Apparatus and method for determining short-term driving tendency of driver

• US 9,242,652 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2013
• 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): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US14/135,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20140371949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/003 Detecting or using driving style of a driver, e.g. for adapting shift schedules
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for determining a short-term driving tendency of a driver may include a data detector configured to detect an acceleration of a vehicle, a vehicle speed, and an inter-vehicle distance, and a controller configured to calculate a relative speed with respect to a forward vehicle from the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance, extract fuzzy result values for the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance, respectively, by setting a membership function that corresponds to each of the acceleration of the vehicle and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle, and determine the short-term driving tendency of the driver using the fuzzy result values.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling operation of a vehicle, comprising:

a data detector configured to detect data including an acceleration of the vehicle, a vehicle speed, and an inter-vehicle distance; and

a controller configured to determine a relative speed with respect to a forward vehicle from the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance, extract fuzzy result values for the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance, respectively, by setting a membership function that corresponds to each of the acceleration of the vehicle and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle, and determine a short-term driving tendency of the driver using the fuzzy result values, and control an engine or shifting of a transmission based on the short-term driving tendency,

wherein the controller does not determine the short-term driving tendency when the data shows that a condition of a road is a predetermined road state or road shape.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when it is determined from the fuzzy result values that the vehicle acceleration is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference acceleration, and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference speed, the controller determines that the short-term driving tendency is a first tendency.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when it is determined from the fuzzy result values that the vehicle acceleration exceeds a predetermined reference acceleration, and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle is lower than a predetermined reference speed, the controller determines that the short-term driving tendency is a second tendency.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when it is determined from the fuzzy result values that the acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a reference acceleration and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle is lower than a predetermined reference speed, or when it is determined from the fuzzy result values that the acceleration of the vehicle exceeds the reference acceleration, and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference speed, the controller determines that the short-term driving tendency is a third tendency.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the acceleration of the vehicle by differentiating the vehicle speed.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data detector includes a vehicle speed sensor mounted to a wheel of the vehicle, and measures the vehicle speed using the vehicle speed sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data detector includes a GPS module that is capable of determining a position of the vehicle, and determines the vehicle speed using a GPS signal received by the GPS module.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data detector includes an acceleration sensor mounted to the vehicle, and measures the acceleration of the vehicle using the acceleration sensor.

9. A method for controlling operation of a vehicle, comprising:

detecting, by a controller, acceleration of the vehicle, vehicle speed, and inter-vehicle distance;

determining, by the controller, a relative speed with respect to a forward vehicle from the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance;

setting, by the controller, a membership function that corresponds to each of the acceleration of the vehicle and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle;

extracting, by the controller, fuzzy result values for the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance, respectively;

determining, by the controller, a short-term driving tendency of the driver using the fuzzy result values; and

controlling, by the controller, an engine or shifting of a transmission based on the short-term driving tendency.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the short-term driving tendency of the driver includes:

determining, by the controller, that the short-term driving tendency is a first tendency when it is determined from the fuzzy result values that the vehicle acceleration is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference acceleration, and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference speed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the short-term driving tendency of the driver includes:

determining, by the controller, that the short-term driving tendency is a second tendency when it is determined from the fuzzy result values that the vehicle acceleration exceeds a predetermined reference acceleration, and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle is lower than a predetermined reference speed.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the short-term driving tendency of the driver includes:

determining, by the controller, that the short-term driving tendency is a third tendency when it is determined from the fuzzy result values that the acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference acceleration and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle is lower than a predetermined reference speed, or when it is determined from the fuzzy result values that the acceleration of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined reference acceleration, and the relative speed with respect to the forward vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference speed.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the acceleration of the vehicle is determined by differentiating the vehicle speed.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle speed is measured using a vehicle speed sensor mounted to a wheel of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle speed is determined using a GPS signal received by a GPS module that is capable of determining a position of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle acceleration is measured using an acceleration sensor mounted to the vehicle.