METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A VEHICLE CRUISE CONTROL

• US 20120101698A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB (Volvo AB)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB (Volvo AB)
• Inventors: Eriksson, Anders, Bjernetun, Johan
• Granted Patent: US 8,855,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/53
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/103 Speed profile
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

A method and device are provided for controlling a vehicle cruise control in a vehicle, the method including registering a starting point and an end destination for a possible traveling route of the vehicle, registering a desired traveling time for the traveling route, calculating and setting limits for parameters of the cruise control in order to arrive at the end destination on the desired traveling time with as low fuel consumption as possible.

Claims

1. Method for controlling a vehicle cruise control in

a vehicle (1) comprising the steps of:

registering a starting point and an end destination for a possible traveling route of said vehicle;

registering a desired traveling time for said traveling route;

calculating and setting limits for parameters of said cruise control in order to arrive at said end destination on said desired traveling time with as low fuel consumption as possible.

2. Method as claimed in the preceding claim,

characterized in said limits for said parameters are one or several of:

a maximum vehicle acceleration limit;

a maximum vehicle retardation limit;

a maximum under speed in relation to a vehicle set speed;

a maximum over speed in relation to a vehicle set speed;

a maximum available engine torque;

regulatory limits for the cruise control;

a set speed;

limit for when to engage/disengage a free wheeling function.

3. Method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, further characterized in that recalculating said limits as soon as an unexpected occurrence happens when traveling between said starting point and said end destination, and which occurrence affects vehicle average speed.

4. Method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in connection to said step of calculating and setting said limits and based on said desired traveling time, selecting a gear shifting pattern which is estimated to give lowest fuel consumption.

6. Method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in connection to said step of calculating and setting said limits and based on said desired traveling time, selecting between two or several possible routes a traveling route between said starting point and said end destination, which route is estimated to give lowest fuel consumption.

8. Method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that before said step of registering a desired traveling time, estimating and suggesting a first traveling time based on said starting point, said end destination and a vehicle average speed during said traveling route.

9. Method as claimed in claim 1, further characterized in that during traveling between said starting point and said end destination continuously recalculating said limits with updated vehicle condition information.

10. A vehicle cruise control comprising a control unit (6) for controlling vehicle speed of a vehicle (1), a route identifying device and a cruise control driver interface (7), characterized in that said control unit is arranged to perform all the steps of any one of the claims 1-9.

11. A computer program comprising program code means for performing all the steps of any one of the claims 1-9 when said program is run on a computer.

12. A computer program product comprising program code means stored on a computer readable medium for performing all steps of anyone of the claims 1-9 when said program product is run on a computer.

13. A storage medium, such as a computer memory (520) or a nonvolatile data storage medium (550), for use in a computing environment, the memory comprising a computer readable program code to perform the steps of anyone of the claims 1-9.

5. Method as claimed in said preceding claim, further characterized in that selecting a new gear shifting pattern, which is estimated to give lowest fuel consumption, as soon as an unexpected occurrence happens when traveling between said starting point and said end destination, and which occurrence affects vehicle average speed.

7. Method as claimed in said preceding claim, further characterized in that reevaluating said route selection as soon as an unexpected occurrence happens, which affects vehicle average speed, and basing said reevaluation on a current vehicle position as a starting point.