Vehicle control

• US 7,509,194 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Original Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Inventors: Ramsbotton, Mark, Wheals, Jonathan Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/778,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/35, 701/1, 701/36
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/042 Monitoring means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/1878 Neural Networks
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/1879 Fuzzy Logic Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 Improving accuracy of a sensor signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/02 Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0026 Lookup tables or parameter maps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0057 Frequency analysis, spectral techniques or transforms
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1819 Propulsion control with control means using analogue circuits, relays or mechanical links
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/188 Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/06 Improving the dynamic response of the control system, e.g. improving the speed of regulation or avoiding hunting or overshoot

Abstract

A vehicle control system includes at least one driver input, a supervisor and at least one sub-system controlled by the supervisor. The supervisor assesses the driver input to establish actual driver demand and controls the sub-systems accordingly. As a result intuitive driver demand is identified and met.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a supervisor module, and

a plurality of controller modules responsive to commands from the supervisor module, in which the supervisor module includes a control constraint set and is arranged to receive control demands from each of the controller modules and accede to the demands within the limits of the constraint set,

the supervisor module achieving full integration with the controller modules by taking into account said control demands before sending control commands to controller modules,

said control demands comprising local condition information, and said control commands comprising appropriate set points for said controller modules, such that desired vehicle output parameters are achieved.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the supervisor module sends an operating envelope to one or more controller modules.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) to determine instantaneous vehicle position.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein local condition information is sensed by a sensor pack.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein said controller modules are configured to send predicted future local condition information to said supervisor module.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, further comprising driver input to the supervisor module, said driver input including one or more of steering wheel angle, steering wheel turn rate, accelerator pedal position, accelerator pedal rate, gear ratio selected, engagement condition of brake and engagement condition clutch.