METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR UTILIZING TOPOGRAPHICAL AWARENESS IN AN ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

• US 20070265759A1
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Clark, David, Salinas, David, Shrader, Theodore
• Application Number:
  US11/382,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265759A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/16 operated by remote control, i.e. initiating means not mounted on vehicle
• 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

Abstract

A system for an adaptive cruise control system to regulate vehicle fuel consumption. A velocity of a vehicle is monitored in response to receiving a user input to engage the adaptive cruise control system. The velocity is regulated within a velocity bound range in response to monitoring the velocity of the vehicle. An ideal velocity is calculated for the vehicle within the velocity bound range using a plurality of factors. Then the velocity of the vehicle is automatically adjusted to the calculated ideal velocity in advance of a topographical feature in order to regulate fuel consumption of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for an adaptive cruise control system to regulate vehicle fuel consumption, the method comprising:

responsive to receiving a user input to engage the adaptive cruise control system, monitoring a velocity of a vehicle;

responsive to monitoring the velocity of the vehicle, regulating the velocity within a velocity bound range;

calculating an ideal velocity for the vehicle within the velocity bound range using a plurality of factors to form a calculated ideal velocity; and

adjusting the velocity of the vehicle automatically to the calculated ideal velocity in advance of a topographical feature to regulate fuel consumption of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a distance to the topographical feature.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the velocity of the vehicle is automatically adjusted to the calculated ideal velocity if the distance to the topographical feature is within an engage distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of factors are used to determine topographical feature awareness.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of factors include global positioning system awareness, topographical awareness, and destination awareness.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of factors further includes weather awareness and vehicle specification awareness.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the topographical feature awareness includes degree of inclination of the vehicle, and wherein the degree of inclination is provided by an inclinometer unit.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the topographical feature awareness is used to determine the location of the topographical feature.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the topographical feature is at least one of an incline or decline in a terrain of a vehicle pathway.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle pathway is at least one of a road, highway, train track, or open terrain.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is one of an automobile, van, sport utility vehicle, light truck, heavy truck, semi tractor trailer, tractor, train, or bus.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the velocity bound range includes an upper velocity limit and a lower velocity limit.

13. A data processing system for an adaptive cruise control system to regulate vehicle fuel consumption, comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to monitor a velocity of a vehicle in response to receiving a user input to engage the adaptive cruise control system, regulate the velocity within a velocity bound range in response to monitoring the velocity of the vehicle, calculate an ideal velocity for the vehicle within the velocity bound range using a plurality of factors to form a calculated ideal velocity, and adjust the velocity of the vehicle automatically to the calculated ideal velocity in advance of a topographical feature to regulate fuel consumption of the vehicle.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit executes a further set of instructions to calculate a distance to the topographical feature.

15. A computer program product for an adaptive cruise control system to regulate vehicle fuel consumption, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therein, the computer usable medium comprising;

computer usable program code configured to monitor a velocity of a vehicle in response to receiving a user input to engage the adaptive cruise control system;

computer usable program code configured to regulate the velocity within a velocity bound range in response to monitoring the velocity of the vehicle;

computer usable program code configured to calculate an ideal velocity for the vehicle within the velocity bound range using a plurality of factors to form a calculated ideal velocity; and

computer usable program code configured to adjust the velocity of the vehicle automatically to the calculated ideal velocity in advance of a topographical feature to regulate fuel consumption of the vehicle.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to calculate a distance to the topographical feature.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the velocity of the vehicle is automatically adjusted to the calculated ideal velocity if the distance to the topographical feature is within an engage distance.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the plurality of factors are used to determine topographical feature awareness.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the plurality of factors include global positioning system awareness, topographical awareness, and destination awareness.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the plurality of factors further includes weather awareness and vehicle specification awareness.