Method and system for controlling a vehicle

• US 20030191568A1
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,768,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters

Abstract

Control system and method for controlling a vehicle or a component of a vehicle in which an inertial reference unit includes accelerometers and gyroscopes which provide data on vehicle motion and a processor processes the data and controls the vehicle or the component of the vehicle based thereon. Movement of the vehicle may be controlled via control over servos, such as a servo associated with the braking system, a servo associated with the drive train or throttle and a servo associated with the steering system. A display to the driver can also be controlled by the processor to provide data on vehicle motion or data or information derived from the data on vehicle motion. Optionally, a Kalman filter is coupled to the processor for optimizing the data on vehicle motion from the inertial reference unit.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a vehicle or a component of a vehicle, comprising:

an inertial reference unit including three accelerometers and three gyroscopes which provide data on vehicle motion; and

a processor coupled to said inertial reference unit and arranged to process the data on vehicle motion and control the vehicle or the component of the vehicle based thereon.

2. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a Kalman filter coupled to said processor for optimizing the data on vehicle motion from said inertial reference unit.

3. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a navigation system coupled to said processor and arranged to provide information about a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling from a map database to said processor, the component of the vehicle being a warning system, said processor being arranged to process the data on vehicle motion and the roadway information and control the warning system to provide a warning to the driver upon detection of a potential crash situation.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein said processor is structured and arranged to consider the vehicle being about to run off a road, cross a yellow line and run a stop sign as potential crash situations.

5. The control system of claim 3, further comprising a sensor for obtaining input on the color of an approaching stoplight, said processor being structured and arranged to consider the vehicle being about to run off a road, cross a yellow line, run a stop sign and run a red stoplight as potential crash situations.

6. The control system of claim 3, wherein said warning system is at least one of an alarm, a light, a buzzer audible noise and a simulated rumble strip.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein said processor is arranged to control the movement of the vehicle based on the data on vehicle motion.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein said processor is arranged to control a display in the vehicle based on the data on vehicle motion.

9. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a GPS receiver arranged to receive positioning signals relating to the position of the vehicle, said processor being coupled to said GPS receiver and arranged to process the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle and control the vehicle or the component of the vehicle based thereon.

10. The control system of claim 9, further comprising a Kalman filter coupled to said processor for optimizing the data on vehicle motion from said inertial reference unit and the signals relating to the position of the vehicle from said GPS receiver.

11. The control system of claim 9, further comprising a navigation system coupled to said processor and arranged to provide information about a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling from a map database to said processor, the component of the vehicle being a warning system, said processor being arranged to process the data on vehicle motion, the signals relating to the position of the vehicle and the roadway information and control the warning system to provide a warning to the driver upon detection of a potential crash situation.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein said processor is structured and arranged to consider the vehicle being about to run off a road, cross a yellow line and run a stop sign as potential crash situations.

13. The control system of claim 11, further comprising a sensor for obtaining input on the color of an approaching stoplight, said processor being structured and arranged to consider the vehicle being about to run off a road, cross a yellow line, run a stop sign and run a red stoplight as potential crash situations.

14. The control system of claim 11, wherein said warning system is at least one of an alarm, a light, a buzzer audible noise and a simulated rumble strip.

15. The control system of claim 9, wherein said processor is arranged to control the movement of the vehicle based on the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle.

16. The control system of claim 9, wherein said processor is arranged to control a display in the vehicle based on the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle.

17. The control system of claim 1, wherein a first one of said accelerometers is arranged to sense vehicle acceleration in a latitude direction, a second one of said accelerometers is arranged to sense vehicle acceleration in a longitudinal direction and a third one of said accelerometers is arranged to sense vehicle acceleration in a vertical direction.

18. The control system of claim 1, wherein a first one of said gyroscopes is arranged to sense angular rate about the pitch axis, a second one of said gyroscopes is arranged to sense angular rate about the yaw axis and a third one of said gyroscopes is arranged to sense angular rate about the roll axis.

19. A control system for controlling a vehicle or a component of a vehicle, comprising:

an inertial reference unit including three accelerometers and three gyroscopes which provide data on vehicle motion;

a GPS receiver arranged to receive positioning signals relating to the position of the vehicle;

a processor coupled to said inertial reference unit and to said GPS receiver and arranged to process the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle and control the vehicle or the component of the vehicle based thereon; and

a Kalman filter coupled to said processor for optimizing the data on vehicle motion from said inertial reference unit and the signals relating to the position of the vehicle from said GPS receiver.

20. The control system of claim 19, further comprising a navigation system coupled to said processor and arranged to provide information about a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling from a map database to said processor, the component of the vehicle being a warning system, said processor being arranged to process the data on vehicle motion, the signals relating to the position of the vehicle and the roadway information and control the warning system to provide a warning to the driver upon detection of a potential crash situation.

21. The control system of claim 20, wherein said processor is structured and arranged to consider the vehicle being about to run off a road, cross a yellow line and run a stop sign as potential crash situations.

22. The control system of claim 20, further comprising a sensor for obtaining input on the color of an approaching stoplight, said processor being structured and arranged to consider the vehicle being about to run off a road, cross a yellow line, run a stop sign and run a red stoplight as potential crash situations.

23. The control system of claim 20, wherein said warning system is at least one of an alarm, a light, a buzzer audible noise and a simulated rumble strip.

24. The control system of claim 19, wherein said processor is arranged to control the movement of the vehicle based on the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle.

25. The control system of claim 19, wherein said processor is arranged to control a display in the vehicle based on the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle.

26. The control system of claim 19, wherein a first one of said accelerometers is arranged to sense vehicle acceleration in a latitude direction, a second one of said accelerometers is arranged to sense vehicle acceleration in a longitudinal direction and a third one of said accelerometers is arranged to sense vehicle acceleration in a vertical direction.

27. The control system of claim 19, wherein a first one of said gyroscopes is arranged to sense angular rate about the pitch axis, a second one of said gyroscopes is arranged to sense angular rate about the yaw axis and a third one of said gyroscopes is arranged to sense angular rate about the roll axis.

28. A communication arrangement for a vehicle, comprising:

an inertial reference unit including a plurality of accelerometers and gyroscopes which provide data on vehicle motion;

a processor coupled to said inertial reference unit and arranged to process the data on vehicle motion to derive information about the vehicle; and

a communication system coupled to said processor for transmitting the information about the vehicle.

29. The control system of claim 28, further comprising a Kalman filter coupled to said processor for optimizing the data on vehicle motion from said inertial reference unit.

30. The control system of claim 28, further comprising a navigation system coupled to said processor and arranged to provide information about a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling from a map database to said processor, said communication system being arranged to transmit the information about the roadway.

31. The control system of claim 28, further comprising a GPS receiver arranged to receive positioning signals relating to the position of the vehicle, said processor being coupled to said GPS receiver and arranged to process the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle to derive the information about the vehicle.

32. The control system of claim 28, wherein said plurality of accelerometers and gyroscopes comprises three accelerometers and three gyroscopes.

33. A method for controlling a vehicle or a component of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

arranging an inertial reference unit including three accelerometers and three gyroscopes on the vehicle;

obtaining data on vehicle motion from the inertial reference unit; and

controlling the vehicle or the component of the vehicle based on the data on vehicle motion obtained from the inertial reference unit.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of utilizing a Kalman filter to optimize the data on vehicle motion from the inertial reference unit.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising the steps of:

arranging a navigation system on the vehicle including a map database;

obtaining information about a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling from the map database; and

controlling a warning system based on the data on vehicle motion and the roadway information to provide a warning to the driver upon detection of a potential crash situation.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising the step of determining whether the vehicle is about to run off a road, cross a yellow line and run a stop sign, the warning system being controlled in light of the determination.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining input on the color of an approaching stoplight; and

determining whether the vehicle is about to run off a road, cross a yellow line, run a stop sign and run a red stoplight, the warning system being controlled in light of the determination.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising the steps of:

arranging a GPS receiver on the vehicle to receive positioning signals relating to the position of the vehicle; and

controlling the vehicle or the component of the vehicle based on the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising the step of utilizing a Kalman filter to optimize the data on vehicle motion from the inertial reference unit and the signals relating to the position of the vehicle from the GPS receiver.

40. A method for vehicular communications, comprising the steps of:

arranging an inertial reference unit including a plurality of accelerometers and gyroscopes on the vehicle;

obtaining data on vehicle motion from the accelerometers and gyroscopes;

deriving information about the vehicle from the data on vehicle motion; and

transmitting the information about the vehicle via a communications system to a remote facility.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of utilizing a Kalman filter to optimize the data on vehicle motion from the inertial reference unit.

42. The method of claim 40, further comprising the steps of:

arranging a navigation system on the vehicle including a map database;

obtaining information about a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling from the map database; and

transmitting the information about the roadway.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising the steps of:

arranging a GPS receiver on the vehicle to receive positioning signals relating to the position of the vehicle; and

deriving information about the vehicle from the data on vehicle motion and signals relating to the position of the vehicle.