Vehicle control unit (VCU) and operating method thereof

• US 10,661,805 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2017
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., North Carolina State University (University of North Carolina System)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Daebong, Chow, Mo-Yuen, Eichi, Habiballah Rahimi, Jeon, Jinyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/646,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20180141555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1-119
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/645 Type of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/667 Precipitation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/48 by fuzzy logic
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/50 using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/14 Preventing excessive discharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/09 Other types of propulsion units, e.g. fluid motors, or type not specified
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/305 Power absorbed by auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 : Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 : Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 : Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 : Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 : Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/103 : Speed profile
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1886 : Controlling power supply to auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed are a vehicle control unit (VCU) and an operation method thereof that calculate a speed variation of a vehicle based on input information, predict an average speed of the vehicle based on the calculated speed variation, generate a first speed profile based on the predicted average speed, and generate a second speed profile by applying speed noise information to the first speed profile.

Claims

1. A method of operating a vehicle control unit (VCU), the method comprising:

calculating a speed variation of a vehicle based on input information;

predicting an average speed of the vehicle based on the calculated speed variation;

generating a first speed profile based on the predicted average speed;

generating a second speed profile by applying speed noise information to the first speed profile; and

determining driving related information of the vehicle based on the second speed profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating comprises calculating a speed variation corresponding to each point on a path of the vehicle based on respective input information associated with the each point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the input information comprises any one or any combination of weather information, traffic flow information, or road type information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicting comprises predicting an average speed of the vehicle at each point on a path of the vehicle based on a speed variation corresponding to the each point and a reference speed of the each point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the first speed profile comprises generating the first speed profile based on an average speed predicted for each point on a path of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining driving related information comprises:

predicting an amount of power to be used by the vehicle based on the second speed profile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining driving related information comprises:

predicting an amount of power to be transferred to a powertrain of the vehicle based on the second speed profile; and

predicting an amount of power to be used by an air conditioning system of the vehicle based on either one or both of solar radiation information or ambient temperature information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a driving range of the vehicle based on a predicted amount of power to be used by the vehicle and either one or both of current state information of a battery of the vehicle or a current amount of fuel of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the driving range comprises:

predicting either one or both of state information of the battery or an amount of fuel at a destination based on the predicted amount of power to be used by the vehicle; and

determining whether the vehicle is able to reach the destination based on either one or both of the predicted state information or the predicted amount of fuel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining driving related information comprises:

generating guide information related to driving of the vehicle based on the second speed profile; and

outputting the guide information to a user of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the guide information comprises:

comparing a predicted average speed determined from the second speed profile to a target speed determined from driving history information of the vehicle; and

generating the guide information based on a result of the comparing.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the guide information comprises:

identifying a speed section satisfying a predetermined criterion in the second speed profile; and

generating the guide information related to driving on a path corresponding to the identified speed section.

13. A vehicle control unit (VCU), comprising:

a processor configured to

calculate a speed variation of a vehicle based on input information,

predict an average speed of the vehicle based on the calculated speed variation,

generate a first speed profile based on the predicted average speed,

generate a second speed profile by applying speed noise information to the first speed profile, and

determine driving related information of the vehicle based on the second speed profile.

14. The VCU of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to calculate a speed variation corresponding to each point on a path of the vehicle based on input information associated with the each point.

15. The VCU of claim 13, wherein the input information comprises any one or any combination of any two or more of weather information, traffic flow information, or road type information.

16. The VCU of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to predict an average speed of the vehicle at each point on a path of the vehicle based on a speed variation corresponding to the each point and a reference speed of the each point.

17. The VCU of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to generate the first speed profile based on an average speed predicted for each point on a path of the vehicle.

18. The VCU of claim 13, wherein the determining of the driving related information comprises predicting an amount of power to be used by the vehicle based on the second speed profile.

19. The VCU of claim 13, wherein the determining of the driving related information comprises predicting an amount of power to be transferred to a powertrain of the vehicle based on the second speed profile, and predicting an amount of power to be used by an air conditioning system of the vehicle based on either one or both of solar radiation information or ambient temperature information.

20. The VCU of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to determine a driving range of the vehicle based on a predicted amount of power to be used by the vehicle and either one or both of current state information of a battery of the vehicle or a current amount of fuel of the vehicle.

21. The VCU of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to predict either one or both of state information of the battery or an amount of fuel at a destination based on the predicted amount of power to be used by the vehicle, and to determine whether the vehicle is able to reach the destination based on either one or both of the predicted state information or the predicted amount of fuel.

22. The VCU of claim 13, wherein the determining of the driving related information comprises generating guide information related to driving of the vehicle based on the second speed profile, and output the guide information to a user of vehicle.

23. The VCU of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to compare a predicted average speed determined from the second speed profile to a target speed determined from driving history information of the vehicle, and to generate the guide information based on a comparison result.

24. The VCU of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to identify a speed section satisfying a predetermined criterion in the second speed profile, and to generate the guide information related to driving on a path corresponding to the identified speed section.