ADAPTIVE VEHICLE CONFIGURATION

• US 20100114437A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory J., Finn, Peter G., Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Seaman, James W., Walker, Keith R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/08 responsive to conditions relating to the cargo, e.g. overload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/10 Weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/207 Towing force
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/184 Preventing damage resulting from overload or excessive wear of the driveline
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/13 Load or weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/147 Trailers, e.g. full trailers or caravans
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/525 the machine undergoing additional towing load, e.g. by towing a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/52 dependent on the weight of the machine, e.g. change in weight resulting from passengers boarding a bus

Abstract

Methods, including service methods, program products and systems are provided for sensing vehicle loads and responsively and automatically configuring a vehicle. Vehicle-mounted load sensors sense vehicle loads, a vehicle processing means calculating a load imparted to the vehicle and comparing imparted loads to load capacity ratings or thresholds and responsively adjusting a vehicle cooling, transmission, braking, suspension or engine system into a revised operating mode. Modifying a component may entail revising a load capacity rating or threshold and repeating sensing, calculating, comparing and adjusting until the revised rating or threshold is met, or progressively adjusting in proportion to a change in a historic sensed load. Adjusting of the vehicle system may be biased to a performance characteristic or a load distribution. A supervisory entity may override automatic adjustment.

Claims

1. A method for sensing vehicle loads and responsively and automatically configuring a vehicle, comprising:

sensing a vehicle load;

providing a vehicle load sensing output to a vehicle-mounted programmable device;

calculating a load imparted to the vehicle from the load sensing output;

comparing the imparted load to at least one of a vehicle load capacity rating and a threshold; and

automatically adjusting a vehicle system into a revised operating mode in response to the compared imparted load meeting or exceeding at least one of the vehicle load capacity rating and the threshold, wherein the vehicle system is selected from the group comprising a vehicle cooling system, a vehicle transmission system, a vehicle braking system, a vehicle suspension system and a vehicle engine system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying a vehicle component or load trailer component;

revising at least one of the vehicle load capacity rating and the threshold; and

repeating sensing the vehicle load, calculating the load imparted, comparing the imparted load and adjusting the vehicle system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the vehicle system comprises modifying the vehicle component or the load trailer component, further comprising repeating the revising of the at least one vehicle load capacity rating or threshold, the sensing of the vehicle load, the calculating of the load imparted, the comparing of the imparted load and the adjusting of the vehicle system until a revised at least one vehicle load capacity rating or threshold is met.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting the vehicle system comprises progressively adjusting the vehicle system in proportion to an increase or decrease of the sensed load relative to a historic sensed load.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising biasing the adjusting of the vehicle system to optimize a performance characteristic.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the performance characteristic is selected from the group comprising vehicle system fuel efficiency, vehicle system power output, vehicle transmission control and vehicle engine emission reduction.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein biasing comprises optimizing a fuel efficiency of the vehicle system in response to loads sensed below an efficient load threshold or optimizing a vehicle system power output in response to loads sensed above a power load threshold.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein biasing comprises progressively optimizing a vehicle system power output at the expense of a vehicle system fuel efficiency in proportion to determined increases in sensed loads.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising adjusting the vehicle system in response to an operating environment input.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

deploying a first load sensor in a first vehicle area and a second load sensor in a second vehicle area; and

determining a vehicle load distribution by comparing the first and the second vehicle area load sensor inputs;

wherein adjusting the vehicle system is responsive to the determined vehicle load distribution.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

notifying a supervisory entity of automatically adjusting the vehicle system into a revised operating mode; and

the supervisory entity overriding the adjusting of the vehicle system into the revised operating mode.

12. A method for sensing vehicle loads and responsively and automatically configuring a vehicle, comprising:

producing computer executable program code;

storing the code on a computer readable medium; and

providing the program code to be deployed and executed on a computer system;

the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, cause the computer system to;

calculate a load imparted to a vehicle from a vehicle-mounted load sensor output;

compare the imparted load to at least one of a vehicle load capacity rating and a threshold;

adjust a vehicle system into a revised operating mode in response to the compared imparted load meeting or exceeding the vehicle load capacity rating or the threshold, the vehicle system selected from the group comprising a vehicle cooling system, a vehicle transmission system, a vehicle braking system, a vehicle suspension system and a vehicle engine system;

revise at least one of the vehicle load capacity rating and the threshold in response to a modification of a vehicle component or a load trailer component; and

repeat sensing the vehicle load, calculating the load imparted, comparing the imparted load and adjusting the vehicle system into a revised operating mode.

13. A method for deploying an application for sensing vehicle loads and responsively and automatically configuring a vehicle, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

calculate a load imparted to a vehicle from a vehicle-mounted load sensor output;

compare the imparted load to at least one of a vehicle load capacity rating and a threshold;

adjust a vehicle system into a revised operating mode in response to the compared imparted load meeting or exceeding the vehicle load capacity rating or the threshold, the vehicle system selected from the group comprising a vehicle cooling system, a vehicle transmission system, a vehicle braking system, a vehicle suspension system and a vehicle engine system;

revise at least one of the vehicle load capacity rating and the threshold in response to a modification of a vehicle component or a load trailer component; and

repeat sensing the vehicle load, calculating the load imparted, comparing the imparted load and adjusting the vehicle system into a revised operating mode.

14. A system for sensing vehicle loads and responsively and automatically configuring a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle-mounted load sensor configured to sense a vehicle load and provide a load output;

a vehicle processing means in communication with the load sensor configured to calculate a load imparted to the vehicle from the load sensor output, compare the imparted load to at least one of a vehicle load capacity rating and a threshold and adjust a vehicle system into a revised operating mode in response to the compared imparted load meeting or exceeding at least one of the vehicle load capacity rating and the threshold, and wherein the vehicle system is selected from the group comprising a vehicle cooling system, a vehicle transmission system, a vehicle braking system, a vehicle suspension system and a vehicle engine system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing means comprises:

a gross vehicle weight logic component configured to compare sensor load measurements to a gross weight rating threshold;

a trailer tongue weight logic component configured to compare a sensed hitch tongue weight load to a tongue weight threshold; and

a trailer axle weight logic component configured to compare a sensed trailer cargo load to a trailer cargo weight threshold;

wherein the processing means comprises is configured to evaluate gross vehicle weight logic component, trailer tongue weight logic component and trailer axle weight logic component outputs for compliance with a vehicle and trailer combination weight rating threshold and responsively adjusting the vehicle system into the revised operating mode.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processing means is further configured to adjust the vehicle system progressively in proportion to an increase or decrease of the sensed load relative to a historic sensed load.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the processing means is further configured to bias adjusting of the vehicle system to optimize a performance characteristic.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the performance characteristic is selected from the group comprising a vehicle system fuel efficiency, a vehicle system power output, a vehicle transmission control and an engine emission reduction.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the processing means is configured to optimize the vehicle system fuel efficiency in response to a load sensed below an efficient load threshold or optimize the vehicle system power output in response to a load sensed above a power load threshold.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the processing means is configured to progressively optimize the vehicle system power output at the expense of the vehicle system fuel efficiency in response to a proportionate increase in a sensed load.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the processing means is further configured to adjust the vehicle system in response to an operating environment input.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising a first load sensor in a first vehicle area and a second load sensor in a second vehicle area;

wherein the processing means is further configured to determine a vehicle load distribution by comparing the first and the second vehicle area load sensor inputs and adjust the vehicle system responsive to the determined vehicle load distribution.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein the processing means is further configured to notify a vehicle operating entity of adjusting the vehicle system, and to override said adjusting in response to an override input.