AUTOMATIC CONTROL METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE VIRTUAL CONFINEMENT OF A LAND VEHICLE WITHIN A TRACK

The present invention concerns a method (900; 1000) of automatic confinement of a land vehicle. In the embodiments of the present invention, the method (900; 1000) provides that the control unit (30) performs the following steps. Defining (900) a set of points of a track within which the vehicle is free to move, said track including at least one edge that defines a boundary of the track that must not be crossed by the vehicle. Determine (1001) a vehicle dynamic and position based on the information provided by plurality of sensors of the vehicle. Calculating (1005) an intervention area of the track based on the current position and dynamic of the vehicle, and on the position from the at least one edge, the area to be avoided extending between the at least one edge of the track toward the current position of the vehicle within the track. Determining (1007) whether the vehicle is at least partially in the intervention area. In affirmative case, controlling (1013) at least one actuator to modify the vehicle dynamic to perform an exit maneuver that brings the vehicle outside said intervention area. In particular, calculating (1005) an intervention area comprises performing the following steps. Calculating (10055) a first collision area based on the current position and dynamic of the vehicle, the position from the at least one edge and an ability to modify the vehicle dynamic of the driver by acting on said at least one actuator. Calculating (10057) a second collision area based on the current position and dynamic of the vehicle, the position from the at least one edge and an ability to modify the vehicle dynamic of the control unit by acting on said at least one actuator. The first collision area and the second collision area correspond to regions of the track within which reaching and/or crossing said at least one edge is inevitable when the vehicle moving according to the current dynamic is driven by the driver or by the control unit, respectively. Finally, defining (10058) the intervention area as the area resulting from the difference between the first collision area and the second collision area.