Vehicle subsystem coordination and control

• US 10,179,583 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2016
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Joyce, John P., Recker, Darrel Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jelani A
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US15/084,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20170282911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0006 Digital architecture hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/06 Improving the dynamic response of the control system, e.g. improving the speed of regulation or avoiding hunting or overshoot
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence

Abstract

A current value of a state-of-motion from a second controller can be received by a first controller. The first controller determines a subset of a target value of the state-of-motion to be achieved by a subsystem and transmits a command to a third controller in communication with the subsystem to achieve the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion. The third controller commands the subsystem to approach the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a vehicle comprising:

receiving, by a first controller, an identifier and a current value of a state-of-motion from a second controller, wherein the first controller and the second controller each have an update cycle;

determining a subset of a target value of the state-of-motion at a frequency dictated by the update cycle of the first controller; and

transmitting the identifier and a command for a subsystem to achieve the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion;

wherein the subsystem is one of a brake system and a steering system; and

the update cycle of the second controller is shorter than the update cycle of the first controller.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an offset value associated with the identifier; and

storing the identifier and the offset value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsystem is the brake system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsystem is the steering system.

5. A method of controlling a vehicle, including a first controller, a second controller, and a third controller in communication with a subsystem, comprising:

receiving, by the first controller from the second controller, the current value of the state-of-motion and an identifier, wherein the first controller, the second controller, and the third controller each have an update cycle;

determining, by the first controller, a subset of a target value of the state-of-motion;

transmitting, by the first controller to the third controller, the identifier and a command for the subsystem to achieve the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion;

receiving, by the third controller from the first controller, the identifier and the command for the subsystem to achieve the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion; and

commanding, by the third controller, the subsystem to approach the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion at a frequency dictated by the update cycle of the third controller;

wherein the subsystem is one of a brake system and a steering system;

the update cycle of the second controller is shorter than the update cycle of the first controller; and

the update cycle of the third controller is shorter than the update cycle of the first controller.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the second controller, whether the current value of the state-of-motion has crossed a boundary condition; and

creating, by the second controller, a replacement identifier and an offset value associated with the replacement identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting, by the second controller to the first controller, the replacement identifier and the offset value associated with the replacement identifier;

storing, by the first controller, the replacement identifier and the offset value; and

transmitting, by the first controller to the third controller, the replacement identifier and a command for the subsystem to achieve the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing, by the first controller, replacement identifiers and offset values associated with the replacement identifiers.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing, by the second controller, replacement identifiers and offset values associated with the replacement identifiers.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising deriving, by the third controller, a subset of an updated target value of the state-of-motion from the original identifier and the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion received from the first controller.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the subsystem is the brake system.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the subsystem is the steering system.

13. A vehicle-control system comprising:

a first controller, comprising a processor and memory;

a second controller, comprising a processor and a memory, in communication with the first controller;

a third controller, comprising a processor and a memory, in communication with the first controller; and

a subsystem in communication with the third controller;

wherein

the subsystem is one of a brake system and a steering system;

the first controller, the second controller, and the third controller each have an update cycle;

the update cycle of the second controller is shorter than the update cycle of the first controller;

the update cycle of the third controller is shorter than the update cycle of the first controller;

the first controller is programmed to receive from the second controller an identifier and a current value of the state-of-motion, determine a subset of the target value of the state-of-motion, and transmit the identifier and a command to the third controller for the subsystem to achieve the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion;

the second controller is programmed to send the identifier and the current value of the state-of-motion to the first controller; and

the third controller is programmed to receive from the first controller the identifier and the command for the subsystem to achieve the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion, and command the subsystem to approach the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion at a frequency dictated by the update cycle of the third controller.

14. The vehicle-control system of claim 13, wherein the second controller is further programmed to transmit an original identifier associated with the state-of-motion to the first controller, determine whether the current value of the state-of-motion has crossed a boundary condition, and create a replacement identifier and an offset value associated with the replacement identifier.

15. The vehicle-control system of claim 14, wherein:

the second controller is further programmed to transmit the replacement identifier and the offset value associated with the replacement identifier to the first controller; and

the first controller is further programmed to store the replacement identifier and the offset value and transmit to the third controller the replacement identifier and a command to achieve the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion.

16. The vehicle-control system of claim 15, wherein the first controller is further programmed to store replacement identifiers and offset values associated with the replacement identifiers.

17. The vehicle-control system of claim 14, wherein the second controller is further programmed to store replacement identifiers and offset values associated with the replacement identifiers.

18. The vehicle-control system of claim 17, wherein the third controller is further programmed to derive a subset of an updated target value of the state-of-motion from the original identifier and the subset of the target value of the state-of-motion received from the first controller.

19. The vehicle-control system of claim 13, wherein the subsystem is the brake system.

20. The vehicle-control system of claim 13, wherein the subsystem is the steering system.