Vehicle height control device and method considering strong wind driving conditions

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle height control device and method taking into account strong wind driving conditions, the device comprising: a strong wind area determination unit, which is used to obtain wind speed information by utilizing map information corresponding to the wind speed information and current position information of the vehicle, and to generate strong wind area information by comparing the obtained wind speed information with a predetermined reference wind speed to determine the strong wind area; a strong wind driving condition determination unit, which is used to generate strong wind driving condition information by determining the strong wind driving condition based on the strong wind area information and the vehicle speed information at the current position; and a control signal generation unit, which is used to generate a control signal of a vehicle height adjustment device according to the strong wind driving condition information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle height control device and method taking into account strong wind driving conditions, and more specifically, to a vehicle height control device and method taking into account strong wind driving conditions: the device takes into account the strong wind driving conditions determined by combining the vehicle speed and the strong wind area, thereby controlling the vehicle height adjustment device or the braking device. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a suspension system in a vehicle is a system for connecting an axle and a frame and absorbing vibration and shock received from a road surface during driving to improve the ride quality and safety of the vehicle.

[0003] The suspension system needs to be flexible in the vertical connection to mitigate the impact on the road surface, and the horizontal connection should be strong to overcome the driving force, braking force and centrifugal force generated by the wheels when turning.

[0004] Then, the suspension system can be divided into a non-independent suspension of a mechanical configuration, an independent suspension, and an air suspension using air pressure (ie, air suspension).

[0005] The air suspension may have a vehicle height adjustment device for adjusting the vehicle height according to the amount of air injected into the air spring, thereby providing a comfortable ride quality for passengers. In this case, the air suspension control device controls the operation of the air suspension by controlling the vehicle height adjustment device using a controller area network (CAN) communication.

[0006] The control logic of the air suspension control device can be roughly divided into: reference vehicle height maintenance control, uneven road control and high-speed vehicle height control.

[0007] First, when executing the reference vehicle height holding control, the air suspension control device performs a vehicle height control for restoring the vehicle height to the reference vehicle height when the current vehicle height exceeds the target vehicle height by a certain height. This control is performed to maintain the balance of the vehicle when the reference vehicle height needs to be maintained due to an increase in vehicle weight.

[0008] Next, when performing the rough road control, the air suspension control device performs a vehicle height control for raising the vehicle height of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling on a rough road at a speed below a medium / low speed. This control is used to improve the ride quality and prevent the vehicle body from being damaged due to the increase in the suspension height. Then, when performing the high-speed vehicle height control, the air suspension control device performs a vehicle height control for lowering the vehicle height when the vehicle has been traveling at a higher speed for a certain time or more. This control is used to improve fuel efficiency and improve steering stability.

[0009] However, as described above, the vehicle height control device including the air suspension control device does not have a control logic for the aerodynamic drag when passing through a strong wind area, which is separate from the vehicle speed condition. That is, the control logic for executing the vehicle height control for the aerodynamic drag when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed is generally provided, but the control logic for executing the vehicle height control for the aerodynamic drag caused by the strong wind is not provided even when the vehicle is traveling at a medium / low speed.

[0010] Therefore, the vehicle height control apparatus requires a method for performing vehicle height control that lowers the vehicle height in consideration of a strong wind area, separate from a vehicle speed condition.

[0011] The contents described in the Description of the Related Art are for understanding the background of the present invention and may include contents that are not previously known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. Summary of the invention

[0012] The present invention aims to provide a vehicle height control device and method taking into account strong wind driving conditions, which takes into account the strong wind driving conditions determined by combining the vehicle speed and the strong wind area, thereby controlling the vehicle height adjustment device or the braking device, thereby improving steering stability and fuel efficiency by controlling the vehicle height according to the wind and vehicle speed on the vehicle's driving path.

[0013] A vehicle height control device taking strong wind driving conditions into consideration according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: a strong wind area determination unit, which is used to obtain wind speed information at a current position by utilizing map information corresponding to the wind speed information and current position information of the vehicle, and to generate strong wind area information by comparing the obtained wind speed information with a predetermined reference wind speed to determine the strong wind area; a strong wind driving condition determination unit, which is used to generate strong wind driving condition information by determining the strong wind driving condition based on the strong wind area information and the vehicle speed information at the current position; and a control signal generation unit, which is used to generate a control signal of a vehicle height adjustment device according to the strong wind driving condition information.

[0014] The vehicle height control device may further include: a communication unit, which is used to receive map information corresponding to wind speed information from an external device; a map information updating unit, which is used to update the map information corresponding to the wind speed information sent from the communication unit; and a map information storage unit, which is used to store the map information corresponding to the wind speed information updated by the map information updating unit, so as to provide the strong wind area determination unit with the updated map information corresponding to the wind speed information.

[0015] The external device may be at least one of a V2X device for providing information through a V2X communication network and a driver terminal for providing information through an internal modem installed inside the vehicle.

[0016] When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference wind speed, the strong wind area information may be defined as a strong wind area.

[0017] The strong wind area information may define multiple strong wind areas by using multiple reference wind speeds.

[0018] The strong wind driving condition information may be confirmed as a strong wind area through the strong wind area information, and when it is confirmed through the vehicle speed information that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference vehicle speed, the strong wind driving condition information is defined as a strong wind driving condition.

[0019] The strong wind driving condition information may define a plurality of strong wind driving conditions by means of a plurality of reference vehicle speeds.

[0020] The strong wind driving condition information may define a plurality of strong wind driving conditions through a plurality of strong wind areas.

[0021] The control signal generating unit can obtain respective corresponding control signals according to a plurality of strong wind driving conditions, and transmit them to the vehicle height adjustment device.

[0022] When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference wind speed, the strong wind area information can be defined as a dangerous strong wind area; the strong wind driving condition information can be confirmed as a dangerous strong wind area through the strong wind area information, and when it is confirmed through the vehicle speed information that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference vehicle speed, the strong wind driving condition information can be defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition; and the control signal generating unit can generate a control signal for controlling the vehicle's braking device based on the strong wind driving condition information that has been defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition.

[0023] The strong wind driving condition determination unit may predetermine a vehicle height adjustment execution time point of the vehicle height adjustment device in consideration of a distance between a current position of the vehicle and a starting position of a strong wind area on a driving path of the vehicle.

[0024] At least one of the map information updating unit, the strong wind area determining unit, the strong wind driving condition determining unit, and the control signal generating unit may be composed of an integrated controller.

[0025] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle height control method considering strong wind driving conditions may include: obtaining wind speed information at a current position by utilizing map information corresponding to the wind speed information and current position information of the vehicle, and generating strong wind area information by comparing the obtained wind speed information with a predetermined reference wind speed to determine a strong wind area; generating strong wind driving condition information by determining a strong wind driving condition based on the strong wind area information and vehicle speed information at the current position; and generating a control signal of a vehicle height adjustment device according to the strong wind driving condition information.

[0026] The vehicle height control method considering strong wind driving conditions may further include: receiving map information corresponding to the wind speed information from an external device before obtaining the wind speed information; updating the map information corresponding to the received wind speed information; and storing and providing the map information corresponding to the updated wind speed information.

[0027] Generating the control signal of the vehicle height adjustment device may include: obtaining respective corresponding control signals according to a plurality of strong wind driving conditions, and transmitting the control signals to the vehicle height adjustment device.

[0028] When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference wind speed, the strong wind area information can be defined as a dangerous strong wind area; the strong wind driving condition information can be confirmed as a dangerous strong wind area through the strong wind area information, and when it is confirmed through the vehicle speed information that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference vehicle speed, the strong wind driving condition information can be defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition; and generating a control signal for a vehicle height adjustment device may include: generating a control signal for controlling a braking device of the vehicle based on the strong wind driving condition information that has been defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition.

[0029] The present invention can control the vehicle height adjustment device or braking device in consideration of the strong wind driving condition determined by combining the vehicle speed and the strong wind area, thereby improving steering stability and fuel efficiency by controlling the vehicle height relative to the wind and vehicle speed on the vehicle driving path.

[0030] In addition, the present invention can improve the fuel efficiency effect by appropriately controlling the vehicle height according to the wind.

[0031] Furthermore, the present invention can resolve instabilities in vehicle behavior caused by horizontal winds. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle height control apparatus considering a strong wind driving situation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2A schematic diagram for explaining a control signal generation matrix according to a plurality of strong wind driving situations.

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle height control method considering a strong wind driving situation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the subsequent description and accompanying drawings, detailed descriptions of known functions or configurations that may obscure the subject matter of the present invention will be omitted. In addition, it should be noted that throughout the accompanying drawings, the same components are represented by the same reference numerals as much as possible.

[0036] The terms or words used in this specification and the claims described below should not be construed as limited to the general meaning or dictionary meaning, but should be construed based on the meaning and concept corresponding to the technical spirit of the present invention in accordance with the principle that the inventor can appropriately define his / her own invention as the best interpreted term.

[0037] Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the accompanying drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to represent all of the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalent forms and modified forms may replace these embodiments when submitting this application.

[0038] In the drawings, some elements are exaggerated, omitted or schematically shown, and the actual size of each element is not necessarily shown in the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the relative sizes or intervals shown in the drawings.

[0039] Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a component, this does not exclude other components, but may further include other components unless otherwise specifically stated. In addition, when a part is "connected" to another part, it may be "directly connected" or "electrically connected" to other elements interposed between the two parts.

[0040] Singular forms include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0041] It should be understood that the terms "include" or "comprising" etc. explicitly stipulate the existence of the features, values, steps, operations, components, parts or their combinations described in the specification, but do not exclude the existence or possibility of adding one or more other features, values, steps, operations, components, parts or their combinations.

[0042] In addition, the term "unit" used in the specification represents a software component or a hardware component, for example, an FPGA or an ASIC, and the "unit" performs any function. However, the "unit" does not mean to be limited to software or hardware. The "unit" can be configured in an addressable storage medium, and can also be configured to execute one or more processors. Therefore, the "unit" can include the following components as examples: for example, software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcodes, circuit systems, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions set in the components and "units" can be combined into fewer components and "units", or further separated into additional components and "units".

[0043] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Then, in the accompanying drawings, in order to clearly describe the present invention, parts that are not related to the description of the present invention are omitted, and similar parts are represented by similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0044] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle height control device considering a strong wind driving condition according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 A schematic diagram for explaining a control signal generation matrix according to a plurality of strong wind driving situations.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle height control device 100 considering the strong wind driving condition according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can control the vehicle height adjustment device 10 or the braking device 20 in consideration of the strong wind driving condition determined in combination with the vehicle speed and the strong wind area, thereby improving the steering stability and fuel efficiency by performing vehicle height control relative to the wind and the vehicle speed on the vehicle driving path.

[0047] The vehicle height control device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a navigation unit 120, a vehicle speed measurement unit 130, a strong wind driving condition determination unit 140 and a control signal generation unit 150. The navigation unit 120 includes a map information update unit 121, a map information storage unit 122, a strong wind area determination unit 123 and a GPS 124.

[0048] In the present invention, the communication unit 110 may be a hardware device capable of transmitting analog signals or digital signals through a telephone, other communication lines or wirelessly. Examples of the communication unit 110 include: a Bluetooth device, an infrared device, a modem, a network card, a smart phone, a Wi-Fi device, etc. In addition, the communication unit 110 may include a communication module for wireless Internet access or a communication module for short-range communication. Here, wireless Internet technology may include wireless LAN (WLAN), wireless broadband (Wibro), Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), etc. In addition, short-range communication technology may include Bluetooth, ZigBee, ultra-wideband (UWB), radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), etc.

[0049] The navigation unit 120 may be a device that can receive information from a GPS satellite and then calculate the geographic location of the device. The navigation unit 120 may display the location on a map and may provide directions to the user.

[0050] The vehicle speed measuring unit 130 may be a wheel speed sensor or a vehicle speed sensor (VSS) which is a type of tachometer for reading a vehicle speed.

[0051] As will be described below, the strong-wind driving condition determination unit 140 may be an electronic control unit (ECU) or any other processor (eg, a computer, a microprocessor, an ASIC, a logic circuit, a central processing unit (CPU), etc.).

[0052] As will be further described below, the control signal generation unit 150 may be an electronic device that generates a relayed or non-relayed electronic signal in the analog domain or the digital domain.

[0053] Herein, the map information updating unit 121, the strong wind area determining unit 123, the strong wind driving condition determining unit 140 and the control signal generating unit 150 may include at least one processor and a memory for storing computer-readable instructions. Each of these units may perform the steps of the vehicle height control method considering the strong wind driving condition according to the embodiment of the present invention by executing the computer-readable instructions stored in the memory by at least one processor.

[0054] Then, at least one of the map information updating unit 121, the strong wind area determining unit 123, the strong wind driving condition determining unit 140 and the control signal generating unit 150 may be composed of an integrated controller. Herein, the integrated controller may include at least one processor and a memory for storing computer-readable instructions.

[0055] Hereinafter, each component of the vehicle height control device 100 will be described in detail.

[0056] First, the communication unit 110 receives map information corresponding to wind speed information from the external device 30 , and sends the map information corresponding to the wind speed information to the navigation unit 120 .

[0057] The external device 30 may directly generate and provide map information corresponding to the wind speed information, or indirectly receive and provide map information.

[0058] Herein, the map information corresponding to the wind speed information may be map information corresponding to the wind speed intensity measured in real time, map information corresponding to the wind speed intensity confirmed from the meteorological department information of the day, and map information corresponding to strong wind terrain (i.e., terrain that may be affected by horizontal wind and headwind, etc. due to terrain features (for example, bridge areas, mountainous areas, and ocean areas)) and time zones (i.e., time zones that may be affected by horizontal wind or headwind, etc. due to seasons and day and night characteristics).

[0059] Then, the external device 30 may be a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) device capable of providing information to the communication unit 110 through a V2X communication network. For example, the V2X device may be another vehicle for exchanging information through a V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) method, a road infrastructure for exchanging information through a V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure) method, a pedestrian device for exchanging information through a V2P (Vehicle to Pedestrian) method, a server for exchanging information through a V2N (Vehicle to Network) method, and the like.

[0060] In addition, the external device 30 may be a driver terminal capable of providing information through an internal modem installed inside the vehicle. The driver terminal may access an external server for exchanging information through a wireless communication network, and may pre-install a predetermined application.

[0061] Next, the navigation unit 120 obtains wind speed information by using map information corresponding to the wind speed information sent by the communication unit 110 and the current position information of the vehicle, and generates strong wind area information by comparing the obtained wind speed information with a predetermined reference wind speed to determine a strong wind area.

[0062] As described above, the navigation unit 120 includes a map information updating unit 121, a map information storage unit 122, a strong wind area determination unit 123 and a GPS 124, and may further include a path setting unit (not shown) for performing conventional navigation functions, a display unit (not shown), a voice guidance unit (not shown), etc.

[0063] Specifically, the map information updating unit 121 updates the map information corresponding to the wind speed information transmitted from the communication unit 110 to the map information storage unit 122, and the map information storage unit 122 stores the map information corresponding to the wind speed information.

[0064] The strong wind area determination unit 123 obtains wind speed information of the current position by matching the map information stored in the map information storage unit 122 with the current position information of the vehicle confirmed by the GPS 124, and generates strong wind area information by comparing the obtained wind speed information with a predetermined reference wind speed to determine whether it is a strong wind area. At this time, the strong wind area determination unit 123 transmits the strong wind area information to the strong wind driving condition determination unit 140.

[0065] Herein, when the wind speed information determined based on the current position information of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference wind speed, the strong wind area information may be defined as a strong wind area. In addition, in defining the strong wind area, the strong wind area information may define a plurality of strong wind areas by a plurality of reference wind speeds. Then, when the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference wind speed, the strong wind area information may be defined as a dangerous strong wind area.

[0066] Next, the strong wind driving condition determination unit 140 generates strong wind driving condition information by determining the strong wind driving condition using the strong wind area information transmitted from the navigation unit 120 (i.e., the strong wind area determination unit 123) and the vehicle speed information transmitted through the vehicle speed measurement unit 130 to transmit the strong wind driving condition information to the control signal generation unit 150. The vehicle speed measurement unit 130 measures the vehicle speed information of the current position.

[0067] Herein, strong wind driving condition information is information related to strong wind area information and vehicle speed information. The strong wind driving condition information is confirmed as a strong wind area through the strong wind area information, and when the actual vehicle speed is confirmed to be equal to or greater than a predetermined reference vehicle speed through the vehicle speed information, the strong wind driving condition information is defined as a strong wind driving condition.

[0068] Then, the strong wind driving condition information may define a plurality of strong wind driving conditions by a plurality of reference vehicle speeds, and may define a plurality of strong wind driving conditions by a plurality of strong wind areas.

[0069] Therefore, the strong wind driving condition information may define a plurality of strong wind driving conditions by using a matrix that has defined the correlation between a plurality of reference vehicle speeds and a plurality of strong wind areas.

[0070] In addition, the strong wind driving condition information can be defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition when the actual vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference vehicle speed and corresponds to a dangerous strong wind area. For this purpose, the dangerous reference vehicle speed and the dangerous strong wind area can be preset.

[0071] The strong wind driving condition determination unit 140 may determine the vehicle height adjustment execution time point in advance by considering the distance between the current position of the vehicle and the starting position of the strong wind area on the driving path of the vehicle. Therefore, the strong wind driving condition determination unit 140 transmits the strong wind driving condition information to the control signal generation unit 150 according to the determined vehicle height adjustment execution time point.

[0072] Next, the control signal generating unit 150 generates a control signal for the vehicle height adjusting device 10 by using the strong wind running condition information transmitted from the strong wind running condition determining unit 140. That is, the control signal generating unit 150 generates a control signal for the vehicle height adjusting device 10 by Figure 2 The control signal generation matrix is ​​used to generate a control signal of the vehicle height adjustment device 10 in the strong wind area corresponding to the reference vehicle speed and the strong wind driving condition information.

[0073] Herein, the vehicle height adjustment device 10 may be any one of an air suspension, an electric suspension, and a hydraulic suspension.

[0074] In addition, the control signal generating unit 150 can be obtained from Figure 2 The predetermined control signal generation matrix in the embodiment obtains respective corresponding control signals according to a plurality of strong wind driving condition information.

[0075] refer to Figure 2 The control signal generation matrix represents a plurality of strong wind driving condition information corresponding to a plurality of strong wind areas and a plurality of reference vehicle speeds, and each of the plurality of strong wind driving condition information respectively defines a control value (ie, a control signal) for controlling the vehicle height control device 100.

[0076] As described above, the strong wind area is defined when the wind speed information determined based on the current position information of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference wind speed, so that the strong wind area is defined when equal to or greater than the first wind speed intensity.

[0077] Then, a strong wind driving condition is defined when the strong wind area is equal to or greater than the first wind speed intensity and the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference vehicle speed, so that a strong wind driving condition is defined when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the first reference vehicle speed. Figure 2 In the control signal generation matrix, multiple strong wind driving conditions are represented by display area A and are defined respectively according to multiple strong wind areas and multiple reference vehicle speeds.

[0078] When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference wind speed, the strong wind area information is defined as a dangerous strong wind area, and the strong wind driving condition information is confirmed as a dangerous strong wind area through the strong wind area information, and when it is confirmed through the vehicle speed information that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference vehicle speed, the strong wind driving condition information is defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition.

[0079] In this case, the strong wind driving condition determination unit 140 sends the strong wind driving condition information about the dangerous strong wind driving condition to the control signal generation unit 150, and the control signal generation unit 150 generates a control signal for controlling the braking device of the vehicle according to the strong wind driving condition information about the dangerous strong wind driving condition.

[0080] In addition, the control signal generating unit 150 can also generate a control signal for controlling the vehicle's brake device 20 according to the dangerous strong wind driving situation. For example, the control signal for controlling the brake device 20 can be a control signal for slowing down the vehicle speed by a predetermined ratio (5%, 10%, etc.).

[0081] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle height control method considering a strong wind driving situation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0082] First, the vehicle height control device 100 obtains the wind speed information of the current position by using the map information corresponding to the wind speed information and the current position information of the vehicle (S201). At this time, the vehicle height control device 100 receives the map information from the external device before obtaining the wind speed information, updates the part that needs to be updated, and then stores and provides the updated information. Herein, the external device is at least one of a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) device for providing information through a V2X communication network, or a driver terminal for providing information through an internal modem installed inside the vehicle.

[0083] Thereafter, the vehicle height control device 100 generates strong wind area information by comparing the wind speed information with a predetermined reference wind speed to determine a strong wind area (S202). Herein, when the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference wind speed, the strong wind area information is defined as a strong wind area, and a plurality of strong wind areas are defined by a plurality of reference wind speeds.

[0084] Then, the vehicle height control device 100 generates strong wind driving condition information by determining the strong wind driving condition based on the strong wind area information and the vehicle speed information (S203). Herein, the strong wind driving condition information is confirmed as a strong wind area by the strong wind area information, and when it is confirmed by the vehicle speed information that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference vehicle speed, the strong wind driving condition information is defined as a strong wind driving condition. In addition, the strong wind driving condition information defines a plurality of strong wind driving conditions by a plurality of reference vehicle speeds, and defines a plurality of strong wind driving conditions by a plurality of strong wind areas.

[0085] Then, the vehicle height control device 100 generates a control signal for the vehicle height adjustment device 10 according to the strong wind driving condition information (S204). At this time, the vehicle height control device 100 obtains corresponding control signals according to multiple strong wind driving conditions to transmit the control signals to the vehicle height adjustment device 10.

[0086] When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference wind speed, the strong wind area information is defined as a dangerous strong wind area, and the strong wind driving condition information is confirmed as a dangerous strong wind area through the strong wind area information, and when it is confirmed through the vehicle speed information that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference vehicle speed, the strong wind driving condition information is defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition.

[0087] Then, the vehicle height control device 100 may generate a control signal for controlling the brake device of the vehicle according to the strong wind driving condition information which has defined the dangerous strong wind driving condition.

[0088] Then, the vehicle height control device 100 predetermines the vehicle height adjustment execution time point of the vehicle height adjustment device 10 in consideration of the distance between the current position of the vehicle and the start position of the strong wind area on the travel path of the vehicle.

[0089] Herein, S201 and S202 are performed by the strong wind area determination unit 123 of the navigation unit 120 , S203 is performed by the strong wind travel condition determination unit 140 , and S204 is performed by the control signal generation unit 150 .

[0090] The vehicle height control device 100 can improve the fuel efficiency of the vehicle by 2% or more by controlling the vehicle height with respect to wind. For example, when the height of the vehicle is lowered by 10 mm, the drag coefficient C D Reduced by 0.003 to 5. D When the vehicle height is about 0.3, the fuel efficiency is saved by 1.4%. When the vehicle height is reduced by 30mm, the high-speed fuel efficiency is improved by 2.1%. In this article, the drag coefficient is the drag coefficient of the wind, and it becomes better as the drag is reduced, and when the normal drag coefficient is reduced by 10%, the high-speed fuel efficiency is improved by 2.1%.

[0091] The method according to some embodiments can be implemented in the form of program instructions, which can be executed by various computer devices to be recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. individually or include combinations thereof. The program instructions recorded on the medium can be program instructions specially designed and constructed for the present invention, or can be program instructions known and available to technicians in the field of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include: magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and tapes, optical media such as CDROMs and DVDs, magnetic optical media such as floppy disks, and hardware devices such as ROMs, RAMs and flash memories that are specially configured to store and execute program instructions. Examples of program instructions include machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, and high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0092] Although the present invention has been described with emphasis on the novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various deletions, substitutions and changes may be made to the form and details of the above-described apparatus and method without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All modifications within the equivalent range of the appended claims are included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle height control device considering strong wind driving conditions, comprising: a strong wind area determination unit for obtaining wind speed information of a current position by using map information corresponding to the wind speed information and current position information of the vehicle, and generating strong wind area information by comparing the obtained wind speed information with a predetermined reference wind speed to determine a strong wind area; a strong wind driving condition determination unit for generating strong wind driving condition information by determining the strong wind driving condition based on the strong wind area information and the vehicle speed information at the current position; as well as a control signal generating unit, which is used to generate a control signal for a vehicle height adjustment device according to the strong wind driving condition information; When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference wind speed, the strong wind area information is defined as a strong wind area; The strong wind driving condition information is defined as a strong wind driving condition when the strong wind area information confirms that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference vehicle speed. When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference wind speed, the strong wind area information is defined as a dangerous strong wind area; The strong wind driving condition information is confirmed as a dangerous strong wind area through the strong wind area information, and when it is confirmed through the vehicle speed information that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference vehicle speed, the strong wind driving condition information is defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition; The control signal generating unit generates a control signal for controlling a brake device of the vehicle according to the strong wind driving condition information that has been defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition; wherein the strong wind driving condition determining unit predetermines a vehicle height adjustment execution time point of the vehicle height adjustment device taking into account a distance between a current position of the vehicle and a starting position of a strong wind area on a driving path of the vehicle; The strong wind driving condition determination unit transmits the strong wind driving condition information to the control signal generation unit according to the determined vehicle height adjustment execution time point; The control signal for controlling the brake device is a control signal for decelerating the vehicle speed of the vehicle by a predetermined ratio.

2. The vehicle height control device considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 1, further comprising: A communication unit, configured to receive map information corresponding to wind speed information from an external device; A map information updating unit, which is used to update the map information corresponding to the wind speed information sent from the communication unit; as well as The map information storage unit is used to store the map information corresponding to the wind speed information updated by the map information updating unit, so as to provide the strong wind area determination unit with the map information corresponding to the updated wind speed information.

3. The vehicle height control device considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 2, wherein: The external device is at least one of a V2X device for providing information through a V2X communication network and a driver terminal for providing information through an internal modem installed inside the vehicle.

4. The vehicle height control device considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 1, wherein: The strong wind area information defines a plurality of strong wind areas by using a plurality of reference wind speeds.

5. The vehicle height control device considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 1, wherein: The high wind driving condition information defines a plurality of high wind driving conditions by a plurality of reference vehicle speeds; The control signal generating unit obtains respective corresponding control signals according to a plurality of strong wind driving conditions, and transmits the control signals to the vehicle height adjustment device.

6. The vehicle height control device considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 1, wherein: Strong wind driving condition information defines multiple strong wind driving conditions through multiple strong wind areas; The control signal generating unit obtains respective corresponding control signals according to a plurality of strong wind driving conditions, and transmits the control signals to the vehicle height adjustment device.

7. The vehicle height control device considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the map information updating unit, the strong wind area determining unit, the strong wind driving condition determining unit and the control signal generating unit is composed of an integrated controller.

8. A vehicle height control method considering strong wind driving conditions, comprising: The wind speed information at the current position is obtained by using the map information corresponding to the wind speed information and the current position information of the vehicle; generating strong wind area information by comparing the obtained wind speed information with a predetermined reference wind speed to determine a strong wind area; generating strong wind driving condition information by determining a strong wind driving condition based on the strong wind area information and the vehicle speed information at the current position; generating a control signal for a vehicle height adjustment device according to the strong wind driving condition information; When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference wind speed, the strong wind area information is defined as a strong wind area; The strong wind driving condition information is defined as a strong wind driving condition when the strong wind area information confirms that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference vehicle speed. When the wind speed information is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference wind speed, the strong wind area information is defined as a dangerous strong wind area; The strong wind driving condition information is confirmed as a dangerous strong wind area through the strong wind area information, and when it is confirmed through the vehicle speed information that the actual vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined dangerous reference vehicle speed, the strong wind driving condition information is defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition; Generating a control signal for a vehicle height adjustment device includes: generating a control signal for controlling a braking device of the vehicle according to strong wind driving condition information that has been defined as a dangerous strong wind driving condition; wherein the step of generating the strong wind driving condition information predetermines a vehicle height adjustment execution time point of the vehicle height adjustment device taking into account a distance between a current position of the vehicle and a starting position of a strong wind area on a driving path of the vehicle; transmitting the strong wind driving condition information to the control signal generating unit according to the determined vehicle height adjustment execution time point; The control signal for controlling the brake device is a control signal for decelerating the vehicle speed of the vehicle by a predetermined ratio.

9. The vehicle height control method considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 8, further comprising: receiving map information corresponding to the wind speed information from an external device before obtaining the wind speed information; Update the map information corresponding to the received wind speed information; Store and provide map information corresponding to the updated wind speed information.

10. The vehicle height control method considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 9, wherein: The external device is at least one of a V2X device for providing information through a V2X communication network and a driver terminal for providing information through an internal modem installed inside the vehicle.

11. The vehicle height control method considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 8, wherein: The strong wind area information defines a plurality of strong wind areas by using a plurality of reference wind speeds.

12. The vehicle height control method considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 8, wherein: The high wind driving condition information defines a plurality of high wind driving conditions by using a plurality of reference vehicle speeds; Generating a control signal for the vehicle height adjustment device includes: obtaining respective corresponding control signals according to a plurality of strong wind driving conditions, and transmitting the control signals to the vehicle height adjustment device.

13. The vehicle height control method considering strong wind driving conditions according to claim 8, wherein: Strong wind driving condition information defines multiple strong wind driving conditions through multiple strong wind areas; Generating a control signal for the vehicle height adjustment device includes: obtaining respective corresponding control signals according to a plurality of strong wind driving conditions, and transmitting the control signals to the vehicle height adjustment device.

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