Vehicle race track driving assistance

• US 9,475,494 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: MacArthur, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Odeh, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US14/707,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20160325746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/28 Racing vehicles, e.g. Formula one cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0605 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 Propelling the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A vehicle race track driving assistance system may include a location tracking system that tracks the location of the vehicle; a memory for holding race track data indicative of the shape and location of the race track, including a turn on the race track; a steering control system that controllably steers the vehicle; and a controller that causes the steering control system to controllably steer the vehicle into the turn on the race track when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is approaching the turn, the steering being in an amount that is insufficient to cause the vehicle to navigate through the turn without deviating from the race track.

Claims

1. A vehicle race track driving assistance system comprising:

a location tracking system that tracks the location of the vehicle;

a memory for holding race track data indicative of the shape and location of the race track, including a turn on the race track;

a steering control system that controllably steers the vehicle; and

a controller that causes the steering control system to controllably steer the vehicle into the turn on the race track when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is approaching the turn, the steering being in an amount that is insufficient to cause the vehicle to navigate through the turn without deviating from the race track.

2. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 1 wherein:

there is a turning location on the race track at which the vehicle would normally initiate the turn to minimize its lap times on the track; and

the controller causes the steering control system to controllably steer the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the turning location.

3. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 1 wherein the steering by the steering control system can be overridden by a manual steering system.

4. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 1:

further comprising a throttle control system that controls a throttle of the vehicle; and

wherein the controller causes the throttle control system to reduce the throttle of the vehicle when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is approaching the turn or to increase the throttle of the vehicle when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is exiting the turn.

5. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 4 wherein the controller causes the throttle control system to reduce the throttle of the vehicle when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is approaching the turn and wherein the amount of reduction in the throttle is insufficient to ensure that the vehicle will not lose traction when making the turn.

6. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 4 wherein:

the controller causes the throttle control system to reduce the throttle of the vehicle when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is approaching the turn;

there is a throttle location on the race track at which the vehicle would normally reduce its throttle before going into the turn to minimize its lap times on the track; and

the controller causes the throttle control system to reduce the throttle of the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the throttle location.

7. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 4 wherein the controller causes the throttle control system to reduce the throttle of the vehicle when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is approaching the turn and wherein the reduction in the throttle can be overridden by a manual throttle.

8. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 7 wherein the amount of the braking is insufficient to ensure that the vehicle will not lose traction when making the turn.

9. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 7 wherein:

there is a braking location on the race track at which the vehicle would normally brake before going into the turn to minimize its lap times on the track; and

the controller causes the brake control system to brake the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the braking location.

10. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 4 wherein the braking can be overridden by a manual brake or throttle.

11. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 10 wherein the race track data is indicative of the altitude of each of the sequential series of locations on the race track.

12. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 1:

further comprising a brake control system that controllably brakes the vehicle, and

wherein the controller causes the brake control system to brake the vehicle when the location tracking system indicates that the vehicle is approaching the turn.

13. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 1 wherein the race track data is indicative of the longitude and latitude of a sequential series of locations on the race track.

14. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 1 wherein the location tracking system includes a GPS system and a camera system and uses information from both to track the location of the vehicle on the race track.

15. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 1 further comprising a display that displays an image of the vehicle superimposed on an image of the race track at the vehicle'"'"'s location on the race track as the vehicle travels on the race track.

16. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 15 wherein the display also displays a race line showing the optimum path of the vehicle to minimize race time.

17. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 15 wherein the display also displays different portions of the race line in different colors, each color indicating how fast the vehicle should be traveling over the portion of the race line bearing the color.

18. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 17 wherein one color indicates that the vehicle should reduce speed when traveling over the portion of the race line bearing the one color.

19. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 17 wherein one color indicates that the vehicle should increase speed when traveling over the portion of the race line bearing the one color.

20. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 17 wherein one color indicates that the vehicle should maintain its speed when traveling over the portion of the race line bearing the one color.

21. A vehicle race track driving assistance system comprising:

a location tracking system that tracks the location of the vehicle;

a memory for holding race track data indicative of the shape and location of the race track, including a turn on the race track;

a throttle control system that controls a throttle of the vehicle; and

a controller that causes the throttle control system to reduce the throttle of the vehicle when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is approaching the turn, the amount of reduction in the throttle being insufficient to ensure that the vehicle will not lose traction when making the turn.

22. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 21 wherein:

there is a throttle location on the race track at which the vehicle would normally reduce its throttle before going into the turn to minimize its lap times on the track; and

the controller causes the throttle control system to reduce the throttle of the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the throttle location.

23. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 21 wherein the controller causes the throttle control system to increase the throttle of the vehicle when the location tracking system and race track data indicate that the vehicle is exiting the turn.

24. A vehicle race track driving assistance system comprising:

a location tracking system that tracks the location of the vehicle;

a memory for holding race track data indicative of the shape and location of the race track, including a turn on the race track;

a brake control system that controllably brakes the vehicle;

a controller that causes the brake control system to brake the vehicle when the location tracking system indicates that the vehicle is approaching the turn, the braking being an amount that is insufficient to cause the vehicle to navigate through the turn without deviating from the race track.

25. The vehicle race track driving assistance system of claim 24 wherein:

there is a braking location on the race track at which the vehicle would normally brake before going into the turn to minimize its lap times on the track; and

the controller causes the brake control system to brake the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the braking location.