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laneMarking

Create road lane marking object

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Syntax

lm = laneMarking(type)
lm = laneMarking(type,Name,Value)
cm = laneMarking(lmArray)
cm = laneMarking(lmArray,'SegmentRange',range)

Description

Single Marking Type Along Lane

lm = laneMarking(type) creates a default lane marking object of the specified type (solid lane, dashed lane, and so on). This object defines the characteristics of a lane boundary marking on a road. When creating roads in a driving scenario, you can use lane marking objects as inputs to the lanespec object.

lm = laneMarking(type,Name,Value) set the properties of the lane marking object using one or more name-value pairs. For example, laneMarking('Solid','Color','yellow') creates a solid yellow lane marking.

example

Multiple Marking Types Along Lane

cm = laneMarking(lmArray) creates a composite lane marking object from an array of lane marking objects, lmArray. Use this syntax to generate lane markings that contain multiple marker types.

For example, create a lane boundary marking that has both solid and dashed marking types by defining lmArray.

lmArray = [laneMarking('Solid') laneMarking('Dashed')]
cm = laneMarking(lmArray)
The order in which the marking types occur depend on the draw direction of the road. For more information, see Draw Direction of Road and Numbering of Lanes and Composite Lane Marking.

example

cm = laneMarking(lmArray,'SegmentRange',range) specifies the range for each marker type in the composite lane marking by using the name-value pair argument 'SegmentRange', range.

example

Examples

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Open Live Script

Create a driving scenario and the road centers for a straight, 80-meter road.

scenario = drivingScenario;
roadCenters = [0 0; 80 0];

Create a lanespec object for a four-lane road. Use the laneMarking function to specify its five lane markings. The center line is double-solid and double yellow. The outermost lines are solid and white. The inner lines are dashed and white.

solidW = laneMarking('Solid','Width',0.3);
dashW = laneMarking('Dashed','Space',5);
doubleY = laneMarking('DoubleSolid','Color','yellow');
lspec = lanespec([2 2],'Width',[5 5 5 5], ...
    'Marking',[solidW dashW doubleY dashW solidW]);

Add the road to the driving scenario. Display the road.

road(scenario,roadCenters,'Lanes',lspec);
plot(scenario)

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object with xlabel X (m), ylabel Y (m) contains 3 objects of type patch, line.

Open Script

Simulate a driving scenario with one car traveling on an S-curve. Create and plot the lane boundaries.

Create the driving scenario with one road having an S-curve.

scenario = drivingScenario('StopTime',3);
roadcenters = [-35 20 0; -20 -20 0; 0 0 0; 20 20 0; 35 -20 0];

Create the lanes and add them to the road.

lm = [laneMarking('Solid','Color','w'); ...
    laneMarking('Dashed','Color','y'); ...
    laneMarking('Dashed','Color','y'); ...
    laneMarking('Solid','Color','w')];
ls = lanespec(3,'Marking',lm);
road(scenario,roadcenters,'Lanes',ls);

Add an ego vehicle and specify its trajectory from its waypoints. By default, the car travels at a speed of 30 meters per second.

car = vehicle(scenario, ...
    'ClassID',1, ...
    'Position',[-35 20 0]);
waypoints = [-35 20 0; -20 -20 0; 0 0 0; 20 20 0; 35 -20 0];
smoothTrajectory(car,waypoints);

Plot the scenario and corresponding chase plot.

plot(scenario)


chasePlot(car)

Run the simulation loop.

  1. Initialize a bird's-eye plot and create an outline plotter, left-lane and right-lane boundary plotters, and a road boundary plotter.

  2. Obtain the road boundaries and rectangular outlines.

  3. Obtain the lane boundaries to the left and right of the vehicle.

  4. Advance the simulation and update the plotters.

bep = birdsEyePlot('XLim',[-40 40],'YLim',[-30 30]);
olPlotter = outlinePlotter(bep);
lblPlotter = laneBoundaryPlotter(bep,'Color','r','LineStyle','-');
lbrPlotter = laneBoundaryPlotter(bep,'Color','g','LineStyle','-');
rbsEdgePlotter = laneBoundaryPlotter(bep);
legend('off');
while advance(scenario)
    rbs = roadBoundaries(car);
    [position,yaw,length,width,originOffset,color] = targetOutlines(car);
    lb = laneBoundaries(car,'XDistance',0:5:30,'LocationType','Center', ...
        'AllBoundaries',false);
    plotLaneBoundary(rbsEdgePlotter,rbs)
    plotLaneBoundary(lblPlotter,{lb(1).Coordinates})
    plotLaneBoundary(lbrPlotter,{lb(2).Coordinates})
    plotOutline(olPlotter,position,yaw,length,width, ...
        'OriginOffset',originOffset,'Color',color)
end

Open Live Script

This example shows how to create a driving scenario for maneuvers such as changing lanes and passing other vehicles. You create roads with passing zones and add vehicles to the scenario. Then, define the trajectories for these vehicles to simulate vehicle lane change in passing zones.

Create Road with Passing Zones by Using Composite Lane Marking

Create a driving scenario. Specify the road centers and the number of lanes to add a two-way, two-lane straight road of 54 meters with draw direction from top-to-bottom. 

scenario = drivingScenario('StopTime',10);
roadCenters = [50 0; -4 0];
numLanes = [1 1];

Typically, the number of lane markings is equal to number of lanes plus one. A two-way, two-lane road has 3 lane markings and the outermost lane markings at both the edges are solid white lines.

Create a solid marking object of marking width 0.25 meters, to constitute the outermost lane markings for the two-way road.

outerLM = laneMarking('Solid','Width',0.25);

Create a lane marking array of SolidMarking and DashedMarking objects that contain the properties for solid and dashed double yellow lines. 

lmArray = [laneMarking('DoubleSolid','Color','Yellow','Width',0.25)
           laneMarking('DashedSolid','Color','Yellow','Length',1,'Space',1.5,'Width',0.25)
           laneMarking('DoubleSolid','Color','Yellow','Width',0.25)
           laneMarking('SolidDashed','Color','Yellow','Length',1,'Space',1.5,'Width',0.25)];

Create a composite lane marking object for the center lane marking by using the lane marking array. Specify the normalized length for each marking object.

centerLM = laneMarking(lmArray,'SegmentRange',[0.1 0.25 0.2 0.35]);

Create a vector of the outermost and the center lane marking objects. Pass the vector as input to the lanespec function in order to define the lane specifications of the road.

marking = [outerLM centerLM outerLM];
ls = lanespec(numLanes,'Width',7,'Marking',marking);

Add the road to the driving scenario. Plot the driving scenario. Since the draw direction of the road is from top-to-bottom, the marking types in the composite lane marking also occur in top-to-bottom order.

road(scenario,roadCenters,'Lanes',ls);
figMark = figure;
set(figMark,'Position',[0 0 600 600]);
hPlot = axes(figMark);
plot(scenario,'Parent',hPlot);
title('Composite Marking: Road with Passing Zones')

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object with title Composite Marking: Road with Passing Zones, xlabel X (m), ylabel Y (m) contains 3 objects of type patch, line.

Simulate Vehicle Lane Change in Passing Zones

Add a slow moving vehicle (SMV) to the scenario. Specify the waypoints and speed value to set the trajectory for the SMV.

slowVehicle = vehicle(scenario,'ClassID',1,'Position',[37 -3 0]);
waypoints = [37 -3;12 -3];
speed = 2;
smoothTrajectory(slowVehicle,waypoints,speed);

Add another vehicle to the scenario. Set the trajectory for the vehicle in such a way that it passes the SMV in front of it by changing lanes at the passing zones.

passingVehicle = vehicle(scenario,'ClassID',1,'Position',[49 -3 0]);
waypoints = [49 -3; 45 -3; 40 -3; 35 0;
             30 3; 26 3; 22 3; 18 3;
             8 0; 5 -2; 2 -3; 1 -3];
speed = 6;
smoothTrajectory(passingVehicle,waypoints,speed);

Create a custom figure window and plot the scenario.

close all;
figScene = figure;
set(figScene,'Position',[0 0 600 600]);
hPanel = uipanel(figScene);
hPlot = axes(hPanel);
plot(scenario,'Parent',hPlot);
title('Passing Zone: Change Lane and Pass Other Vehicle')

% Run the simulation
while advance(scenario)
    pause(0.01)
end

Figure contains an axes object and an object of type uipanel. The axes object with title Passing Zone: Change Lane and Pass Other Vehicle, xlabel X (m), ylabel Y (m) contains 5 objects of type patch, line.

Input Arguments

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Type of lane marking, specified as one of these values.

'Unmarked' 'Solid''Dashed''DoubleSolid''DoubleDashed''SolidDashed''DashedSolid'

No lane marking

Solid line

Dashed line

Two solid lines

Two dashed lines

Solid line on left, dashed line on right

Dashed line on left, solid line on right

Sample of an unmarked lane

Sample of a solid lane marking

Sample of a dashed lane marking

Sample of a double-solid lane marking

Sample of a double-dashed lane marking

Sample of a solid-dashed lane marking

Sample of a dashed-solid lane marking

The type of lane marking is stored in Type, a read-only property of the returned lane marking object.

1-D array of lane marking objects, specified as

  • LaneMarking object for 'Unmarked' type of lane marking.

  • SolidMarking object for 'Solid' and 'DoubleSolid' types of lane marking.

  • DashedMarking object for 'Dashed', 'DoubleDashed', 'SolidDashed', and 'DashedSolid' types of lane marking.

Example: lmArray = [laneMarking('Solid') laneMarking('Dashed')]

Range for each marking type, specified as a vector with normalized values in the interval [0, 1]. The length of the vector must be same as the number of marking types specified in the input array lmArray.

The default range value for each marking type in the lane is the inverse of the number of marking types specified in lmArray.

For example, if the input lane marking array contains three lane marking objects, such as lmArray = [laneMarking('Solid') laneMarking('Dashed') laneMarking('Solid')], then the default range value for each marking type is 1/3, that is range = [0.3330 0.3330 0.3330].

Name-Value Arguments

Specify optional pairs of arguments as Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN, where Name is the argument name and Value is the corresponding value. Name-value arguments must appear after other arguments, but the order of the pairs does not matter.

Before R2021a, use commas to separate each name and value, and enclose Name in quotes.

Example: laneMarking('Dashed','Width',0.25,'Length',5.0) creates a lane with dashes that are 0.25 meters wide and spaced 5 meters apart.

Lane marking widths, specified as the comma-separated pair consisting of 'Width' and a positive real scalar. For a double lane marker, the same width is used for both lines. Units are in meters.

The width of the lane marking must be less than the width of its enclosing lane. The enclosing lane is the lane directly to the left of the lane marking.

Example: 0.20

Color of lane marking, specified as the comma-separated pair consisting of 'Color' and an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short color name. For a double lane marker, the same color is used for both lines.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

  • An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

  • A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color NameShort NameRGB TripletHexadecimal Color CodeAppearance
'red''r'[1 0 0]'#FF0000'

Sample of the color red

'green''g'[0 1 0]'#00FF00'

Sample of the color green

'blue''b'[0 0 1]'#0000FF'

Sample of the color blue

'cyan' 'c'[0 1 1]'#00FFFF'

Sample of the color cyan

'magenta''m'[1 0 1]'#FF00FF'

Sample of the color magenta

'yellow''y'[0.98 0.86 0.36]'#FADB5C'

Sample of the color yellow

'black''k'[0 0 0]'#000000'

Sample of the color black

'white''w'[1 1 1]'#FFFFFF'

Sample of the color white

Example: [0.8 0.8 0.8]

Saturation strength of lane marking color, specified as the comma-separated pair consisting of 'Strength' and a real scalar in the range [0, 1]. A value of 0 corresponds to a marking whose color is fully unsaturated. The marking is gray. A value of 1 corresponds to a marking whose color is fully saturated. For a double lane marking, the same strength is used for both lines.

Example: 0.20

Length of dash in dashed lines, specified as the comma-separated pair consisting of 'Length' and a positive real scalar. For a double lane marking, the same length is used for both lines. The dash is the visible part of a dashed line. Units are in meters.

Example: 2.0

Length of space between the end of one dash and the beginning of the next dash, specified as the comma-separated pair consisting of 'Space' and a positive real scalar. For a double lane marking, the same length is used for both lines. Units are in meters.

Example: 2.0

Output Arguments

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Lane marking, returned as a LaneMarking object, SolidMarking object, or DashedMarking object. The type of returned object depends on the type of input lane marking specified for the type input.

Input TypeOutput Lane MarkingLane Marking Properties
'Unmarked'

LaneMarking object

  • Type

'Solid'

SolidMarking object

  • Color

  • Width

  • Strength

  • Type

'DoubleSolid'
'Dashed'

DashedMarking object

  • Length

  • Space

  • Color

  • Width

  • Strength

  • Type

'DashedSolid'
'SolidDashed'
'DoubleDashed'

You can set these properties when you create the lane marking object by using the corresponding name-value pairs of the laneMarking function. To update these properties after creation, use dot notation. For example:

lm = laneMarking('Solid');
lm.Width = 0.2;
You can set all properties after creation except Type, which is read-only. For details on the geometric properties of the SolidMarking and DashedMarking objects, see Lane Specifications.

Composite lane marking, returned as a CompositeMarking object with properties Markings and SegmentRange.

Composite Lane Marking PropertiesDescription
MarkingsThis property is an array of lane marking objects that defines the multiple marking types comprising the composite lane marking. The part of the lane marking defined by each lane marking object is a marker segment. This property is read-only.
SegmentRangeThis property specifies the normalized range for each marker segment in the composite lane marking. This property is read-only.

Use this object to specify multiple marking types along a lane. For more details on how to specify composite lane markings and the order of marker segments along the lane, see Composite Lane Marking.

More About

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Draw Direction of Road and Numbering of Lanes

To create a road by using the road function, specify the road centers as a matrix input. The function creates a directed line that traverses the road centers, starting from the coordinates in the first row of the matrix and ending at the coordinates in the last row of the matrix. The coordinates in the first two rows of the matrix specify the draw direction of the road. These coordinates correspond to the first two consecutive road centers. The draw direction is the direction in which the roads render in the scenario plot.

To create a road by using the Driving Scenario Designer app, you can either specify the Road Centers parameter or interactively draw on the Scenario Canvas. For a detailed example, see Create a Driving Scenario. In this case, the draw direction is the direction in which roads render in the Scenario Canvas.

  • For a road with a top-to-bottom draw direction, the difference between the x-coordinates of the first two consecutive road centers is positive.

  • For a road with a bottom-to-top draw direction, the difference between the x-coordinates of the first two consecutive road centers is negative.

Road with top-to-bottom draw direction

Road with bottom-to-top draw direction

  • For a road with a left-to-right draw direction, the difference between the y-coordinates of the first two consecutive road centers is positive.

  • For a road with a right-to-left draw direction, the difference between the y-coordinates of the first two consecutive road centers is negative.

Road with left-to-right draw direction

Road with right-to-left draw direction

Numbering Lanes

Lanes must be numbered from left to right, with the left edge of the road defined relative to the draw direction of the road. For a one-way road, by default, the left edge of the road is a solid yellow marking which indicates the end of the road in transverse direction (direction perpendicular to draw direction). For a two-way road, by default, both edges are marked with solid white lines.

For example, these diagrams show how the lanes are numbered in a one-way and two-way road with a draw direction from top-to-bottom.

Numbering Lanes in a One-Way RoadNumbering Lanes in a Two-Way Road

Specify the number of lanes as a positive integer for a one-way road. If you set the integer value as 3, then the road has three lanes that travel in the same direction. The lanes are numbered starting from the left edge of the road.

1, 2, 3 denote the first, second, and third lanes of the road, respectively.

Lane numbers in one-way road

Specify the number of lanes as a two-element vector of positive integer for a two-way road. If you set the vector as [1 2], then the road has three lanes: two lanes traveling in one direction and one lane traveling in the opposite direction. Because of the draw direction, the road has one left lane and two right lanes. The lanes are numbered starting from the left edge of the road.

1L denote the only left lane of the road. 1R and 2R denote the first and second right lanes of the road, respectively.

Lane numbers in two-way road

The lane specifications apply by the order in which the lanes are numbered.

Composite Lane Marking

A composite lane marking comprises two or more marker segments that define multiple marking types along a lane. The geometric properties for a composite lane marking include the geometric properties of each marking type and the normalized lengths of the marker segments.

The order in which the specified marker segments occur in a composite lane marking depends on the draw direction of the road. Each marker segment is a directed segment with a start point and moves towards the last road center. The first marker segment starts from the first road center and moves towards the last road center for a specified length. The second marker segment starts from the end point of the first marker segment and moves towards the last road center for a specified length. The same process applies for each marker segment that you specify for the composite lane marking. You can set the normalized length for each of these marker segments by specifying the range input argument.

For example, consider a one-way road with two lanes. The second lane marking from the left edge of the road is a composite lane marking with marking types Solid and Dashed. The normalized range for each marking type is 0.5. The first marker segment is a solid marking and the second marker segment is a dashed marking. These diagrams show the order in which the marker segments apply for left-to-right and right-to-left draw directions of the road.

Road with left-to-right draw direction. The left edge of the road is on top.

Road with right-to-left draw direction. The left edge of the road is on bottom.

For information on the geometric properties of lane markings, see Lane Specifications.

Lane Specifications

The diagram shows the components and geometric properties of roads, lanes, and lane markings.

Geometric properties of roads, lanes, and lane markings

The lane specification object, lanespec, defines the road lanes.

  • The NumLanes property specifies the number of lanes. You must specify the number of lanes when you create this object.

  • The Width property specifies the width of each lane.

  • The Marking property contains the specifications of each lane marking in the road. Marking is an array of lane marking objects, with one object per lane. To create these objects, use the laneMarking function. Lane marking specifications include:

    • Type — Type of lane marking (solid, dashed, and so on)

    • Width — Lane marking width

    • Color — Lane marking color

    • Strength — Saturation value for lane marking color

    • Length — For dashed lanes, the length of each dashed line

    • Space — For dashed lanes, the spacing between dashes

    • SegmentRange — For composite lane marking, the normalized length of each marker segment

  • The Type property contains the lane type specifications of each lane in the road. Type can be a homogeneous lane type object or a heterogeneous lane type array.

    • Homogeneous lane type object contains the lane type specifications of all the lanes in the road.

    • Heterogeneous lane type array contains an array of lane type objects, with one object per lane.

    To create these objects, use the laneType function. Lane type specifications include:

    • Type — Type of lane (driving, border, and so on)

    • Color — Lane color

    • Strength — Strength of the lane color

Version History

Introduced in R2018a

See Also

Objects

Functions