Adaptive vehicle

• US 4,829,434 A
• Filed: 04/29/1987
• Issued: 05/09/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Loo, David K., Rillings, James H., Karmel, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/044,019
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424, 364/425, 364/424.1, 364/460, 340/52 F, 74/866
• US Class Current: 701/59
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/003 Detecting or using driving style of a driver, e.g. for adapting shift schedules
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/086 Adaptive mode, e.g. learning from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0087 Adaptive control, e.g. the control parameters adapted by learning
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/50 Inputs being a function of the status of the machine, e.g. position of doors or safety belts
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/66 Road conditions, e.g. slope, slippery
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals

Abstract

An adaptive vehicle is described that analyzes the dynamic behavior of the vehicle operator based on an operator condition (such as the headway maintained by the operator), a vehicle condition (such as vehicle speed) and environmental conditions (such as precipitation rate and tracking distance maintained by a trailing vehicle) to automatically adapt the vehicle (such as adjusting the transmission shift point schedule) to the driving mood, style or expectations of the vehicle operator.

Claims

1. A system for adaptively controlling a vehicle performance characteristic to the expectations and capabilities of an operator of the vehicle as they change with different operator moods, driving environment and vehicle operating conditions, the system comprising, in combination:

memory means for storing a schedule of values of a predetermined operator dependent condition as a function of the values of a predetermined environmental condition and a predetermined vehicle operating condition, the memory means having memory locations each addressed by a predetermined value of the environmental condition and a predetermined value of the vehicle operating condition and having a value of the operator dependent condition stored thereat;

means for recurrently (A) sensing the value of the operator dependent condition, the value of the environmental condition and the value of the vehicle operating condition, (B) retrieving the stored value of the predetermined operator dependent condition at the memory location addressed by the sensed value of the environmental condition and the sensed value of the vehicle operating condition, (C) comprising the retrieved and sensed values of the operator dependent condition to determine a dynamic characteristic of the operator representing the expectations and capabilities of the operator, (D) determining the average of the sensed values of the operator dependent condition and (E) updating the stored value of the predetermined operator dependent condition at the memory location addressed by the sensed value of the environmental condition and the sensed value of the vehicle operating condition with the determined average of the sensed value of the operator dependent condition; and

means adjusting the vehicle performance characteristic in accord with the determined dynamic characteristic of the operator, the vehicle performance characteristic being automatically adjusted based on the deviation of the value of the operator dependent condition from a norm represented by the average of the values of the operator dependent condition.

2. A system for adaptively controlling a vehicle performance characteristic to the expectations and capabilities of an operator of the vehicle as they change with different operator moods, driving environment and vehicle operating conditions, the system comprising, in combination:

memory means for storing a schedule of values of a predetermined dependent condition as a function of the values of a predetermined environmental condition and a predetermined vehicle operating condition, the memory means having memory locations each addressed by a predetermined value of the environmental condition and a predetermined value of the vehicle operating condition and having a value of the operator dependent condition stored thereat;

means for recurrently (A) sensing the value of the operator dependent condition, the value of the environmental condition and the value of the vehicle operating condition, (B) retrieving the stored value of the predetermined operator dependent condition at the memory location addressed by the sensed value of the environmental condition and the sensed value of the vehicle operating condition, (C) comparing the retrieved and sensed values of the operator dependent condition to determine a dynamic characteristic of the operator representing the expectations and capabilities of the operator, (D) determining the average of the sensed values of the operator dependent condition, the average of the sensed values of the environmental condition and the average of the values of the vehicle operating conditions and (E) updating the stored value of the predetermined operator dependent condition at the memory location addressed by the determined average value of the environmental condition and the determined average value of the vehicle operating condition with the determined average of the sensed values of the operator dependent condition; and

means adjusting the vehicle performance characteristic in accord with the determined dynamic characteristic of the operator, the vehicle performance characteristic being automatically adjusted based on the deviation of the value of the operator dependent condition from a norm represented by the average of the values of the operator dependent condition.

3. A system for adaptively controlling the vehicle speed shift point of an automatic transmission of a vehicle in accord with the dynamic characteristics of a vehicle operator, the system comprising, in combination:

memory means for storing a schedule of values of headway distances to a preceding vehicle as a function of the values of precipitation rate and vehicle speed, the memory means having memory locations each addressed by a predetermined value of precipitation rate and a predetermined value of vehicle speed;

means for sensing the headway distance to a preceding vehicle;

means for determining the average of the values of the headway distance to a preceding vehicle;

means for sensing the precipitation rate;

means for sensing vehicle speed;

means for retrieving the stored value of headway distance at the memory location addressed by the sensed value of precipitation rate and the sensed value of vehicle speed;

means for comparing the retrieved and sensed values of headway distances to determine the dynamic characteristic of the vehicle operator;

means for adjusting the vehicle speed shift point of the transmission (A) downward when the sensed value of the headway distance is greater than the retrieved value and (B) upward when the sensed value of the headway distance is less than the retrieved value; and

means for updating the stored value of the headway distance at the memory location addressed by the sensed value of vehicle speed and the sensed value of precipitation rate with the determined average of the values of the headway distance, the vehicle speed shift point of the transmission being adjusted based on the deviation of the sensed value of the headway distance from a norm represented by the average of the values of the headway distance.