Vehicle controller, vehicle control method, and non-transitory computer readable medium storing vehicle control program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11922735-B2
Application number	US-202017136253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2020
Priority date	Jan 9, 2020
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle controller is used for a first vehicle and includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to execute an index deriving process that derives a traveling performance index of the first vehicle, the traveling performance index being an index related to a traveling performance, an index receiving process that receives the traveling performance index of a second vehicle from the second vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and a performance determination process that compares the traveling performance index of the second vehicle with the traveling performance index of the first vehicle to determine whether a traveling performance of the first vehicle is lower than a traveling performance of the second vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle controller used for a first vehicle, the first vehicle being configured to directly perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a second vehicle, the vehicle controller, comprising:
processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to execute:
an index deriving process that derives a traveling performance index of the first vehicle, the traveling performance index of the first vehicle being an index related to a traveling performance of the first vehicle,
an index receiving process that receives a traveling performance index of the second vehicle from the second vehicle through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the traveling performance index of the second vehicle being an index related to a traveling performance of the second vehicle, and
a performance determination process that compares the traveling performance index of the second vehicle with the traveling performance index of the first vehicle to determine whether a traveling performance of the first vehicle is lower than a traveling performance of the second vehicle; and

a memory configured to store relationship specifying data that specifies a relationship between a state of the first vehicle and an action variable, wherein
the state of the first vehicle affects the traveling performance of the first vehicle indicated by the traveling performance index of the first vehicle,
the action variable is a variable related to operation of an electronic device of the first vehicle,
the electronic device of the first vehicle includes at least one of a throttle valve, a fuel injection valve, an ignition device, a lock-up clutch, a transmission, a power conversion circuit, and an air conditioner,
the processing circuitry is configured to execute:
an obtaining process that obtains a detection value of a sensor configured to detect the state of the first vehicle,
an operating process that operates the electronic device based on a value of the action variable that is determined by the detection value and the relationship specifying data,
a reward calculation process that assigns a greater reward when the detection value indicates that the traveling performance of the first vehicle is higher than a reference performance than when the detection value indicates that the traveling performance of the first vehicle is not higher than the reference performance, and
an updating process that updates the relationship specifying data using the detection value, the value of the action variable used for operation of the electronic device, and a reward corresponding to the operation as inputs to a predetermined update mapping,

the update mapping is configured to output the relationship specifying data that is updated so that an expected return of the reward is increased when the electronic device is operated in accordance with the relationship specifying data, and
the processing circuitry is configured to increase an update speed of the relationship specifying data that specifies the relationship between the state of the first vehicle and the action variable when the performance determination process determines that the traveling performance of the first vehicle is lower than the traveling performance of the second vehicle relative to when the performance determination process determines that the traveling performance of the first vehicle is not lower than the traveling performance of the second vehicle.

2. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to increase the update speed by, in the reward calculation process, setting a reward assigned for a value indicating that the traveling performance of the first vehicle is higher than the reference performance to a greater value when the performance determination process determines that the traveling performance of the first vehicle is lower than the traveling performance of the second vehicle than when the performance determination process determines that the traveling performance of the first vehicle is not lower than the traveling performance of the second vehicle.

3. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to execute a data replacement process that receives relationship specifying data from the second vehicle and replaces the relationship specifying data stored in the memory with the relationship specifying data received from the second vehicle when the performance determination process determines that the traveling performance of the first vehicle is lower than the traveling performance of the second vehicle.

4. The vehicle controller according to claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to execute an abnormality notification process that notifies that the first vehicle has an abnormality when the traveling performance of the first vehicle is not improved despite the replacement of the relationship specifying data stored in the memory with the relationship specifying data received from the second vehicle in the execution of the data replacement process.

5. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
derive an index related to an energy usage efficiency of the first vehicle as the traveling performance index of the first vehicle in the index deriving process, and
determine whether the energy usage efficiency of the first vehicle is lower than an energy usage efficiency of the second vehicle in the performance determination process.

6. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
derive an index related to an acceleration performance of the first vehicle as the traveling performance index of the first vehicle in the index deriving process, and
determine whether the acceleration performance of the first vehicle is lower than an acceleration performance of the second vehicle in the performance determination process.

7. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to execute:
a load amount obtaining process that obtains an estimation value of an amount of load on the first vehicle, and
a load amount receiving process that receives an estimation value of an amount of load on the second vehicle through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and

the processing circuitry is configured to execute the performance determination process on a condition that a difference between the estimation value of the amount of load on the second vehicle and the estimation value of the amount of load on the first vehicle is less than a load amount difference determination value.

8. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to execute:
a travel distance obtaining process that obtains a travel distance of the first vehicle, and
a travel distance receiving process that receives a travel distance of the second vehicle through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and

the processing circuitry is configured to execute the performance determination process on a condition that a difference between the travel distance of the second vehicle and the travel distance of the first vehicle is less than a distance difference determination value.

9. A vehicle controller used for a first vehicle, the first vehicle being configured to directly perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a second vehicle, the vehicle controller, comprising:
processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to execute:
an index deriving process that derives a traveling performance index of the first vehicle, the traveling performance index of the first vehicle being an index related to a traveling performa

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hashimoto Yosuke
• Katayama Akihiro
• Oshiro Yuta
• Sugie Kazuki
• Oka Naoya

Classifications

• G07C5/008 Primary

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G07C5/02

  Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only (apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00) · CPC title

• G07C5/0808

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title

• G07C5/0816

  Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction · CPC title

• G05B19/0423 Primary

  Input/output · CPC title