Determining low-speed driving direction in a vehicle

• US 8,880,288 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Robert Bosch LLC (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Li, Qingyuan, Wu, Hsien-cheng (Kevin), Hoerauf, Tim, Hu, Jiamu, Ridley, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torchinsky, Edward
• Application Number:
  US12/704,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/32 Driving direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• 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 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/443 Detecting travel direction, e.g. the forward or reverse movement of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/663 Road slope
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/44 dependent on machine speed of the machine, e.g. the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/66 Road conditions, e.g. slope, slippery
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/04 Indicating positive or negative direction of a linear movement or clockwise or anti-clockwise direction of a rotational movement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles

Abstract

A method and a system of determining a driving direction of a vehicle traveling at a low speed. The method includes determining whether the vehicle is in one of three states: (1) an uphill state in which the vehicle is located on an upward sloping surface, (2) a downhill state in which the vehicle is located on a downward sloping surface, and (3) a flat surface state in which the vehicle is located on a flat surface. The method also includes obtaining information from a plurality of vehicle sensors and determining a direction of movement of the vehicle based upon the determined state of the vehicle and information from the plurality of vehicle sensors.

Claims

1. A method of determining a driving direction of a vehicle when the vehicle begins traveling, the method comprising:

determining whether the vehicle is in one of three states,

(1) an uphill state in which the vehicle is located on an upward sloping surface, wherein in the uphill state the vehicle is oriented so that selecting and operating the vehicle in a drive gear moves the vehicle forward and upwardly along the upward sloping surface and selecting and operating the vehicle in a reverse gear moves the vehicle downwardly along the sloping surface,

(2) a downhill state in which the vehicle is located on a downward sloping surface, wherein in the downhill state the vehicle is oriented so that selecting and operating the vehicle in a drive gear moves the vehicle forwardly and downwardly along the downward sloping surface and selecting and operating the vehicle in a reverse gear moves the vehicle backward and upwardly along the sloping surface, and

(3) a flat surface state in which the vehicle is located on a flat surface;

obtaining information from a plurality of vehicle sensors; and

determining, using a processor, a beginning direction of movement from a standstill of the vehicle based upon the determined state of the vehicle and information from the plurality of vehicle sensors, wherein the beginning direction of movement of the vehicle includes at least one of the forward direction and the backward direction,

wherein determining the beginning direction of movement includes determining a direction of movement based on

(i) the determined state of the vehicle and

(ii) a difference between a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle at a time when the vehicle is at a standstill and a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle at a time when the vehicle begins moving,

wherein the processor receives inputs from the plurality of vehicle sensors comprising;

an acceleration signal axlnBls from a longitudinal acceleration sensor when a brake light switch is engaged, a wheel speed sensor output dvRadln/dt, a derivative of the wheel speed sensor output during a previous time period dvRadlnK1/dt, a brake light switch off indication !BLS, a gear shift sensor output PRNDL that indicates engagement in a forward direction D or a reverse direction R, an acceleration signal axlnvRadln from the longitudinal acceleration sensor when the vehicle first starts to move, and a predetermined uphill threshold C_axlnUPHILL is provided,

wherein when the vehicle is in the uphill state located on an upward sloping surface, the processor determines a forward direction of movement after a backward beginning movement if;

axlnBls is greater than C_axlnUPHILL,

AND

dvRadlnK1/dt is less than 0

AND

dvRadln/dt is greater than or equal to 0

AND

axlnvRadln−

axlnBls is greater than or equal to 0

AND

!BLS

AND

PRNDL=D.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the vehicle is in the uphill state located on an upward sloping surface, the processor determines a rearward direction of beginning movement if:

axlnBls is greater than C_axlnUPHILL,

AND

dvRadln/dt is greater than 0

AND

axlnvRadln−

axlnBls is less than 0

AND

PRNDL =D.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining, when the vehicle is at a standstill, whether the vehicle is in the flat surface state includes evaluating whether the sensor signal from the longitudinal acceleration sensor is between the predetermined uphill threshold and the predetermined downhill threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining a beginning direction of movement of the vehicle includes determining whether a vehicle'"'"'s drive force is greater, equal to, or less than a weight of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, including the step of automatically controlling the vehicle to perform a parallel parking maneuver based on the beginning direction of movement of the vehicle.

6. A system for determining a driving direction of a vehicle starting from a standstill, the system comprising:

a controller; and

a plurality of sensors connected to the controller, each of the sensors configured to transmit information to the controller;

wherein, the controller is programmed to determine whether the vehicle is in one of three states;

(1) an uphill state in which the vehicle is located on an upward sloping surface, wherein in the uphill state the vehicle is oriented so that selecting and operating the vehicle in a drive gear moves the vehicle forwardly and upwardly along the upward sloping surface and selecting and operating the vehicle in a reverse gear moves the vehicle downwardly along the sloping surface,

(2) a downhill state in which the vehicle is located on a downward sloping surface, wherein in the downhill state the vehicle is oriented so that selecting and operating the vehicle in a drive gear moves the vehicle forwardly and downwardly along the downward sloping surface and selecting and operating the vehicle in a reverse gear moves the vehicle backwardly and upwardly along the sloping surface, and

(3) a flat surface state in which the vehicle is located on a flat surface, and determine a beginning direction of movement of the vehicle based upon the determined state of the vehicle and information from the plurality of sensors, wherein the beginning direction of movement of the vehicle includes at least one of the forward direction and a backward direction, wherein the controller determines the beginning direction of movement based on

(i) the determined state of the vehicle and

(ii) a difference between an acceleration signal from a longitudinal acceleration sensor when the vehicle first moves from a standstill minus an acceleration signal from the longitudinal acceleration sensor when the vehicle is at a standstill to determine a driving direction of the vehicle,

wherein the controller receives inputs as;

the acceleration signal axlnBls from the longitudinal acceleration sensor when a brake light switch is engaged, a predetermined uphill threshold C_axlnUPHILL, a wheel speed sensor output dvRadln/dt, a derivative of the wheel speed sensor output during a previous time period dvRadlnK1/dt, a brake light switch off indication !BLS, a gear shift sensor output PRNDL that indicates engagement in a forward direction D or a reverse direction R, and an acceleration signal axlnvRadln from the longitudinal acceleration sensor when the vehicle first starts to move,

wherein when the vehicle is in the uphill state located on an upward sloping surface, the controller determines a forward direction of movement after a backward beginning movement if;

axlnBls is greater than C_axlnUPHILL,

AND

dvRadlnK1/dt is less than 0

AND

dvRadln/dt is greater than 0

AND

axlnvRadln−

axlnBls is greater than or equal to 0

AND

!BLS

AND

PRNDL=D.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller is programmed to determine whether a vehicle'"'"'s drive force is greater, equal to, or lower than a weight of the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 6, the controller programmed for determining direction of movement,

wherein when the vehicle is in the uphill state located on an upward sloping surface, the controller determines a forward direction of beginning movement when

vehicle steering angle multiplied by vehicle yaw rate is greater than zero and the vehicle steering angle multiplied by vehicle lateral acceleration is greater than zero,

wherein when the vehicle is in the uphill state located on an upward sloping surface, the controller determines a backward direction of beginning movement when

the vehicle steering angle multiplied by the vehicle yaw rate is less than zero and the vehicle steering angle multiplied by the vehicle lateral acceleration is less than zero.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein when the vehicle is in the uphill state located on an upward sloping surface, the controller determines a rearward direction of beginning movement if:

axlnBls is greater than C_axlnUPHILL,

AND

dvRadln/dt is greater than 0

AND

axlnvRadln−

axlnBls is less than 0

AND

PRNDL=D.