fix(obstacle_cruise_planner): improve cruise planner handling to a VRU maneuver overlapping with ego vehicle trajectory

[ahmeddesokyebrahim]

Description

Fixes :

• [Dense-Urban-ODD] Improve cruise planner handling to a VRU maneuver overlapping with ego vehicle trajectory autoware.universe#8311

Related links

Parent Issue :

• [Autoware Labs] Dense Urban ODD - Reviewing and Tracking Failed Scenarios autoware.universe#7485

Tests performed

Before this PR :

2024-07-09.16-05-17.mp4

2024-07-09.16-06-27.mp4

After this PR :

2024-08-26.14-31-47.mp4

2024-08-26.14-33-37.mp4

Notes for reviewers

Interface changes

ROS Topic Changes

N.A

ROS Parameter Changes

Parameter Name	Default Value	Update Description
obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_cruise_to_stop	1.0 m/s	Lowering the this threshold below obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_stop_to_cruise to prevent chattering between cruise and stop
obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_stop_to_cruise	1.5 m/s	Lowering the the velocity threshold hysteresis from cruise to obstacle stop so that obstacle_cruise_planner is not performing high -ve acceleration once the VRU is overlapping with ego trajectory and allowing the ego vehicle to cruise the front VRU not always triggering obstacle stop for it

Effects on system behavior

Enhancing the obstacle_cruise_planner to effectively handle scenarios where vulnerable road users (VRUs) suddenly maneuver and overlap with the ego vehicle's trajectory in dense urban operational design domains (ODDs) will improve deceleration and velocity adjustments, resulting in more human-like driving behavior.

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[takayuki5168]

obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_stop_to_cruise has to be larger than obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_cruise_to_stop.
I guess when the ego's velocity is 2.8, the mode will chatter like cruise -> stop -> cruise -> stop -> ...

[ahmeddesokyebrahim]

Thanks @takayuki5168 -san for your review comment.
I have discussed this comment with @brkay54 as he had previous knowledge in this point and we come to the following updates in the parameters .

• We see that having obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_stop_to_cruise with 1.5 m/s (5.4 k/h) would be better handling this scenario allowing the ego vehicle to cruise the VRU not always triggering obstacle stop imitating natural human driving in such dense urban cases
• As well having obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_cruise_to_stop less than obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_stop_to_cruise will prevent chattering.

I have provided new demo videos under After this PR. Please have a look and let us know your thoughts.

[takayuki5168]

@ahmeddesokyebrahim
Thank you for the explanation.

In the use case where the ego tries to stop for the front stopped object, decreasing the parameter makes the ego late to switch from CRUISE to STOP, and as a result, the ego is late to decelerate which we feel is very dangerous. So I don't agree with decreasing this parameter.
Does this explanation make sense to you?

[ahmeddesokyebrahim]

Thanks @takayuki5168 -san for your reply.

decreasing the parameter makes the ego late to switch from CRUISE to STOP

Actually it is intended by this change to let the ego vehicle cruise the front object not to trigger obstacle stop for it, trying to have a natural human driving behavior in such dense urban areas.

Do you have in mind or with prior experiments any minimum threshold that we can have for obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_cruise_to_stop & obstacle_velocity_threshold_from_stop_to_cruise ?

[ahmeddesokyebrahim]

Closing this PR as the intended issue and scenario/s will be covered by this PR