Method for traffic-flow-conditioned adaptation of stopping processes to a synthetically modulated speed profile along a route travelled along by a vehicle and control device for carrying out the method

• US 9,346,466 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Uhrner, Till, Fahrenkrog, Felix, Papajewski, Jens, Hamacher, Michael, Toepler, Felix
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein A.
• Application Number:
  US14/649,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20150314793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• 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 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A method performs traffic-flow-conditioned adaptation of stopping processes to a synthetically modulated speed profile along a route traveled along by a vehicle. A route is selected on the basis of map data stored in a data record. The route is divided into route segments and a synthetically modulated speed profile is generated for each route segment. While the driver is travelling along at least part of the selected route, the method senses how often and for how long the vehicle stops in the route segments. The synthetically modulated speed profile is adapted for at least one route segment according to the detected stopping processes.

Claims

1. A method for traffic-flow-conditioned adaptation of stopping processes to suit a synthetically modulated speed profile along a path taken by a vehicle, comprising:

selecting a path based on map data stored in a data record;

splitting the path into path segments and producing a synthetically modulated speed profile for each path segment;

travelling along at least one portion of the path by a driver in the vehicle;

producing recorded stopping processes by recording how many times and for how long the vehicle stops in the path segments taken when travelling along the at least one portion of the path; and

adapting the synthetically modulated speed profile for at least one path segment to suit the recorded stopping processes, wherein

the synthetically modulated speed profile is produced by assigning a maneuver class to each path segment, each maneuver class being selected from a matrix of maneuver classes that contains a plurality of constant speed maneuver classes, a plurality of acceleration maneuver classes and a plurality of deceleration maneuver classes,

each maneuver class in the matrix of maneuver classes has an associated input speed and an associated output speed of the vehicle,

each maneuver class in the matrix of maneuver classes has an average speed or has average acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle, and

each maneuver class in the matrix of maneuver classes has a tolerance band for the average speed or average acceleration/deceleration based on a tally of how many times the maneuver class has occurred so far while travelling on the path.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein adapting the synthetically modulated speed profile for at least one path segment comprises:

if the recorded stopping process occurred during one of the constant speed maneuver classes, the recorded stopping process is associated with the constant speed maneuver class,

if the recorded stopping process occurred during one of the deceleration maneuver classes, the recorded stopping process is associated with a constant speed maneuver class that occurred before the deceleration maneuver class, or

if the recorded stopping process occurred during one of the acceleration maneuver classes, the recorded stopping process is associated with a constant speed maneuver class that occurred after the acceleration maneuver class.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein for each recorded stopping process, how long the vehicle stops is stored in a memory and a maneuver-class-specific counter for the recorded stopping processes is incremented by 1.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the synthetically modulated speed profile is adapted for the at least one path segment by producing an adapted value, and

the adapted value for the at least one path segment is used for a predictive operating strategy for the vehicle.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the vehicle is a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and

the predictive operating strategy comprises controlling a changeover between purely electric driving and hybrid driving.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the predictive operating strategy is to achieve a maximum consumption potential of for a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein

if the adapted value for the at least one path segment results in a predictive operating strategy that exceeds a prescribable threshold value for an energy-related relevance, the predictive operating strategy is recomputed.

8. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the adapted value is used to modify an originally prescribed value in an original maneuver class of the matrix of maneuver classes, and

the adapted value:

is used for at least one path segment of a future route for computing the predictive operating strategy, or

is ignored for at least one path segment of a future route such that the original maneuver class is reset to the originally prescribed value after a journey has ended, and the predictive operating strategy for the future route is computed based on the originally prescribed value.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the adapted value is ignored when there is at least one of a change in driver, a change in time of day at which the vehicle is being driven, a change in traffic volume and a change in driving style.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

adapting the synthetically modulated speed profile comprises associating a speed or acceleration/deceleration offset with the maneuver class assigned to the at least one path segment.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the average speed or average acceleration/deceleration for each maneuver class is produced by collecting a number of default values, each default value being produced by executing the maneuver class and recording the speed or acceleration/deceleration, and

the tolerance band for the average speed or average acceleration/deceleration is based on the number of default values used to calculate the average speed or average acceleration/deceleration.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the synthetically modulated speed profile is adapted for a plurality of path segments by producing respective adapted values,

the adapted values are respectively used to modify originally prescribed values in respective maneuver classes of the matrix of maneuver classes, and

the originally prescribed values are developed based on a default driver driving a default vehicle in each of the maneuver classes such that the originally prescribed values relate to an average driver.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein adapting the synthetically modulated speed profile for at least path segment produces at least one customized maneuver class, which is used for subsequent determinations of a predictive operating strategy of the vehicle.

14. A vehicle controller for traffic-flow-conditioned adaptation of stopping processes to suit a synthetically modulated speed profile along a path taken by a vehicle, the controller comprising a processor configured to:

select a path based on map data stored in a data record;

split the path into path segments and producing a synthetically modulated speed profile for each path segment;

produce recorded stopping processes by recording how many times and for how long the vehicle stops in the path segments taken when travelling along the at least one portion of the path; and

adapt the synthetically modulated speed profile for at least one path segment to suit the recorded stopping processes, wherein

the synthetically modulated speed profile is produced by assigning a maneuver class to each path segment, each maneuver class being selected from a matrix of maneuver classes that contains a plurality of constant speed maneuver classes, a plurality of acceleration maneuver classes and a plurality of deceleration maneuver classes,

each maneuver class in the matrix of maneuver classes has an associated input speed and an associated output speed of the vehicle,

each maneuver class in the matrix of maneuver classes has an average speed or has average acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle, and

each maneuver class in the matrix of maneuver classes has a tolerance band for the average speed or average acceleration/deceleration based on a tally of how many times the maneuver class has occurred so far while travelling on the path.