Variable control apparatus and method for determining short-term driving tendency

• US 8,983,743 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Jeon, Byeong Wook, Jeong, Dong Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, David D
• Application Number:
  US14/143,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20140365088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• US Class Current: 701/57
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour

Abstract

A variable control apparatus and method determines a short-term driving tendency. The apparatus may include a driving information collecting unit configured to collect driving information for determining a driving tendency, a first short-term driving tendency calculating module configured to calculate a first short-term driving tendency index using a fuzzy control theory based on an inputted opening degree of an accelerator pedal position sensor (APS), a second short-term driving tendency calculating module configured to calculate a second short-term driving tendency index using the fuzzy control theory based on an inputted forward vehicle relative speed, and a control module configured to calculate a final short-term driving tendency index by differentially applying weight values of the first short-term driving tendency index and the second short-term driving tendency index for each vehicle speed.

Claims

1. A variable control apparatus for determining a short-term driving tendency of a driver according to driving a vehicle, comprising:

a driving information collecting unit configured to collect driving information for determining a driving tendency;

a first short-term driving tendency calculating module configured to calculate a first short-term driving tendency index using a fuzzy control theory based on an inputted opening degree of an accelerator pedal position sensor (APS);

a second short-term driving tendency calculating module configured to calculate a second short-term driving tendency index using a fuzzy control theory based on an inputted forward vehicle relative speed; and

a control module configured to calculate a final short-term driving tendency index by differentially applying weight values that correspond to each of the first short-term driving tendency index and the second short-term driving tendency index for each vehicle speed.

2. The variable control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module stores a sporty index weight value function for obtaining each of the weight values of the first short-term driving tendency index and the second short-term driving tendency index for each vehicle speed.

3. The variable control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module increases a proportion of the weight value of the first short-term driving tendency index compared to the second short-term driving tendency index when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a first reference speed.

4. The variable control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module increases a proportion of the weight value of the second short-term driving tendency index compared to the first short-term driving tendency index when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a second reference speed.

5. The variable control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the final short-term driving tendency index is calculated by an equation of

SI_TOTAL=SI₁×

W₁+SI₂×

W₂,

wherein SI₁ denotes the first short-term driving tendency index, W₁ denotes a first weight value, SI₂ denotes the second short-term driving tendency index, and W₂ denotes a second weight value.

6. The variable control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driving information collecting unit collects at least one of a vehicle speed according to driving the vehicle by the driver, vehicle acceleration, an inter-vehicle distance, the APS opening degree, a position of a brake pedal, a position of gear shifting, a steering state of the vehicle, position information based on a GPS/GIS, road information, a degree of congestion of a driving section, and weather information.

7. The variable control apparatus of claim 6, wherein the driving information collecting unit calculates a difference in speed between a forward vehicle and the vehicle of the driver using a distance from the forward vehicle, which is detected by an inter-vehicle distance sensor.

8. The variable control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first short-term driving tendency calculating module sets a membership function on the basis of the APS opening degree, and calculates the first short-term driving tendency index from the inputted membership function of the APS opening degree.

9. The variable control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second short-term driving tendency calculating module sets a membership function on the basis of the forward vehicle relative speed, and calculates the second short-term driving tendency index from the inputted membership function of the forward vehicle relative speed.

10. A variable control method for determining a short-term driving tendency of a driver according to driving a vehicle, comprising:

collecting driving information for determining a short-term driving tendency according to driving the vehicle;

calculating a first short-term driving tendency index by calculating a first fuzzy result value from a first membership function based on an accelerator pedal position sensor (APS) opening degree;

calculating a second short-term driving tendency index by calculating a second fuzzy result value from a second membership function based on a forward vehicle relative speed; and

calculating a final short-term driving tendency index by differentially applying weight values that correspond to each of the first short-term driving tendency index and the second short-term driving tendency index according to a vehicle speed.

11. The variable control method of claim 10, wherein the calculating of the final short-term driving tendency index includes increasing a proportion of the weight value of the first short-term driving tendency index compared to the second short-term driving tendency index when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a first reference speed.

12. The variable control method of claim 10, wherein the calculating of the final short-term driving tendency index includes increasing a proportion of the weight value of the second short-term driving tendency index compared to the first short-term driving tendency index when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a second reference speed.

13. The variable control method of claim 10, wherein the collecting of the driving information includes initiating calculation of the short-term driving tendency when an accumulated running time or running distance reaches a predetermined condition for initiating the calculation of the short-term driving tendency index after the vehicle is started.