METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TARGET VEHICLE FOLLOWING CONTROL FOR ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

• US 20100198478A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Shin, Kwang-Keun
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2031/0033 Detecting longitudinal speed or acceleration of target vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4042 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

A host vehicle'"'"'s speed is controlled with a target vehicle following control system when following a target vehicle. The target vehicle following control system monitors a range with respect to a target vehicle and a speed of the host vehicle. The target vehicle following device determines operation of the vehicle based upon a control region by comparing the range and the speed of the host vehicle to a simple sliding surface, which defines a minimum range between the host vehicle and target vehicle and a modified sliding surface, which increases the margin to the simple sliding surface as the speed of the host vehicle increases. The host vehicle has an acceleration determined based on the control region and is used to control operation of the host vehicle.

Claims

1. Method for controlling vehicle speed in a host vehicle operating with a target vehicle following control system in relation to a target vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring a range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle;

monitoring a speed of the host vehicle;

determining a control region of the host vehicle by;

comparing the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle to a simple sliding surface defining a minimum range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle based upon a time headway; and

comparing the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle to a modified sliding surface defined by an increasing margin to the simple sliding surface as the speed of the host vehicle increases;

determining an acceleration command based upon the determined control region; and

utilizing the acceleration command to control operation of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the simple sliding surface and the modified sliding surface are coincident below a threshold speed of the host vehicle and diverge above the threshold speed of the host vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a rate of change of the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle

determining a speed of the target vehicle based upon the rate of change of the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle;

determining a desired range value based upon the speed of the target vehicle and the simple sliding surface; and

wherein the threshold speed is defined based upon the desired range value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold speed is defined further based upon a set acceleration/deceleration limit of the host vehicle and a time headway based upon the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising defining a threshold range based upon the threshold speed and the simple sliding surface;

and

wherein determining the control region of the host vehicle comprises defining operation of the host vehicle within a region selected from the group consisting of;

the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle being less than the threshold range;

the comparing the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle to the simple sliding surface indicating that the speed of the host vehicle is greater than a desired velocity for the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle based upon the simple sliding surface;

the comparing the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle to the simple sliding surface indicating that the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle is greater than the threshold range and that the speed of the host vehicle is less than a desired velocity for the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle based upon the modified sliding surface; and

operation of the vehicle being between the simple sliding surface and the modified sliding surface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the operation of the host vehicle within the region consists of the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle being less than the threshold range, the determining the acceleration command based upon the determined control region comprises determining an acceleration command first to make the speed of the vehicle coincident with the simple sliding surface and then to make the speed of the vehicle equal to the speed of the target vehicle according to the simple sliding surface.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the operation of the host vehicle within the region consists of the comparing the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle to the simple sliding surface indicating that the speed of the host vehicle is greater than the desired velocity for the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle based upon the simple sliding surface, the determining the acceleration command based upon the determined control region comprises determining an acceleration command first to make the speed of the vehicle coincident with the simple sliding surface and then to make the speed of the vehicle equal to the speed of the target vehicle according to the simple sliding surface.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the operation of the host vehicle within the region consists of the comparing the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle to the simple sliding surface indicating that the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle is greater than the threshold range and that the speed of the host vehicle is less than a desired velocity for the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle based upon the modified sliding surface, the determining the acceleration command based upon the determined control region comprises determining an acceleration command to make the speed of the vehicle coincident with the modified sliding surface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the acceleration command based upon the determined control region further comprises determining an acceleration command to make the speed of the vehicle equal to the speed of the target vehicle according to the modified sliding surface and the simple sliding surface.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold speed of the host vehicle comprises an operator selectable threshold speed.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold speed of the host vehicle is modified based on factors affecting operation of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified sliding surface is determined based upon a set acceleration/deceleration limit of the host vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the simple sliding surface is determined by a time headway based upon the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle comprises analyzing data from a radar device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle comprises analyzing data communicated between the host vehicle and the target vehicle.

16. Method for controlling vehicle speed in a host vehicle operating with adaptive cruise control in relation to a target vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring a range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle;

monitoring a speed of the host vehicle;

defining a simple sliding surface determined by a desired range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle based upon a time headway;

defining a modified sliding surface adjacent to the simple sliding surface, defined by an increasing difference between the simple sliding surface and the modified sliding surface indicating an increased range buffer between the host vehicle and the target vehicle as the speed of the host vehicle increases;

determining a control region of the host vehicle by comparing the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle to the simple sliding surface and modified sliding surface;

determining an acceleration command based upon the determined control region; and

utilizing the acceleration command to control operation of the vehicle.

17. Apparatus for controlling vehicle speed in a host vehicle based upon a tracked target vehicle in front of the host vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor monitoring a speed of the host vehicle;

a sensing device monitoring a range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle;

a target object following control module;

monitoring the sensor;

monitoring the sensing device;

determining a control region of the host vehicle by comparing the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle and the speed of the host vehicle to a simple sliding surface and a modified sliding surface; and

generating an acceleration command based upon the determined control region;

wherein the simple sliding surface is determined by a desired range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle based upon a time headway;

wherein the modified sliding surface is adjacent to the simple sliding surface and is defined by an increasing headway as the speed of the host vehicle increases;

wherein the modified sliding surface and the simple sliding surface are coincident at a threshold speed; and

wherein three control regions are defined by a region between the sliding surfaces, regions to either side of the sliding surfaces, and a region wherein the range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle are less than a threshold range based upon the threshold speed.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the sensing device monitoring a range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle comprises a radar device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the sensing device monitoring a range between the host vehicle and the target vehicle comprises a LIDAR device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a brake control module receiving the acceleration command; and

a powertrain output torque control module receiving the acceleration command.