Predictive transmission control method through road shape recognition

• US 10,352,437 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Kefico Corporation (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Autron Co., Ltd. (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Dae-Geun, Kim, Yong Min, Byeon, Jae Hoon, Jung, Ji Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huan
• Application Number:
  US15/368,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20170159805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/663 Road slope
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/666 Determining road conditions by using vehicle location or position, e.g. from global navigation systems [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0223 Generating of new shift maps, i.e. methods for determining shift points for a schedule by taking into account driveline and vehicle conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/66 Road conditions, e.g. slope, slippery
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals

Abstract

The present invention relates to a predictive transmission control method through road shape recognition, and more particularly, to a control method for carrying out predictive transmission by recognizing the shape of a road utilizing information of a high density map. The present invention provides a transmission control method which can provide an accurate predictive transmission by recognizing the shape of the front road based on GPS information.

Claims

1. A road shape recognition method for predictive transmission comprising the steps of:

collecting information of vehicle position;

collecting information of a road shape necessary for the vehicle to recognize the road shape based on the vehicle position information;

updating information of the road shape using the vehicle position information;

dividing a road into a plurality of sections based on a front distance information;

expressing a level of the road shape in each section relative to the plurality of sections based on the road shape information;

setting a target gear of a predictive transmission based on the level of the road shape if the level of the road shape exceeds a previously-set threshold value;

establishing a transmission plan of the predictive transmission based on the target gear, wherein the predictive transmission is controlled according to the transmission plan; and

using the collected information and the transmission plan to shift the transmission,

wherein in the road shape collecting step or the information updating step, if there is any error in the vehicle position information or the road shape information, the vehicle position information or the road shape information is corrected using previously stored information.

2. The road shape recognition method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle position information is collected through GPS information.

3. The road shape recognition method according to claim 1, wherein the road shape contains gradient information of the road on which the vehicle is running and curvature information of the road.

4. The road shape recognition method according to claim 1, wherein the road shape information is collected through a high density map data located inside or outside the vehicle.

5. The road shape recognition method according to claim 1, wherein in the road shape information collecting step, the road shape information is selected and collected based on the vehicle position information on the map data.

6. A predictive transmission control method comprising the steps of:

collecting road shape information of a road on which the vehicle is running;

dividing a plurality of sections based on front distance of the vehicle and expressing a level of the road shape at the sections based on the road shape information; and

setting a target gear of the predictive transmission based on the level of the road shape, if the level of the road shape exceeds a previously-set threshold value;

establishing a transmission plan of the predictive transmission based on the target gear, wherein the predictive transmission is controlled according to the transmission plan; and

using the collected information and the transmission plan to shift the transmission,

wherein in the road shape information collecting step, if there is any error in the road shape information, the road shape information is corrected using previously stored information.

7. The predictive transmission control method according to claim 6, wherein the road shape contains gradient information of the road and curvature information of the road.

8. The predictive transmission control method according to claim 6, wherein if the level of the road shape is an object for predictive transmission control, the target gear of the predictive transmission is set based on the road shape information and a front distance value corresponding to the level of the road shape.

9. A predictive transmission control device comprising:

a position information collecting circuitry configured to collect vehicle position information;

a distance information collecting circuitry configured to collect front distance information of the vehicle; and

a road shape information generating circuitry is configured to collect road shape information necessary for recognizing a shape of a front road of the vehicle based on the vehicle position information, divide the front road into a plurality of sections based on a front distance information, and express a level of the road shape relative to the plurality of sections based on the road shape information,

wherein the road shape information generating circuitry is configured to set a target gear of a predictive transmission based on the level of the road shape if the level of the road shape exceeds a previously-set threshold value, establish a transmission plan of the predictive transmission based on the target gear, wherein the predictive transmission is controlled according to the transmission plan,

wherein the vehicle position information or the road shape information is corrected using the previously stored information if there is an error in the vehicle position information or the road shape information,

wherein the predictive control device uses the collected information and the transmission plan to shift the transmission.