Control system and method for a vehicle

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a control system for a vehicle, the control system being configured to receive speed profile data indicative of a speed profile of a vehicle representative of one or more speeds at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel on a route ahead of the vehicle, receive route data indicative of the route ahead of the vehicle, use the received speed profile data and the received route data to determine a representation comprising an indication of the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the route ahead and the speed profile on the route ahead, and output a signal indicative of the representation for provision to an output device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to control systems and methods for vehicles, and in particular, but not exclusively, to determining a representation indicative of a speed profile of a vehicle over a route. The speed profile represents one or more speeds at which the vehicle will travel on the route ahead. Aspects of the invention relate to control systems, systems, vehicles, methods, and computer software. [Background technology]

[0002] Some vehicle movements may be controlled by auxiliary driving features of the vehicle that are designed to help the driver of the vehicle control the movement of the vehicle. Assistance may be provided by some auxiliary driving system that is based at least in part on characteristics of the vehicle's surrounding environment. If the vehicle is controlled by the auxiliary driving features in a way that the driver does not expect, the driver may become confused and may not have confidence in the auxiliary driving features to control the vehicle in an appropriate or safe manner. If the driver understands why the auxiliary driving features functioned to control the vehicle in a particular way, the driver may have more confidence in the auxiliary driving features, feel safer, and feel less confused. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to at least alleviate one or more of the problems of the prior art.

[0004] Aspects and embodiments of the present invention provide a control system, a system, a vehicle, a method and computer software as set out in the accompanying claims.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control system for a vehicle, the control system comprising one or more controllers. The control system may be configured to receive speed profile data indicative of a speed profile of the vehicle. The speed profile may represent one or more speeds at which the vehicle is automatically controlled to travel a route ahead of the vehicle.

[0006] The control system may be configured to receive route data indicative of a route ahead for the vehicle. The received route data may comprise route terrain data recorded in real time by one or more sensors in the vehicle. Such route terrain data may comprise, for example, one or more of a gradient of the route ahead, a route surface or terrain type of the route ahead, whether the route ahead is an on-road or off-road route, etc.

[0007] The control system may be configured to use the received speed profile data and the received route data to determine a representation comprising a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the route ahead and an indication of the speed profile on the route ahead. The control system may be configured to output a signal indicative of the representation for providing to an output device.

[0008] The one or more controllers may collectively comprise at least one electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving speed profile data and route data, and at least one memory device coupled to the at least one electronic processor and having instructions stored therein. The at least one electronic processor may be configured to access the at least one memory device and execute the instructions stored therein to determine a representation comprising a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the route ahead and an indication of a speed profile on the route ahead, and output signals for providing to an output device.

[0009] The representation may be a visual representation. The control system may be configured to output a signal indicative of the visual representation for presentation to a display output device.

[0010] The representation may alternatively or additionally comprise an audio output and / or a tactile output configured to supplement the visual representation.

[0011] The display of the speed profile may include markers indicating the speed of the vehicle on the route ahead at the location indicated by the marker on the route.

[0012] The markers may indicate a velocity value. The markers may indicate acceleration or deceleration.

[0013] The markers may indicate a speed at a indicated distance on the route ahead and / or a speed at a indicated time on the route ahead.

[0014] The marker is A number of contour lines spaced apart to represent the speed of the vehicle; A plurality of contour lines spaced apart to represent changes in vehicle speed; a color coded speed indicator, where a particular color of the color indicator represents a particular speed of the vehicle; a color-coded speed indicator, where a particular color of the color code represents a particular change in the speed of the vehicle; and A flag indicating that the vehicle will change speed at the location indicated by the marker on the route; The device may include one or more of:

[0015] The control system is in real time, and / or Periodically at predetermined time intervals, and / or At predetermined intervals, and / or At predetermined speed intervals, and / or At a given acceleration interval, It may be configured to iteratively determine the representation.

[0016] The control system may be configured to output a signal indicative of the currently determined representation for provision to an output device.

[0017] The speed profile may represent one or more speeds at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel the route ahead following setting of a fixed target speed prior to determining the speed profile. Alternatively or additionally, the speed profile may represent one or more speeds at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel the route ahead following adaptive setting of a variable target speed performed according to one or more characteristics of the route ahead sensed during the movement of the vehicle.

[0018] The received route data may indicate off-road driving routes and / or on-road driving routes.

[0019] The received route data is The slope of the route ahead, Route width of the forward route, Curvature of the route ahead, Root surface of the forward root, Current weather conditions, the speed limit on the route ahead, geographic location identifier, Whether the route ahead is an on-road or off-road route; If the vehicle is currently braking, If the vehicle is currently accelerating, If the vehicle stops on the route ahead, and If there is another vehicle near the vehicle, may represent one or more of:

[0020] The received speed profile data may further indicate a speed limit below which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel on the route ahead of the vehicle. The speed limit may be a "low" limit, for example 30km / h, 20km / h, 15km / h or a value less than 15km / h.

[0021] The expression is, The slope of the route ahead, Route width of the forward route, Curvature of the route ahead, Root surface of the forward root, Current weather conditions, the speed limit on the route ahead, geographic location identifier, Whether the route ahead is an on-road or off-road route; If the vehicle is currently braking, If the vehicle is currently accelerating, If the vehicle stops on the route ahead, and If there is another vehicle near the vehicle, The device may further comprise one or more indicators configured to indicate one or more of:

[0022] The representation may comprise the vehicle's relative position with respect to the route ahead, where the route ahead is a schematic representation of the general route and / or a representation of the current route ahead showing one or more real-world features of the route ahead.

[0023] The one or more real-world characteristics of the route ahead may comprise one or more of slope, route width, lane placement, curvature, route surface, and structures visible to the vehicle.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for a vehicle, comprising: The system is and a control system of any other aspect or embodiment. a speed profile data determiner configured to provide speed profile data indicative of a speed profile of the vehicle; a route data provider configured to provide route data indicative of a route ahead for the vehicle; and an output device configured to receive an output signal indicative of the representation and to output the representation to a user; and one or more of:

[0025] The speed profile data determiner may comprise an all terrain progress control system or an all surface progress control system.

[0026] The route data may comprise route terrain data recorded in real time by one or more sensors in the vehicle.

[0027] The system may include a display screen as an output device.

[0028] The output device may include one or more of a display screen, a speaker, and a haptic feedback system.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle comprising any of the control system or systems disclosed herein.

[0030] According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for a vehicle, the method may comprise receiving speed profile data indicative of a speed profile of the vehicle, the speed profile representing a speed at which the vehicle is to be automatically controlled to travel a route ahead of the vehicle.

[0031] The method may comprise receiving route data indicative of a route ahead for the vehicle, using the received speed profile data and the received route data to determine a representation comprising a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the route ahead and an indication of the speed profile on the route ahead, and outputting a signal indicative of the representation for providing to an output device.

[0032] The route data may comprise route terrain data recorded in real time by one or more sensors in the vehicle.

[0033] The method may comprise displaying the received representation on a display screen.

[0034] The method may comprise automatically controlling the vehicle to travel the route ahead according to a speed profile.

[0035] According to another aspect of the invention there is provided computer software configured to perform any of the methods disclosed herein when executed on a suitable processor. The computer software may be stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium.

[0036] Any controller or controllers described herein may suitably comprise a control unit or computing device having one or more electronic processors. Thus, the system may comprise a single control unit or electronic controller, or alternatively, different functions of the controller may be embodied in or hosted in different control units or controllers. As used herein, the term "controller" or "control unit" is understood to include both a single control unit or controller and multiple control units or controllers that collectively operate to provide any described control functionality. To configure a controller, a suitable set of instructions may be provided that, when executed, causes said control unit or computing device to implement the control techniques identified herein. The set of instructions may be suitably embodied in said one or more electronic processors. Alternatively, the set of instructions may be provided as software stored in one or more memories associated with said controller that execute on said computing device. The first controller may be implemented in software that executes on one or more processors. The other controller or controllers may be implemented in software running on one or more processors, optionally on the same processor or processors as the first controller. Other suitable arrangements may also be used.

[0037] Within the scope of this application, it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives, particularly individual features thereof, described in the preceding paragraphs, claims, and / or in the following description and drawings, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment may be combined in any manner and / or combination, except where such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to modify the originally filed claims or to submit new claims accordingly. This includes the right to amend the originally filed claims to be dependent on and / or incorporate features of other claims, even if not originally claimed in that manner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0038] One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a control system as part of a system according to examples disclosed herein. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates a controller according to an example disclosed herein. [Diagram 3] FIGS. 3(a)-(d) show schematic visual and audio representations according to examples disclosed herein. [Figure 4] 4(a)-(d) show schematic visual representations with further vehicles according to examples disclosed herein. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 shows an actual visual representation of the examples disclosed herein. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates a vehicle method according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 illustrates a vehicle according to examples disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] Detailed Description The movement of some vehicles may be controlled by auxiliary driving features of the vehicle designed to assist the vehicle driver in controlling the movement of the vehicle. Certain vehicles may be equipped with a progress control feature that functions to control the movement of the vehicle according to certain predefined conditions, such as maintaining the speed below a predefined speed limit. An all-terrain progress control (ATPC) system may function to maintain the speed of the vehicle at a predefined speed over a given terrain, such as off-road, rock, and / or pond terrain. Similarly, an all-surface progress control (ASPC) system may function as a form of cruise control and maintain the speed of the vehicle below a predefined speed over a particular surface, such as a low-traction road surface.

[0041] Vehicles equipped with assisted driving functions may display an icon or indicator light to inform the driver that the assisted driving function is active. However, such indicators are static "on / off" indicators and provide no information other than that the assisted driving function is on or off. The driver is not informed of when and how the vehicle will behave as a result of the assisted driving function being active. Furthermore, when the vehicle is controlled by an assisted driving function that operates at or below a preset speed, taking into account the vehicle's environment, the vehicle's behavior may deviate further from the driver's expectations than, for example, when the vehicle is controlled only to move at a preset speed.

[0042] It may be beneficial for the driver or other passengers of a vehicle operating under (at least partial) control of a supplemental driving function to receive some indication in advance of the likely behavior of the vehicle. Such an indication may help the driver feel less confused because the vehicle's actions are anticipated (because the driver has received an indication informing them of what the vehicle is going to do). Such an indication may help the driver have confidence in the supplemental driving function to safely control the operation of the vehicle according to one or more pre-set conditions of the vehicle's operation (e.g., not exceeding a pre-set speed or maintaining a minimum distance between the vehicle and other objects on or near the route).

[0043] Examples disclosed herein may be considered to address one or more of the above problems. Some examples described herein may provide a visual representation of a vehicle on a path / route. Overlaid on the path / route are indications, such as one or more "contour" lines, that indicate how the vehicle will behave on the route ahead. For example, the spacing between adjacent contour lines may indicate where on the route ahead the vehicle will accelerate / decelerate. A representation of the vehicle may be shown moving along the path as the vehicle moves through the environment. Variations and other examples are described herein, for example with reference to Figures 3-6.

[0044] 1 illustrates a schematic of a control system 106 of a vehicle 100 according to examples disclosed herein. The control system 106 includes one or more controllers, as will be discussed in more detail with respect to FIG.

[0045] The control system 106 may receive as input data speed profile data 102 from a speed profile data provider. The speed profile data 102 indicates a speed profile of the vehicle 100. The speed profile represents one or more speeds at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel the route ahead of the vehicle. For example, if the road ahead goes downhill, the vehicle may be controlled by braking according to the gradient of the incline to maintain a preset speed. The vehicle's speed profile may indicate that the vehicle should brake near the beginning of the descent to maintain a constant speed, or that the vehicle should slow down the vehicle's descent, for example by braking, until the gradient becomes less steep, at which point the brakes can be released and the vehicle can speed up to a preset maximum speed.

[0046] The control system 106 may receive route data 104 from a route data provider as input data. The route data 104 indicates the route ahead for the vehicle. The route data 104 may comprise predefined environmental data, for example, satellite navigation mapping of the local environment or other pre-recorded road data of the local environment. The route data may comprise data recorded by one or more sensors (e.g., sensors on the vehicle itself), such as, for example, cameras, LIDAR, or weather sensors. The data may be recorded in real-time as the vehicle moves through the environment. Such sensors may be able to detect, for example, local obstacles, local route direction, and road and / or weather conditions that affect the vehicle's behavior on the route ahead.

[0047] The control system 106 can use the received speed profile data 102 and the received route data 104 to determine a representation comprising the vehicle's relative position with respect to the route ahead and an indication of the speed profile on the route ahead. This representation indicates to the driver or passenger of the vehicle how the vehicle will behave on the route ahead. For example, the representation may show the vehicle's position on the road and the speed profile it will follow. If the speed profile shows that the vehicle will brake (e.g. on a slippery road section) and then accelerate (on a road section with high traction), the representation may show these future braking and acceleration behaviors with respect to the vehicle's current position, for example as an acceleration contour line.

[0048] The control system 106 may provide as an output a representation signal 108. The signal 108 indicates a representation and is output as an output signal 110 for providing to an output device (not shown). The representation signal 108 includes information about the vehicle position, the route ahead, and the speed profile of the vehicle. Representations that may be displayed / output using the representation signal 108 will be explained in more detail with reference to examples shown in Figures 3-6.

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment, the representation is a visual representation, and the control system 106 is configured to output the representation signal 108 as a display data output signal 110 for provision to a display output device, such as, for example, an instrument panel display or screen of the vehicle. The display or screen may be configured to display the determined representation and, optionally, one or more other visual indicators, such as current speed, oil level, miles remaining, etc. In some examples, the output signal 108 may alternatively or additionally be provided for output to a portable electronic device that may be removably attached to the vehicle, such as, for example, a mobile phone or tablet computer. Such a portable electronic device may be configured to display the determined representation and perform at least one other function, such as, for example, playing music, providing satellite navigation assistance / route guidance, or another function.

[0050] The representation may further comprise an audio output, such as, for example, a buzz or beep when a change in vehicle speed is about to occur or when an obstacle is detected within a predetermined distance of the vehicle and / or on the expected future route. As another example of an audio output, the audio output may be a voice output reciting a description of the behavior the vehicle will exhibit in the near future (e.g., an announcement of "Slow down in 3 seconds, slow down in 2 seconds, slow down in 1 second, slow down now"). The representation may alternatively or additionally comprise a haptic output, such as, for example, a vibration of the steering wheel immediately prior to a change in vehicle speed. Such audio and / or haptic outputs are best configured to complement the visual representation, but in some embodiments may usefully function alone or in place of the visual representation. The type (e.g., audio and / or haptic) and version (e.g., buzz, beep, tone, or voice) of feedback may be user selectable according to the user's preferences.

[0051] The control system may be configured to repeatedly or substantially continuously determine the representation. That is, the representation may be redetermined and an updated representation signal 108 may be provided to the output 110. The repetition may occur in real time. For example, there may be a substantially continuous input of data to the control system from which a representation may be determined in real time and a timely representation signal may be output for output to the user. The control system may be configured to output a signal indicative of the latest determined representation for providing to the output device. In this manner, the control system may provide the latest representation signal for output / display to the user to ascertain the current situation while driving.

[0052] In other examples, the repetitions may occur periodically at a predefined time interval. For example, every 5 seconds (or more, e.g., 10 seconds, or less, e.g., 2 seconds), the control system 106 may redetermine the representation and provide the redetermined representation signal 106 for output. In other examples, the repetitions may occur at predefined distance intervals (e.g., every distance interval traveled, e.g., 2 m, 2 m, 5 m, 10 m, a value less than 20 m, or a value greater than 20 m). The distance may be, for example, a distance traveled along a route, a distance ascended or descended relative to sea level, a distance registered as traveled by an odometer, etc.

[0053] In another example, the repetition may occur at a predetermined speed interval (e.g., for all speed difference intervals traveled, the speed difference intervals being, for example, 1 km / h, 1 km / h, 2 km / h, values ​​less than 5 km / h, and values ​​equal to or greater than 5 km / h). The difference value may be a magnitude that accounts for both increases and decreases in speed. The change in speed may be, for example, a change in instantaneous value, or a change in a value determined from a time-averaged speed. In another example, the repetition may occur at a predetermined speed interval (e.g., for all speed difference intervals traveled, the speed difference intervals being, for example, 1 km / h, 1 km / h, 2 km / h, values ​​less than 5 km / h, and values ​​equal to or greater than 5 km / h).

[0054] In another example, the repetition may be at a predetermined acceleration interval (e.g., every acceleration difference interval of the movement, e.g., 0.2 km / h 2 , 0.2km / h 2 , 0.5km / h 2 , 1km / h 2 Values ​​below 1km / h 2 The difference value may be a magnitude that takes into account both acceleration and deceleration. The change in acceleration may be, for example, a change in an instantaneous value or a change in a value determined from a time-averaged acceleration value.

[0055] The control system 106 may be part of a larger system for the vehicle. The system may include the control system 106 and one or more of: a speed profile data determiner configured to provide speed profile data 102 indicative of a speed profile of the vehicle, a route data provider configured to provide route data 104 indicative of a route ahead for the vehicle, and an output device configured to receive an output signal 110 indicative of the representation 108 and output the representation to a user.

[0056] The speed profile data determiner may comprise, for example, a control system configured to determine the speed profile by using information about the surrounding environment (e.g., gradient, surrounding obstacles, and road surface conditions) and a preset value of the vehicle's maximum speed. The local environment information may be obtained, for example, from one or more sensors and / or from pre-recorded log mapping information. The local environment information may be input by a user.

[0057] The route data provider may include a control system configured to provide a display of the route ahead of and / or around the vehicle, for example using satellite navigation mapping, and / or one or more sensors in the vehicle (e.g. one or more forward and / or side cameras).

[0058] The output device may include, for example, a display screen, a speaker, and / or a haptic feedback output device.

[0059] In some examples, the control system 106 may be part of a vehicle. In some examples, the speed profile data 102 determiner, the route data 104 determiner, and the output devices may be located on the vehicle with the control system 106 and may communicate with each other and / or with other vehicle systems via wireless and / or wired connections.

[0060] In some examples, the control system may be remote from and in communication with one or more systems of the vehicle (e.g., the control system may comprise a server remote from the vehicle). In some examples, the control system may be located in the vehicle. In some examples, the speed profile data 102 and / or the route data 104 may be obtained from a system located remote from the control system 106 and provided thereto via a long-range communication system (e.g., wirelessly or via the Internet or cloud). For example, the route data 104 may be provided from a route data determiner located remote from the vehicle (e.g., a remote server operating a mapping system). In some examples, the speed profile data 102 and / or the route data 104 may be provided to the control system 106 from a system located in the vehicle, and the representation signal 108 may be transmitted from the control system 106 to an output device of the vehicle, e.g., via a wired connection, wirelessly, or via mobile communication. In some examples, the speed profile data 102 may be provided from a speed profile determiner located in the vehicle (e.g., controlled by a user of the vehicle to set a maximum speed).

[0061] FIG. 2 illustrates a controller 208 according to examples disclosed herein. The control system 106 may include one or more controllers 208. Although FIG. 2 illustrates one controller 208, more than one controller 208 may be present and in communication with one or more other controllers. The one or more controllers 208 include at least one electronic processor 212 having an electrical input 202 for receiving speed profile data and route data. The one or more controllers 208 include at least one memory device 210 coupled to the at least one electronic processor 212 and having instructions stored therein. The at least one electronic processor 212 is configured to access the at least one memory device 210 and execute the instructions stored therein to determine a representation comprising a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the route ahead and an indication of a speed profile on the route ahead, and output a signal for providing to an output device via output 204.

[0062] 3(a)-(d) show schematic visual and audio representations according to examples disclosed herein. In other examples, only visual representations, only visual and tactile representations, or only visual, audio and tactile representations may be provided. In some examples, only audio and / or tactile representations may be provided.

[0063] 3(a)-(d) show an example representation of a vehicle 304 relative to a route ahead 306, which is a schematic representation of a typical route. In these examples, the typical route is shown as two converging straight lines representing a straight, flat, uniform-width road.

[0064] 3(a)-(d), the representation comprises a representation of a vehicle 304, a representation of the route ahead 306, and an indication of a speed profile (in this example in the form of constant speed contour lines 302a, 302b, 302c). The contour lines (and other elements of the representation, e.g. the vehicle and the general route) may for example be displayed as monochromatic illuminated lines on a dark background, or as dark lines displayed on a light background. The representation may for example be displayed on an LED type display screen, an LCD screen, or any other suitable display screen.

[0065] The speed profile representation may be said to comprise markers such as contour lines 302a, 302b, 302c. Another term for the markers is "progress indicators" since they indicate how the vehicle is progressing and / or will progress with respect to the speed profile. The markers 302a, 302b, 302c indicate the speed of the vehicle on the route ahead at the locations indicated by the markers on the route. The more closely spaced contour lines 302b indicate that the vehicle will slow down at the location indicated thereby. At this location, the vehicle speed will decrease and therefore the distance traveled in a unit of time will decrease as indicated by the more closely spaced contour lines. On the other hand, the more widely spaced contour lines 302c indicate that the vehicle will speed up at the location indicated thereby. At this location, the vehicle speed will increase and therefore the distance traveled in a unit of time will increase as indicated by the more widely spaced contour lines.

[0066] In Figure 3(a), the contour lines 302a are shown at equal intervals to represent the vehicle 304 moving at a constant speed (e.g., 10km / h) over the distance shown (i.e., while the contour lines 302a are evenly spaced). No acceleration or deceleration is expected to occur over the distance ahead as shown by the displayed route.

[0067] In FIG. 3(b), it has been determined that there is terrain ahead of the vehicle that requires the vehicle to slow down in order to adhere to a set speed profile (e.g., the road ahead may slope downward or have a lower friction surface than the road on which the vehicle is currently located). The terrain ahead may be determined to have this unusual characteristic compared to the terrain on which the vehicle is currently located, for example, by one or more sensor detections and / or predictions based on recorded map information (e.g., recorded during a survey of the terrain). To indicate that the terrain is changing and therefore the vehicle's behavior (i.e., speed) will change accordingly, the visual representation 300 shows more closely spaced contour lines 302b ahead of the vehicle. There is also an audio indication of the vehicle's impending slowdown, indicating when this will occur by an audio message 310a, in this example, reciting "slow down in 5 seconds". In other examples, the audio message need not provide a quantitative measure of when the vehicle's behavior will change, and may simply recite, for example, "slow down soon". It may be advantageous to provide the user with enough information to inform them of the vehicle's behavior so that they are not surprised by changes in the vehicle's behavior and so that they can trust that the vehicle is being controlled correctly / safely, but not so much information that it is difficult for the user to process safely, e.g. while driving / steering the vehicle.

[0068] As the vehicle moves towards the actual terrain change, the visual representation changes as shown between Figures 3b and 3c. As the vehicle 304 moves towards this region 302b, a region of closer contour lines 302b is shown closer to the vehicle 304. The vehicle 304 is still traveling at a constant speed, as the contour lines 302a are still shown to lie on the first equally spaced region, but is traveling towards the deceleration point 308. There is also an audio indication of the vehicle's impending deceleration, in this example, by a voice message 310b reciting more "slow down in 3 seconds".

[0069] In Figure 3(d), the vehicle 304 reaches the deceleration point 308 and begins to gradually reduce its speed (e.g. to 8km / h) in the deceleration zone 302b. A display of evenly spaced contour lines 302c in front of the vehicle 304 indicates to the user that the vehicle 304 will travel at a constant speed (e.g. 8km / h) after deceleration. There is also an audio indication of the vehicle's current deceleration by a voice message 310c, in this example, reciting "slow down now".

[0070] The markers 302a, 302b, 302c may be considered to indicate the speed of the vehicle 304 on the route 306 ahead at the location indicated by the markers 302a, 302b, 302c on the route 306. In this example, the markers indicate the speed at a indicated time on the route ahead (e.g., slow down at 5 seconds or 3 seconds). In other examples, the markers may indicate the speed at a indicated distance on the route ahead (e.g., slow down at 20 meters, slow down at 10 meters, etc.). The markers 302a, 302b, 302c may be considered to comprise a number of contour lines spaced apart (evenly spaced in this case) to represent the speed of the vehicle, and a number of contour lines spaced apart to represent changes in the speed of the vehicle (in this case, the lines change from evenly spaced lines at a first interval to evenly spaced lines at a second interval that is narrower than the first interval as the vehicle slows down).

[0071] Thus, to provide the visual output shown in Fig. 3(a)-(d), the control system 106 has performed the steps of receiving speed profile data indicative of a speed profile of the vehicle (moving at a first speed in a first region 302a and slowing down to a second speed in a second region 302b). That is, the speed profile represents one or more speeds at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel the route ahead of the vehicle. The control system also received route data indicative of the route ahead of the vehicle (in this example, the route data is displayed as a schematic route 306 and is used in the representation to show the planned vehicle behavior according to the speed profile and the relative position of the vehicle). The control system uses the received speed profile data and the received route data to determine a representation 300 comprising a relative position of the vehicle 304 with respect to the route ahead 306 and an indication 302a-c of the speed profile on the route ahead. The control system then outputs a signal indicative of the representation for providing to an output device. The output device generates the visual output as shown in Fig. 3(a)-(d).

[0072] In some examples, the markers may include color-coded speed indications, with particular colors in the color coding representing particular speeds of the vehicle and / or particular changes in the vehicle's speed, for example, green may indicate a steady speed, orange may indicate impending acceleration or deceleration, and red may indicate areas of acceleration or deceleration.

[0073] In some examples, the marker may include a flag to indicate that the vehicle will change speed at the location indicated by the marker on the route. For example, a point marker may be present in the route representation to indicate that the vehicle speed will change when the actual point is reached. Such a flag may include a text indicator that indicates the change that will occur (e.g., "slow down to 5 km / h here").

[0074] In some systems providing driving assistance, a preset speed may be input before driving (e.g. aiming to drive as close as possible to 20km / h) and the driving assistance aims to control the vehicle to move at this speed (e.g. by accelerating when reaching an uphill slope or decelerating when reaching slippery ground). Systems in which the set target speed of the vehicle can vary in this way (i.e. depending on the predicted acceleration requirements (to reach the preset target speed for a given terrain)) are sometimes called ATPC or ASPC systems. In such a scenario, the control system may operate using a speed profile representing one or more speeds at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel the route ahead, following the setting of a fixed target speed (e.g. 20km / h) before deciding on the speed profile.

[0075] In some systems providing driving assistance, a preset speed may be input before driving (e.g. aiming to drive as close as possible to 20km / h), and the driving assistance uses this speed and one or more sensed conditions sensed during the vehicle's movement to control the vehicle to move at the preset speed (e.g. by controlling the vehicle to slow down for a longer distance when reaching a downhill slope if the route is sensed to be slippery due to rain, etc., or by controlling the vehicle to slow down to avoid reaching a vehicle sensed by a forward-facing camera in front of the vehicle on the route). In such a scenario, the control system may operate using a speed profile representing one or more speeds at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel the route ahead, followed by adaptive setting of a variable target speed. Setting of the variable target speed may be performed according to one or more characteristics of the route ahead sensed during the vehicle's movement. A system in which the set target speed of the vehicle varies depending on both the sensed conditions and the predicted acceleration requirements (to reach the preset target speed for a given terrain) may be called an adaptive ATPC or ASPC system.

[0076] In some examples, the received route data indicates an off-road driving route. For example, the vehicle may be equipped with an ATPC system, and the vehicle's surroundings may be sensed by one or more sensors. Such sensors may be located, for example, with the vehicle (e.g., front and side facing cameras) and / or may be located remotely from the vehicle, for example, on another nearby vehicle or at a fixed sensing station, such as a weather station at the off-road driving site. The sensors located remotely from the vehicle may communicate with a control system of the vehicle by wireless LAN or other mobile communication. In other examples, the received route data indicates an on-road driving route. For example, the vehicle may be equipped with an ASPC system, and information defining the vehicle's surroundings may be provided to the control system, for example, from a map database and / or GPS navigation information and / or from one or more sensors.

[0077] The received route data may indicate one or more of the following: the gradient of the route ahead (e.g., 1:10 uphill, 8° downhill); route width of the route ahead (e.g., 3.3m wide, 4 lane wide); curvature of the route ahead (e.g., sharp right turn, sharp left turn); route surface or terrain type of the route ahead (e.g., asphalt, gravel, grass and mud, wet, dry, with friction coefficient within a given range); current weather conditions (e.g., rain, ice, fog, dry); speed limit of the route ahead (e.g., 30mph, 60kmph); geographic location identifier (town name, street name, postcode, latitude and longitude coordinates); whether the route ahead is an on-road or off-road route; and if there are more vehicles near the vehicle (e.g., if another off-road vehicle is in front of the vehicle on an off-road driving course).

[0078] The received speed profile data may further indicate a speed limit below which the vehicle is automatically controlled to travel on the route ahead of the vehicle. For example, if a part of an off-road driving course has a speed limit below 10 km / h, the received speed profile may take into account that this speed limit must not be exceeded in the relevant part of the driving course, but elsewhere the speed limit is e.g. 20 km / h, etc.

[0079] 4(a)-(d) show schematic visual representations 400 with further vehicles according to embodiments disclosed herein. The scenario may be considered as related to adaptive setting of variable target speeds in a speed profile and providing adaptive vehicle behavior to the vehicle occupants in the representations 400. These example representations 400 comprise a relative position of a vehicle 404 with respect to a route ahead 406, where the route ahead 406 is a schematic diagram of a typical route. Features in common with the examples shown in FIG. 3(a)-(d) will not be described in detail here.

[0080] The speed profile display in this example is a series of color-coded constant speed contour lines 402a, 402b, 402c. The color-coded constant speed contour lines may be considered as markers 402a, 402b, 402c indicating the speed of the vehicle on the route ahead at the location indicated by the marker on the route. The deceleration area 402b is shown as a more closely spaced contour line in a different color area than the constant speed areas 402a, 402c. For example, the deceleration area 402b may be orange, while the constant speed areas 402a, 402c may be green. Different color schemes may be used and in some examples can be set according to user preferences. In some examples, the color scheme may be automatically selected according to ambient light conditions (e.g., a different color scheme may be used during the day compared to dark / night driving conditions).

[0081] In Figure 4a, contour lines 402a are shown spaced at equal intervals, representing a vehicle 404 moving at a constant speed, with no other vehicles yet detected or determined to be on the route that would require the current vehicle's movement to change to accommodate.

[0082] In FIG. 4b, a vehicle 408 is detected in front of the current vehicle 404. The vehicle may be detected, for example, by a front camera, radar, and / or lidar on the vehicle 404. The representation signal then includes data that causes a schematic representation of the other vehicle 408 to be displayed to the user. The distance ahead of the vehicle 404 of the second vehicle 408 may be determined and provided to the control system, which can determine a representation signal representing the second vehicle 408 at a representative distance ahead on the displayed representation 400. Thus, the user can see from the displayed representation 400 that the control system has information that there is a vehicle 408 on the route ahead. The user may have increased confidence that the vehicle's driver assistance controls will control the vehicle in a safe manner taking into account the presence of other vehicles.

[0083] In Fig. 4c, the visual representation changes to indicate that a second vehicle 408 is approaching vehicle 404, causing vehicle 404 to slow down so as not to get too close to the vehicle in front 408. This slowdown is part of the vehicle's speed profile and is shown in representation 400 as an area of ​​closer contour line 406b in a different color than areas 406a, 406c that show constant speed. Thus, the user can predict that the vehicle will slow down and can see from representation 400 when that will happen. Thus, the user does not experience unexpected vehicle braking and understands why the vehicle is braking.

[0084] In FIG. 4d, vehicle 404 reaches deceleration point 408 and begins to gradually reduce its speed so as not to get too close to the vehicle 408 in front.

[0085] FIG. 5 illustrates an actual visual representation 500 according to an example disclosed herein. The representation 500 may be considered to be indicative of one or more real-world features of the route ahead. An output device 550 displays the visual representation 550 with the relative position of the vehicle 504 with respect to the route ahead 506. The representation of the route ahead has a route width 516 and a curvature 514 that are indicative of the real-world environment. Also displayed is an indicator 510 indicating the slope of the route ahead (as a 1:10 climb). Also shown is the route surface 512 ahead of the vehicle as compared to the route surface where the vehicle 504 is currently located (e.g., the location ahead 512 may be packed dirt as compared to a gravel road elsewhere). Because the route ahead of the vehicle 504 is uphill and has a larger friction surface 512, the vehicle is controlled to accelerate on the route ahead. This planned acceleration is indicated by the more widely spaced contour lines 502b on the route ahead compared to the constant speed contour lines 502a before the change in route surface 512 is reached.

[0086] Such a "real world" representation may also, or instead, include one or more of the following: current weather conditions; speed limits for the route ahead; if the vehicle is currently braking or accelerating (e.g., by lighting an LED or showing an icon on the display 500); if the vehicle is stopped on the route ahead; and if there are more vehicles near the vehicle. Of course, a balance between providing information to the user and avoiding overloading the user with information is advantageous. The particular representation type (from the real world shown in FIG. 5, or the schematic diagrams shown in FIGS. 3(a)-(d) and 4(a)-(d)) may be selected by the user, as well as which particular indicators are shown in the representation (e.g., one user may not want a particular gradient to be shown, while another user may want to see the gradient but not changes in road surface type in the representation).

[0087] The representation of Figure 5 is displayed on a display screen output device. In other examples, the output device may include a speaker for audio output and / or a haptic feedback system for haptic output.

[0088] 6 illustrates a vehicle method 600 according to an embodiment disclosed herein. The method 600 comprises: receiving speed profile data 602 indicative of a speed profile of the vehicle representative of a speed at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel a route ahead of the vehicle; receiving route data 604 indicative of the route ahead of the vehicle; using the received speed profile data and the received route data to determine a representation 608 comprising an indication of the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the route ahead and the speed profile on the route ahead; and outputting a signal 610 indicative of the representation 608 for providing to an output device.

[0089] In some examples, the method may further comprise displaying the received representation on a display screen (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5). In some examples, the method may further comprise automatically controlling the vehicle to travel the route ahead according to the speed profile, i.e., the vehicle is controlled to move according to the displayed representation.

[0090] 7 illustrates a vehicle 700 according to examples disclosed herein. The vehicle may include a control system as described herein, and may include, for example, a speed profile data determiner; a route data provider; an output device; and one or more sensors configured to determine environmental factors surrounding the vehicle (e.g., humidity, obstacles on the route, presence of nearby vehicles) that may be used to determine the speed profile.

[0091] It will be understood that embodiments of the present invention can be realized in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Such software may be stored, for example, in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage, such as storage devices, e.g., ROMs, whether erasable or rewritable, or in the form of memory, e.g., RAMs, memory chips, devices, or integrated circuits, or in the form of optically or magnetically readable media, e.g., CDs, DVDs, magnetic disks, or magnetic tapes. It will be understood that storage devices and media are machine-readable storage embodiments suitable for storing one or more programs that, when executed, implement embodiments of the present invention. Thus, certain embodiments provide a program comprising code for implementing a system or method as claimed in the appended claims, and machine-readable storage for storing such a program. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention can be transmitted electronically over any medium, such as communication signals carried over wired or wireless connections, and the embodiments encompass this as appropriate.

[0092] All features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and / or all steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except where at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive.

[0093] Each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), unless expressly stated otherwise, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is only an example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

[0094] The invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing embodiments. The invention extends to any novel or novel combination of features disclosed herein (including the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or any novel or novel combination of steps of the methods or processes so disclosed. The claims should be construed to cover any embodiment falling within the scope of the claims, and not just the foregoing examples.

Claims

1. 1. A control system for a vehicle, comprising: receiving speed profile data indicative of a speed profile of the vehicle representing one or more speeds at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel along the off-road route ahead of the vehicle according to adaptive setting of a variable target speed performed according to one or more characteristics of the off-road route ahead of the vehicle sensed during movement of the vehicle; receiving route data indicative of an off-road route ahead of the vehicle, the route data corresponding to the off-road route ahead and comprising route terrain data recorded in real time by one or more sensors of the vehicle; determining a representation using the received speed profile data and the received route data comprising a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the off-road route ahead and a representation of the speed profile on the off-road route ahead, the representation of the speed profile comprising a marker configured to indicate a speed of the vehicle on the off-road route ahead at a position on the off-road route indicated by the marker; outputting a signal indicative of said representation for provision to an output device; One or more controllers configured to Equipped with the representation comprises a visual representation and the output device comprises a display output device. A control system for a vehicle.

2. The expression an audio output, the control system being configured to output the signal indicative of the audio output for providing to an audio output device; and a haptic output, the control system being configured to output the signal indicative of the haptic output for provision to a haptic feedback device. [0033] The control system of claim 1 .

3. The marker is the speed for a specified distance on said off-road route ahead, or speed at a specified time on said off-road route ahead; configured to indicate 3. A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The marker is a plurality of contour lines spaced apart to represent the speed of said vehicle; a plurality of contour lines spaced apart to represent changes in speed of said vehicle; a color coded speed indicator, a particular color of the color indicator representing a particular speed of the vehicle; a color-coded speed indicator, where a particular color of the color code represents a particular change in the speed of the vehicle; and a flag indicating that the vehicle will change speed at the location indicated by the marker on the off-road route; [0033] A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. configured to determine the representation in real time or at predetermined time, distance, velocity or acceleration intervals, and to output the signal indicative of the latest determined representation for provision to the output device. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The velocity profile is The one or more speeds are automatically controlled so that the vehicle travels along the off-road route ahead according to a fixed target speed setting before determining the speed profile. Further representing, A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The gradient of the off-road route ahead, the route width of the off-road route ahead; the curvature of the off-road route ahead; a route surface of the off-road route ahead; the speed limit of the off-road route ahead; Current weather conditions, geographic location identifier, If the vehicle is currently braking, If the vehicle is currently accelerating, when the vehicle stops on the off-road route ahead; and If there is another vehicle near the vehicle, The received route data represents one or more of: A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The gradient of the off-road route ahead, the route width of the off-road route ahead; the curvature of the off-road route ahead; a route surface of the off-road route ahead; the speed limit of the off-road route ahead; Current weather conditions, geographic location identifier, If the vehicle is currently braking, If the vehicle is currently accelerating, when the vehicle stops on the off-road route ahead; and If there is another vehicle near the vehicle, the representation comprises one or more indicators configured to indicate one or more of: A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the received speed profile data indicating a speed limit below which the vehicle is automatically controlled to travel on the off-road route ahead of the vehicle; A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. the representation comprises the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the off-road route ahead; The representation of the off-road route ahead may be A schematic representation of a route including two converging straight lines representing a straight, flat, uniform-width road; or a representative representation of the current off-road route ahead, showing one or more real-world features of the off-road route ahead, including route width, route curvature and / or route surface representative of a real-world environment; That is, A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A system for a vehicle, comprising: The system comprises: A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, a speed profile data determiner configured to determine and provide the speed profile data indicative of the speed profile of the vehicle; a route data provider configured to provide the route data indicative of the route ahead of the vehicle; and an output device configured to receive the output signal indicative of the representation and to output the representation to a user; comprising one or more of: Systems for vehicles.

12. A vehicle comprising a control system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. 1. A method for a vehicle, comprising: receiving speed profile data indicative of a speed profile of the vehicle representative of a speed at which the vehicle will be automatically controlled to travel along the off-road route ahead of the vehicle according to adaptive setting of a variable target speed performed according to one or more characteristics of the off-road route ahead of the vehicle sensed during movement of the vehicle; receiving route data indicative of an off-road route ahead of the vehicle, the route data corresponding to the off-road route ahead and comprising route terrain data recorded in real time by one or more sensors of the vehicle; determining, using the received speed profile data and the received route data, a representation comprising a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the off-road route ahead and a representation of the speed profile on the off-road route ahead, the representation of the speed profile comprising a marker configured to indicate a speed of the vehicle on the off-road route ahead at a position on the off-road route indicated by the marker; and outputting a signal indicative of the representation for providing to an output device, the representation comprising a visual representation, the output device comprising a display output device; A method for providing the above.

14. displaying said received representation on a display screen; and / or automatically controlling the vehicle to travel along the oncoming off-road route according to the speed profile; The method of claim 13 comprising:

15. Computer software configured, when executed, to carry out the method according to claim 13 or 14.

16. 16. Computer software according to claim 15 stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium.

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