890 , the apparatus may perform operations  865  and  870 . 
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computing system in one form of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the above-mentioned apparatus may be implemented through the computing system. A computing system  1000  may include at least one processor  1100 , a memory  1300 , a user interface input device  1400 , a user interface output device  1500 , a storage  1600 , and a network interface  1700 , which are connected with each other via a bus  1200 . 
     The processor  1100  may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device for executing processing of instructions stored in the memory  1300  and/or the storage  1600 . Each of the memory  1300  and the storage  1600  may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storage media. For example, the memory  1300  may include a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). 
     Thus, the operations of the methods or algorithms described in connection with the forms disclosed in the present disclosure may be directly implemented with a hardware module, a software module, or combinations thereof, executed by the processor  1100 . The software module may reside on a storage medium (i.e., the memory  1300  and/or the storage  1600 ) such as a RAM, a flash memory, a ROM, an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disc, a removable disc, or a compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM). An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor  1100 . The processor  1100  may read out information from the storage medium and may write information in the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor  1100 . The processor and storage medium may reside in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside as a separate component of the user terminal. 
     The apparatus for controlling the lane change in the vehicle according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure may provide safety of control of a lane change by determining the lane change possible section based on map information, a speed of the vehicle, or the like. 
     In addition, various effects indirectly or directly ascertained through the present disclosure may be provided. 
     While the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. 
     Therefore, exemplary forms of the present disclosure are not limiting, but illustrative, and the spirit and scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The spirit and scope and the present disclosure should be interpreted by the following claims, it should be interpreted that all technical ideas which are equivalent to the present disclosure are included in the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.