System and method for acceleration event prediction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9630611-B1
Application number	US-201615015056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 3, 2016
Priority date	Feb 3, 2016
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus for acceleration event prediction. A system includes one or more external databases connected through a network to a vehicle. The vehicle includes a navigation unit, one or more sensors and an electronic control unit coupled to at least the navigation unit and the one or more sensors. The electronic control unit is configured to obtain navigational map information and vehicle information, determine a predicted route set including a destination location based on the navigational map information and the vehicle information, determine one or more predicted acceleration events for the predicted route set, detect a respective acceleration event of the one or more predicted acceleration events based on the predicted route set and a first location of the vehicle and send or transmit a signal to a turbocharger that is coupled to an engine to prepare for the respective acceleration event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An acceleration event prediction system for a vehicle, comprising:
one or more external databases connected through a network to a vehicle, the vehicle including:
a navigation unit;
one or more sensors; and
an electronic control unit that is coupled to at least the navigation unit and the one or more sensors, the electronic control unit configured to:
obtain, from the one or more external databases and the navigation unit, navigational map information and vehicle information;
determine a predicted route set including a destination location based on the vehicle information and the navigational map information;
determine one or more predicted acceleration events for the predicted route set;
detect a respective acceleration event of the one or more predicted acceleration events based on the predicted route set and a first location of the vehicle; and
send a signal to a turbocharger that is coupled to an engine to prepare for the respective acceleration event.

2. The acceleration event prediction system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:
receive, from the one or more sensors, sensor information that indicates no hazards are within a threshold distance of the vehicle; and
wherein sending the signal is further based on the sensor information.

3. The acceleration event prediction system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle further comprises:
a user interface coupled to the electronic control unit and having one or more user interface elements, each of the one or more user interface elements corresponding to one of the one or more predicted acceleration events.

4. The acceleration event prediction system of claim 3 , wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:
receive, from the user interface, a selection of at least one of the one or more user interface elements; and
remove at least one of the one or more predicted acceleration events that correspond to the at least one of the selected one or more user interface elements.

5. The acceleration prediction system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a user interface that is coupled to the vehicle through the network, wherein the user interface is a personal device;
wherein to determine the predicted route set including the destination location is further based on information received from the personal device.

6. The acceleration prediction system of claim 1 , wherein to determine the predicted route set including the destination location is further based on a driver's driving patterns.

7. The acceleration prediction system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:
store, in an internal database, a route history that includes an identity of a driver, the predicted route set, time and date information, and driving patterns of drivers;
wherein to determine the predicted route set including the destination location is further based on the route history.

8. A computer-implemented method for acceleration event prediction of a vehicle by an electronic control unit, the method comprising:
obtaining, from a navigation unit, navigational map information and vehicle information;
determining, by the electronic control unit, a predicted route set including a destination location based on the vehicle information and the navigational map information;
determining, by the electronic control unit, one or more predicted acceleration events for the predicted route set;
detecting, by the electronic control unit, a respective acceleration event of the one or more predicted acceleration events based on the predicted route set and a first location of the vehicle; and
sending a first signal to a turbocharger to prepare for the respective acceleration event.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:
obtaining, from the navigation unit, a second location of the vehicle;
determining, by the electronic control unit, a mis-activation of the turbocharger occurred based on a distance between the second location of the vehicle, the respective acceleration event and a threshold distance; and
sending a second signal to the turbocharger to spool down the turbocharger in response to the mis-activation, wherein the mis-activation results in a loss of electrical energy and additional noise.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, from one or more sensors, sensor information that indicates no hazards are within a threshold distance of the vehicle;
wherein sending the first signal to the turbocharger is based on the sensor information.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the navigation unit includes a GPS device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:
providing the predicted route set including the destination location, a current location of the vehicle, and the one or more predicted acceleration events to a user interface that includes one or more user interface elements that each correspond to one of the one or more predicted acceleration events;
receiving, from the user interface, a selection of one of the user interface elements; and
in response to the selection, removing the one of the one or more predicted acceleration events that corresponds to the selected user interface element from the one or more predicted acceleration events.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein determining the one or more predicted acceleration events for the predicted route set comprises:
determining that a specific driver is operating the vehicle;
retrieving, from an internal database, driving patterns associated with the specific driver;
associating the driving patterns with the navigational map information and vehicle information; and
determining the one or more predicted acceleration events using the driving patterns, navigational map information and vehicle information.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the respective acceleration event of the one or more predicted acceleration events is further based on user input, wherein the user input is a selection of an acceleration event mode.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein determining the one or more predicted acceleration events for the predicted route set comprises:
determining one or more potential acceleration locations from the navigational map information using extracted data identifying terrain and political features;
receiving, from one or more external databases, traffic condition information that is associated with the navigational map information; and
analyzing the one or more potential acceleration locations using the traffic condition information to determine the one or more predicted acceleration events for the predicted route set.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:
calculating a confidence value for the predicted route set and the one or more predicted acceleration events based on a route history;
determining that the confidence value is not greater than the confidence value threshold; and
adjusting at least one of the predicted route set or the one or more predicted acceleration events.

17. An acceleration event prediction system for an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
one or more external databases connected through a network to an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle including:
an engine;
a turbocharger coupled to the engine;
a navigation unit;
one or more sensors; and
an electronic control unit that is coupled to at least the navigat

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Eng & Mfg North America Inc

Inventors

• Dufford Mohammad E

Classifications

• B60W2556/50

  of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data · CPC title

• B60W30/1882

  characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart · CPC title

• B60W50/085

  Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input · CPC title

• G01C21/34

  Route searching; Route guidance · CPC title

• B60W50/0097

  Predicting future conditions · CPC title