Lead vehicle monitoring for adaptive cruise control

• US 10,442,432 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Makled, Daniel A., McQuillen, Michael, Ferack, Jeremy, Ayoub, Ali Ahmad
• Primary Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan A
• Application Number:
  US15/813,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20190143971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 701 96
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0623 Fuel flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/24 Energy storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/10 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/50 : Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 : Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 : Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 : Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 : Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0023 : in response to energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 : having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 : responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 : where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 : where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 : where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 : where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 : Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for lead vehicle monitoring for adaptive cruise control. An example vehicle includes a communication module for V2V communication, a camera, a sensor, and an adaptive cruise control unit. The adaptive cruise control unit is to determine an acceleration oscillation value of a lead vehicle based upon measurements collected via at least one of the camera and the sensor and send, via the communication module, an instruction to the lead vehicle to activate cruise control responsive to determining the acceleration oscillation value exceeds a threshold.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a communication module for V2V communication;

a camera;

a sensor; and

an adaptive cruise control unit to;

determine an acceleration oscillation value of a lead vehicle based upon measurements collected via at least one of the camera and the sensor; and

send, via the communication module, an instruction to the lead vehicle to activate cruise control responsive to determining the acceleration oscillation value exceeds a threshold.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the acceleration oscillation value corresponds to an amount of acceleration and deceleration performed by the lead vehicle over a predetermined period of time.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the measurements are acceleration measurements of the lead vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the threshold is a threshold number of occurrences that the lead vehicle accelerates or decelerates beyond a acceleration threshold range.

5. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the camera collects images of the lead vehicle to enable the adaptive cruise control unit to collect the acceleration measurements.

6. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the sensor includes a proximity sensor that detects location data of the lead vehicle to enable the adaptive cruise control unit to collect the acceleration measurements.

7. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the adaptive cruise control unit further collects the acceleration measurements via V2V communication with the lead vehicle.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the measurements are energy consumption measurements that are collected while trailing the lead vehicle.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the threshold is an energy consumption threshold range that corresponds to a constant rate of travel.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a fuel level sensor that monitors a fuel tank and a BSM sensor that monitors a current of a battery.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the adaptive cruise control unit is to:

collect second acceleration measurements of an adjacent vehicle in an adjacent lane of travel;

determine a second acceleration oscillation value based on the second acceleration measurements; and

compare the second acceleration oscillation value to a second threshold.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the adaptive cruise control unit emits an alert responsive to the adaptive cruise control unit determining the second acceleration oscillation value is less than the second threshold.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the adaptive cruise control unit sends a signal to autonomously change lanes into the adjacent lane responsive to determining the second acceleration oscillation value is less than the second threshold.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the second threshold is different than the threshold.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the adaptive cruise control unit smoothes, based upon the acceleration oscillation value, a trailing algorithm utilized for trailing the lead vehicle while adaptive cruise control is activated.

16. A method comprising:

performing, via a processor, adaptive cruise control for a vehicle;

collecting measurements via at least one of a camera and a sensor of the vehicle;

determining, via the processor, an acceleration oscillation value of a lead vehicle based on the measurements; and

sending, via V2V communication, an instruction to the lead vehicle to activate cruise control responsive to determining the acceleration oscillation value exceeds a threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the acceleration oscillation value corresponds to an amount of acceleration and deceleration preformed by the lead vehicle over a predetermined period of time.

18. The method of claim 16, further including:

determining a second acceleration oscillation value of an adjacent vehicle in an adjacent lane of travel; and

emitting an alert via at least one of a display and a speaker of the vehicle to alert a driver to the adjacent lane responsive to determining the second acceleration oscillation value is less than the threshold.

19. The method of claim 16, further including:

determining a second acceleration oscillation value of an adjacent vehicle in an adjacent lane of travel; and

autonomously changing lanes, via the processor, into the adjacent lane responsive to determining the second acceleration oscillation value is less than the threshold.

20. The method of claim 16, further including smoothing, based upon the acceleration oscillation value, a trailing algorithm utilized for trailing the lead vehicle while adaptive cruise control is activated.