Apparatus and method of processing road data

• US 9,393,955 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2013
• 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: Jeong, Dong Hoon, Chang, Joseph D, Jeon, Byeong Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Jacob S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Tinh
• Application Number:
  US14/140,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/188 Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1882 characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road

Abstract

An apparatus for processing road information includes: a global positioning system (GPS) sensor configured to detect a location of a vehicle; a navigation device configured to output short-range road information and long-range road information according to a location of the vehicle; and a vehicle controller configured to restore forward road information by using the short-range road information and the long-range road information and control an engine or a transmission according to the forward road information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing road data, the apparatus comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) sensor configured to detect a location of a vehicle;

a navigation device configured to output short-range road data and long-range road data according to a location of the vehicle; and

a vehicle controller configured to restore forward road information by using the short-range road data and the long-range road data and control an engine or a transmission according to the forward road data restored by the vehicle controller, by changing one or more of a gear shift pattern and an engine torque map,

wherein the navigation device periodically outputs p(1) and p(i) to the vehicle controller, where i is from 2 to n and p(1) is a relative location of d(1) with respect to a current location of the vehicle, and p(i) is relative location of d(i) with respect to d(i+1),

wherein the d(1) includes an east-west directional relative distance ew(1), a north-south directional relative distance ns(1), and a relative altitude h(1), with respect to the current location of the vehicle,

wherein each of the d(i) where i is equal to 1−

n, includes an east-west directional relative distance ew(i), a north-south directional relative distance ns(i), and a relative altitude h(i), with respect to the d(i−

1),

wherein a set of the d(i) where i is equal to 1−

n, includes a plurality of short-range road data (Sn) and a plurality of long-range road data (Sf), and

wherein the plurality of short-range road data (Sn) includes the p(i) which is less than a predetermined distance and the plurality of long-range road data (Sf) includes the p(i) which is larger than the predetermined distance, and

wherein the vehicle controller updates a movement amount of coordinates according to a movement of the vehicle and then restores the short-range and long range road data Sn and Sf with respect to the current location of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the navigation device outputs the short-range road information and the long-range road information at predetermined time intervals.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the vehicle controller restores the forward road information by accumulating the short-range road data and the long-range road data output at predetermined time intervals.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the vehicle controller restores the forward road data in further consideration of a movement distance of the vehicle within a predetermined time.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the short-range road data regarding spots of a road spaced apart from one another at a first predetermined distance therebetween, and the long-range road data includes data regarding spots of a road spaced apart from one another at a second predetermined distance therebetween.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first predetermined distance of the short-range road data is a first distance, the second predetermined distance of the long-range road data is a second distance, and the second distance is greater than the first distance.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the vehicle controller restores forward road data corresponding to spots within sports of a road spaced apart from each other at the first and second predetermined distance therebetween by using the forward road data restored based on the short-range road data and the long-range road data.

8. A method for processing road data, the method comprising:

detecting, by a global positioning system (GPS), a location of a vehicle;

detecting, by a navigation device, short-range road data and long-range road data corresponding to the location of the vehicle; and

restoring, by a vehicle controller, forward road data by using the short-range road data and the long-range road data; and

controlling, by the vehicle controller, an engine or a transmission according to the forward road data restored by the vehicle controller, by changing one or more of a gear shift pattern and an engine torque map,

wherein the navigation device periodically outputs p(1) and p(i) to the vehicle controller, where i is from 2 to n and p(1) is a relative location of d(1) with respect to a current location of the vehicle, and p(i) is relative location of d(i) with respect to d(i−

1),

wherein the d(1) includes an east-west directional relative distance ew(1), a north-south directional relative distance ns(1), and a relative altitude h(1), with respect to the current location of the vehicle,

wherein each of the d(i) where i is equal to 1−

n, includes an east-west directional relative distance ew(i), a north-south directional relative distance ns(i), and a relative altitude h(i), with respect to the d(i−

1),

wherein a set of the d(i) where i is equal to 1−

n, includes a plurality of short-range road data (Sn) and a plurality of long-range road data (Sf), and

wherein the plurality of short-range road data (Sn) includes the p(i) which is less than a predetermined distance and the plurality of long-range road data (Sf) includes the p(i) which is larger than the predetermined distance, and

wherein the vehicle controller updates a movement amount of coordinates according to a movement of the vehicle and then restores the short-range and long rang road data Sn and Sf with respect to the current location of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in the detecting of the short-range road data and the long-range road data, the short-range road data and the long-range road data are detected at predetermined time intervals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein in the restoring of the forward road data, the forward road data is restored by accumulating the short-range road data and the long-range road data detected at the predetermined time intervals.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein in the restoring of the forward road data, the forward road information is restored in further consideration of a movement distance of the vehicle within a predetermined time.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the short-range road data regarding spots of a road spaced apart from one another at a predetermined distance therebetween, and the long-range road data includes data regarding spots of a road spaced apart from one another at a second predetermined distance therebetween.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a predetermined distance of the short-range road data is a first distance, the second predetermined distance of the long-range road data is a second distance, and the second distance is greater than the first distance.