Coordinated Decision Control of Lane-Change and Car-Following for Intelligent Vehicle Based on Time Series Prediction and Deep Reinforcement Learning

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Jan 9;24(2):403. doi: 10.3390/s24020403.

Abstract

Adaptive cruise control and autonomous lane-change systems represent pivotal advancements in intelligent vehicle technology. To enhance the operational efficiency of intelligent vehicles in combined lane-change and car-following scenarios, we propose a coordinated decision control model based on hierarchical time series prediction and deep reinforcement learning under the influence of multiple surrounding vehicles. Firstly, we analyze the lane-change behavior and establish boundary conditions for safe lane-change, and divide the lane-change trajectory planning problem into longitudinal velocity planning and lateral trajectory planning. LSTM network is introduced to predict the driving states of surrounding vehicles in multi-step time series, combining D3QN algorithm to make decisions on lane-change behavior. Secondly, based on the following state between the ego vehicle and the leader vehicle in the initial lane, as well as the relationship between the initial distance and the expected distance with the leader vehicle in the target lane, with the primary objective of maximizing driving efficiency, longitudinal velocity is planned based on driving conditions recognition. The lateral trajectory and conditions recognition are then planned using the GA-LSTM-BP algorithm. In contrast to conventional adaptive cruise control systems, the DDPG algorithm serves as the lower-level control model for car-following, enabling continuous velocity control. The proposed model is subsequently simulated and validated using the NGSIM dataset and a lane-change scenarios dataset. The results demonstrate that the algorithm facilitates intelligent vehicle lane-change and car-following coordinated control while ensuring safety and stability during lane-changes. Comparative analysis with other decision control models reveals a notable 17.58% increase in driving velocity, underscoring the algorithm's effectiveness in improving driving efficiency.

Keywords: condition identification; coordinated control; deep reinforcement learning; intelligent vehicles; lane-change and car-following; time series prediction; trajectory planning.