Drivability evaluation target levels

• US 8,483,904 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Viggers, John Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammel, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): MELTON, TODD M
• Application Number:
  US13/242,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20130079989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1, 701/41, 701/33.4, 348/148
• US Class Current: 701/33.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/045 Monitoring control system parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/007 Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles G01M17/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

The automobile described herein is configured with a system for capturing subjective and objective data related to automobile performance events. The automobile may comprise or be configured with a drivability evaluation system. This drivability evaluation system may be configured to capture subjective driver responses, monitor driver commands, and monitor automobile performance based on the driver commands. Moreover, the system may be employed in real world driving scenarios, where a driver'"'"'s commands and the associated automobile responses are indicative of actual every day driving.

Claims

1. An automobile, comprising:

a plurality of automobile controls including a steering mechanism, an accelerator and a brake, at least one of the plurality of automobile controls configured to receive a driver command,

a plurality of wheels controllable by the steering mechanism;

an engine configured to drive at least one of the plurality of wheels;

a control unit in communication with the engine and the plurality of automobile controls, wherein the control unit is configured to manage the operation of the automobile based on the received driver command;

a sensor configured to detect a response of the automobile to the received driver command;

a first data collection unit configured to receive objective data indicative of a performance of the automobile in response to the received driver command and correlating data indicative of an operational parameter of the automobile from the control unit or the sensor; and

a second data collection unit configured to receive subjective driver data indicative of the performance of the automobile in response to the received driver command and the correlating data from the control unit or the sensor.

2. The automobile of claim 1, wherein the objective data includes data corresponding to a first automobile control.

3. The automobile of claim 2, wherein the objective data includes data corresponding to a first operational characteristic of the automobile and the data corresponding to the first automobile control.

4. The automobile of claim 3, wherein the objective data and the subjective driver data are combined based on the correlating data such that the objective data and the subjective driver data are correlated.

5. The automobile of claim 4, wherein the first automobile control is acceleration.

6. The automobile of claim 1, further comprising a subjective driver monitoring device.

7. The, automobile of claim 6, wherein the subjective driver monitoring device is configured to record, as the subjective driver data, a subjective response of a driver in response to the response of the automobile to the received driver command.

8. The automobile of claim 7, wherein the received driver command is an input at the accelerator.

9. The automobile of claim 6, wherein the subjective driver monitoring device records the subjective driver data during an entire automobile evaluation.

10. The automobile of claim 9, wherein the subjective driver monitoring device records the subjective driver data during a driving test conducted by a driver over a predetermined course.

11. The automobile of claim 10, wherein the correlating data comprises common data that is correlated with the objective data and the subjective driver data.

12. The automobile of claim 11, wherein the common data provides a baseline for analysis of each of the objective data and the subjective driver data.

13. A driver response information collection system, comprising:

a first data collection unit configured to collect first data indicative of a first driver command, second data indicative of a second driver command, correlating data indicative of an operational parameter of the automobile, and a first automobile response, wherein the first automobile response corresponds to the first driver command or the second driver command;

a second data collection unit configured to collect the first data indicative of the first driver command, third data indicative of a third driver command, the correlating data, and a second automobile response, wherein the second automobile response corresponds to the first driver command or the third driver command; and

a subjective monitoring device configured to capture subjective monitoring data and send the subjective monitoring data to the first data collection unit or the second data collection unit, wherein at least one of the first data, the second data or the third data is associated with the subjective monitoring data through the correlating data.

14. The driver response information collection system of claim 13, wherein the subjective monitoring device is a video capture device.

15. The driver response information collection system of claim 13, wherein the first data is indicative of acceleration.

16. The driver response information collection system of claim 13, wherein the first data is indicative of acceleration and the second data is indicative of force.

17. The driver response information collection system of claim 13, wherein the first data collection unit or the second data collection unit is further configured to collect data corresponding to an automobile response from at least one of the first driver command, the second driver command and the third driver command.

18. The driver response information collection system of claim 13, wherein the third data is a steering component input from a driver.

19. A method for establishing drivability evaluation targets, comprising:

providing an automobile configured with a drivability evaluation system, wherein the automobile comprises an automobile control and a sensor, and wherein the drivability evaluation system comprises a subjective data monitoring device, a first data collection unit and a second data collection unit;

receiving at the automobile control a driver command, wherein the driver command causes an operating event;

detecting, by the sensor, objective data indicative of the operating event;

detecting, by the subjective data monitoring device, subjective driver data in response to the operating event;

receiving, by the first data collection unit, the objective data indicative of the operating event from the sensor and correlating data from the automobile control or the sensor; and

receiving, by the second data collection unit, the subjective driver data from the subjective data monitoring device and the correlating data, wherein the subjective driver data is correlated to the objective data indicative of the operating event based on the correlating data.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining a drivability evaluation target based on the correlated subjective driver data and the objective data, wherein a user adjusts the automobile control based on the drivability evaluation target.