Method for torque-based control of a vehicle, vehicle, computer program product and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (100) for torque-based control of a vehicle (200), comprising: - Requests (110) for torque information by a function platform (210) to an engine control unit (220), wherein the engine control unit (220) is configured to control a torque-generating motor (230), - Reading (120) the torque information from a memory (221) of the engine control unit (220), - Transfer (130) the torque information from the engine control unit (220) to the function platform (210), Control (140) of the vehicle (200) taking into account the torque information by the functional platform (210). Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle (300), a computer program product, and a computer-readable storage medium.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for torque-based control of a vehicle, a vehicle, a computer program product and a computer-readable storage medium.

[0002] Currently, there is no way to reliably determine the powertrain potential under possible, longer-term operating conditions. While DE 10 2011 004 862 A1 deals with determining wheel and / or axle torque specifications in a motor vehicle, DE 10 2007 014 663 A1 describes a method for estimating the power potential of the primary power source of a hybrid vehicle.

[0003] However, the current state of the art has always made simplifying assumptions regarding the engines. For example, a combustion engine torque was simulated in customer functions using ambient pressure, or the potential thrust torque was simulated using an applied thrust characteristic.

[0004] However, such assumptions mean that previous implementations are ideal models. Many influencing variables (e.g., cooling circuit temperature) cannot be represented, leading to inaccuracies. These then result in inaccurately coordinated operating conditions, which can reduce driving comfort, increase fuel consumption, and reduce performance.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome at least one of the disadvantages described above. In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a method for torque-based control of a vehicle, a vehicle, a computer program product, and a computer-readable storage medium, in which an accurate prediction of the torques allows for improved, in particular more comfortable and / or more efficient and / or more powerful, control of the vehicle.

[0006] The above object is achieved by a method having the features of independent patent claim 1, by a vehicle having the features of independent patent claim 8, by a computer program product having the features of independent patent claim 9 and by a computer-readable storage medium having the features of independent patent claim 10. Further features and details of the invention emerge from the subclaims, the description and the drawings. Features and details described in connection with the method according to the invention naturally also apply in connection with the vehicle according to the invention and / or in connection with the computer program product according to the invention and / or in connection with the computer-readable storage medium according to the invention and vice versa, so that with regard to the disclosure of the individual aspects of the invention, reference is or can always be made reciprocal.

[0007] According to the invention, a method for torque-based control of a vehicle is provided, comprising: - Requesting torque information from an engine control unit by a functional platform, wherein the engine control unit is designed to control a torque-generating engine, wherein in particular the functional platform is designed to control the vehicle, - Reading the torque information from a memory of the engine control unit, in particular by a computing unit of the engine control unit, - Transferring the torque information from the engine control unit to the functional platform, in particular via an output interface on the engine control unit and an input interface on the functional platform, - Controlling the vehicle taking into account the torque information provided by the functional platform.

[0008] The method can be implemented as a computer-implemented method.

[0009] The method steps can be performed at least partially simultaneously and / or sequentially, whereby the sequence of the method steps is not limited by the specified order, so that individual steps can be performed in different orders. Furthermore, individual or all steps can be performed repeatedly.

[0010] In other words, according to the invention, a method for controlling a vehicle can be provided in which information about a torque is retrieved from a functional unit that at least partially controls the vehicle by a drive control unit that controls a drive and transmitted to the functional unit. The functional unit then controls the vehicle at least based on the information about the torque.

[0011] Torque-based vehicle control can be understood as a variant of the control system in which information about the torques expected in a predetermined operating state is incorporated into the vehicle control. This can mean that if the control system is described as a function in which the vehicle's control is the function value, a torque represents an input variable of the function.

[0012] The vehicle can be designed as a motor vehicle. In principle, a motor vehicle can be any type of motor-driven vehicle. The motor vehicle can be designed as a land vehicle, a water vehicle, or an aircraft vehicle. In particular, the motor vehicle can be a car or a truck. The motor vehicle can also have an internal combustion engine and / or an electric motor. It can also be provided that the motor vehicle is exclusively electrically powered.

[0013] A request can be understood as the steps necessary to cause the engine control unit to read and transmit the torque information. The request can involve transmitting a request signal. The request signal can be carried out via a communication protocol. The communication protocol can be implemented as a CAN bus (Controller Area Network), LIN bus (Local Interconnect Network), FlexRay, Ethernet, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. CAN bus is one of the most widely used protocols in modern vehicles and enables secure communication between the various electronic control units (ECUs) present in a car. LIN bus is a particularly cost-effective protocol to implement. FlexRay offers a particularly high data transmission rate.Ethernet also offers high data transfer rates and can be used for demanding applications such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enable cost-effective, wireless transmission.

[0014] Torque information can be understood as a moment (also called torque). The torque information can include the specification of a quantitative value (e.g. 500 Newton meters). Alternatively or additionally, the torque information can include further information related to the moment, for example a moment for each axle or for each wheel. Torque information could then, for example, have the form "front axle, 320 Nm; rear axle, 350 Nm". The torque information can also include a temporal progression of a torque. Furthermore, the torque information can be embodied as a function of a vehicle parameter, in particular a speed, or vehicle environmental parameter, in particular at least a temperature, a geographical altitude or a road gradient.

[0015] A functional platform can be considered a unit for controlling the vehicle. Further variants of the functional platform are described below.

[0016] An engine control unit (also known as an engine control unit or ECU) is an electronic control unit in a vehicle that is responsible for controlling the engine.

[0017] Both the functional platform and the ECU can comprise at least one microcontroller, a communication interface, a power supply, a memory, a housing, or a cooling system. The functional platform can be designed as a high-speed computing unit (HCP). An HCP can also control complex driving dynamics, such as the at least partially autonomous longitudinal and / or lateral control of the vehicle.

[0018] The torque-generating motor can provide torque to drive the entire vehicle. It can also be provided that the motor at least partially provides torque for other systems, in particular a generator (also called an alternator).

[0019] A memory of the engine control unit can be designed at least as a volatile memory, in particular as RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or non-volatile memory, in particular ROM (Read-Only Memory), Flash, NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0020] The transmission from the engine control unit to the functional platform can be implemented as a data transmission. The torque information can, in particular, be transmitted as a data signal using one of the previously described protocols.

[0021] The control can be implemented as longitudinal and / or transverse control of the vehicle.

[0022] Taking the torque information into account by the functional platform, it can be understood that the functional platform uses the torque information as an input variable for a calculation, and the output variable, which includes at least one control of the vehicle, is at least partially dependent on the torque information.

[0023] The method may include determining that torque information is requested for controlling the vehicle, in particular by the functional platform. The determination may include calling a function that requires at least parts of the torque information as input parameters.

[0024] Overall, the method according to the invention offers the advantage of achieving an accurate prediction of the torques, which leads to improved, in particular more comfortable and / or more efficient and / or more powerful control of the vehicle. Requesting the torque information from an engine control unit by a functional platform offers a way to directly query the torque information from the device that controls the torque. To do this, the engine control unit reads the torque information from its memory. The direct transmission of the torque information from the engine control unit to the functional platform, in particular via an output interface on the engine control unit and an input interface on the functional platform, ensures that the torque information is immediately available to the functional platform.Because the torque information is available virtually in real time, even complex control systems that depend on the torque information can be performed at least partially automatically. Controlling the vehicle using the torque information via the functional platform ultimately offers, at the very least, increased comfort for the vehicle occupants, improved efficiency, or higher vehicle performance. Control systems that take the torque information into account avoid unnecessary gear changes. Furthermore, the most efficient gear can always be selected, and the greatest possible torque can be achieved when needed.

[0025] Within the scope of the invention, it may be advantageous for the query to include at least the transmission of a rotational speed of the engine and / or the transmission of a rotational speed range of the engine. Since the torque available from the engine is essentially a function of the rotational speed of the engine, a rotational speed represents a particularly simple and efficient way to query the expected torque for a driving condition to be calculated, especially a future one.

[0026] Within the scope of the invention, it is conceivable that the torque information comprises at least one piece of information based on torque measurements determined on a test bench, in particular for the vehicle. Measurements on the test bench allow torques to be precisely determined in advance for all conceivable driving situations. It can be provided that the torque measurements include the recording of a torque characteristic curve as a function of the engine speed, in particular for each gear. Such a characteristic curve is defined in the Fig. 3. The x-axis represents the motor speed n, and the y-axis represents the torque T. For example, minimum and maximum torques are also plotted at some points on the graph.

[0027] Furthermore, it can be provided that the torque measurements include measurements for different temperatures. It is also conceivable that, through machine learning, a piece of torque information comprising at least one piece of information based on torque measurements determined on a test bench is learned as ground truth. Furthermore, it can be provided that this machine-learned algorithm is designed to calculate torque information for driving situations that were not recorded by a torque measurement on the test bench. This allows reliable torque information to be obtained even for driving situations for which no measurement was performed. This makes the method more cost-effective.If the torque measurements are carried out on the test bench for the vehicle controlled by the procedure, particularly accurate torque information can be determined because the characteristics of the specific vehicle are taken into account.

[0028] It can be provided within the scope of the invention that the reading comprises determining a torque for a requested speed, wherein in particular the torque is determined from a torque characteristic curve (see Fig. 3). This represents a particularly simple and efficient way to obtain the torque information. This is particularly advantageous for time-critical vehicle control, as the torque information can be provided particularly quickly.

[0029] It is further conceivable that a correction of the torque information is provided, which comprises at least changing the torque information based on the vehicle's surroundings and / or a vehicle state. This allows the torque information to be determined even more precisely. The vehicle's surroundings can be at least a temperature, a position, a wind speed, a humidity, a road gradient, or a road surface condition. The vehicle's state can be at least an engine temperature, a mileage, a transmission state, a braking state, a user setting, in particular a driving dynamics setting, or a damper state.

[0030] It is also conceivable that the torque information includes at least one expected torque, a minimum expected torque, or a maximum expected torque. The minimum and maximum expected torques allow for a precision that can be used to more accurately consider the torque information.

[0031] A particularly advantageous feature is that, by knowing the maximum and minimum torque, a shift program can precisely calculate the gear in which maximum vehicle acceleration or deceleration occurs. It can be configured to convert a predicted drivetrain potential into a torque at the resulting engine speed in the relevant gear with the corresponding transmission ratio. The maximum is the gear in which maximum vehicle acceleration or deceleration is achieved.

[0032] Within the scope of the invention, it is optionally possible for the control of the vehicle to comprise at least a gear selection, a brake recuperation or a driver assistance function.

[0033] When controlled as gear selection by a shift program, the shift program has knowledge of the engine torque at the speed that will be reached in the new gear. This can prevent, for example, the vehicle from being unable to achieve the desired acceleration after an upshift (the engine speed drops compared to the current gear) on an uphill road because the engine delivers less torque at the lower speed than at the currently higher speed.

[0034] During regenerative braking, particularly in a hybrid or electric vehicle, the maximum possible energy can be recuperated by knowing the torque information. By knowing the gears with the maximum possible acceleration / deceleration, a maximum / minimum drivetrain potential can be calculated. This maximum / minimum drivetrain potential can be used by an assistance function to maximize the vehicle's acceleration / deceleration, particularly in assisted driving. For example, when driving with adaptive cruise control, deceleration can be planned so that it occurs exclusively with regenerative deceleration, thus recuperating the maximum possible energy.

[0035] It can further be provided that a predictive driver assistance function encourages the driver to release the accelerator pedal in good time before an approaching speed limit, e.g., a built-up area, by providing a warning, particularly haptic and / or visual, and / or acoustic, to allow the vehicle to coast without propulsion for as long as possible, thereby optimizing fuel consumption. In this case, the vehicle is decelerated only by the engine thrust. By precisely knowing the minimum combustion torque across the entire speed range, the vehicle's deceleration can be calculated more accurately, and the vehicle will reach the speed limit at the desired speed.

[0036] The above object is further achieved by a vehicle according to the invention, in particular designed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a functional platform for controlling the vehicle and an engine control unit, wherein the functional platform is designed to - In particular, to determine that torque information is requested for controlling the vehicle, - request the torque information from an engine control unit, and - to control the vehicle taking into account the torque information, and the engine control unit is designed to - to control a torque-generating motor, - reading the torque information from a memory of the engine control unit by a computing unit of the engine control unit, and - to transmit the torque information to the functional platform.

[0037] Thus, a vehicle according to the invention brings with it the same advantages as have already been described in detail with reference to a method according to the invention.

[0038] The above object is further achieved by a computer program product according to the invention, comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, in particular a functional platform of a vehicle, cause the computer to carry out a method according to the invention.

[0039] Thus, a computer program product according to the invention brings with it the same advantages as have already been described in detail with reference to a method according to the invention and / or a vehicle according to the invention.

[0040] The above object is further achieved by a computer-readable storage medium according to the invention, comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, in particular a functional platform of a vehicle, cause the computer to carry out a method according to the invention.

[0041] Thus, a computer-readable storage medium according to the invention brings with it the same advantages as have already been described in detail with reference to a method according to the invention and / or a vehicle according to the invention and / or a computer program product according to the invention.

[0042] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which several embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. The invention is illustrated in the following figures: Fig. 1: a method according to the invention, Fig. 2: a vehicle according to the invention, and Fig. 3: an example of moment information.

[0043] Fig. 1 shows a method 100 according to the invention for torque-based control of a vehicle 200. The method 100 comprises: - Requesting 110 a torque information by a functional platform 210 from an engine control unit 220, wherein the engine control unit 220 (see Fig. 2) is designed to drive a torque-generating motor 230 (see Fig. 2) to control 140, in particular the functional platform 210 (see Fig. 2) is designed to move the vehicle 200 (see Fig. 2) to control 140, - Reading 120 of the torque information from a memory 221 (see Fig. 2) of the engine control unit 220, in particular by a computing unit 222 (see Fig. 2) of the engine control unit 220, - transmitting 130 the torque information from the engine control unit 220 to the functional platform 210, in particular via an output interface on the engine control unit 220 and an input interface on the functional platform 210, - Control 140 of the vehicle 200 taking into account the torque information by the functional platform 210.

[0044] Overall, the method 100 according to the invention offers the advantage of achieving an accurate prediction of the torques, which leads to improved, in particular more comfortable and / or more efficient and / or more powerful control of the vehicle 200. The query 110 of the torque information by a functional platform 210 from an engine control unit 220 offers a possibility of directly querying the torque information from the device that controls the torque. To do this, the engine control unit 220 reads the torque information from its memory 221. The direct transmission of the torque information from the engine control unit 220 to the functional platform 210, in particular via an output interface on the engine control unit 220 and an input interface on the functional platform 210, ensures that the torque information is immediately available to the functional platform 210.Because the torque information is available virtually in real time, even complex control systems that depend on the torque information can be performed at least partially automatically. Controlling 140 the vehicle 200 while taking the torque information into account by the functional platform 210 ultimately offers at least increased comfort for the vehicle occupants, better efficiency, or higher performance of the vehicle 200. By controlling the torque information, unnecessary gear changes can be avoided. Furthermore, the most efficient gear can always be selected, and the greatest possible torque can be achieved when needed.

[0045] Within the scope of the invention, it may be advantageous for the request 110 to comprise at least the transmission 130 of a speed of the motor 230 and / or the transmission 130 of a speed range of the motor. Since the speed of the motor 230 (see Fig. 2) is essentially a function of the speed of the motor 230, a speed represents a particularly simple and efficient way of querying the expected torque for a driving condition to be calculated, in particular a future one.

[0046] Within the scope of the invention, it is conceivable that the torque information comprises at least one piece of information based on torque measurements determined on a test bench, in particular for the vehicle 200. By means of measurements on the test bench, torques for all conceivable driving situations can be precisely determined in advance. It can be provided that the torque measurements include the recording of a torque characteristic curve 10 as a function of the speed, in particular for each gear. Furthermore, it can be provided that the torque measurements include measurements for different temperatures. It is also conceivable that, through machine learning, torque information comprising at least one piece of information based on torque measurements determined on a test bench is learned as ground truth.Furthermore, this machine-trained algorithm can be configured to calculate torque information for driving situations that were not recorded by a torque measurement on the test bench. This allows reliable torque information to be obtained even for driving situations for which no measurement was performed. This makes the method 100 more cost-effective. If the torque measurements are performed on the test bench for the vehicle 200 controlled by the method 100, particularly precise torque information can be determined because the characteristics of the specific vehicle 200 are taken into account.

[0047] Within the scope of the invention, it can be provided that the readout 120 comprises determining a torque for a requested speed, wherein, in particular, the torque is determined from a torque characteristic curve 10. This represents a particularly simple and efficient variant for obtaining the torque information. This is particularly advantageous in a time-critical control of the vehicle 200, since the torque information can be provided particularly quickly.

[0048] It is also conceivable that, as in Fig. 1 below, a correction 160 of the torque information is provided, which comprises at least changing the torque information based on an environment of the vehicle 200 and / or a state of the vehicle 200. This allows the torque information to be determined even more precisely. The environment of the vehicle 200 can be at least a temperature, a position, a wind speed, a humidity, a road gradient, or a road surface condition. The state of the vehicle 200 can be at least an engine temperature, a mileage, a transmission state, a braking state, a user setting, in particular a driving dynamics setting, or a damper state.

[0049] It is also conceivable that the torque information includes at least one expected torque, a minimum expected torque, or a maximum expected torque. The minimum and maximum expected torques allow for a precision that can be used to more accurately consider the torque information.

[0050] It is particularly advantageous that, by knowing the maximum and minimum torque, a shift program can precisely calculate the gear in which the maximum vehicle acceleration or deceleration occurs. It can be provided that a predicted drivetrain potential is converted into a torque at the resulting speed of the motor 230 in the relevant gear with the corresponding transmission ratio. The maximum is the gear in which the maximum vehicle acceleration or deceleration is achieved.

[0051] Within the scope of the invention, it is optionally possible for the control of the vehicle 200 to comprise at least a gear selection, a brake recuperation or a driver assistance function.

[0052] When controlled as gear selection by a shift program, the shift program has knowledge of the engine torque at a speed that will be established in the new gear. This can prevent, for example, the vehicle 200 from being unable to achieve the desired acceleration after an upshift (the engine speed drops compared to the current gear) on an uphill road because the engine 230 delivers less torque at the lower speed than at the currently higher speed.

[0053] During regenerative braking, particularly in a hybrid or electric vehicle, the maximum possible energy can be recuperated by knowing the torque information. By knowing the gears with the maximum possible acceleration / deceleration, a maximum / minimum drivetrain potential can be calculated. This maximum / minimum drivetrain potential can be used by an assistance function to accelerate / decelerate the vehicle to its maximum, particularly in assisted driving. For example, when driving with adaptive cruise control, deceleration can be planned so that it occurs exclusively with regenerative deceleration, thus recuperating the maximum possible energy.

[0054] It can further be provided that a predictive driver assistance function encourages the driver, by providing a warning, in particular haptic and / or visual, and / or acoustic, before an approaching speed limit, e.g., a built-up area, to release the accelerator pedal in good time and let the vehicle 200 roll without propulsion for as long as possible, thereby optimizing fuel consumption. In this case, the vehicle 200 is decelerated only by the engine thrust torque. By precisely knowing the minimum combustion torque across the entire speed range, the deceleration of the vehicle 200 can be calculated more accurately, and the vehicle 200 reaches the speed limit at the desired speed.

[0055] The Fig.2 finally shows a vehicle 200 according to the invention. A vehicle 200 according to the invention, in particular designed to carry out a method 100 according to one of the preceding claims, comprises a functional platform 210 for controlling the vehicle 200 and an engine control unit 220, wherein the functional platform 210 is designed to - In particular, to determine that torque information is requested for controlling the vehicle 200, - request the torque information from an engine control unit 220, and - the vehicle 200 taking into account the torque information to control 140, and where the engine control unit 220 is designed to - to control a torque-generating motor 230 140, - reading the torque information from a memory 221 of the engine control unit 220 by a computing unit 222 of the engine control unit 220, and - to transmit the torque information to the functional platform 210 130.

[0056] Thus, a vehicle according to the invention brings with it the same advantages as have already been described in detail with reference to a method according to the invention.

[0057] The above explanation of the embodiments describes the present invention exclusively by way of examples. Of course, individual features of the embodiments can be freely combined with one another, provided they are technically feasible, without departing from the scope of the present invention. List of reference symbols 10 Torque characteristic curve 100 procedures 110 inquiries 120 readouts 130 Transfer 140 Taxes 160 Correct 200 vehicles 210 Functional platform 220 Engine control unit 221 storage 222 computing unit 230 engine QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2011 004 862 A1

[0002] DE 10 2007 014 663 A1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Method (100) for torque-based control of a vehicle (200), comprising: - Requesting (110) torque information by a functional platform (210) from an engine control unit (220), wherein the engine control unit (220) is designed to control a torque-generating motor (230), - reading (120) the torque information from a memory (221) of the engine control unit (220), - transmitting (130) the torque information from the engine control unit (220) to the functional platform (210), - Controlling (140) the vehicle (200) taking into account the torque information by the functional platform (210). [2] Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized by that the request (120) comprises at least the transmission of a speed of the engine (230) and / or the transmission of a speed range of the engine (230). [3] Method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the torque information comprises at least one piece of information based on torque measurements determined on a test bench, in particular for the vehicle (200). [4] Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the reading (130) comprises determining a torque for a requested speed, wherein in particular the torque is determined from a torque characteristic curve (10). [5] Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a correction (160) of the torque information is provided, which comprises at least a change of the torque information on the basis of an environment of the vehicle (200) and / or a state of the vehicle (200). [6] Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the moment information includes at least one expected moment, one minimum expected moment or one maximum expected moment. [7] Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the control of the vehicle (200) comprises at least a gear selection, a brake recuperation or a driver assistance function. [8] Vehicle (200), in particular designed to carry out a method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a functional platform (210) for controlling the vehicle (200) and an engine control unit (220), wherein the functional platform (210) is designed to - querying (110) the torque information from an engine control unit (220), and - to control (140) the vehicle (200) taking into account the torque information, and wherein the engine control unit (220) is designed to - to control a torque-generating motor (230), - to read (120) the torque information from a memory (221) of the engine control unit (220), and - to transmit (130) the torque information to the functional platform (210). [9] Computer program product, comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, in particular a functional platform (210) of a vehicle (200), cause the computer to carry out a method according to one of claims 1 to 7. [10] Computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, in particular a functional platform (210) of a vehicle (200), cause the computer to carry out a method according to one of claims 1 to 7.

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