Method for the dynamic adjustment method of operating parameters of a vehicle

• US 9,930,495 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Piaggio & C SPA (Immsi SPA)
• Original Assignee: Piaggio & C SPA (Immsi SPA)
• Inventors: Di Tanna, Onorino, Santucci, Mario, Peron, Stivi
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Kiet
• Application Number:
  US15/520,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20170318435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 701410, 701533, 701 37, 701 329, 701 314, 701 334, 705 1463, 705 4, 4554561, 455419, 4555621, 455296
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/00 Resilient suspensions having means for adjusting the spring or vibration-damper characteristics, for regulating the distance between a supporting surface and a sprung part of vehicle or for locking suspension during use to meet varying vehicular or surface conditions, e.g. due to speed or load levelling or stabilising systems for tippers B60P1/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01941 characterised by the use of piezoelectric elements, e.g. sensors or actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/16 GPS track data
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1706 for single-track vehicles, e.g. motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0002 Automatic control, details of type of controller or control system architecture
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/06 Improving the dynamic response of the control system, e.g. improving the speed of regulation or avoiding hunting or overshoot
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/12 Motorcycles, Trikes; Quads; Scooters
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2025/044 Suspensions with automatic adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A dynamic adjustment method while driving a vehicle of at least one vehicle operating parameter is for a vehicle having an electronic control unit adapted to set the operating parameter, and a communication interface operatively connected to the electronic control unit. An application program is installed on board a portable processing device including a communication interface communicating with the vehicle communication interface. The application program accesses an electronic map of a path and divides the path in sectors. Operating parameter values are stored via the application program, each value being associated to a corresponding sector. While driving, the sector occupied by the vehicle is identified in real time. Values are transmitted sector by sector, from the portable processing device to the electronic control unit so that the electronic control unit sets, sector by sector, the vehicle operating parameter vehicle to the value associated to the occupied sector.

Claims

1. A dynamic adjustment method while driving a vehicle of at least one vehicle operating parameter, the vehicle comprising at least one electronic control unit adapted to set said operating parameter, and at least one communication interface operatively connected to the electronic control unit, the method being adapted to be carried out by an application program installed on board a portable processing device comprising a communication interface adapted to communicate with the communication interface of the vehicle;

the method comprising the steps of;

accessing an electronic map of a path by the application program and dividing said path in a plurality of sectors;

storing via the application program a plurality of values of the operating parameter, each of the plurality of values being associated to a corresponding sector;

identifying in real time while driving of the vehicle and via the application program the sector occupied by the vehicle;

transmitting, sector by sector, from the portable processing device to the electronic control unit said plurality of values so that the electronic control unit sets, sector by sector, said operating parameter of the vehicle to the value associated to the occupied sector;

wherein said operating parameter is an operating parameter of a device of the vehicle comprised in the following list of devices;

an electronic accelerator device, an ABS braking device, an electronic suspension, a thermal motor, or an electric motor, or a hybrid motor; and

wherein the electronic control unit comprises and uses for the control at least one communication line between the electronic control unit and said device of the vehicle, wherein said communication line adopts the CAN bus or LIN Bus or KeyWord 2000 protocol, or an analogic line.

2. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the application program comprises an offline setting module and a real-time control module, and wherein said steps of accessing and storing are carried out while running the offline setting module and said identifying and transmitting steps are carried out while real-time running the control module.

3. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the portable processing device is a smartphone or a tablet.

4. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein said communication interfaces are Bluetooth interfaces.

5. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the accessing step allows a user selecting said map from a plurality of maps.

6. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of maps comprises a plurality of maps of racetracks.

7. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the portable processing device comprises a geo-localization system, and wherein the identifying step comprises a step of detecting a position of the vehicle in a geo-referenced system by said geo-localization system.

8. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 7, wherein the system is a satellite geo-localization system adapted to acquire position data of the vehicle, and wherein the identifying step comprises a step of correcting and/or integrating the acquired position data with:

dynamic data of the vehicle detected by sensors, installed on the portable processing device and/or the vehicle, for an estimate of an expected position of the vehicle;

data regarding the electronic map of the path.

9. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 8, wherein said correcting/integrating step comprises a step of calculating a weighted linear combination between said acquired data, said dynamic data, and said data regarding the electronic map of the path.

10. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein said operating parameter includes a plurality of parameters, each of the plurality of parametrs being adapted to affect operation of a corresponding device of the electronically controllable vehicle.

11. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein said step of storing said plurality of values comprises a step of selecting values automatically suggested by the application program or of setting a change with respect to said automatically suggested values.

12. The dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle is a scooter or a motorcycle.

13. An application program comprising a computer code loadable into the memory of a portable processing device provided with a processing unit adapted to perform instructions contained in said computer code to carry out the dynamic adjustment method according to claim 1.