Method for operating a vehicle during coasting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9052713-B2
Application number	US-201313932583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2013
Priority date	Jul 4, 2012
Publication date	Jun 9, 2015
Grant date	Jun 9, 2015

Abstract

A method for controlling a vehicle, including determining a speed curve on a coasting route, in order to let the vehicle on the coasting route coast from an actual speed to a setpoint speed, detecting an additional vehicle approaching the vehicle from behind on the coasting route, and raising the speed of the vehicle compared to the determined speed behavior on the coasting route, in order to produce a predetermined threshold distance from the additional vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a vehicle, the method comprising:
determining, by a processor, a speed versus time curve from an actual speed to a setpoint speed for a speed behavior of the vehicle on traveling on a coasting route, wherein the coasting route is a route throughout which fuel consumption is not used for the traveling of the vehicle;
determining, by the processor, that an additional vehicle is approaching the vehicle from behind on the coasting route;
raising, by the processor, a speed of the vehicle on the coasting route to produce a predetermined threshold distance from the additional vehicle, wherein the raised speed of the vehicle is greater than a speed that corresponds to the speed behavior of the determined speed versus time curve;
determining a minimum braking distance to a position at which the setpoint speed is supposed to be reached; and
ending the raising of the speed of the vehicle if the minimum braking distance to the position at which the setpoint speed is to be reached, has been reached.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the raising includes raising the speed of the vehicle on the coasting route if a certain switch on the vehicle is activated.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
ending the raising of the speed of the vehicle if the vehicle falls below a predetermined safety distance from a preceding vehicle.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , comprising:
ending the raising of the speed of the vehicle if an admissible maximum speed has been reached.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the admissible maximum speed is a function of an admissible cornering speed.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
ending the raising of the speed of the vehicle if a passing process of the additional vehicle approaching from behind has been detected.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
indicating a necessary braking process if the minimum braking distance to the position, at which the setpoint speed is to be reached, has been reached.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle is on the coasting route, no braking intervention is performed for operation of the vehicle.

9. A control device to control a vehicle, the control device comprising:
a processor with which the control device is configured to:
determine a speed versus time curve from an actual speed to a setpoint speed for a speed behavior of the vehicle on traveling on a coasting route, wherein the coasting route is a route throughout which fuel consumption is not used for the traveling of the vehicle;
determine that an additional vehicle is approaching the vehicle from behind on the coasting route;
raise a speed of the vehicle on the coasting route to produce a predetermined threshold distance from the additional vehicle, wherein the raised speed of the vehicle is greater than a speed that corresponds to the speed behavior of the determined speed versus time curve;
determine a minimum braking distance to a position at which the setpoint speed is supposed to be reached; and
end the raising of the speed of the vehicle if the minimum braking distance to the position at which the setpoint speed is to be reached, has been reached.

10. The control device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the raising of the speed includes raising the speed of the vehicle on the coasting route if a certain switch on the vehicle is activated.

11. The control device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the control device is configured to end the raising of the speed of the vehicle if the vehicle falls below a predetermined safety distance from a preceding vehicle.

12. The control device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the control device is configured to end the raising of the speed of the vehicle if an admissible maximum speed has been reached.

13. The control device as recited in claim 12 , wherein the admissible maximum speed is a function of an admissible cornering speed.

14. The control device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the control device is configured to end the raising of the speed of the vehicle of the vehicle if a passing process of the additional vehicle approaching from behind has been detected.

15. The control device as recited in claim 9 , wherein the control device is configured to provide an indication of a necessary braking process if the minimum braking distance to the position, at which the setpoint speed is to be reached, has been reached.

16. The control device as recited in claim 9 , wherein, when the vehicle is on the coasting route, no braking intervention is performed for operation of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Schulz Udo
• Bartsch Rainer
• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Schulz Udo
• Bartsch Rainer

Classifications

• B60W30/18072

  Coasting · CPC title

• B60W2720/10

  Longitudinal speed · CPC title

• G05D1/00 Primary

  Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) · CPC title

• B60W30/16 Primary

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

• B60W30/14

  {Adaptive} cruise control · CPC title