Method and system for adaptive electronic driveforce unit control

• US 8,751,124 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahn, Samuel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Danneman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/716,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20110218722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00

Abstract

The present invention is a method and system for adaptive electronic driveforce unit control based on the weather. An automobile can include, for example a driveforce system. The driveforce system can include a driveforce unit, an acceleration input device, a memory, a speed sensor, and/or a weather detection system. The acceleration input device can generate acceleration input data. The driveforce unit can generate an output based on the corresponding acceleration input data from a driveforce curve in a driveforce map. The driveforce map can be stored in the memory. The speed sensor can detect speed data indicating a speed and/or acceleration of the automobile. The weather detection system includes a moisture detection system detecting moisture data, a temperature sensor detecting temperature data, and a windshield wiper detection system detecting windshield wiper data. The processor adjusts the driveforce curve in the driveforce map based on the weather data.

Claims

1. A driveforce system comprising:

a weather detection unit having at least one sensor for detecting weather data;

a memory for storing a driveforce map;

an acceleration input device having an active state and an idle state; and

a processor connected to the weather detection unit, the acceleration input device, and the memory, the processor configured to analyze the weather data and determine an adjustment to the driveforce map based on the weather data, wherein the processor is configured to wait for the acceleration input device to be in the idle state before applying the adjustment to the driveforce map.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein

the acceleration input device is configured to detect acceleration input data and further comprising

a driveforce unit connected to the processor, wherein an output of the driveforce unit is varied by the processor.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the driveforce map includes a driveforce curve for indicating the output of the driveforce unit for a corresponding acceleration input data.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the weather detection unit includes a moisture detection sensor and the weather data includes moisture data, and the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve by an amount based on an amount of moisture and a type of moisture indicated by the moisture data.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the weather detection unit further includes a temperature sensor and the weather data includes temperature data, and the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve by an amount based on a temperature indicated by the temperature data.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve only when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature threshold.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce by a greater amount when the temperature is below a freezing temperature than when the temperature is above the freezing temperature.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the weather detection unit includes a windshield wiper detection sensor and the weather data includes windshield wiper activation data, and the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve when the windshield wiper activation data indicates an activation of a windshield wiper.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve by an amount based on a speed of the windshield wiper.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve when the windshield wiper activation data indicates the activation of a windshield wiper for longer than a predetermined windshield wiper on time period.

11. An automobile comprising:

a weather detection unit having at least one sensor for detecting weather data;

an acceleration input device for detecting acceleration input data;

a speed sensor for detecting an automobile speed;

a driveforce unit for generating an output;

a memory for storing a driveforce map including a driveforce curve indicating the output of the driveforce unit for a corresponding acceleration input data; and

a processor connected to the weather detection unit, the acceleration input device, the driveforce unit, and the memory, the processor configured to analyze the weather data, and determine an adjustment to the driveforce curve based on the weather data, wherein the processor is configured to wait for the automobile speed to be below a predetermined speed before applying the adjustment to the driveforce curve.

12. The automobile of claim 11 wherein the weather detection unit includes a moisture detection sensor and the weather data includes moisture data, and the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve by an amount based on an amount of moisture and a type of moisture indicated by the moisture data.

13. The automobile of claim 12 wherein the weather detection unit further includes a temperature sensor and the weather data includes temperature data, and the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve by an amount based on a temperature indicated by the temperature data only when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature threshold.

14. The automobile of claim 11 wherein the weather detection unit includes a windshield wiper detection sensor and the weather data includes windshield wiper activation data indicating a speed of the windshield wiper, and the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve by an amount based on the speed of the windshield wiper.

15. The automobile of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured to decrease the driveforce curve when the windshield wiper activation data indicates an activation of the windshield wiper for longer than a predetermined windshield wiper on time period.

16. A method for varying an amount of driveforce comprising a processor connected to a driveforce unit and an acceleration input device having an active state and an idle state, the processor configured to perform the steps of:

determining weather data;

analyzing the weather data;

storing a driveforce map;

waiting for the acceleration input device to be in an idle state before adjusting the driveforce map;

adjusting the driveforce map based on the weather data; and

adjusting a driveforce curve in the driveforce map by an amount based on the weather data.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising

detecting acceleration input data from the acceleration input device, wherein the driveforce map indicates a driveforce corresponding to the acceleration input data.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising

decreasing the driveforce curve by an amount based on an amount of moisture and a type of moisture indicated by the weather data.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising

decreasing the driveforce curve by an amount based on a temperature indicated by the weather data only when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature threshold.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising

decreasing the driveforce curve by an amount based on a speed of a windshield wiper indicated by the weather data.