Vehicle gear selection control

Abstract

A vehicle for driver operation has a frame with wheels and a motor connected to the frame. A steering control unit is connected to the wheels to establish the steering angle. The controller is operably connected to the steering control unit, motor, and wheels, and is operable to selectively drive the wheels forward in drive mode and backward in reverse mode. The controller is operable to select the direction of wheel drive in response to a pattern of steering angle movement, without direction indication by the operator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to Related Applications This Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 403,221, filed on January 3, 2024, which in turn claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 205,823, entitled "VEHICLE GEAR SELECTION CONTROL", filed on June 5, 2023. This PCT application is a continuation - in - part of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 205,823, and all that is taught and disclosed therein is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this specification.

[0002] The present invention relates to motor vehicles and operation control systems.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] Traditional motor vehicles have gear selection control using a lever or physical buttons. Modern vehicles can use computer touch - screen control, such as swiping up to move forward and swiping down to reverse at the left end of the screen. All of these controls have a direction or elements associated with each direction, and the driver indicates which direction is desired by the control operation.

[0004] In contrast, some vehicles have advanced gear or direction selection in special situations. Some can automatically select a direction when first moving from a parked state. The vehicle vision of other sensors can detect situations where an obstacle, such as a wall, exists in one direction and the only direction to move forward is clear then the system can present its proposed direction to the driver, and then, for safety reasons, the driver indicates (such as by tapping the brake) that the proposed direction is safe and correct.

[0005] It should be noted that driver confirmation of direction is provided by a control input, which does not transmit directional information and is the same input regardless of the proposed direction. The switch is a simple binary switch that does not have multiple positions like a traditional shift lever or different swipe directions like on a touch screen interface. In this version, the only input from the driver is confirmation, unless the driver does not agree and inputs another direction using the normal input selection interface.

[0006] Furthermore, it should be noted that the automated vehicle direction suggestion system is initially limited to starting from a stationary state when the vehicle is not in gear or is not moving. Parking spaces typically have obstacles on one side opposite to the direction of entry. Existing systems are not suitable for gear changes while driving or while the vehicle is in motion, which are rare except when encountering unexpected obstacles and during routine parking and exit operations, in which case the user is consciously presented with a choice of direction each time.

[0007] While effective, these gear-direction systems may have drawbacks or opportunities for automation to provide convenience. This occurs, in particular, in everyday parking when reversing out of a parking space, stopping, and then selecting a direction to move forward. This may be the only frequent need for a screen swipe to indicate direction in vehicles with sensor-based initial direction suggestions. A screen swipe can be distracting, may require visual observation to reach small areas, and may be an unintuitive direction for some users. Distraction can occur in parking situations where traffic may be coming from different directions, other drivers may be distracted, and pedestrians and obstacles may be present.

[0008] Therefore, an automobile is required having a frame with wheels and a motor connected to the frame. A steering control unit is connected to the wheels to establish the steering angle. A controller is operably connected to the steering control unit, motor, and wheels, and is operable to selectively drive the wheels forward in drive mode and backward in reverse mode. The controller is operable to select the direction of wheel drive in response to a pattern of steering angle movement, without direction indication by the operator. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram of a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the vehicle's behavior during the selected operation. [Figure 3] This shows a system that includes a network of vehicles for training a central controller. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] As schematically shown in Figure 1, the system operates in a vehicle 10 having a frame or body 12 with wheels 14 driven by a motor 16. Brakes 20 are paired with each wheel, and brake cylinders 22 operate the brakes. A steering system 24 steers the front wheels.

[0011] A computer or controller 30 is connected to each of the above systems, including sensors for monitoring the operation of each system and cameras or other sensors (not shown) for collecting information about the vehicle environment to enable autonomous driving or driver assistance. The passenger compartment includes a touchscreen display 32 connected to the controller, which is visible to the driver 34 and passengers 36 occupying the seats in the passenger compartment, respectively. The display provides data input functionality, and the controller is also connected to audio speakers and microphones in the passenger compartment for transmitting and receiving audio information to and from the occupants.

[0012] As shown in the diagram, a vertical bar 38 can be displayed on the driver's side near the left edge of the display to provide the gear shift control unit. A swipe upward indicates the selection of forward in "Drive" gear, and a swipe downward indicates "Reverse" for driving backward.

[0013] The vehicle control unit includes a steering wheel or yoke 40 connected to a controller and may optionally be selectively mechanically connected to a steering system 24 to enable direct mechanical control by the driver, electronic control by the driver via the controller, autonomous control by the controller with actuators or mechanical connections that move the steering wheel in coordination with the wheel angle, and a combination of these selected or instructed by conditions. Similarly, the accelerator pedal 42 and brake pedal 44 are connected to the motor 16 and brake system 22, respectively, via the controller, and optionally, there may be some direct connections for the driver and controller to control these functions.

[0014] The typical operation of the system is in the "departing from parking" situation, where the driver reverses out of the parking spot in reverse, steers to adjust direction while reversing, then switches to drive, steers in the other direction, and then adjusts direction and moves forward. This is most typically demonstrated in parking in orthogonal front-in parking lots where the parking space is perpendicular to the aisle for the flow of traffic along the parking spot. Diagonal parking lots, where the parking spots are indicated by herringbone stripes, have a similar operation pattern, although the steering angle is gentler. Parallel parking has a unique configuration. Residential garages and driveways are often similar to orthogonal parking, but numerous variations exist.

[0015] Each parking situation has a unique sequence of actions, including steering angle and speed profile. Since parking actions are typically performed at low speeds, the actions and functions disclosed herein may be limited to situations below a selected speed or within the range of parameters for functions that are partially speed-based.

[0016] Figure 2 is a representation of Figure 100 illustrating the procedure for departing from a parking spot. The upper trace 110 shows the steering wheel angle on a horizontal chart based on time. The lower trace 120 represents the speed. Images A-F below show the vehicle 130 in a parking space 132, positioned relative to each other on the time axis. At position A, the vehicle is parked, the steering wheel is straight, the front wheels are aligned with the vehicle's axis, and the speed is zero. The steering wheel angle is kept at zero as the vehicle accelerates to a low speed and moves straight backward.

[0017] As the vehicle moves backward, position B indicates the point when the nose of the vehicle passes the adjacent parked vehicle, and the vehicle can now turn to a considerable angle, allowing it to make a turn with a small radius due to any obstacles that may be present on the opposite side of the parking aisle 134 behind it.

[0018] The vehicle continues moving backward through position C with its wheels sharply turned, and then, after approaching an angle that allows it to pass C, overtake the adjacent vehicle on its left, and depart forward, the vehicle slows down and comes to a stop at D.

[0019] The wheel angle may begin to decrease before D, but between D and E the vehicle will briefly stop and the vehicle will be manually shifted from reverse to drive as shown in the screen swipe 136 of the prior art, or (in the case of a preferred embodiment) a suggestion made by the vehicle based on the assumptions described in detail below, preferably a brake tap sequence 140, or an acknowledgment response such as a button click, voice command, or other non-directional signal such as a visually detected gesture. During the stop period between D and E, the wheels will be sharply steered in the opposite direction to avoid an adjacent vehicle as they move forward, passing the straight line.

[0020] After passing E, the vehicle moves forward while increasing its speed, and such a speed is higher than the threshold normally set aside for parking maneuvers and is a higher speed for a roadway that can function as a pass-through or “pathway” to a parking lot.

[0021] A key concern with respect to preferred embodiments is, under what limited circumstances, the controller enables automatic shifting and proposes or performs a directional shift without requiring directional instructions from the user, preferably simply by indicating approval.

[0022] The controller can be programmed with specific functions or algorithms regarding when the presentation or execution of an automatic shift is clearly safe and, when presented, is desirable and acceptable without inconveniently distracting the driver. The controller can be programmed with artificial intelligence data derived from numerous parking lot drives to determine actual patterns in which an automatic shift can be safely presented, thus avoiding simpler criteria and functions such as those presented below for simplification. However, if the disclosed functions are based on wheel angle patterns and speed patterns, and by specific thresholds of their various quantities, derivatives, and integrals, it is assumed that a typical driver will naturally follow specific functions of the same parameters, and the AI ​​system will only derive rules from the behavior of a typical driver. In such embodiments, an automatic shift (or an automatic shift performed without consent) can be presented to the driver only if the likelihood of it being desired is higher than a pre-selected threshold and other safety criteria are met.

[0023] Figure 3 shows an AI system 200 employing these principles. The system operates with a network or swarm 210 of multiple vehicles, typically used by individual owners, and trains a central system 220 with immense processing power to receive and analyze video and input data from the swarm. In other words, the central system can engage in collecting driving data to provide all other aspects of autonomous driving or autonomous vehicle behavior. Vehicles in the swarm may be selected or curated as excellent drivers or model drivers. The behavior of vehicles in the swarm when naturally engaging in gear changes (typically from reverse to drive) is recorded in numerous instances, including edge cases in abnormal situations. The recorded behavior data may be video streams from vehicle cameras, as well as vehicle control inputs such as steering angle, accelerator and brake usage, and gear change inputs. From these interactions, the central system learns patterns and combinations of inputs that suggest, with a selected degree of confidence, that a gear change is desired and should be performed or presented for user driver approval. The user driver's vehicle processor does not necessarily have pre-programmed algorithms or rules about conditions (ranges such as speed, acceleration, duration, or angle) that suggest a gear change is desired, but rather employs behavioral patterns learned by the network. The system simply refers to a large amount of vehicle behavioral data to find reliable commonalities about the situation.

[0024] One criterion is the vehicle speed. Naturally, the shift is presented only when the vehicle is essentially stationary or when the speed is almost zero. However, the speed when leaving a parking spot between the previous positions B and C can be relevant to the question of whether the vehicle is intending to start moving from a stop. The function can be based on the maximum speed or the average speed over a specific distance. Above a certain speed, an automatic shift is never presented, and even speeds that are common but not ideal for starting from a stop may not receive an automatic shift presentation. This can help encourage cautious driving behavior, especially when the entity determining the threshold is related to vehicle insurance liability.

[0025] Another criterion is the steering angle. A large steering angle is associated with a slower speed, and only a small angle is used at high speeds. Separately from just speed, the steering angle increases when starting from a stop. The steering angle may not necessarily require sharpness in a large parking lot with wide passageways, but it can still follow a clear pattern for presenting an automatic shift.

[0026] Position is another factor. The speed and steering angle thresholds may be appropriate, but for starting from a stop, a more detailed pattern tends to be relevant. As shown in the figure, the vehicle moves forward approximately one vehicle length from A to B before introducing the steering angle. Then, it moves forward a limited distance related to the situation and the length of the vehicle at a significant steering angle.

[0027] The speed, steering angle, and position can be determined by sensors on the vehicle or calculated or inferred by other sources, including a vehicle camera or vision system that creates a model of the environment and the vehicle's relationship to it, as well as GPS and other sensors.

[0028] The reversal of the steering angle during deceleration or after stopping is preferably the final signal for verifying the validity of an automatic shift presentation.

[0029] Since incorrect shift execution is unacceptable as it can cause accidents, it is preferable that approval be given before the suggested shift is executed. Approval may be withheld if the driver reverses for a while, gives some instructions for exiting the parking space, and then proceeds further backward. The system should assess whether the vehicle has reversed to a sufficient and appropriate angle to exit without collision, so as not to issue an automatic shift suggestion too early if the reversing is insufficient.

[0030] Approval can be indicated in various ways. One option is braking if the driver has their foot on the brake to slow down for stopping after reversing. After stopping, the driver can release and tap the brake to accept the shift. In many vehicles that offer one-pedal driving and automatically decelerate when the accelerator pedal is released, the driver can move their foot to tap the brake.

[0031] Approval can be indicated by clicking a button, operating a control unit, or tapping a screen (however, since the vehicle indicates direction and no instructions are needed, it is not necessary to indicate direction). Agreement may also be given audibly, or the driver may indicate acceptance with a gesture, such as nodding their head to indicate approval to move forward, which may be recognized by a camera in the cabin that observes the driver. Vehicles with scroll buttons on either side of the steering wheel that can be accessed with the thumb are suitable for this to function as an approval input, such as by clicking both wheels simultaneously.

[0032] Exiting a parking space with a curb or walkway is similar, but several differences exist due to the different geometric shapes. For example, the steering angle is different, and the speed may necessarily be faster to avoid traffic when entering the roadway. By shortening the D-E time, which is necessary for manual shifting and is likely to involve distraction, automatic shifting can reduce exposure to traffic and allow for safe exits from parking spaces even when there is little gap in traffic.

[0033] Starting from parallel parking is more complex and has its own unique patterns, but the system can learn or implement these patterns. Parallel parking is very similar to reversing into a right-angle parking spot in that it begins with the driver signaling and driving past an empty parking spot, then reversing into the spot. This can be a challenge because a shift to reverse is not normally performed when simply stopping in a parking lot or on a street with parallel parking spaces along the roadside. However, when special circumstances are detected, the system can suggest an automatic shift. Preferably, this can be based on the detection of an available spot, when the system knows that the destination has been reached via navigation, and optionally based on the operation of the turn signal to indicate a desire to park in the detected available space at the destination. The suggestion of automatic parking may be limited to navigation to and arrival at a programmed destination only.

[0034] In some embodiments, the system may be trained based on location by a vehicle controller having a GPS system that recognizes the vehicle's position. This can be used to provide confident suggestions for automatic shifting in frequently visited locations where the vehicle essentially follows the same pattern each time (such as at home, or when turning after reversing out of a garage or driveway and switching to drive). "Always shift here" is a useful command that allows the driver to ensure that a shift is suggested. In certain situations, the shift may be performed automatically without requiring driver approval. Using locations other than home (such as work, or any frequently visited location), the vehicle can present automatic shifting options, prompting the user to ask whether they want automatic shifting to always occur in that location.

[0035] Some systems can obtain sufficient information to determine whether or not to offer an automatic shift when first arriving at a parking space, based on images collected by the vehicle's vision system as it approaches and enters the parking space. Further information collection through the vehicle's actions when leaving the spot may not be necessary, as suggested above.

[0036] Other systems can simply use mileage information to prompt an automatic shift when a vehicle reverses and stops within a selected distance typical of such parking lots (e.g., 2-3 vehicle lengths). This avoids prompting an automatic shift when the vehicle has stopped after reversing to less than 1 vehicle length, which may occur when yielding to intersecting traffic, although the prompting of an automatic shift may be ignored.

[0037] The system may use vehicle location data from GPS or geofencing to enable or disable automatic shifting based on location. The feature may be limited to the user's home where driving behavior is consistent daily and may be disabled in public parking lots. It may also be enabled in "favorite" locations where consistency or other justifications exist for the driver's need for trust or convenience. This may be treated like a suspension adjustment that is enabled in a specific location and may be presented as a prompt such as, "Would you like automatic shifting enabled in this location in the future?"

Claims

1. A frame with wheels, A motor connected to the aforementioned frame, A steering control unit connected to the wheel is used to establish the steering angle, The steering control unit, the motor, and the controller operably connected to the wheel, Equipped with, The controller is capable of operating the wheels to selectively drive them forward in drive mode and backward in reverse mode. An automobile in which the controller is operable to select the direction of drive of the wheels in response to a pattern of movement of the steering angle, without direction indication by an operator.

2. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to change from reverse mode to drive mode without operation of a selector by the driver.

3. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to determine whether to stay in the same direction or change direction when the vehicle is moving forward or backward and has temporarily stopped.

4. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the pattern of movement of the steering angle includes steering in a first direction and then steering in the opposite direction.

5. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to suggest an automatic shift in response to a preceding pattern of vehicle operation based on at least one of the distance traveled, speed profile, and steering angle profile.

6. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to suggest an automatic shift only if the steering angle during a limited preceding period is greater than a selected threshold.

7. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to offer an automatic shift only when the speed falls below a selected threshold.

8. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to suggest an automatic shift only when the distance traveled falls below a selected threshold.

9. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to offer an automatic shift only when a first limited distance related to the vehicle length is covered by a steering angle below a first threshold, a second distance is traveled by a steering angle in a first direction greater than a second selected threshold, the vehicle subsequently stops, and the steering angle is adjusted to a second direction opposite to the first direction.

10. The automobile according to claim 1, further comprising a driver input device operably connected to the controller, wherein the controller is operable to present an automatic shift and to perform the automatic shift in response to a user approval action in the driver input device.

11. Central processor, A group of vehicles comprising a plurality of vehicles operably connected to the aforementioned processor, wherein the group transmits group driving and gear change data to the aforementioned processor, and the central processor is operable to generate gear change information based on the group driving and gear change data, A vehicle having a frame with wheels, A motor connected to the aforementioned frame, A steering control unit connected to the wheel is used to establish the steering angle, A central processor, the steering control unit, the motor, and a vehicle controller operably connected to the wheels. Equipped with, The controller is capable of operating the wheels to selectively drive them forward in drive mode and backward in reverse mode. An automotive control system in which the vehicle controller is capable of selecting the driving direction of the wheels in response to gear change information from a central controller, without relying on direction instructions from an operator.

12. The vehicle control system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle controller is operable to change from reverse mode to drive mode without operation of a selector by the driver.

13. The vehicle control system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle controller is operable to determine whether to stay in the same direction or change direction when the vehicle is moving forward or backward and has temporarily stopped.

14. The vehicle control system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle group driving and gear change data includes steering in a first direction and subsequent steering in the opposite direction.

15. The vehicle control system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle controller is operable to suggest an automatic shift in response to a preceding pattern of vehicle movement of a group based on at least one of the distance traveled, speed profile, and steering angle profile.

16. The automotive control system according to claim 11, wherein the preceding pattern of vehicle movement in a group of vehicles includes whether or not the steering angle of the group of vehicles leading to a shift was greater than a selected threshold.

17. The automobile control system according to claim 11, wherein the preceding pattern of vehicle group operation includes whether or not the vehicle group speed has fallen below a selected threshold.

18. The automobile control system according to claim 11, wherein the preceding pattern of vehicle movement in a group of vehicles includes whether or not the distance traveled by the group of vehicles falls below a selected threshold.

19. The vehicle control system according to claim 11, wherein the preceding pattern of vehicle movement in a group of vehicles includes, for each vehicle in the group, whether a first limited distance related to the vehicle length is covered by a steering angle below a first threshold, a second distance is traveled by a steering angle in a first direction greater than a second selected threshold, and the vehicle subsequently stops and the steering angle is adjusted in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

20. The automotive control system according to claim 11, comprising a driver input device operably connected to the vehicle controller, wherein the vehicle controller provides automatic shifting and is operable to perform the automatic shifting in response to a user approval operation in the driver input device.

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