Wading vehicle control system

• US 9,227,479 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Clarke, Nigel, Hoare, Edward, Tran, Thuy-Yung
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US14/004,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 701/37, 340/442
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 3/003 Parts or details of the vehicle structure; vehicle arrangements not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0165 to an external condition, e.g. rough road surface, side wind
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/07 Off-road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/80 Exterior conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/82 Ground surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/843 Humidity; Rainfall
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/30 Height or ground clearance
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/914 Height Control System
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/111 with separate change-speed gear trains arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/119 including control of all-wheel-driveline means, e.g. transfer gears or clutches for dividing torque between front and rear axle B60W10/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2422/95 Measuring the same parameter at multiple locations of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0683 : Engine manifold pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18009 : related to particular drive situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 : Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/184 : Preventing damage resulting from overload or excessive wear of the driveline
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1884 : Avoiding stall or overspeed of the engine
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 : Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 31/001 : Electric control of rotation speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 : Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0837 : Environmental conditions thereof, e.g. traffic, weather or road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/124 : Information about road conditions, e.g. road inclination or surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/296 : Acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2962 : Measuring transit time of reflected waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2965 : Measuring attenuation of transmitted waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/804 : containing circuits handling parameters other than liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/00 : Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/10 : using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurement G01S15/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 : Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/539 : using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 : Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/00 : Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems

Abstract

A vehicle having a system for determining that there is a possibility that the vehicle has or is about to enter water at a vehicle wading depth. In response to determining that there is a possibility that the vehicle has or is about to enter water at a vehicle wading depth, the system is configured to implement one or more vehicle control strategies. The system comprises at least one remote sensor configured to remotely detect the presence of water about or ahead of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for determining that there is a possibility that a land vehicle is about to travel through water at a vehicle wading depth wherein an exhaust tailpipe of the vehicle is submerged in water, the system comprising:

at least one remote sensor configured to remotely detect the presence of water about or ahead of the vehicle at a control threshold depth, wherein said control threshold depth is below said wading depth and said exhaust tailpipe is not submerged in water at said control threshold depth; and

a controller configured to, in response to said determining, implement one or more vehicle control strategies in dependence on said detection of the presence of water at said control threshold depth.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein determining that there is a possibility that a land vehicle is about to travel through water at said vehicle wading depth comprises the system being configured to determine one or more of:

a possibility that the vehicle is about to enter water of at least 200 mm in depth and that the vehicle body is about to be at least partially immersed in water; and

in response to said determining the system is configured to implement one or more vehicle control strategies before the vehicle enters into water of at least 200 mm in depth and/or before the vehicle body is at least partially immersed in water.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one remote sensor(s) comprises at least one ultrasonic transducer sensor.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one remote sensor is configured to remotely detect the presence of water, by the sensor emitting a signal and by the same or another sensor receiving a reflection of that signal, and by the system being configured to analyze the reflected signal.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein the system is configured to analyze the reflected signal by interrogating the amplitude and/or phase of the reflected signal and the presence of water is determined by the system identifying a defined change in the amplitude and/or phase of the reflected signal.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein the defined change is indicative of a change in the dielectric constant of the medium from which the emitted signal was reflected.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein the control threshold depth is between 100 mm and 200 mm.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one remote sensor is configured to determine one of a depth of the water relative to the vehicle and an absolute depth of the water.

9. A system according to any claim 1 wherein said one or more vehicle control strategies comprises any one or more of:

(i) suspending a stop/start function of a powertrain to prevent automatic shut down of a combustion engine;

(ii) activating a stopped combustion engine;

(iii) preparing an actuator of a ride height adjustment mechanism so that ride height can be adjusted;

(iv) increasing the ride height of the vehicle;

(v) initiating 4WD transmission mode;

(vi) selecting low-range on a transfer box; and

(vii) preparing the vehicle for preventing ingress of water via the vehicle tail pipe by increasing the exhaust gas pressure or flow rate in the tail pipe to mitigate against or prevent ingress of water via the tail pipe.

10. A vehicle comprising a system according to claim 9.

11. A vehicle according to claim 10 wherein the system comprises at least two remote sensors disposed on either side of the vehicle.

12. A vehicle according to claim 11 wherein the system comprises a first remote sensor located on a left side mirror of the vehicle and a second remote sensor located on a right side mirror of the vehicle.

13. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least two remote sensors are disposed on a common lateral axis of the vehicle.

14. A system according to claim 1 wherein the control strategy comprises preparing the vehicle for preventing ingress of water via the vehicle tail pipe by any one or more of:

increasing the exhaust gas pressure by increasing engine speed;

activating a mechanism to increase the height of the tailpipe exhaust outlet; and

switching a hybrid vehicle to electric drive mode only and sealing the tailpipe exhaust outlet.

15. A vehicle comprising a system according to claim 1.

16. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one contact sensor configured to detect the presence of water by the sensor being in contact with the water.

17. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control threshold depth is at least 20 mm below the opening of the exhaust tailpipe outlet.

18. A system for controlling a land vehicle having a combustion engine, the system comprising:

at least one sensor located on each of two side mirrors arranged on opposite sides of a vehicle, said sensors configured to remotely and/or directly detect the presence of water substantially below and/or about the sensor at a control threshold depth, wherein said control threshold depth is a water depth below an exhaust tailpipe of the vehicle; and

a controller configured to, in dependence on said detection of the presence of water at said control threshold depth, suspend a stop/start function of the vehicle so as to prevent automatic shut down of the combustion engine.

19. A vehicle comprising two side mirrors, a combustion engine, and a system according to claim 18.

20. A method of determining that there is a possibility that the vehicle is about to travel through water at a vehicle wading depth, wherein an exhaust tailpipe of the vehicle is submerged in water, and controlling a vehicle in response thereto, the method comprising:

(i) using at least one remote sensor configured to remotely detect the presence of water about or ahead of the vehicle at a control threshold depth wherein said control threshold depth is below the wading depth and said exhaust tailpipe is not submerged in water at said control threshold depth;

and in response thereto;

(ii) determining that there is a possibility that the vehicle is about to enter water at said vehicle wading depth; and

(iii) implementing one or more vehicle control strategies.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein when it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle is about to enter water at said vehicle wading depth, the step of implementing one or more vehicle control strategies is carried out before the vehicle enters water at said wading depth.

22. A method according to claim 20 wherein said one or more vehicle control strategies comprises any one or more of:

(i) suspending a stop/start function of a powertrain to prevent automatic shut down of a combustion engine;

(ii) activating a stopped combustion engine;

(iii) preparing an actuator of a ride height adjustment mechanism so that ride height can be adjusted;

(iv) increasing the ride height of the vehicle;

(v) initiating 4WD transmission mode;

(vi) selecting low-range on a transfer box; and

(vii) preparing the vehicle for preventing ingress of water via the vehicle tail pipe by increasing the exhaust gas pressure or flow rate in the tail pipe to mitigate against or prevent ingress of water via the tail pipe.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon for implementing the method of claim 20.