VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A VEHICLE

• US 20140350789A1
• Filed: 07/04/2012
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Anker, Sam, Hemes, Elliot, Kelly, James, Dennehy, Dan, Farigrieve, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,873,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/00 Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 : Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle control system for at least one vehicle subsystem of a vehicle; the vehicle control system comprising a subsystem controller for initiating control of the or each of the vehicle subsystems in a selected one of a plurality of different subsystem control modes, each of which corresponds to one or more different driving conditions for the vehicle. Evaluation means are provided for evaluating one or more driving condition indicators to determine the extent to which each of the subsystem control modes is appropriate and for providing an output to the subsystem controller that is indicative of the control mode which is most appropriate. This may be an evaluation means for calculating the probability that the or each of the subsystem control modes is appropriate. Automatic control means may be operable in an automatic response mode to select an appropriate one of the subsystem control modes in dependence on the output.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system for at least one vehicle subsystem of a vehicle;

the vehicle control system comprising;

a subsystem controller for initiating control of one or more vehicle subsystems in a selected one of a plurality of subsystem control modes, each of which corresponds to one or more different terrain types for the vehicle, and

a processor configured to;

receive and evaluate at least one terrain indicator signal indicative of the terrain in which the vehicle is travelling;

determine the extent to which each of the subsystem control modes is appropriate for the terrain in which the vehicle is travelling; and

provide an output indicative of the subsystem control mode that is most appropriate.

2. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subsystem controller is configured to, in an automatic response mode, select the most appropriate one of the subsystem control modes in dependence on the output.

3. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to determine the probability that each of the subsystem control modes is appropriate, and wherein the output provided by the processor is indicative of the subsystem control mode with the highest probability.

4. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the subsystem controller is also arranged to control each of the one or more vehicle subsystems in the selected one of the plurality of control modes.

5. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor evaluates a plurality of driving condition indicators to determine said probability.

10. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor includes an estimator configured to receive one or more input signals corresponding to a respective one or more of the driving condition indicators and to estimate one or more further driving condition indicators on the basis of the or each of the input signals.

11. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

calculate a combined probability value for each subsystem control mode based on individual probability values, for said subsystem control mode, derived from a respective one of the driving condition indicators, and

wherein the control output signal from the processor is indicative of the control mode with the highest combined probability value.

12. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the combined probability value (Pb) for each control mode is calculated by:

Pb=(a·

b·

c·

d . . . n)/((a·

b·

c·

d . . . n)+(1−

a)·

(1−

b)·

(1−

c)·

(1−

d) . . . (1−

n))

wherein a, b, c, d . . . n represent the individual probability values derived from respective ones of the driving condition indicators.

13. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to:

calculate, for each of the control modes, a difference value between the probability for the current control mode and the probability for another control mode,

integrate each of the difference values with respect to time to calculate an integrated difference value for each of the other control modes,

compare each of the integrated difference values with a threshold for change, and

initiate a change in the selected subsystem control mode when the integrated difference value for one of the control modes exceeds the threshold for change.

14. A vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processor compares each of the integrated difference values with a plurality of thresholds for change and initiates a change when a first one of the thresholds for change is reached;

and

wherein each threshold for change is variable in dependence on a different driving condition indicator.

16. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 14, wherein one or more of the thresholds for change are selected from being:

dependent on a surface roughness of the terrain in which the vehicle is travelling; and

dependent on a rolling resistance of the terrain in which the vehicle is travelling.

18. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein one or more of the driving condition indicators is derived from a sensor output signal from a sensor provided on the vehicle.

25. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, further including a switch that enables switching between the automatic response mode in which the automatic control means controls the vehicle subsystems in dependence on the output automatically, and a manual response mode in which the subsystem control mode is selected by the driver manually.

26. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one vehicle subsystem includes ones or more of:

an engine management system, a steering controller, a brakes controller and a suspension controller.

30. A vehicle comprising a vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2.

6-9. -9. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

19-24. -24. (canceled)

27. A method of controlling at least one vehicle subsystem of a vehicle;

the method comprising;

initiating control of each of the one or more vehicle subsystems in a selected one of a plurality of different subsystem control modes, each of which corresponds to one or more different terrain types for the vehicle;

evaluating one or more terrain indicators indicative of the terrain in which the vehicle is travelling to determine the extent to which each of the subsystem control modes is appropriate for the terrain in which the vehicle is travelling; and

providing an output indicative of the control mode which is most appropriate.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising automatically selecting an appropriate one of the subsystem control modes in dependence on the output.

29. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the evaluating step comprises determining the probability that each of the subsystem control modes is appropriate and providing an output indicative of the control mode with the highest probability.

31. A vehicle control system for at least one vehicle subsystem of a vehicle;

the vehicle control system comprising;

a subsystem controller for initiating control of one or more vehicle subsystems in a selected one of a plurality of subsystem control modes, each of which corresponds to one or more different driving conditions, each driving condition indicative of a driving characteristic of the driver of the vehicle, and

a processor configured to;

receive and evaluate at least driving condition indicator signal, indicative of a driving characteristic of the driver of the vehicle;

determine the extent to which each of the subsystem control modes is appropriate to the style in which the vehicle is being driven; and

provide an output indicative of the subsystem control mode that is most appropriate

wherein the subsystem controller is configured to, in an automatic response mode, select the most appropriate one of the subsystem control modes in dependence on the output.

32. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 31, wherein one or more of the driving condition indicators is derived from a sensor output signal from a sensor provided on the vehicle.

33. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 32, wherein one of the driving condition indicators is derived from one of:

a windscreen wiper sensor to provide an indication of the ON/OFF status of a vehicle windscreen wiper;

a windscreen wiper sensor to provide an indication of the duration for which a vehicle windscreen wiper has been in an ON state;

a steering system of the vehicle for controlling the steering direction of vehicle, which is indicative of the force applied to the steering system;

the brake pedal of the vehicle; and

the accelerator pedal of the vehicle.

34. A vehicle control system as claimed in claim 32, comprising means for comparing when a sensor signals from the brake pedal and from the accelerator pedal coincide and for providing a further driving condition indicator to the evaluation means on the basis of the comparison.

35. A vehicle comprising a vehicle control system as claimed in claim 31.