METHOD OF ANTICIPATING A VEHICLE DESTINATION

• US 20080027639A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Williams International Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Williams International Company LLC
• Inventors: TRYON, Bruce
• Application Number:
  US11/864,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20080027639A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/56 Temperature prediction, e.g. for pre-cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/44 Heat storages, e.g. for cabin heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• 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: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A vehicle location sensor such as a GPS, an inertial navigation or dead reckoning system determines location data for a vehicle that travels from a known first destination to a second destination. This location data is processed by a route computer system, and associated vehicle driving patterns are stored in memory. Measured vehicle locations, possibly in combination with stored driving pattern information, are used to anticipate a likely second destination and a likely associated driving pattern from a current location of the vehicle to the likely second destination. The anticipation of a destination or a driving pattern can be responsive to associated likelihoods based upon previous vehicle behavior, which likelihoods can be also dependent upon the time of day, day of week or date. A power generator and an energy storage device of a hybrid electric vehicle can be controlled responsive to the anticipated likely driving pattern, and possibly responsive to information from environment sensors.

Claims

1. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle, comprising:

a. determining at least one location of the vehicle; and

b. determining a likely second destination of said vehicle responsive to said at least one location of said vehicle, wherein said vehicle is possibly traveling from a known first 5 destination to said likely second destination.

2. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one location of the vehicle is determined with a vehicle location sensor in the vehicle.

3. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 2, wherein said vehicle location sensor comprises at least one of a GPS navigation system, an inertial navigation system, a dead reckoning navigation system, and a map matching navigation system.

4. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation of determining said likely second destination comprises:

storing information about a previous driving pattern of said vehicle; and

comparing said plurality of locations with said information characterizing said at least one route that was driven from said first destination to said possible second destination.

5. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 4, wherein said stored information comprises a likelihood that said vehicle at said first destination will travel to said second destination.

6. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 5, wherein said likelihood is calculated from at least one previous driving pattern of said vehicle.

7. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 5, wherein said likelihood is responsive to a measure of time.

8. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 7, wherein said measure of time comprises any or all of a time of day, a day of week, or a day of a year or month.

9. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 4, wherein said stored information comprises information characterizing at least one route that was previously driven from said first destination to a possible second destination.

10. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 9, wherein the operation of determining said likely second destination from said stored information comprises:

recording a plurality of locations of said vehicle after departing said first destination; and

using said plurality of locations to evaluate said information characterizing said at least one route that was driven from said first destination to said possible second destination.

11. A method of determining a likely destination of a vehicle as recited in claim 4, wherein said stored information comprises information characterizing at least one route that had previously been driven and which leads from said at least one location of said vehicle to a possible second destination.