WADING DEPTH ESTIMATION FOR A VEHICLE

• US 20140324288A1
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Tran, Thuy-Yung, Hoare, Edward, Clarke, Nigel
• Granted Patent: US 9,026,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/37
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 1/00 Tyres characterised by the chemical composition or the physical arrangement or mixture of the composition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0165 to an external condition, e.g. rough road surface, side wind
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01908 Acceleration or inclination sensors characterised by the use of gyroscopes B60G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/07 Off-road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/80 Exterior conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/843 Humidity; Rainfall
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/30 Height or ground clearance
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/914 Height Control System
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/16 Type of output information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/16 Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 : Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 : Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 : Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 : Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/105 : characterised by the function converting demand to actuation, e.g. a map indicating relations between an accelerator pedal position and throttle valve opening or target engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/00 : Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/14 : by measurement of pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/18 : Indicating, recording or alarm devices actuated electrically
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/24 : by measuring variations of resistance of resistors due to contact with conductor fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/242 : Mounting arrangements for electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/263 : by measuring variations in capacitance of capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/265 : for discrete levels
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/28 : by measuring the variations of parameters of electromagnetic or acoustic waves applied directly to the liquid or fluent solid material
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/296 : Acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2965 : Measuring attenuation of transmitted waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/80 : Arrangements for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/804 : containing circuits handling parameters other than liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 : Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/02 : using reflection of acoustic waves G01S15/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 : Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 : of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/932 : for parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/938 : in the bumper area radar in bumper area G01S2013/93275; bumper with obstacle sensor of electric or electronic type B60R19/483
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 : Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 13/00 : Cones, diaphragms, or the like, for emitting or receiving sound in general for electromechanical transducers H04R7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 367/908 : Material level detection, e.g. liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A predictive method of detecting the depth of water ahead of a wading vehicle comprises providing a wading sensor and an attitude sensor on the vehicle, and using this information to estimate the depth of water at a location ahead of the direction of vehicle movement. Corresponding apparatus is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for use in a vehicle, comprising:

receiving a signal from one or more sensors indicating wading and wading depth;

receiving a signal from a sensor indicating attitude of the vehicle; and

estimating, based upon;

(i) a wading depth (D) as indicated by said signal from one or more sensors, (ii) attitude as indicated by said signal from said sensor; and

(iii) a distance (R_max) in advance of the location of the vehicle and/or a maximum wading depth (D_max) of the vehicle, a depth of water at a location ahead of the vehicle substantially in the direction of vehicle movement and/or the distance, ahead of the vehicle substantially in the direction of vehicle movement, to a maximum wading depth.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said estimating is carried out in dependence on detecting the presence of water at least partially about the vehicle by receipt of a signal indicating wading and/or in dependence on detecting the attitude of the vehicle by receipt of a signal indicating attitude.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising continually re-estimating the depth of water whilst said vehicle is moving and wading is detected.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising adjusting vehicle suspension height.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein adjusting vehicle suspension height is carried out according to the estimation of depth of water.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising indicating estimated depth of water to the vehicle driver.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising estimating a distance ahead of vehicle movement to maximum wading depth, and indicating said distance to the vehicle driver.

8. A vehicle comprising a wading depth sensor, an attitude sensor and a control unit configured to use signals issued by said wading depth and attitude sensors to compute an estimated wading depth at a location ahead of the direction of vehicle movement and/or to compute a distance ahead of the direction of vehicle movement to maximum wading depth.

9. A vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising a sensor for indicating wading.

10. A vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said control unit is configured to make an estimation of wading depth only upon detection of wading.

11. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said control unit is configured to estimate wading depth only when said vehicle is moving.

12. A vehicle according to claim 10, wherein said control unit is adapted to estimate a distance to maximum wading depth, and to indicate said distance to the vehicle driver.

13. A vehicle according to, claim 8, comprising a sensor for indicating wading that is disposed adjacent to a front perimeter of the vehicle in the direction of movement, and comprising a fore and aft inclination sensor.

14. A vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said sensor for indicating wading is an ultrasonic detector having a different response for operation in air and in water.

18. A non-transient computer readable memory having stored thereon a program for a computer of the vehicle of claim 8 configured to carry out said estimating a depth of water at a location ahead of the direction of vehicle movement and/or estimating the distance ahead of the direction of vehicle movement to maximum wading depth.

15. A system for a vehicle, the system comprising a control unit, a sensor for determining vehicle tilt and a sensor for indicating wading depth, wherein the control unit is configured to estimate wading depth in advance of a location of a vehicle and/or configured to estimate a maximum range of a vehicle in advance of a location of a vehicle, wherein said estimations are based upon a wading depth (D) as determined by the sensor for indicating wading depth, tilt as determined by the sensor for determining vehicle tilt and a distance (R_max) in advance of the location of the vehicle and/or a maximum wading depth (D_max) of the vehicle.

16. A system for a vehicle according to claim 15 wherein the control unit is configured to use the following equation or an approximation thereof in estimating a distance (R_max) in advance of the location of the vehicle:

17. A system for a vehicle according to claim 15 wherein the control unit is configured to use the following equation or an approximation thereof in estimating wading depth in advance of a location of a vehicle:

D(R)=R·

Tan(α

)+D.

19. (canceled)

19-1. (canceled)