Method for controlling braking of a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11713040-B2
Application number	US-201917595547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2019
Priority date	May 21, 2019
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

The invention provides a method for controlling braking of a vehicle ( 1 ) driving along a downhill portion of a road, the vehicle comprising a propulsion arrangement ( 2, 3 ), for the propulsion of the vehicle, the method comprising dividing the road portion into a plurality of sections (RS 0 -RS 2 ), the sections comprising a first section (RS 1 ), and a second section (RS 2 ) following, in the direction of travel of the vehicle, immediately upon the first section (RS 1 ), determining, for the road portion, a road portion control strategy, with a condition that braking on the road portion is done at least partly by means of the propulsion arrangement ( 2, 3 ), wherein determining the road portion control strategy comprises determining a speed (SD 21 ), on the second section (RS 2 ), with an aim to minimize the time travelled on the second section, and/or, where the propulsion arrangement comprises an internal combustion engine ( 2 ), and a gearbox ( 3 ), determining a gear selection (GS 2 ) on the second section (RS 2 ), with an aim to minimize the time travelled on the second section, and wherein determining the road portion control strategy comprises determining, for the first section (RS 1 ), a first section control strategy, with an aim to minimize the time travelled on the first section, and with an aim to provide a vehicle speed at the end of the first section (RS 1 ) which is the same as said determined speed (SD 21 ) on the second section (RS 2 ), and/or to provide a gear selection at the end of the first section which is the same as said determined gear selection (GS 2 ) on the second section (RS 2 ), the method further comprising controlling the vehicle ( 1 ) according to the determined road portion control strategy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling braking of a vehicle driving along a downhill portion of a road, the vehicle comprising a propulsion arrangement, for the propulsion of the vehicle, the method comprising:
dividing the road portion into a plurality of sections, the sections comprising a first section, and a second section following, in a direction of travel of the vehicle, immediately upon the first section,
determining, for the road portion, a road portion control strategy, with a condition that braking on the road portion is done at least partly by means of the propulsion arrangement,
wherein determining the road portion control strategy comprises: determining a speed, on the second section, to minimize time travelled on the second section, and/or, where the propulsion arrangement comprises an internal combustion engine, and a gearbox, determining a gear selection on the second section, to minimize the time travelled on the second section, and
wherein determining the road portion control strategy comprises determining, for the first section, a first section control strategy, to minimize the time travelled on the first section, and to provide a vehicle speed at an end of the first section which is the same as said determined speed on the second section, and/or to provide a gear selection at the end of the first section which is the same as said determined gear selection on the second section,
wherein the method further comprising controlling the vehicle according to the determined road portion control strategy.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the speed, on the second section, is determined before the first section control strategy is determined.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first section control strategy minimizes the time travelled on the first section, and provides a speed at the end of the first section which is the same as said determined speed on the second section.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first section has a constant declination.

5. The method according to claim 1 , where the vehicle comprises service brakes, wherein determining the road portion control strategy is done with the condition of avoiding the use of the service brakes on the road portion.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the road portion control strategy comprises determining, for the second section, a second section control strategy, the second section control strategy determination comprising the determination of the second section speed.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the second section control strategy is determined before the determination of the first section control strategy.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein determining the second section control strategy determination comprises determining, for the second section, a second section speed profile.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said determined speed on the second section occurs at a plurality of positions within the first 10% of the second section.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first section control strategy comprises determining, for the first section, a first section speed profile.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gear selection, on the second section, is determined before the first section control strategy is determined.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the gear selection strategy on the first section, and/or the gear selection on the second section is determined at least partly based on data indicative of the maximum available braking force for each gear, as a function of the vehicle speed.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the road portion control strategy comprises determining, for the second section, a second section control strategy, the second section control strategy determination comprising the determination of the second section speed, and the determination of the second section gear selection.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining a strategy for a setting, on the first section, and/or a setting, on the second section, of a device for controlling an engine braking force of the engine.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first section control strategy, the second section speed, and/or the second section gear selection, is determined in dependence on an engine exhaust temperature, and/or a de-rating of the engine in dependence on the exhaust temperature.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first section control strategy comprises determining a plurality of speed profile candidates, and selecting, for the first section, a first section speed profile, from the profile candidates.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein: determining the first section control strategy comprises determining, for the first section, a first section speed profile, wherein the sections comprise a preceding section, preceding, in the direction of travel of the vehicle, immediately before the first section, wherein determining the road portion control strategy comprises determining, for the preceding section, a preceding section control strategy, to minimize the time travelled on the preceding section, and to provide a vehicle speed at the end of the preceding section which is the same as a speed of the first section speed profile, occurring at one or more positions within the first 10% of the first section.

18. A computer program comprising program code for performing the method according to claim 1 when said program code is run on a computer, or a group of computers.

19. A control unit configured to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1 .

20. A vehicle comprising a control unit according to claim 19 .

Assignees

• Volvo Truck Corp

Inventors

• Bora Teodoro
• Fries Johan

Classifications

• B60W30/143 Primary

  Speed control (B60W30/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• B60W10/196

  acting within the driveline, e.g. retarders · CPC title

• B60W30/18136

  Engine braking · CPC title

• B60W50/0097

  Predicting future conditions · CPC title