Method of estimating a propulsion-related operating parameter

• US 8,571,748 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2010
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kluge, Sebastian, Pryakhin, Alexey, Kunath, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US12/708,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20110040438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/29, 701/31.4, 701/37, 701/38, 701/65, 701/96, 701/200, 477/97, 477/120, 477/901, 340/439, 340/903, 180/97, 180/271
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

A method is provided for estimating a propulsion-related operating parameter of a vehicle for a road segment, and for determining routes based on the estimate. The method may be employed, for example, in a vehicle navigation system. In one example method, at least one operating parameter of the vehicle is estimated for the road segment based on information corresponding to the road segment. The propulsion-related operating parameter is estimated for the road segment using the at least one estimated operating parameter and at least one vehicle specific parameter. The at least one vehicle specific parameter is determined by acquiring driving data to determine a plurality of vehicle operating parameters while the vehicle is in operation. At least two of the determined vehicle operating parameters are used in a predetermined relationship that includes the at least one vehicle specific parameter. The at least one vehicle specific parameter is then determined from the driving data for the at least two vehicle operating parameters and the relationship.

Claims

1. A method performed in general purpose computer of estimating a propulsion-related operating parameter of a vehicle for a road segment, the method comprising:

estimating at least one operating parameter of the vehicle for the road segment based on information corresponding to the road segment;

estimating the propulsion-related operating parameter for the road segment using the at least one estimated operating parameter and at least one vehicle specific parameter, where the at least one vehicle specific parameter is determined by;

acquiring driving data to determine a plurality of vehicle operating parameters while the vehicle is in operation;

using at least two of the determined vehicle operating parameters in a predetermined relationship that includes the at least one vehicle specific parameter; and

determining the at least one vehicle specific parameter from the driving data for the at least two vehicle operating parameters and the relationship,

identifying different driving phases in the driving data acquired for the plurality of vehicle operating parameters where at least one vehicle specific parameter is determined for driving phase, where each identified driving phase is associated with a set of vehicle specific parameters determined from the respective driving data, the vehicle specific parameters determined for the identified driving phases being used to estimate the propulsion related operating parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 where the propulsion-related operating parameter is a parameter selected from a group of parameters consisting of fuel consumption, energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission.

3. The method of claim 1 where the estimated operating parameter for the road segment is estimated as a function of time or distance with function values variable over the road segment.

4. The method of claim 1 where the estimated operating parameter is at least one of a velocity of the vehicle estimated for the road segment or an acceleration of the vehicle estimated for the road segment.

5. The method of claim 1 where the information provided for the road segment includes at least one of a road segment type, a road segment class, a maximum velocity allowed for the road segment, an average velocity determined for the type of road segment, a target velocity for the road segment, a form parameter for the road segment, an incline of the road segment, and current traffic information for the road segment.

6. The method of claim 1 where the step of estimating the at least one operating parameter includes using driving behaviour information determined for a driver of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 where the predetermined relationship includes a relationship between predetermined vehicle operating parameters for each of a plurality of vehicle subsystem models, and where at least one vehicle specific parameter is determined for each subsystem model on the basis of the relationships, the determined vehicle specific parameters being used to estimate the propulsion-related operating parameter.

8. The method of claim 7 where the vehicle subsystem models include at least one of a model for a wheel to motor coupling, a model for slippage during up-/downshift, a model for a torque output of a motor of the vehicle, and a model for idling.

9. The method of claim 1 where the plurality of vehicle operating parameters for which driving data is acquired are selected from a group including velocity, acceleration, braking pressure, motor torque, motor rotation speed, gear engaged, fuel consumption, filling level of fuel tank, and driving status.

10. The method of claim 1 where the at least one vehicle specific parameter is proportional to a vehicle specific property selected from a group including a transmission ratio, a rolling drag coefficient, an aerodynamic drag coefficient, a resistance against acceleration coefficient, a braking resistance coefficient, a braking fraction of deceleration, a clutch operating speed coefficient, a fuel consumption when idling, a motor rotation speed when idling, a climbing resistance and an efficiency of a motor of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1 where the driving phases include at least one of an idling phase, an acceleration phase, a constant driving phase, a planar drive phase, a driving with deceleration phase, and a driving with applied brakes phase.

12. The method of claim 1 the step of determining the at least one vehicle specific parameter includes using a statistical parameter estimation procedure or a parameter optimization procedure.

13. The method of claim 1 where the step of estimating the propulsion-related operating parameter comprises:

estimating a rotation speed of a motor of the vehicle for the road segment using the at least one estimated operating parameter, a first of the at least one vehicle specific parameter and a corresponding relationship;

estimating a torque to be produced by the motor of the vehicle for the road segment using the at least one estimated operating parameter, a second one of the at least one vehicle specific parameter and a corresponding relationship; and

estimating the propulsion-related operating parameter for the road segment from the estimated motor rotation speed, the estimated motor torque, a third one of the at least one vehicle specific parameter and a corresponding relationship.

14. The method of claim 1 where the at least one estimated operating parameter is the velocity of the vehicle, where the step of estimating the propulsion-related operating parameter includes:

estimating a sum of driving resistances of the vehicle for the road segment using the velocity, at least a first of the at least one vehicle specific parameter and a corresponding relationship; and

estimating the propulsion-related operating parameter for the road segment from the estimated velocity, the estimated driving resistances, a second of the at least one vehicle specific parameter and a corresponding relationship.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

assigning a cost value corresponding to the estimated propulsion-related operating parameter to the road segment or to a class or type of the road segment, the cost value being provided for a further route calculation.

16. A navigation system for a vehicle comprising:

an interface unit providing an interface to a vehicle sensor system;

a processing unit configured to estimate a propulsion-related operating parameter of the vehicle for a road segment by estimating at least one operating parameter of the vehicle for the road segment based on information provided for the road segment and estimating the propulsion-related operating parameter for the road segment on the basis of the at least one estimated operating parameter and using at least one vehicle specific parameter;

the processing unit being further configured to determine the at least one vehicle specific parameter by;

acquiring driving data to determine a plurality of vehicle operating parameters while the vehicle is in operation;

using at least two of the determined vehicle operating parameters in a predetermined relationship that includes the at least one vehicle specific parameter; and

determining the at least one vehicle specific parameter from the driving data for the at least two vehicle operating parameters and the relationship.

17. The navigation system of claim 16 further comprising a database configured to store the at least on vehicle specific parameter determined by the processing unit.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium with an executable program stored in the medium, where the program performs the following steps when executed:

estimating at least one operating parameter of the vehicle for the road segment based on information corresponding to the road segment;

estimating a propulsion-related operating parameter for the road segment using the at least one estimated operating parameter and at least one vehicle specific parameter, where the at least one vehicle specific parameter is determined by;

acquiring driving data to determine a plurality of vehicle operating parameters while the vehicle is in operation;

using at least two of the determined vehicle operating parameters in a predetermined relationship that includes the at least one vehicle specific parameter; and

determining the at least one vehicle specific parameter from the driving data for the at least two vehicle operating parameters and the relationship.