Enhanced crosswind estimation

• US 9,102,333 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2013
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yang, Hsin-Hsiang, Prakah-Asante, Kwaku O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US13/916,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20140371948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A device may identify a first forgetting factor accounting for a rate of change of vehicle uncertainty and a second forgetting factor accounting for a rate of change of crosswind estimation. The device may utilize a recursive-least-squares heuristic executed by a crosswind and vehicle uncertainty estimator and specialized with the first and second forgetting factors to determine vehicle uncertainty and crosswind estimation from driver steering inputs and crosswind disturbance inputs, the first and second forgetting factors accounting for relatively slower-changing vehicle uncertainty and relatively faster-changing crosswinds.

Claims

1. A method of crosswind estimation in a vehicle, comprising:

identifying, via a vehicle processor, first and second forgetting factors accounting for rates of change of vehicle uncertainty and crosswind estimation, respectively; and

utilizing a recursive-least-squares heuristic executed by a crosswind-and-vehicle-uncertainty estimator specialized with the forgetting factors to determine vehicle uncertainty and crosswind estimation from driver steering and crosswind disturbance inputs, the forgetting factors accounting for relatively slower-changing vehicle uncertainty and relatively faster-changing crosswinds.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving updated driver steering inputs indicative of driver intention and updated crosswind disturbance inputs indicative of a potential crosswind condition; and

applying the updated driver steering inputs and crosswind disturbance inputs to the recursive-least-squares heuristic according to the first and second forgetting factors.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of receiving the driver steering inputs at least in part from a steering wheel sensor, and receiving the crosswind disturbance inputs at least in part from a vehicle yaw rate sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the crosswind estimation exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

determining whether to provide a caution reminder to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying not to provide the caution reminder to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation; and

determining whether to tailor secondary driver task communications to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the caution reminder includes at least one of audio feedback, visual feedback, haptic feedback, and provisioning of a telematic communication message to an external network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically relaying information regarding time and location of experienced estimated crosswind to a networked system to cause the networked system to alert vehicle drivers within vicinity of the experienced estimated crosswind of a potential crosswind condition.

8. A computing device storing a crosswind and vehicle uncertainty estimator application, the crosswind and vehicle uncertainty estimator application being executable by a vehicle processor of the computing device to provide operations to determine crosswind estimation in a vehicle, the operations comprising:

identifying first and second forgetting factors accounting for rates of change of vehicle uncertainty and crosswind estimation, respectively; and

utilizing a recursive-least-squares heuristic specialized with the first and second forgetting factors to determine vehicle uncertainty and crosswind estimation from driver steering inputs and crosswind disturbance inputs, the first and second forgetting factors accounting for relatively slower-changing vehicle uncertainty and relatively faster-changing crosswinds.

9. The computing device of claim 8, further configured to provide operations comprising:

receiving updated driver steering inputs indicative of driver intention and updated crosswind disturbance inputs indicative of a potential crosswind condition; and

applying the updated driver steering inputs and crosswind disturbance inputs to the recursive-least-squares heuristic according to the first and second forgetting factors.

10. The computing device of claim 8, further configured to provide operations comprising at least one of receiving the driver steering inputs at least in part from a steering wheel sensor, and receiving the crosswind disturbance inputs at least in part from a vehicle yaw rate sensor.

11. The computing device of claim 8, further configured to provide operations comprising:

determining that the crosswind estimation exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

determining whether to provide a caution reminder to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation.

12. The computing device of claim 11, further configured to provide operations comprising:

identifying not to provide the caution reminder to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation; and

determining whether to tailor secondary driver task communications to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation.

13. The computing device of claim 11, the caution reminder including at least one of audio feedback, visual feedback, haptic feedback, and provisioning of a telematic communication message to an external network.

14. The computing device of claim 8, further configured to provide operations comprising automatically relaying information regarding time and location of experienced estimated crosswind to a networked system to cause the networked system to alert vehicle drivers within vicinity of the experienced estimated crosswind of a potential crosswind condition.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a crosswind and vehicle uncertainty estimator application software program, the crosswind and vehicle uncertainty estimator application being executable by a vehicle processor to provide operations to determine crosswind estimation of a vehicle, the operations comprising:

identifying first and second forgetting factors accounting for rates of change of vehicle uncertainty and crosswind estimation, respectively; and

utilizing a recursive-least-squares heuristic specialized with the first and second forgetting factors to determine vehicle uncertainty and crosswind estimation from driver steering inputs and crosswind disturbance inputs, the first and second forgetting factors accounting for relatively slower-changing vehicle uncertainty and relatively faster-changing crosswinds.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further executable to provide operations comprising:

receiving updated driver steering inputs indicative of driver intention and updated crosswind disturbance inputs indicative of a potential crosswind condition; and

applying the updated driver steering inputs and crosswind disturbance inputs to the recursive-least-squares heuristic according to the first and second forgetting factors.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further executable to provide operations comprising at least one of receiving the driver steering inputs at least in part from a steering wheel sensor, and receiving the crosswind disturbance inputs at least in part from a vehicle yaw rate sensor.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further executable to provide operations comprising:

determining that the crosswind estimation exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

determining whether to provide a caution reminder to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further executable to provide operations comprising:

identifying not to provide the caution reminder to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation; and

determining whether to tailor secondary driver task communications to the driver based at least in part on the crosswind estimation.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, the caution reminder including at least one of audio feedback, visual feedback, haptic feedback, and provisioning of a telematic communication message to an external network.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further executable to provide operations comprising automatically relaying information regarding time and location of experienced estimated crosswind to a networked system to cause the networked system to alert vehicle drivers within vicinity of the experienced estimated crosswind of a potential crosswind condition.