Method for driving an ego vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12545230-B2
Application number	US-202217956581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2022
Priority date	Sep 30, 2021
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method for driving an ego vehicle in a defined speed range, wherein the ego vehicle has at least one drive unit, and for the at least one drive unit there is provided a characteristic curve specific to the drive unit for a speed-dependent maximum torque, wherein for the at least one drive unit of the ego vehicle a performance-specific characteristic curve depending on the characteristic performance class of the ego vehicle is established for a speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque which is less than the maximum torque, and a supplemental torque is established for the ego vehicle when driving in the defined speed range of the ego vehicle in addition to the performance-specific characteristic torque.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for driving an ego vehicle in a defined speed range, wherein the ego vehicle has at least one drive unit, and for the at least one drive unit there is provided a characteristic curve specific to the drive unit for a speed-dependent maximum torque, the method comprising:
establishing, for the at least one drive unit of the ego vehicle, a performance-specific characteristic curve that is based on a characteristic performance class of the ego vehicle, for a speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque which is less than the speed-dependent maximum torque; establishing a supplemental torque for the ego vehicle when driving in the defined speed range of the ego vehicle in addition to the speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque, wherein the defined speed range of the ego vehicle is between a first speed of the ego vehicle and a second speed of the ego vehicle, and wherein at least the second speed of the ego vehicle is a distance that the ego vehicle moves per unit of time; controlling, by a computer of the ego vehicle, the at least one drive unit to have the speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque indicated by the performance-specific characteristic curve when the ego vehicle drives outside of the defined speed range of the ego vehicle; and controlling, by the computer of the ego vehicle, the at least one drive unit to have a total torque corresponding to the supplemental torque in addition to the speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque when the ego vehicle drives in the defined speed range of the ego vehicle, including performing driving behavior filtering that delays in time build-up of the supplemental torque only if the supplemental torque has already been provided in a first portion of the defined speed range of the ego vehicle but only works with maximum acceleration on the ego vehicle in a second portion of the defined speed range of the ego vehicle different from the first portion of the defined speed range of the ego vehicle, wherein a curve corresponding to the total torque has a relatively high value at the first speed of the ego vehicle and drops off to a constant value with increasing speed.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , which is carried out when starting the ego vehicle.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , in which the defined speed range is 0 km/h to 30 km/h.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , in which the supplemental torque is automatically provided when the ego vehicle is additionally loaded.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , in which a sum of the speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque and the supplemental torque is established which is less than the speed-dependent maximum torque.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , in which the supplemental torque is established by software-supported data of the performance-specific characteristic curve.

7 . The method according to claim 1 for an ego vehicle having n drive units, wherein for a k-th drive unit among the n drive units a k-th characteristic curve specific to the drive unit is provided for a speed-dependent k-th maximum torque, and for the ego vehicle a common performance-specific characteristic curve dependent on its characteristic performance class is established for an overall speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque of all n drive units, being less than a sum of all n maximum torques of the n drive units, and a common supplemental torque is established for all n drive units for the ego vehicle when driving in the defined speed range of the ego vehicle.

8 . The method according to claim 1 for an ego vehicle from a series of vehicles, where each vehicle of the series has at least one identical drive unit which is identical in design for all vehicles of the series, wherein for the at least one identical drive unit of each vehicle of the series a universal characteristic curve is provided for a universal speed-dependent maximum torque, and for the vehicles of a series different performance classes are provided, wherein the performance-specific characteristic curve is established for the speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque for the ego vehicle based on the characteristic performance class of the ego vehicle.

9 . A system for driving an ego vehicle in a defined speed range, wherein the ego vehicle has at least one drive unit, the system comprising:
a computer, and a memory, wherein a characteristic curve specific to the drive unit is provided for a speed-dependent maximum torque of the at least one drive unit, wherein the memory stores a performance-specific characteristic curve for the at least one drive unit of the ego vehicle that is based on a characteristic performance class of the ego vehicle, with which a speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque is to be established, which is lower than the speed-dependent maximum torque, and the computer, in operation, automatically establishes a supplemental torque in addition to the speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque for the ego vehicle when driving in the defined speed range of the ego vehicle, wherein the defined speed range of the ego vehicle is between a first speed of the ego vehicle and a second speed of the ego vehicle, and wherein at least the second speed of the ego vehicle is a distance that the ego vehicle moves per unit of time, wherein the computer, in operation, controls the at least one drive unit to have the speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque indicated by the performance-specific characteristic curve when the ego vehicle drives outside of the defined speed range of the ego vehicle, wherein the computer, in operation, controls the at least one drive unit to have a total torque corresponding to the supplemental torque in addition to the speed-dependent performance-specific characteristic torque when the ego vehicle drives in the defined speed range of the ego vehicle, wherein a curve corresponding to the total torque has a relatively high value at a first speed of the ego vehicle and drops off to a constant value with increasing speed, and wherein the computer, in operation, performs driving behavior filtering that delays in time build-up of the supplemental torque only if the supplemental torque has already been provided in a first portion of the defined speed range of the ego vehicle but only works with maximum acceleration on the ego vehicle in a second portion of the defined speed range of the ego vehicle different from the first portion of the defined speed range of the ego vehicle.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Cottyn Dieter
• Pohl Florian
• Wein Michael

Classifications

• B60W10/08

  including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators · CPC title

• B60W2710/0666

  Engine torque · CPC title

• B60W2510/0657

  Engine torque · CPC title

• B60W2710/083

  Torque · CPC title

• B60W10/06 Primary

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title