Road roughness preview with drive history

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10160281-B2
Application number	US-201414268401-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2014
Priority date	May 2, 2014
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle includes a sensor configured to detect a first road feature, an adjustable suspension system, and a processing device. The processing device is configured to determine, using a drive history map, a location of the vehicle based on the first road feature and apply a suspension profile to the suspension system. The suspension profile is associated with a second road feature identified by the drive history map, which is at a different location from the first road feature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle system comprising:
a sensor configured to detect a first road feature; and
a processor programmed to determine a location of a vehicle in response to detecting the first road feature and control an adjustable suspension system by applying a suspension profile to the adjustable suspension system prior to the vehicle arriving at a second road feature, wherein the suspension profile is associated with the second road feature and wherein a location of the second road feature is determined from the location of the vehicle at a time the first road feature is detected, wherein the first road feature and the second road feature represent road roughness measured during previous trips along a route.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein applying the suspension profile includes applying a first damping coefficient to the suspension system at a location of the first road feature and a second damping coefficient at the location of the second road feature.

3. The vehicle system of claim 2 , wherein the first damping coefficient is based on a characteristic of the first road feature and wherein the second damping coefficient is based on a predicted characteristic of the second road feature.

4. The vehicle system of claim 3 , wherein the characteristic includes road roughness.

5. The vehicle system of claim 2 , wherein applying the suspension profile includes applying a third damping coefficient to the suspension system at a predicted location of a third road feature, wherein the location of the third road feature is predicted according to the location of the first road feature.

6. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is programmed to determine locations of the first road feature and the second road feature from a drive history map.

7. The vehicle system of claim 6 , wherein the processor is programmed to determine a distance between the first road feature and the second road feature based on the drive history map.

8. A vehicle system comprising:
a processor programmed to determine a location of a vehicle based on a first road feature detected by a sensor and control a vehicle suspension system by applying a suspension profile to the vehicle suspension system, wherein the suspension profile is associated with the second road feature and wherein a location of the second road feature is determined from the location of the vehicle at a time the first road feature is detected, wherein the first road feature and the second road feature represent road roughness measured during previous trips along a route.

9. The vehicle system of claim 8 , wherein applying the suspension profile includes applying a first damping coefficient to the suspension system at a location of the first road feature and a second damping coefficient at the location of the second road feature.

10. The vehicle system of claim 9 , wherein the first damping coefficient is based on a characteristic of the first road feature and wherein the second damping coefficient is based on a predicted characteristic of the second road feature.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10 , wherein the characteristic includes road roughness.

12. The vehicle system of claim 9 , wherein applying the suspension profile includes applying a third damping coefficient to the suspension system at a predicted location of a third road feature, wherein the location of the third road feature is predicted according to the location of the first road feature.

13. The vehicle system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is programmed to determine locations of the first road feature and the second road feature from a drive history map.

14. The vehicle system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is programmed to determine a distance between the first road feature and the second road feature.

15. A method comprising: generating a drive history map that identifies a plurality of road features, including a first road feature and a second road feature, along a route and wherein the second road feature is after the first road feature along the route, wherein the first road feature and the second road feature represent road roughness measured during previous trips along the route; determining a location of a vehicle in response to detecting the first road feature; determining a location of the second road feature from the drive history map in response to detecting the first road feature, wherein the location of the second road feature is determined from the location of the vehicle at a time the first road feature is detected; and controlling a vehicle suspension system by applying a suspension profile to the vehicle suspension system, wherein the suspension profile is associated with the second road feature.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein applying the suspension profile includes applying a first damping coefficient to the suspension system at a location of the first road feature and a second damping coefficient at the location of the second road feature.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the location of the second road feature is determined from a distance between the first road feature and the second road feature.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Rhode Douglas Scott
• Elwart Shane
• Liu Nanjun
• Pilutti Thomas Edward

Classifications

• B60G2600/04

  Means for informing, instructing or displaying · CPC title

• B60G2401/16

  GPS track data · CPC title

• B60G17/0165 Primary

  to an external condition, e.g. rough road surface, side wind · CPC title

• B60W10/22

  including control of suspension systems · CPC title

• B60G2400/208

  of wheel rotation · CPC title