Sensor device for a motor vehicle system

• US 7,873,467 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2003
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Schuessler, Robert, Ortloff, Roland, Mezger, Klaus, Linkohr, Jochen, Entenmann, Volker, Bracht, Alexander, Aleksic, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US10/528,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20060100780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,695 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/208
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence

Abstract

A sensor arrangement which contains for a vehicle control system, comprises a buffer for geographic information, whereby the geographic information is suitable to describe at least one possible route of the vehicle. An input interface selects subsets of the geographic information stored in the buffer in response to at least one position-related parameter which is entered at the input interface. An output interface selects subsets of the geographic information corresponding to the parameter values provided, which subsets are transmitted for further processing in the vehicle control system.

Claims

1. Sensor arrangement for a vehicle control system, said sensor arrangement, comprising:

a buffer for geographic vehicle operation information;

an input interface for selecting a subset of the geographic vehicle operation information stored in the buffer, in response to at least one position-related parameter value entered at the input interface; and

an output interface for outputting the subset of the geographic vehicle operation information corresponding to the at least one parameter value, whereby the output information is sent for further processing in the vehicle control system;

wherein,

said geographic vehicle operation information consists of geographic information that is limited to controlling operation of said at least one vehicle control system as the vehicle traverses at least one possible route;

said buffer is an isolated buffer cache having only said limited geographic information stored therein; and

said limited geographic information consists of a non-navigable subset of a vehicle navigation information included in a digital road map, and excludes address and polygon data that are needed for navigation, as well as all information regarding built up areas.

2. The sensor arrangement according to of claim 1, wherein the buffer is overwritable.

3. The sensor arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the buffer comprises a flash ROM.

4. The sensor arrangement according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the input and output interfaces is connected to a vehicle-based information network.

5. The sensor arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the geographic vehicle operation information is at least partially or incrementally changeable.

6. The sensor arrangement according to claim 5, wherein change of the geographic vehicle operation information is performed by means of a data transmission line connected to the buffer.

7. The sensor arrangement according to claim 6, wherein one of a geographic position of the vehicle, a geographic area based thereon, and a route section based thereon, is entered as a parameter value at the input interface.

8. The sensor arrangement according to claim 7, further comprising an EDP connection with a vehicle-based telematics platform.

9. The sensor arrangement according to claim 8, further comprising an EDP connection with a vehicle-based road impact fees calculator.

10. The sensor arrangement according to claim 9, further comprising an EDP connection with a navigation system.

11. The sensor arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the navigation system is centrally based.

12. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a non straight parameter-based, partial section of a route is described in said geographic data as one of a circular arc, a clothoid and a spline.

13. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the geographic vehicle operation information describes at least one route of the vehicle.

14. The sensor arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle is a commercial vehicle.

15. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises an intelligent sensor.

16. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein nonlinear route sections are defined in said geographic vehicle operation information by a parameter based description of said nonlinear route sections as one of a circular arc, a clothoid and a spline.

17. The sensor arrangement according to claim 16, wherein at least one of clothoids and curves whose curvature increases proportionally with arc length are used as transitions between circular arcs and straight sections.

18. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said buffer is formed on a memory chip.

19. A vehicle control arrangement, comprising:

at least one vehicle control system for controlling operation of said vehicle;

a buffer for geographic vehicle operation information;

an input interface for selecting a subset of the geographic vehicle operation information stored in the buffer, in response to at least one position-related parameter entered at the input interface; and

an output interface for outputting the subset of the geographic vehicle operation information corresponding to the at least one parameter value, whereby the output information is sent for further processing in said at least one vehicle control system;

wherein,

said geographic vehicle operation information consists of certified geographic information that is limited to controlling operation of said at least one vehicle control system as the vehicle traverses at least one possible route;

said buffer is an isolated buffer cache in the form of a memory chip, having only said vehicle operation information stored therein; and

said geographic vehicle operation information consists of a non-navigable subset of vehicle navigation digital road map information; and

said geographic vehicle operation information includes only information regarding areas that are not built up, and excludes i) address and polygon data that are needed for navigation, and ii) information regarding built up areas.