Method and device for co-ordinating multiple driving system devices of a vehicle

• US 6,873,891 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Moser, Martin, Schneckenburger, Reinhold
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US10/296,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 701/48, 701/33, 701/36, 701/38, 701/74, 701/82, 701/91
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/85 System Prioritisation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/24 Curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/08 Coordination of integrated systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17558 specially adapted for collision avoidance or collision mitigation road vehicle drive control systems for collision avoidance otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/09
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0091 of control inputs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• 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 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/00 Control inputs to control units of change-speed-, or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for coordinating multiple driving system devices of a vehicle by means of a co-ordination device. The driving system devices produce output signals according to the current driving state of the vehicle. In the coordination device, a result control signal is produced from the output signals and is used as a standard set value for directly influencing the driving state by means of the actuator devices of the vehicle and/or a parameter result signal is produced and used for influencing the regulating and/or control parameters of a driving state regulating system or driving state control system.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating a plurality of driving system devices of a vehicle, which plurality of driving system devices generate output signals as a function of current driving state variables, wherein at least one of a control result signal used as a predefined setpoint value for influencing a driving state via at least one actuator and a parameter result signal used for influencing at least one of regulating and control parameters of a driving state regulator or controller are generated from the output signals, the method comprising the acts of:

when at least one of the control result and the parameter result signal is determined, a plurality of output signals present are at least one of prioritized and weighted if said output signals originate from different ones of the plurality of driving system devices, wherein the driving system devices are divided into a plurality of groups with different group priorities; and

prioritizing or weighting more heavily the output signals of the driving system devices of a group having a higher group priority during the determination of the at least one of the control result signal and parameter result signal than the output signals of the driving system devices of a group having a lower group priority.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the driving system devices are divided into groups in terms of their function.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the driving system devices are divided into three groups:

(1) a safety system device group, to which all safety-related driving system devices are assigned,

(2) a comfort system device group, to which the driving system devices relating only to comfort of a driver are assigned, and

(3) a warning system device group, to which the driving system devices are assigned which do not request an application of signals to the actuator device that influences movement of the vehicle, but rather which warn the driver of a current unacceptable driving state and, if appropriate, request an adaptation of regulating parameters to this driving state using parameter signals.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the control result signal corresponds to the setpoint driving state of the vehicle, the control result signal describing the setpoint movement of the vehicle in three-dimensional space.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the control result signal corresponds to the setpoint driving state change for the vehicle, the control result signal describing the setpoint change in the movement of the vehicle in three-dimensional space.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the control result signal is transmitted directly to the actuator device in order to influence the movement of the vehicle.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the control result signal is transmitted to one of a driving state regulator and a controller for the dynamics of vehicle movement, which brings about actuating signals for the actuator devices in order to influence the movement of the vehicle.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter result signal is transmitted to one of a driving state regulator and a controller for the dynamics of vehicle movement in order to influence its control parameters or regulating parameters.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein during a determination of the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal, at least one of sensor signals, which contain information on the current driving state of the vehicle, and input signals, which correspond to manual settings of the driver, are taken into account.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein during the determination of the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal, the output signals are weighted as a function of the sensor signals.

11. Method according to claim 9, wherein the sensor signals contain information on at least one of a yaw angle rate, acceleration of the vehicle, a velocity of the vehicle, wheel speeds, a steering wheel torque, and a steering wheel angle.

12. Method according to claim 1 wherein the output signals of the driving system devices are present in the form of one of control signals and parameter signals, the control result signal being determined as a function of the control signals, and the parameter result signal being determined as a function of the parameter signals.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein during the determination of the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal, only the output signals of the driving system devices of a single group of driving system devices are taken into account.

14. Method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal is formed from a sum of the respective output signals for the driving system devices which are each weighted with a weighting factor, in particular the sum of the individual weighting factors being equal to one, and the weighting factors being able to assume values in the range from zero to one.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the weighting factors of the output signals are predefinable as a function of a driving system priority assigned to the respective driving system device.

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein during the determination of the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal, only the output signals of the driving system devices of a single group of driving system devices are taken into account.

17. Method according to claim 14, wherein during the determination of the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal, only the output signals of the driving system devices of a single group of driving system devices are taken into account.

18. Device for coordinating a plurality of driving system devices of a vehicle, comprising:

a coordination device generating, from output signals of the driving system devices produced as a function of current driving state variables, at least one of a control result signal and a parameter result signal said coordination device being connected to actuator devices of the vehicle in order to influence a driving state, said control result signal being used as a predefined setpoint value for influencing the driving state via at least one actuator device of the vehicle, and said parameter result signal being used to influence at least one of the regulating ane control parameters of a regulation or control of the driving state, a plurality of output signals which are present being at least one of prioritized and weighted during the determination of the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal if these output signals originate from different driving system devices,

wherein the driving system devices are divided into a plurality of groups with different group priorities, the output signals of the driving system devices of a group with a higher group priority being weighted more heavily during the determination of the control result signal and/or the parameter result signal than the output signals of the driving system devices of a group with lower group priority.

19. Device according to claim 18, wherein the driving system devices are divided into groups in terms of their function.

20. Device according to claim 18, wherein the driving system devices are divided into three groups:

(1) a safety system device group, to which all safety-related driving system devices are assigned,

(2) a comfort system device group, to which the driving system devices which only relate to the comfort of the driver are assigned, and

(3) a warning system device group, to which the driving system devices are assigned which do not request any application of signals to the actuator devices which influence the movement of te vehicle, but rather which warn the driver about a current unacceptable driving state and, if appropriate, request an adaptation of the regulating parameters to this driving state using parameter signals.

21. Device according to claim 18, wherein the coordination device is indirectly connected to the actuator devices in order to transmit the control result signal to the actuator devices.

22. Device according to claim 18, wherein the coordination device is connected to a driving state regulator or controller, in particular a regulator for the dynamics of vehicle movement in order to transmit the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal, said regulator for the dynamics of vehicle movement being connected to the actuator devices in order to at least one of control and regulate the movement of the vehicle as a function of the control result signal.

23. Device according to claim 22, wherein in that the driving state regulator or controller and the coordination device are integrated in a central processor unit.

24. Device according to claim 23, wherein the driving system devices have driving system controllers which are integrated with the coordination device in a central processor unit.

25. Device according to claim 22, wherein the driving system devices have driving system controllers which are integrated with the coordination device in a central processor unit.

26. Device according to claim 25, wherein the driving system controllers, the driving state regulator or controller and the coordination device are integrated in a central processor unit.

27. Device according to claim 18, wherein the driving system devices have driving system controllers which are integrated with the coordination device in a central processor unit.

28. Device according to claim 27, wherein the driving system controllers, the driving state regulator or controller and the coordination device are integrated in a central processor unit.

29. Device according to claim 18, wherein the coordination device is connected to at least one of a sensor arrangement and an operator control arrangement so that at least one of sensor signals which are generated by the sensor arrangement and contain information relating to the current driving state of the vehicle and input signals of the operator control arrangement which correspond to manual settings of the driver can be transmitted to the coordination device in order to be taken into account in the determination of the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal.

30. Device according to claim 29, wherein during the determination of the at least one of the control result signal and the parameter result signal, the output signals are weighted as a function of the sensor signals.

31. Device according to claim 29, wherein the sensor arrangement has at least one sensor whose sensor signal is used simultaneously by one of the driving system devices.

32. A method for coordinating a plurality of driving system devices of a vehicle, which driving system devices generate output signals as a function of current driving state variables, to produce a result signal usable as at least one of a predefined setpoint value for influencing a driving state and for influencing regulation/control parameters of a driving state regulator/controller, the method comprising the acts of:

dividing the plurality of driving system devices into a plurality of groups having different group priorities; and

weighting the output signals of the driving system devices of a group having a higher group priority more heavily during a determination of the result signal than the output signals of the driving system devices of a group having a lower priority.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the result signal is one of a control result signal and a parameter result signal.