System and device for controlling speed in a speed control zone

Abstract

A device for controlling a speed in an overspeed control area for preventing an overspeed in the control area in which an average traveling speed of the vehicle in a section from a control start point of the control area to a control end point of the control area exceeds a speed limit, the device comprising: a memory configured to store program instructions; a processor configured to execute the program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed, are configured to: a vehicle speed, an overspeed control area information, a speed limit of the overspeed control area and to collect the average driving speed in the speed control area; calculate a target speed based on the speed limit and the average driving speed; to calculate a lower limit speed based on the speed limit, to determine one of the following: the target speed, the lower limit speed and the speed limit as the final target speed, where a relationship between the target speed v t , the lower limit speed v m and the speed limit v 1 is used; calculate a required acceleration based on the final target speed and the vehicle speed; and to adjust the vehicle speed in the overspeed control area using the required acceleration.

Description

BACKGROUNDField of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling a speed in an overspeed control area, and more particularly, to controlling a vehicle speed to prevent an excessive speed from being generated in an overspeed control area when an average running speed of the vehicle exceeds a speed limit in a section from a control start point to a control end point. Description of the state of the art

[0002] A smart cruise control (SCC) system is a system that provides convenience and safety for a driver by adjusting a vehicle speed to a predetermined speed set by the driver when there are no preceding vehicles and adjusting a gap to maintain a predetermined distance between vehicles when there are vehicles in front.

[0003] Since this SCC system does not receive speed limit information and position information from the speed control detector (e.g., camera, etc.) on a road, excessive speed is determined by the speed control detector when the driver adjusts the vehicle's speed to exceed the road speed limit. In particular, if the driver presses the brake pedal to avoid excessive speed detection (e.g., a speed greater than a speed limit), the SCC system's operation is released, and thus the SCC system must be turned on again after passing the speed control detector.

[0004] Therefore, a method of adjusting the vehicle speed to the speed limit or below when the speed control detector on the road is detected has been proposed. However, this prior art is useful for a local control method for controlling vehicle speed at a specific location, but it may have reduced usefulness for a point-to-point control method for controlling when the average traveling speed of the vehicle between two points exceeds the speed limit.

[0005] The documents DE 10 2012 010 865 A1, KR 10 2010 0 056 003 A, KR 10 2009 0 009 473 A and DE 196 54 769 A1 deal with an adjustment of the instantaneous speed of a vehicle according to an applicable speed limit in order to avoid exceeding a speed limit at a specific position along a route. SUMMARY

[0006] According to the present invention, a method and an apparatus are provided for controlling a speed in an overspeed control section to prevent an overspeed generated in the overspeed control section by adjusting a vehicle speed in the overspeed control section which controls when an average running speed of the vehicle exceeds a speed limit in a section from a control start point to a control end point.

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for controlling a speed in an overspeed control section may include a plurality of units executed by a controller. The plurality of units may include: a navigation interaction unit that detects a vehicle speed v c , an excessive speed control section information, a speed limit v 1 of the excessive speed control section and an average driving speed v d in the excessive speed control section; a target speed calculation unit which calculates a target speed v t based on the speed limit v 1 and the average driving speed v d calculated; a lower limit speed calculation unit which calculates a lower limit speed v mbased on the speed v 1 calculated; a target speed determination unit which calculates a value from the target speed v t , the lower limit speed v m and the speed limit v 1 than the final target speed v f determined, whereby a relationship between the target speed v t , the lower limit speed v m and the speed limit v 1 is used; and a required acceleration calculation unit which calculates a required acceleration a based on the final target speed v f and the speed v c of the vehicle; wherein the control member adjusts the speed of the vehicle in the overspeed control area using the required acceleration a.

[0008] In another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a speed in an overspeed control section may include: collecting, by a controller, a vehicle speed v c , an excessive speed control section information, a speed limit v 1 of the excessive speed control section and an average driving speed v d in the excessive speed control section; calculating, by the control element, a target speed v t based on the speed limit v 1 and the average driving speed v d ; Calculate, by the control element, a lower limit speed v m based on the speed limit v 1 ; Determining, by the control element, one of the following: the target speed v t , the lower limit speed vm and the speed limit v 1 than the final target speed v f , where a relationship between the target speed v t , the lower limit speed v m and the speed limit v 1 is used; calculating, by the control element, a required acceleration a, based on the final target speed v f and the speed v c of the vehicle; and adjusting, by the control member, the speed of the vehicle in the overspeed control area using the required acceleration a. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is an exemplary configuration drawing of an apparatus for controlling a speed in an overspeed control section according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an exemplary explanatory drawing of the overspeed control section to which the present invention is applied according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 3 is an exemplary flowchart of a method for controlling a speed in an excessive speed control section according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicle-like” or other similar term, as used herein, is inclusive of motor vehicles in general, such as passenger automobiles, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft, a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from resources other than oil).

[0011] Although an example embodiment is described as utilizing a plurality of units to perform the example process, it is understood that the example processes may also be performed by one or more modules. Additionally, the term controller refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store the modules, and the processor is specifically configured to execute these modules to perform one or more processes, which are described further below.

[0012] Furthermore, the control logic of the present invention may be embedded as non-transitory computer-readable media on a computer-readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, controller, or the like. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, compact disc (CD-ROMs), magnetic tapes, floppy disks, flash drives, smart cards, and optical data storage devices. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed among computer systems coupled to a network such that the computer-readable media is stored and executed in a distributed manner, e.g., through a telematics server or a controller area network (CAN).

[0013] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of the listed features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed terms.

[0014] Unless specifically stated or obvious from the context, as used herein, the term "approximately" should be understood as within a range of normal tolerance in the art, for example, within 2 standard deviations of the mean. "Approximately" can be understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context, all values ​​provided herein are modified with "approximately."

[0015] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Fig. 1 is an exemplary configuration diagram of an apparatus for controlling a speed in an overspeed control section according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the speed control apparatus in the overspeed control section may include a plurality of units executed by a controller 60 (e.g., a speed controller) having a processor and a memory. The plurality of units may include: a navigation interworking unit 10, a target speed calculation unit 20, a lower limit speed calculation unit 30, a target speed determination unit 40, and a required acceleration calculation unit 50.

[0017] The navigation interworking unit 10 may be configured to interact with a navigation system (not shown) mounted within a vehicle and may be configured to periodically collect a variety of driving information. For example, the navigation interworking unit may be configured to collect information regarding an overspeed control section (e.g., control start point information and control end point information) from the navigation system. Specifically, the overspeed control area is Fig. 2. Additionally, the navigation interworking unit 10 may be configured to collect an average traveling speed of a vehicle in the overspeed control area from the navigation system; the information of a speed limit of the overspeed control area from the navigation system; and vehicle speed information from the navigation system.

[0018] Furthermore, the target speed calculation unit 20 may be configured to calculate a target speed of the vehicle based on a variety of information collected by the navigation interworking unit 10. In other words, the target speed calculation unit 20 may be configured to calculate a target speed v t of the vehicle using the following equation 1: vt=v1+(v1−vd)×α where v 1the speed limit of the excessive speed control area is v d is the average driving speed of the vehicle in the overspeed control area and α is a constant value as a weighting.

[0019] Since the target speed calculated as described above can change based on the difference between the speed limit and the average traveling speed, excessive deceleration and acceleration and vibration phenomena of deceleration and acceleration can be prevented. For reference, the vibration phenomenon of deceleration and acceleration is a phenomenon in which the vehicle's deceleration and acceleration are repeated based on the difference between the speed limit and the average traveling speed, which has a positive (+) value or a negative (-) value, and is generated based on a feedback that the average traveling speed is delayed.

[0020] The lower limit speed calculation unit 30 may be configured to calculate a lower limit speed of the vehicle based on a variety of information collected by the navigation interworking unit 10. In other words, the lower limit speed calculation unit 30 may be configured to calculate a lower limit speed v m of the vehicle using the following equation 2. vm=v1×β where β is a constant value as weighting.

[0021] In general, since the average traveling speed of the vehicle has a characteristic in which, although the vehicle's speed decreases, an effect of this is not immediately reflected, if the vehicle's speed is continuously reduced until the average traveling speed becomes the limit speed, this may cause the vehicle to stop. To prevent the above-mentioned excessive deceleration from being generated, the lower limit speed v m to prevent the vehicle speed from decreasing to a predetermined value or less.

[0022] In addition, the target speed determination unit 40 may be configured to calculate one of the following: the target speed v t , which is calculated by the target speed calculation unit 20, the lower speed limit v m, which is calculated by the lower limit speed calculation unit 30, and the speed limit v 1 , which is collected by the navigation interworking unit 10, as a final target speed v f . In other words, if the target speed v t less than the lower limit speed v m (v t < v m ), the target speed determining unit 40 may be configured to determine the lower limit speed v m than the final target speed v f Additionally, if the target speed v t equal to or greater than the lower limit speed v m (v t ≥ v m ), the target speed determination unit 40 may be configured to determine the final target speed v f to determine, whereby a relationship between the target speed v t and the speed limit v1 In other words, if the target speed v t equal to or greater than the speed limit v 1 is, the target speed determination unit 40 may be configured to set the speed limit v 1 than the final target speed v f As a result, if the target speed v t equal to or greater than the lower limit speed v m and equal to or greater than the speed limit v 1 is, the target speed determination unit 40 may be configured to set the speed limit v 1 than the final target speed v f If the target speed v t equal to or greater than the lower limit speed v m and less than the speed limit v 1 is, the target speed determination unit 40 may be configured to determine the target speed vt than the final target speed v f to determine.

[0023] In addition, the required acceleration calculation unit 50 may be configured to calculate a required acceleration based on the final pulling speed v f which is determined by the pulling speed determining unit 40. In other words, the required acceleration calculating unit 50 may be configured to calculate a required acceleration using the following Equation 3. a=(vf−vc)×ε where v c is the vehicle speed and ε is a constant value as weighting.

[0024] The speed controller 60 may be configured to adjust the vehicle speed using the calculated required acceleration. In other words, the speed controller 60 may be configured to adjust the vehicle speed using the required acceleration that is periodically calculated. The speed controller 60 may be implemented as a separate configuration, as in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, but it may be implemented by allocating a function thereof to the SCC system.

[0025] In particular, if the function of the speed control element is intended for the SCC system, as in Fig. 2, the limit speed (e.g., approximately 100 km / h) in the overspeed control area may be displayed to the driver before the vehicle arrives at the control start point, the vehicle speed may be adjusted in the overspeed control area based on the required acceleration described above, and when the vehicle exits the overspeed control area, the vehicle speed may be back at a speed (e.g., approximately 120 km / h) previously set in the SCC system.

[0026] Fig. 3 is an exemplary flowchart of a method for controlling a speed in a speed control area according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The navigation interworking unit 10 may be configured to control the vehicle speed v c, the excessive speed control area information, the speed limit v 1 of the speed control area and the average driving speed v d in the speed control area (301).

[0027] The target speed calculation unit 20 may be configured to calculate the target speed v t based on the limit speed v 1 and the average driving speed v d to calculate (302). In addition, the lower limit speed calculation unit 30 may be configured to calculate the lower limit speed v m based on the limit speed v 1 (303). The target speed determining unit 40 may be configured to determine each of the following groups, which consists of: the target speed v t , the lower limit speed v mand the speed limit v 1 than the final target speed v f , where the relationship between the target speed v t , the lower limit speed v m and the speed limit v 1 is used (304). The required acceleration calculation unit 50 may be configured to calculate the required acceleration a based on the final target speed v f the vehicle speed v c to calculate (305). The speed controller 60 may be configured to adjust the vehicle speed using the required acceleration a (306).

[0028] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, by adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the excessive speed control area, the excessive speed can be prevented from being generated in the excessive speed control area, thereby aggravating a situation in which the average running speed of the vehicle exceeds the speed limit in the range from the control start point to the control end point. In addition, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, even if the accelerator pedal is engaged for a predetermined time, the speed of the vehicle can be maintained within the speed limit when the vehicle passes through the excessive speed control area.

[0029] The spirit of the present invention has been explained only by way of example. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the accompanying drawings are used to describe, not limit, the spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The scope of the present invention must be analyzed by the appended claims, and it should be analyzed that the entire spirit is included within a scope equivalent thereto in the appended claims of the present invention. SYMBOL OF EACH OF THE ELEMENTS IN THE FIGURES 10 Navigation interworking unit or interaction unit 20 TARGET SPEED CALCULATION UNIT 30 LOWER LIMIT SPEED CALCULATION UNIT 40 TARGET SPEED DETERMINATION UNIT 50 REQUIRED ACCELERATION CALCULATION UNIT 60 SPEED CONTROL UNIT 301 COLLECT VEHICLE SPEED, SPEED CONTROL AREA INFORMATION, SPEED LIMIT OF SPEED CONTROL AREA AND AVERAGE DRIVING SPEED IN SPEED CONTROL AREA 302 CALCULATE TARGET SPEED BASED ON SPEED LIMIT AND AVERAGE DRIVING SPEED 303 CALCULATE LOWER SPEED LIMIT BASED ON SPEED LIMIT 304 DETERMINE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: TARGET SPEED, LOWER LIMIT SPEED AND SPEED LIMIT AS THE FINAL TARGET SPEED, USING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TARGET SPEED, LOWER LIMIT SPEED AND SPEED LIMIT 305 CALCULATE REQUIRED ACCELERATION BASED ON FINAL TARGET SPEED AND VEHICLE SPEED 306 CONTROL VEHICLE SPEED USING REQUIRED ACCELERATION

Claims

[1] An apparatus for controlling a speed in an overspeed control area for preventing an overspeed in the control area in which an average traveling speed of the vehicle exceeds a speed limit in a section from a control start point of the control area to a control end point of the control area, the apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store program instructions; a processor configured to execute the program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed, are configured to: a vehicle speed, an overspeed control area information, a speed limit of the overspeed control area and to collect the average driving speed in the speed control area; calculate a target speed based on the speed limit and the average driving speed; to calculate a lower limit speed based on the speed limit, to determine one of the following: the target speed, the lower limit speed and the speed limit as the final target speed, where a relationship between the target speed v t , the lower limit speed v m and the speed limit v 1 is used; calculate a required acceleration based on the final target speed and the vehicle speed; and to adjust the vehicle speed in the overspeed control area using the required acceleration. [2] The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target speed of the vehicle is calculated using the following equation 1. vt=v1+(v1−vd)×α where α represents a first constant, v 1 the speed limit is v d is the average speed and v t the target speed is. [3] The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower speed limit of the vehicle is calculated using the following equation 2. vm=v1×β where β is a second constant, v 1 is the speed limit and v m is the lower limit speed. [4] The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the target speed is less than the lower limit speed, the lower limit speed is determined to be the final target speed. [5] The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the target speed is equal to or greater than the lower limit speed and equal to or greater than the speed limit, the speed limit is determined to be the final target speed. [6] The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the target speed is equal to or greater than the lower speed limit and less than the speed limit, the target speed is determined to be the final target speed. [7] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the required acceleration is calculated using the following equation 3. a=(vf−vc)×ε where ε is a third constant, a is the acceleration, v f is the final target speed and v c the vehicle speed. [8] A method for controlling a speed in an overspeed control area for preventing an overspeed in the control area in which an average traveling speed of the vehicle exceeds a speed limit in a section from a control start point of the control area to a control end point of the control area, the method comprising: Collecting, by a controller, a vehicle speed, an overspeed control area information, a speed limit of the overspeed control area, and the average traveling speed in the overspeed control area; Calculating, by the controller, a target speed based on the speed limit and the average driving speed; Calculating, by the controller, a lower limit speed based on the speed limit; Determining, by the controller, one of the following: the target speed, the lower limit speed and the speed limit as the final target speed, using a relationship between the target speed, the lower limit speed and the speed limit; Calculating, by the control element, a required acceleration based on the final target speed and the vehicle speed; and Adjusting, by the control element, the vehicle speed in the overspeed control area using the required acceleration. [9] The method according to claim 8, wherein the target speed of the vehicle is calculated using the following equation 1. vt=v1+(v1−vd)×α where α is a first constant, v 1 the speed limit is v d is the average driving speed and v t the target speed is. [10] A method according to claim 8, wherein the lower limit speed of the vehicle is calculated using the following equation 2. vm=v1×β where β is a second constant, v 1 is the speed limit and v m is the lower limit speed. [11] The method of claim 8, further comprising: if the target speed is less than the lower limit speed, determining, by the controller, the lower limit speed as the final target speed; if the target speed is equal to or greater than the lower limit speed and equal to or greater than the speed limit, determining, by the controller, the speed limit as the final target speed; and if the target speed is equal to or greater than the lower limit speed and less than the speed limit, determining, by the controller, the target speed as the final target speed. [12] A method according to claim 8, wherein the required acceleration is calculated using the following equation 3. a=(vf−vc)×ε where ε is a third constant, a is the acceleration, v f is the final target speed and v c the vehicle speed. [13] A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions executed by a controller for controlling a speed in an excessive speed control area to prevent an excessive speed in the control area in which an average traveling speed of the vehicle in a section from a control start point of the control area to a control end point of the control area exceeds a speed limit, the computer-readable medium comprising: Program instructions that collect a vehicle speed, an overspeed control area information, a speed limit of the overspeed control area, and the average traveling speed in the overspeed control area; Program instructions that calculate a target speed based on the speed limit and the average driving speed; Program instructions that calculate a lower limit speed based on the speed limit; Program instructions that determine one of the following: the target speed, the lower limit speed, and the speed limit as the final target speed, using a relationship between the target speed, the lower limit speed, and the speed limit; Program instructions that calculate a required acceleration based on the final target speed and the vehicle speed; and Program instructions that adjust the vehicle speed in the overspeed control area using the required acceleration. [14] The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the target speed of the vehicle is calculated using the following equation 1. vt=v1+(v1−vd)×α where α represents a first constant, v 1 the speed limit is v d is the average driving speed and v t the target speed is. [15] The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the lower limit speed of the vehicle is calculated using the following equation 2. vm=v1×β where β is a second constant, v 1 is the speed limit and v m is the lower limit speed. [16] The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein when the target speed is less than the lower limit speed, the lower limit speed is determined to be the final target speed. [17] The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein when the target speed is equal to or greater than the lower limit speed and equal to or greater than the speed limit, the speed limit is determined to be the final target speed. [18] The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the required acceleration is calculated using the following equation 3. a=(vf−vc)×ε where ε is a third constant, a is the acceleration, v f is the final target speed and v c the vehicle speed.

Images