METHOD FOR INTEGRATING MULTIPLE FEATURE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

• US 20100198450A1
• Filed: 01/20/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Shin, Kwang-Keun
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

The velocity of a vehicle is controlled according a cruise control system that has a plurality of cruise control features. Each of the cruise control features has a current desired velocity requirement which can be used to determine a single current desired velocity for controlling the vehicle. A future desired velocity requirement can be predicted for each of the cruise control features over a time period. Vehicle acceleration can be determined from the difference of the current desired velocity and the predicted future velocity for controlling the velocity and acceleration of the vehicle to the predicted future velocity.

Claims

1. Method for controlling velocity of a vehicle according to requirements of a cruise control system including a plurality of cruise control features, the method comprising:

monitoring current desired velocity requirements of each of the plurality of cruise control features;

determining a current desired velocity to control the vehicle based upon the monitored current desired velocity requirements;

predicting future desired velocity requirements of each of the plurality of cruise control features;

determining a current desired acceleration to control the vehicle based upon the predicted future desired velocity requirements; and

controlling the vehicle based upon the current desired velocity to control the vehicle and the current desired acceleration to control the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the current desired velocity to control the vehicle comprises selecting a minimum of the current desired velocity requirements of the plurality of cruise control features.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicting future desired velocity requirements of the plurality of cruise control features is determined based upon a time horizon.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the time horizon is determined based upon vehicle operating conditions.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the time horizon is determined based upon environmental factors.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining the current desired acceleration to control the vehicle is based upon a difference of a minimum of the predicted future desired velocity requirements of the cruise control features and the current desired velocity to control the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the current desired velocity to control the vehicle and the current desired acceleration to control the vehicle maintaining a current velocity of the vehicle below a minimum of the current desired velocity requirements of the cruise control features and a future velocity of the vehicle below a minimum of the predicted future velocity requirements of the cruise control features.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a current desired acceleration requirement for each of the cruise control features; and

wherein the current desired acceleration to control the vehicle does not exceed minimum of the current desired acceleration requirements for the cruise control features.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cruise control features comprises a conventional cruise control feature, an adaptive cruise control feature, a speed limit following control system, and a curve speed control system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cruise control features comprises a conventional cruise control feature and another cruise control feature selected from the group consisting of an adaptive cruise control feature, a speed limit following control system, and a curve speed control system.

11. Method for controlling velocity of a vehicle according to outputs of a multiple feature cruise control system, maintaining the velocity of the vehicle below a future desired velocity of each of the multiple features through a time horizon, the method comprising:

monitoring a current desired velocity of each of the cruise control features;

monitoring a current desired acceleration of each of the cruise control features;

determining a current desired velocity to control the vehicle based upon a minimum of the current desired velocities of the cruise control features;

predicting a future desired velocity for each of the cruise control features at the end of the time horizon based upon the monitored current desired velocity and current desired acceleration for each of the features;

determining a current desired acceleration to control the vehicle based upon selecting a minimum of the predicted future desired velocities of the features and based upon the current desired acceleration of the cruise control features; and

controlling the velocity of the vehicle based upon the current desired velocity to control the vehicle and the current desired acceleration to control the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling the velocity of the vehicle comprises a vehicle acceleration command to a powertrain control device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlling the velocity of the vehicle further comprises a vehicle acceleration command to a braking system.

14. Apparatus for controlling velocity of a vehicle according to requirements of a cruise control system including a plurality of cruise control features, the apparatus comprising:

a powertrain control device controlling an output of a powertrain of the vehicle;

a control module;

monitoring current desired velocity requirements of each of the plurality of cruise control features;

determining a current desired velocity to control the vehicle based upon the monitored current desired velocity requirements;

predicting future desired velocity requirements of each of the plurality of cruise control features;

determining a current desired acceleration to control the vehicle based upon the predicted future desired velocity requirements; and

controlling the vehicle by generating acceleration commands to the powertrain control device based upon the current desired velocity to control the vehicle and the current desired acceleration to control the vehicle.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of cruise control features comprises a conventional cruise control feature;

and

the apparatus further comprising a human interface device monitoring a driver-selected reference velocity.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of cruise control features comprises an adaptive cruise control feature;

and

the apparatus further comprising a forward looking sensor generating information about a target vehicle in front of the vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of cruise control features comprises an speed limit following control feature;

and

the apparatus further comprising a device generating information about a speed limit of a current roadway.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of cruise control features comprises a curve speed control feature;

and

the apparatus further comprising a forward looking sensor generating information about a curvature and a suggested speed of a current roadway.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the current desired velocity to control the vehicle and the current desired acceleration to control the vehicle maintaining a current velocity of the vehicle below a minimum of the current desired velocity requirements of the cruise control features and a future velocity of the vehicle below a minimum of the predicted future velocity requirements of the cruise control features.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, the control module further:

monitoring a current desired acceleration requirement for each of the cruise control features; and

wherein the current desired acceleration to control the vehicle does not exceed minimum of the current desired acceleration requirements for the cruise control features.