Method and system for vehicle cruise control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016297435-A1
Application number	US-201615049603-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Apr 13, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and systems are presented for improving performance of a vehicle operating in a cruise control mode where a controller adjusts torque output from a vehicle to maintain vehicle speed within a desired range. The methods and systems include adapting a vehicle dynamics model and a vehicle fuel consumption model that provide input to nonlinear model predictive controller.

First claim

1 . A vehicle system, comprising:
a vehicle including a motive torque source; and a controller in the vehicle, the controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory, the instructions including an adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine.

2 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine includes a vehicle dynamics model and instructions for adapting the vehicle dynamics model.

3 . The vehicle system of claim 2 , where the vehicle dynamics model is adapted via recursive least squares.

4 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine includes a vehicle fuel consumption model and instructions for adapting the vehicle fuel consumption model.

5 . The vehicle system of claim 4 , where the vehicle fuel consumption model is adapted via recursive least squares.

6 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine adapts a vehicle dynamics model and a vehicle fuel consumption model real-time while the vehicle is operating on a road in a cruise control mode.

7 . The vehicle system of claim 1 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine outputs a torque demand to the motive torque source.

8 . A vehicle system, comprising:
a vehicle including a motive torque source; and a controller in the vehicle, the controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory, the instructions including an adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine with transmission neutral state activation.

9 . The vehicle system of claim 8 , further comprising a transmission coupled to the motive torque source, and where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine instructions include instructions for evaluating operating the vehicle with the transmission in neutral.

10 . The vehicle system of claim 8 , where adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine instructions include instructions for evaluating operating the vehicle at road conditions the vehicle is expected to encounter at a future time.

11 . The vehicle system of claim 10 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine instructions include instructions for evaluating operating the vehicle at road conditions the vehicle is expected to encounter at the future time responsive to a prediction horizon based on mapped road conditions.

12 . The vehicle system of claim 8 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine instructions include instructions to output a command to the motive torque source.

13 . The vehicle system of claim 8 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine instructions include instructions to adjust a torque command supplied to the motive torque source responsive to data derived from a lead vehicle operating on a same road as the vehicle.

14 . The vehicle system of claim 8 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine instructions include instructions to determine an optimal vehicle velocity profile and corresponding torque profile based on a predicted road grade ahead of a present position of the vehicle.

15 . A vehicle cruise control method, comprising:
receiving vehicle information from one or more sensors to a controller; providing a torque command responsive to output of an adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine executed by the controller; and adjusting a torque actuator of a motive torque source responsive to the torque command.

16 . The method of claim 15 , where the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine provides for selectively shifting a transmission of a vehicle into neutral while the vehicle is operating in a cruise control mode.

17 . The method of claim 15 , where the torque command is within a first threshold range bounded by a first lower torque threshold and a first upper torque threshold if the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine receives data from a convex shaped vehicle fuel consumption model while the vehicle is operating under a first set of conditions.

18 . The method of claim 17 , where the torque command is within a second threshold range bounded by a second lower torque threshold and a second upper torque threshold if the adaptive nonlinear model predictive cruise control routine receives data from a nonconvex shaped vehicle fuel consumption model while the vehicle is operating under the first set of conditions, the second threshold range greater than the first threshold range, the second lower torque threshold less than the first lower torque threshold.

19 . The method of claim 15 , where the motive torque source is an engine, where the torque command is based on a prediction horizon, and where the prediction horizon includes road grade data.

20 . The method of claim 19 , where the torque command is further based on a state of a lead vehicle ahead of a vehicle including the controller.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• D'Amato Anthony Mario
• Filev Dimitar Petrov
• Michelini John Ottavio
• Pekar Jaroslav
• Santin Ondrej
• Mullen Jonathan Thomas

Classifications

• B60W50/0097

  Predicting future conditions · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• B60W30/16

  Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle · CPC title

• B60W30/143 Primary

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

• B60W30/188

  Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power · CPC title