Gear prediction method and related device

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application is a gear prediction method. The method is applied to a terminal device in the field of intelligent driving, and the terminal device may be a carrier device having gears, for example, a device capable of moving, such as a vehicle, a robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a ship and a boat. In the method, a terminal device first acquires information of an obstacle around a vehicle, wherein the information of the obstacle comprises position information and obstacle classification of the obstacle; and terminal device then predicts a first gear thereof on the basis of the information of the obstacle, such that the terminal device can travel forwards or backwards or park on the basis of the first gear. Compared with the prior art, in which gear prediction is performed on the basis of only the position of an obstacle, the present application predicts a gear of a terminal device by means of the classification of an obstacle around the terminal device, and thus the accuracy of gear prediction can be improved.

Description

Gear prediction method and related equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 1, 2023, with application number 202311131561.0 and application name “A gear prediction method and related equipment”, as well as the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 28, 2023, with application number 202311282974.9 and application name “A gear prediction method and related equipment”, and the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on January 17, 2024, with application number 202410070403.7 and application name “A gear prediction method and related equipment”, all of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of autonomous driving, and in particular to a gear prediction method and related equipment. Background Art

[0003] Since the invention of the car, technological advances have made driving easier. The invention of the automatic transmission has simplified a series of complex gear shifting operations involving the coordination of hands (gear) and feet (clutch), allowing many people who originally could not drive a manual transmission car to enjoy the fun and ease of driving.

[0004] The standard gear shifting process involves the driver observing their surroundings, deciding to shift gears, and then visually checking the gear position and engaging the gear with their hand. After confirming the selected gear, they accelerate and drive away. Intelligent gear shifting utilizes perception and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to eliminate these two steps, making driving easier.

[0005] However, in actual applications, the roads where vehicles are located are relatively complex, and how to improve the accuracy of gear prediction in smart gear shifting scenarios is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] An embodiment of the present application provides a gear prediction method, which predicts the gear of a terminal device by classifying obstacles around the terminal device, thereby improving the accuracy of gear prediction.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a gear prediction method, which is executed by a terminal device / a control device of a terminal device, or the method is executed by some components in the terminal device / control device (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the method can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions / control device functions. In addition, the method is applied to the field of intelligent driving, and the terminal device can be a vehicle device with a gear, such as a vehicle, a robot, an unmanned aircraft, a ship, a boat, or other movable device. In this method, the terminal device first obtains obstacle information around the vehicle, and the obstacle information includes the location information and obstacle classification of the obstacle, and then predicts the first gear of the terminal device based on the obstacle information, and then the terminal device can set the gear according to the predicted gear or use the first gear to drive forward or backward or park. In which, the above classification includes static obstacles or dynamic obstacles, and the first gear includes forward gear, reverse gear, parking gear, etc.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, compared with the prior art in which gear prediction is performed only based on the position of obstacles, the present application predicts the gear of the terminal device by classifying obstacles around the terminal device, which can improve the accuracy of gear prediction.

[0010] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the steps further include: determining that a drive torque of the terminal device is less than a first threshold, where the first threshold is a factory threshold of the terminal device or a starting torque of the terminal device when the terminal device is physically engaged; and driving the terminal device based on the first gear and the torque. Physically engaging a gear can be understood as a closed drive control circuit, and non-physical engaging a gear can be understood as an open drive control circuit.

[0011] In this possible implementation, compared to the prior art where the user presses the brakes to predict and display the gear position, if the user releases the brakes and presses the accelerator, poor throttle control can cause a jerky start, affecting ride comfort and safety. In particular, prior art electric vehicles have a relatively fast start, making them more susceptible to driving shock. By reducing the driving torque during idling creep and the driving torque during acceleration and pull-off, the present embodiment not only meets the driving responsiveness of an automatic transmission vehicle, but also reduces driving shock during acceleration and pull-off, thereby improving driving safety.

[0012] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above steps further include: if a collision warning occurs, driving the terminal device based on a driving torque less than a first threshold and a first gear.

[0013] In this possible implementation, after predicting the gear, in the event of a collision warning, the terminal device can be driven based on a driving torque less than a first threshold and the predicted first gear, which can reduce the risk of collision and improve driving safety by reducing the torque.

[0014] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above-mentioned driving torque is related to at least one of the following: a first distance, environmental information; the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and an obstacle on the predicted route traveling in the first gear; the environmental information includes at least one of the following: ambient brightness outside the terminal device, visibility information, and weather information.

[0015] In this possible implementation, the driving torque can be further determined based on the predicted distance to obstacles on the route and / or environmental information. For example, the smaller the first distance, the smaller the driving torque setting. For another example, in conditions of low visibility or inclement weather, the driving torque can be set even lower, thereby improving the starting safety of the terminal device.

[0016] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the obstacle information further includes: a collision obstacle with a risk of collision with the terminal device, wherein parameters include at least one of the following: a speed of the collision obstacle, a second distance between the collision obstacle and the terminal device, and a predicted moment of collision between the terminal device and the collision obstacle; and determining that the driving torque of the terminal device is less than a first threshold includes: determining that the driving torque is less than the first threshold when the first condition is met;

[0017] The first condition includes at least one of the following: the moving speed is less than or equal to the second threshold; the collision time is greater than or equal to the third threshold; the second distance is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold; the difference between the first throttle opening and closing rate and the second throttle opening and closing rate is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold, the first throttle opening and closing rate is the historical throttle opening and closing rate collected before the first gear is predicted, and the second throttle opening and closing rate is the throttle opening and closing rate collected after the first gear is predicted.

[0018] In this possible implementation, a drive torque less than a first threshold may be determined to be used when a first condition is met. The first condition may be related to parameters of a collision-risk obstacle, or may be related to historical throttle opening and closing rates and current throttle opening and closing rates, thereby making the use of a smaller drive torque more consistent with user habits and ensuring driving safety.

[0019] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above step: before predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on obstacle information, the method also includes: determining that the terminal device meets a second condition, the second condition including: the first pressure / first stroke of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a second threshold, and the first stroke is the stroke of the control pedal in the terminal device.

[0020] In this possible implementation, a second condition can be used to trigger the execution of the predicted gear shift. For example, by detecting the pressure signal of the brake component, if the brake pedal pressure is greater than or equal to a second threshold, it is determined that the driver intends to shift gears. This can prevent children playing in the car from accidentally stepping on the brake pedal and triggering the smart shift function, thereby improving safety.

[0021] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first pressure may include at least one of the following: brake pressure, accelerator pressure, etc. The control pedal may include at least one of the following: a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, a physical control button, etc.

[0022] In this possible implementation, the driver's intention to shift gears can be determined through a first pressure such as brake pressure, thereby preventing children from unconsciously stepping on the brake pedal while playing in the car and mistakenly triggering the smart shifting function, thereby improving safety performance.

[0023] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second condition further includes: a duration of the first pressure is greater than or equal to a preset duration.

[0024] In this possible implementation, to reduce the possibility of accidental braking, the duration of the first pressure can be used to determine whether to trigger the smart gear shift. This prevents children from accidentally stepping on the brake pedal while playing in the car, thereby improving safety.

[0025] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the above steps further include: presenting first information, where the first information is used to dynamically present the first pressure.

[0026] In this possible implementation, the brake pressure value can be dynamically displayed to the user. On the one hand, it is convenient for the user to know whether to trigger the smart gear shifting. On the other hand, it is convenient for the user to know the current braking operation and avoid confusion between the accelerator and the brake.

[0027] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above-mentioned step of predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on obstacle information includes: when there is a dynamic obstacle in front of the terminal device, predicting that the first gear is a forward gear.

[0028] In this possible implementation, compared to the prior art, which predicts the reverse gear when there is an obstacle ahead of the vehicle, this method predicts the forward gear when there is a dynamic obstacle ahead and drives forward if the dynamic obstacle does not affect the vehicle's passage. The predicted gear in this process is more in line with driving habits.

[0029] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above steps also include: determining the passability of the terminal device, passability is used to describe whether the terminal device is obstructed by obstacles during forward or backward driving; predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on obstacle information, including: predicting the first gear based on obstacle information and passability.

[0030] Compared to the prior art, this possible implementation predicts a forward gear when there are obstacles both in front of and behind the vehicle. Children in the vehicle's blind spot can cause serious safety accidents. By considering trafficability during gear prediction, this embodiment of the present application can reduce safety accidents such as those caused by children in the front and rear blind spots of a terminal device, thereby improving the safety of the terminal device during driving.

[0031] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above-mentioned step of predicting the first gear based on obstacle information and passability includes: predicting the first gear based on passability when there is a static obstacle in front of the terminal device.

[0032] Compared to the prior art, this possible implementation method predicts the gear position to be reverse when there is an obstacle in front of the vehicle. If a child is in the blind spot behind the vehicle, this can cause a serious safety accident. This embodiment of the application can reduce traffic accidents by predicting the gear position.

[0033] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above-mentioned step of determining the passability of the terminal device includes: obtaining a first parameter of the terminal device, the first parameter including at least one of the following: the size and turning radius of the terminal device; obtaining the spatial position relationship between the terminal device and the obstacle; and determining the passability based on the first parameter and the spatial position relationship.

[0034] In this possible implementation, passability is calculated based on the terminal device's own parameters (such as vehicle length, width, and turning radius) and surrounding space parameters. This makes the gear position based on passability prediction more accurate and improves driving safety.

[0035] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above steps also include: obtaining the second gear of the physical gear; if the second gear is different from the first gear, using the second gear to drive and presenting a prompt message, the prompt message is used to indicate that the second gear is different from the first gear.

[0036] In this possible implementation, after predicting the first gear, the first gear manually engaged by the driver is compared with the predicted second gear, and prompt information is issued at different times, thereby reducing the safety risks caused by engaging the wrong gear and improving driving safety.

[0037] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the aforementioned obstacle information further includes at least one of the following: obstacle change information and parking space-related limiters; obstacle change information includes at least one of the following: obstacle movement trends and dynamic obstacle indication information; movement trends or dynamic indication information affect the passability of the terminal device; dynamic obstacles include at least one of the following: static objects with dynamic indication information, objects traveling at a speed greater than a threshold, and moving objects. Static objects with dynamic indication information are classified as dynamic obstacles. For example, if the right turn signal of a vehicle in front of the terminal device is flashing, indicating that the vehicle is about to turn right, the vehicle can be identified as a dynamic obstacle, thereby improving the accuracy of subsequent gear predictions and driving efficiency.

[0038] This possible implementation can incorporate information about changing obstacles to prevent them from constantly affecting the terminal device's gear predictions. For example, if the vehicle ahead's turn signal indicates a right turn, it indicates that the vehicle ahead of the terminal device is about to turn right. This prevents the terminal device from constantly affecting its driving, allowing it to predict the forward gear first, improving the predicted gear to better suit driving habits in certain scenarios.

[0039] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above step of predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on obstacle information includes predicting that the first gear is a forward gear if the change information does not affect the passability of the terminal device.

[0040] In this possible implementation, obstacle change information is considered during gear prediction, thereby improving the safety of the subsequent predicted first gear. Compared to the prior art, where, for example, a reverse gear is predicted if there is an obstacle in front of the vehicle, the present application can also determine the predicted first gear by incorporating change information. For example, if there is an obstacle in front of the terminal device but the obstacle's change information does not affect the terminal device's passability, the predicted first gear is a forward gear.

[0041] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the step of predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on the obstacle information includes: determining second information at a first moment, where the second information affects the passability of the terminal device; determining third information at a second moment, where the third information does not affect the passability of the terminal device, and a difference between the first moment and the second moment is within a preset range; predicting that the first gear is a forward gear based on the second information and the third information; and driving forward in the forward gear after the second moment.

[0042] In this possible implementation, the changing information of obstacles is taken into account during the gear prediction process, which may affect the passage at the beginning but will not affect the passage subsequently. The first gear can be predicted in advance as the forward gear, and the forward gear can be used for driving after it does not affect the passage, thereby improving the response efficiency.

[0043] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the step of obtaining obstacle information includes recording a position of a limiter before entering the parking space.

[0044] In this possible implementation, for difficult-to-identify obstacle information, such as a stopper, the position of the stopper can be identified and recorded before parking, which facilitates the subsequent prediction of the gear position when leaving the parking space and improves the accuracy of the gear prediction.

[0045] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the above steps further include: presenting a first gear; receiving a first operation; and determining to use the first gear in response to the first operation.

[0046] In this possible implementation, the predicted first gear is determined to be used through the first operation, thereby reducing the safety risks caused by directly using the predicted gear for driving.

[0047] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above step of predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on obstacle information includes: receiving a second operation; and predicting the first gear based on the obstacle information in response to the second operation.

[0048] In this possible implementation, whether the smart gear shifting process is triggered is determined through the second operation. Whether the smart gear shifting process is triggered can be determined based on the actual needs of the user, thereby improving the user experience.

[0049] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, before predicting the first gear position of the terminal device based on obstacle information, the method further includes: obtaining first status information of a user, where the user includes at least one of the following: driver or passenger, and the first status information includes at least one of the following: sitting posture, head position, line of sight, eyelid opening, and hand position; obtaining second status information of components of the terminal device, where the components include at least one of the following: fuel tank cap, engine hood, luggage compartment, door, and seat belt, and the second status information includes whether closed or open; and determining whether to use the smart gear shifting function based on the first status information and the second status information. Predicting the first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information includes: if it is determined that the smart gear shifting function is to be used, predicting the first gear position based on the obstacle information.

[0050] In this possible implementation, by detecting the driver's status and the terminal device status, the false triggering of the smart shifting function due to children playing can be reduced, thereby improving safety performance.

[0051] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above step of determining whether to use the smart gear shifting function based on the first status information and the second status information includes determining to use the smart gear shifting function when the first status information satisfies a first preset condition and the second status information satisfies a second preset condition.

[0052] In this possible implementation, the vehicle status is detected to prevent the vehicle itself from having factors that do not meet the requirements for safe driving and travel; the driver's status is detected to determine whether it meets the requirements for safe driving and travel; the driver's intention to shift gears is detected, and the brake pressure signal is periodically collected. When the brake pedal brake pressure is greater than a preset threshold and remains for a certain period of time, it is determined that the driver intends to shift gears. This eliminates the possibility that children playing in the car may unconsciously step on the brake pedal and mistakenly trigger the smart shifting function, thereby improving safety performance.

[0053] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the above-mentioned step: the first status information satisfies the first preset condition, including at least one of the following: the driver's age is greater than the preset age; the driver's head position is within the first interval; the driver's head posture is within the second interval; the driver's eyelid opening is greater than or equal to the preset opening; whether the driver's hand position is on the steering wheel; the passenger has not left the seat; the passenger's body has not leaned out of the window.

[0054] In this possible implementation, the first status information of the driver and the passenger is detected to reduce the occurrence of situations such as accidental touches by children and accidental touches by the driver when the main driver is not ready to drive the terminal device, thereby improving the safety performance of the terminal device.

[0055] The second aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, which is applied to the field of intelligent driving. The following description will only be given as an example of a terminal device being a vehicle. In actual applications, the terminal device can also be a vehicle device with gears, such as a robot, an unmanned aircraft, a ship, a boat, and other movable devices. The terminal device includes: a transceiver unit for obtaining obstacle information, the obstacle information including the location information and obstacle classification of the obstacle; a processing unit for predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on the obstacle information, and then the processing unit can set the gear according to the predicted gear or use the first gear to drive forward or backward or park. The above classification includes static obstacles or dynamic obstacles, and the first gear includes forward gear, reverse gear, parking gear, etc.

[0056] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the processing unit is further configured to determine that the drive torque of the terminal device is less than a first threshold, where the first threshold is a factory threshold of the terminal device or a starting torque of the terminal device when the terminal device is physically engaged in gear; and the processing unit is further configured to drive the terminal device based on the first gear and the torque. Physically engaging a gear can be understood as a closed drive control circuit, and non-physical engaging a gear can be understood as an open drive control circuit.

[0057] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is also used to drive the terminal device to move based on a driving torque less than a first threshold and a first gear if a collision warning occurs, where the first threshold is the factory threshold of the terminal device or the starting torque of the terminal device when the gear is physically engaged.

[0058] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned driving torque is related to at least one of the following: a first distance, environmental information; the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and an obstacle on the predicted route traveling in the first gear; the environmental information includes at least one of the following: ambient brightness outside the terminal device, visibility information, and weather information.

[0059] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the obstacle information further includes: a collision obstacle with a risk of collision with the terminal device, wherein parameters include at least one of the following: a speed of the collision obstacle, a second distance between the collision obstacle and the terminal device, and a predicted collision moment between the terminal device and the collision obstacle; and the processing unit is specifically configured to determine that the driving torque is less than a first threshold when the first condition is met;

[0060] The first condition includes at least one of the following: the moving speed is less than or equal to the second threshold; the collision time is greater than or equal to the third threshold; the second distance is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold; the difference between the first throttle opening and closing rate and the second throttle opening and closing rate is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold, the first throttle opening and closing rate is the historical throttle opening and closing rate collected before the first gear is predicted, and the second throttle opening and closing rate is the throttle opening and closing rate collected after the first gear is predicted.

[0061] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is also used to determine whether the terminal device meets the second condition, and the second condition includes: the first pressure / first stroke of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the first stroke is the stroke of the control pedal in the terminal device.

[0062] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first pressure may include at least one of the following: brake pressure, accelerator pressure, etc. The control pedal may include at least one of the following: a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, the depth of a physical control button, etc.

[0063] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the second condition further includes: a duration of the first pressure is greater than or equal to a preset duration.

[0064] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the processing unit is further configured to present first information, where the first information is configured to dynamically present the first pressure.

[0065] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is specifically used to predict that the first gear is a forward gear when there is a dynamic obstacle in front of the terminal device.

[0066] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is also used to determine the passability of the terminal device, and the passability is used to describe whether the terminal device is obstructed by obstacles during forward or backward driving; the processing unit is specifically used to predict the first gear based on obstacle information and passability.

[0067] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is specifically used to predict the first gear based on passability when there is a static obstacle in front of the terminal device.

[0068] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is specifically used to obtain a first parameter of the terminal device, and the first parameter includes at least one of the following: the size and turning radius of the terminal device; the processing unit is specifically used to obtain the spatial position relationship between the terminal device and the obstacle; the processing unit is specifically used to determine the passability based on the first parameter and the spatial position relationship.

[0069] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is also used to obtain the second gear of the physical gear; the processing unit is also used to use the second gear to drive and present a prompt message if the second gear is different from the first gear, and the prompt message is used to indicate that the second gear is different from the first gear.

[0070] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the aforementioned obstacle information further includes at least one of the following: obstacle change information and parking space-related limiters; obstacle change information includes at least one of the following: obstacle movement trends and dynamic obstacle indication information; movement trends or dynamic indication information affect the passability of the terminal device; dynamic obstacles include at least one of the following: static objects with dynamic indication information, objects traveling at a speed greater than a threshold, and moving objects. Static objects with dynamic indication information are classified as dynamic obstacles. For example, if the right turn signal of a vehicle in front of the terminal device is flashing, indicating that the vehicle is about to turn right, the vehicle can be identified as a dynamic obstacle, thereby improving the accuracy of subsequent gear predictions and driving efficiency.

[0071] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is specifically used to predict that the first gear is a forward gear if the change information will not affect the passability of the terminal device.

[0072] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to determine second information at a first moment, where the second information affects the passability of the terminal device; the processing unit is specifically configured to determine third information at a second moment, where the third information does not affect the passability of the terminal device, and a difference between the first moment and the second moment is within a preset range; the processing unit is specifically configured to predict, based on the second information and the third information, that the first gear is a forward gear. The processing unit is further configured to drive forward based on the forward gear after the second moment.

[0073] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to record the position of the limiter before entering the parking space.

[0074] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is further used to present the first gear; the transceiver unit is further used to receive the first operation; and the processing unit is further used to determine to use the first gear in response to the first operation.

[0075] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second operation; and the processing unit is specifically configured to predict the first gear based on the obstacle information in response to the second operation.

[0076] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to obtain first status information of a user, where the user includes at least one of the following: a driver or a passenger, and the first status information includes at least one of the following: sitting posture, head position, line of sight, eyelid opening, and hand position; the transceiver unit is further configured to obtain second status information of a terminal device component, where the component includes at least one of the following: a fuel tank cap, an engine hood, a trunk, a door, or a seat belt, and the second status information includes whether the component is closed or open; and the processing unit is further configured to determine whether to use the smart gear shifting function based on the first and second status information. The processing unit is specifically configured to predict the first gear position based on the obstacle information if the smart gear shifting function is determined to be used.

[0077] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned processing unit is specifically used to determine to use the smart gear shifting function when the first state information meets the first preset condition and the second state information meets the second preset condition.

[0078] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the above-mentioned first status information satisfies the first preset condition, including at least one of the following: the driver's age is greater than the preset age; the driver's head position is within the first interval; the driver's head posture is within the second interval; the driver's eyelid opening is greater than or equal to the preset opening; whether the driver's hand position is on the steering wheel; the passenger has not left the seat; the passenger's body has not leaned out of the window.

[0079] A third aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle, which includes the terminal device in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0080] A fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle that travels using a gear obtained in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0081] The fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, including: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the terminal processes and implements the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0082] A sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon. When the computer program or instruction runs on a computer, the computer executes the method in the aforementioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0083] A seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in the aforementioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0084] Among them, the technical effects brought about by the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh aspects or any possible implementation methods thereof can be referred to the technical effects brought about by the first aspect or different possible implementation methods of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0085] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the embodiments of the present application have the following advantages: compared with the prior art which only predicts the gear position based on the position of the obstacle, the present application predicts the gear position of the terminal device by classifying the obstacles around the terminal device, which can improve the accuracy of the gear prediction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0086] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart of a gear prediction method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG3 is an exemplary diagram of a terminal device with a dynamic obstacle in front of it according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG4 is another schematic flow chart of the gear prediction method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG5 is an example diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application with static obstacles in front and behind;

[0091] FIG6 is an exemplary diagram of a terminal device with a static obstacle in front of it according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG7 is an example diagram of a terminal device displaying a predicted gear position according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG8A is another example diagram of a terminal device displaying a route provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG8B is a diagram illustrating an example scenario of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG8C is a diagram illustrating another scenario of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG9 is a flow chart of a method for starting a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG10A is a diagram illustrating another scenario of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG10B is another schematic diagram of a process of starting a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG10C is a schematic diagram of the starting torque of a fuel vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] FIG10D is a schematic diagram of the starting torque of a new energy vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] FIG11 is another flowchart of the gear prediction method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] FIG12A is a schematic diagram of determining whether a driver intends to shift gears according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] FIG12B is a schematic diagram of dynamically displaying brake pressure information according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of determining driver head status information according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0105] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0106] FIG15 is another structural diagram of the terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0107] An embodiment of the present application provides a gear prediction method, which predicts the gear of a terminal device by classifying obstacles around the terminal device, thereby improving the accuracy of gear prediction.

[0108] To facilitate understanding, the following first introduces the relevant terms and concepts mainly involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0109] 1. Terminal equipment

[0110] The embodiments of the present application are described only by taking the terminal device as a vehicle as an example. In actual applications, the terminal device can also be a carrier device with a gear function (for example, an electric cart, a balance car, etc.), a robot, an unmanned aircraft, a ship, a boat, and other movable devices. Among them, the vehicle can be an internal combustion engine vehicle with an engine as a power source, a hybrid vehicle with an engine and an electric motor as a power source, an electric vehicle with an electric motor as a power source, and other types of vehicles. The gear function can also be understood as an intelligent gear shifting function, and the gear is used to characterize / control the terminal device to move forward, move backward, or park.

[0111] 2. Static obstacles

[0112] Static obstacles mainly refer to objects that appear on the road in a stationary state and may affect the normal passage of vehicles. Or they can be understood as objects fixed to the road surface.

[0113] Static obstacles can be categorized as 3D objects on the road and road surface markings. For example, 3D objects include rocks, logs, animal carcasses, static buildings, roadblocks, roadblocks, walls, trees, and poles. Road surface markings include lane markings, parking space markings, arrows, zebra crossings, and parking boxes.

[0114] In addition to the common static obstacles mentioned above, the static obstacles in the embodiments of the present application also include obstacles with a driving speed less than a first threshold and will not affect the passage of vehicles within a preset time period.

[0115] 3. Dynamic obstacles

[0116] Dynamic obstacles mainly refer to objects that appear on the road in a moving state (or state of motion) and may affect the normal passage of vehicles. Examples include pedestrians, bicycles, other vehicles, animals crossing the road, and debris from a moving or preceding vehicle.

[0117] In addition to the common dynamic obstacles mentioned above, the dynamic obstacles in the embodiments of the present application also include at least one of the following:

[0118] The X*Y range before and after the vehicle leaves within a preset time period. X and Y are real numbers greater than 0. X and Y can be equal or different and can be set according to actual needs. The obstacle in this case is also called dynamic obstacle A.

[0119] The obstacle will not leave the X*Y range in front of and behind the vehicle within a preset time period; the obstacle in this case can also be called a dynamic obstacle B.

[0120] Obstacles with a speed greater than a first threshold and which will affect the passage of vehicles within a preset time period;

[0121] Obstacles with dynamic indication signals, and the dynamic indication information will affect the passage of vehicles within a preset time period, and the dynamic indication information includes at least one of the following: traffic lights, turn signals of other vehicles, speakers of other vehicles (such as horns), etc.

[0122] In this method, static objects with dynamic indication information are classified as dynamic obstacles. For example, if the right turn signal of another vehicle in front of the terminal device is flashing, it means that the vehicle is about to turn right. In this case, the vehicle can be judged as a dynamic obstacle, thereby improving the accuracy of subsequent gear prediction and driving efficiency.

[0123] Optionally, the dynamic obstacle may specifically include at least one of the following: an obstacle close to the vehicle, an obstacle far away from the vehicle, an obstacle with dynamic indication information, etc.

[0124] It is understandable that obstacles can be detected in real time or periodically, and obstacles can be not only obstacles around the current vehicle, but also obstacles around the predicted route, etc., which are not specifically limited here.

[0125] 4. The term "at least one" in the embodiments of the present application refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, "A includes at least one of the following: B, C." means that A includes B, C, BC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0126] First, the structure of the vehicle is introduced in conjunction with Figure 1. Please refer to Figure 1 first, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application. The vehicle can be an example diagram of a terminal device in an embodiment of the present application.

[0127] The vehicle may include various subsystems, such as a travel system 102, a sensor system 104, a control system 106, one or more peripheral devices 108, a power supply 110, and a user interface 116. Optionally, the vehicle may include more or fewer subsystems, and each subsystem may include multiple components. In addition, each subsystem and component of the vehicle may be interconnected via wired or wireless (e.g., Bluetooth, honeycomb network, etc.).

[0128] The travel system 102 may include components that provide power for the vehicle to travel. In one embodiment, the travel system 102 may include an engine 118 , an energy source 119 , a transmission 120 , and wheels 121 .

[0129] The engine 118 may be an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, an air compression engine, or a combination of other types of engines, such as a hybrid engine consisting of a gasoline engine and an electric motor, or a hybrid engine consisting of an internal combustion engine and an air compression engine. The engine 118 converts an energy source 119 into mechanical energy. Examples of energy sources 119 include gasoline, diesel, other petroleum-based fuels, propane, other compressed gas-based fuels, ethanol, solar panels, batteries, and other power sources. The energy source 119 may also provide energy to other systems of the vehicle. The transmission 120 may transmit the mechanical power from the engine 118 to the wheels 121. The transmission 120 may include a gearbox, a differential, and a drive shaft. In one embodiment, the transmission 120 may also include other components, such as a clutch. The drive shaft may include one or more shafts that can be coupled to the wheels 121. In this embodiment of the present application, the transmission 120 also includes gears, including a forward gear and a reverse gear. The forward gear can control the vehicle to move forward, and the reverse gear can control the vehicle to move backward.

[0130] Sensor system 104 may include several sensors that sense information about the vehicle's location. For example, sensor system 104 may include a positioning system 122 (which may be a global positioning system (GPS), the Beidou system, or other positioning systems), an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 124, a radar 126, a laser rangefinder 128, and a camera 130. Sensor system 104 may also include sensors for the monitored vehicle's internal systems (e.g., an in-vehicle air quality monitor, a fuel gauge, an oil temperature gauge, etc.). Sensor data from one or more of these sensors can be used to detect objects and their corresponding characteristics (e.g., location, shape, orientation, velocity, etc.). This detection and recognition is a key function for the safe operation of autonomous vehicles. In embodiments of the present application, sensor system 104 may also monitor the driver's status and the status of vehicle components. The driver's status includes at least one of the following: driver's sitting posture, driver's head position, driver's line of sight, driver's eyelid opening, driver's hand position, etc. The status of vehicle components includes at least one of the following: fuel tank cap, hood, trunk, doors, windows, seatbelts, etc.

[0131] Among them, the positioning system 122 can be used to estimate the geographic location of the vehicle, such as the latitude and longitude information of the vehicle's location. The IMU 124 is used to sense the position and orientation changes of the vehicle based on inertial acceleration. In one embodiment, the IMU 124 can be a combination of an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The radar 126 can use radio signals to sense objects in the surrounding environment of the vehicle, and can be specifically manifested as a millimeter wave radar or a lidar. In some embodiments, in addition to sensing objects, the radar 126 can also be used to sense the speed and / or direction of travel of objects. The laser rangefinder 128 can use lasers to sense objects in the environment in which the vehicle is located. In some embodiments, the laser rangefinder 128 may include one or more laser sources, a laser scanner, and one or more detectors, as well as other system components. The camera 130 can be used to capture multiple images of the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The camera 130 can be a still camera or a video camera.

[0132] The control system 106 controls the operation of the vehicle and its components and may include various components, including a steering system 132 , an accelerator 134 , a brake unit 136 , an electronic control unit (ECU) 138 , and a body control module (BCM) 140 .

[0133] The steering system 132 is operable to adjust the vehicle's forward direction. For example, in one embodiment, it may be a steering wheel system. The throttle 134 is used to control the operating rate of the engine 118 and, in turn, the vehicle's speed. The brake unit 136 is used to control vehicle deceleration. The brake unit 136 may use friction to slow the wheels 121. In other embodiments, the brake unit 136 may convert the kinetic energy of the wheels 121 into electrical current. The brake unit 136 may also take other forms to slow the rotational speed of the wheels 121 and thus control the vehicle's speed. The vehicle electronic control unit 138 may be implemented as a single ECU or multiple ECUs on the vehicle, configured to communicate with the peripheral devices 108 and the sensor system 104. The vehicle ECU 138 may include at least one processor 1381 and memory 1382 (read-only memory, ROM). The at least one processor may be implemented or executed using one or more general-purpose processors, content-addressable memory, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. In particular, the at least one processor may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, controllers, microcontroller units (MCUs), or state machines. Furthermore, the at least one processor may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor or a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other combination of such configurations. ROM may provide storage for data, including, in this application, storage of addresses, routes, and driving directions.

[0134] BCM140 can provide ECU138 with information such as vehicle engine status, speed, gear position, steering wheel angle, etc.

[0135] The vehicle interacts with external sensors, other vehicles, other computer systems, or users via peripheral devices 108. Peripheral devices 108 may include a wireless communication system 146, a navigation system 148, a microphone 150, and / or a speaker 152. In some embodiments, peripheral devices 108 provide a means for the vehicle user to interact with user interface 116. For example, navigation system 148 may be implemented as part of an in-vehicle entertainment system, an in-vehicle display system, an in-vehicle instrument cluster, or the like. In one embodiment, navigation system 148 is implemented to include or collaborate with sensor system 104, which derives the vehicle's current geographic location in real time or substantially real time. Navigation system 148 is configured to provide navigation data to the vehicle's driver. The navigation data may include the vehicle's location data, suggested route planning driving instructions, and visible map information for the vehicle operator. Navigation system 148 may present this location data to the vehicle's driver via a display element or other presentation device. The current location of the vehicle may be described by one or more of the following: triangulated location, latitude / longitude location, x and y coordinates, or any other symbol or measurement indicating the geographic location of the vehicle.

[0136] The user interface 116 can also operate a navigation system 148 to receive user input. The navigation system 148 can be operated via a touch screen. The navigation system 148 provides route planning and navigation capabilities when the user enters geographic location values ​​for the starting and ending points. In other cases, the peripheral device 108 can provide a means for the vehicle to communicate with other devices located within the vehicle. For example, the microphone 150 can receive audio (e.g., voice commands or other audio input) from the user of the vehicle. Similarly, the speaker 152 can output audio to the user of the vehicle. The wireless communication system 146 can wirelessly communicate with one or more devices directly or via a communication network. For example, the wireless communication system 146 can use 3G cellular communication, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), EVDO, global system for mobile communications (GSM) / general packet radio service (GPRS), or 4G cellular communication, such as long term evolution (LTE), or 5G cellular communication. The wireless communication system 146 can use WiFi to communicate with a wireless local area network (WLAN). In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 146 may utilize infrared links, Bluetooth, or ZigBee to communicate directly with devices. Other wireless protocols, such as various vehicle communication systems, may be used. For example, the wireless communication system 146 may include one or more dedicated short range communications (DSRC) devices that may enable public and / or private data communications between vehicles and / or roadside stations.

[0137] Power source 110 can provide power to various components of the vehicle. In one embodiment, power source 110 can be a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, a lead-acid battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, a hydrogen fuel cell, or other novel battery types. One or more battery packs of such batteries can be configured as a power source to provide power to various components of the vehicle. In some embodiments, power source 110 and energy source 119 can be implemented together, such as in the case of some fully electric vehicles.

[0138] Alternatively, one or more of the above components may be installed or associated separately from the vehicle. For example, the memory 1382 may be partially or completely separate from the vehicle. The above components may be communicatively coupled together in a wired and / or wireless manner.

[0139] Optionally, the above components are only an example. In actual applications, the components in the above modules may be added or deleted according to actual needs. Figure 1 should not be understood as a limitation to the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] The above-mentioned vehicles can be cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, boats, lawn mowers, recreational vehicles, amusement park vehicles, construction equipment, trams, golf carts, and carts, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make special limitations.

[0141] The above describes the architecture diagram of the system applicable to the embodiment of the present application in combination with Figure 1. In order to better understand the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, the research ideas of the technical solution described in the present application are specifically explained below.

[0142] Currently, when a vehicle is used in a smart gear shifting scenario, gear prediction is based on the location of obstacles. For example, if there is an obstacle in front of the vehicle, the vehicle's gear position is predicted to be reverse. Another example is if there is an obstacle behind the vehicle, the vehicle's gear position is predicted to be forward. However, in real-world applications, the roads the vehicle navigates are complex, and simply predicting the gear position based on the location of obstacles can be inaccurate.

[0143] In response to the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a gear prediction method, which predicts the gear of a terminal device by classifying obstacles around the terminal device, thereby improving the accuracy of gear prediction.

[0144] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a control method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method can be executed by a control device / terminal device, or by a component of the control device / terminal device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.). The control device can be a control element inside the terminal device (for example, the control system, sensor system, etc. in the vehicle of Figure 1), or it can be an external control device independent of the terminal device. The terminal device can be a carrier device with a gear, for example, a vehicle, robot, unmanned aircraft, ship, boat, or other mobile device. The method may include steps 201 and 202. Steps 201 and 202 are described in detail below, taking the execution of the method by a terminal device as an example.

[0145] Step 201: Obtain obstacle information.

[0146] The terminal device first obtains obstacle information, which includes the location information of the obstacle and the classification of the obstacle. The classification of the obstacle includes static obstacles or dynamic obstacles.

[0147] The location information of the obstacle may be the relative position (eg, distance, relative coordinates) between the terminal device and the obstacle, or the location coordinates of the obstacle, etc. In addition, the obstacle may be an obstacle within the scanning range of the terminal device.

[0148] Optionally, the terminal device can detect obstacles around the terminal device using the sensor system or peripheral devices shown in Figure 1. For example, obstacle information can be detected within a range of X meters in front of and behind the terminal device and Y meters to the left and right of the terminal device, where X and Y are real numbers and can be equal or unequal. For example, if X = Y, the aforementioned range is a circle. That is, obstacle information around the terminal device is scanned with a radius of X meters.

[0149] In addition, for the description of dynamic obstacles and static obstacles, please refer to the description in the aforementioned glossary, which will not be repeated here.

[0150] Optionally, the obstacle information may further include the obstacle's size, dimensions, outline, speed (or movement speed), posture, movement direction trend, obstacle change information, and parking space-related limiters. The obstacle change information includes at least one of the following: obstacle movement trend, dynamic indication information of the obstacle (e.g., changes in traffic light status, changes in traffic light countdown, changes in turn signals of surrounding vehicles, changes in sirens of surrounding vehicles (e.g., sirens of ambulances and fire trucks), etc.), and the movement trend or dynamic indication information affects the passability of the terminal device.

[0151] For example, the terminal device may call an Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) interface to obtain obstacle information in front of, behind, and on both sides of the terminal device.

[0152] In addition, the moment of obtaining obstacle information in this step can be after triggering the predicted gear or before triggering the predicted gear. It can be identified when the predicted gear function is not triggered, so that the accuracy of gear prediction can be improved when the gear prediction function is triggered.

[0153] For example, for obstacles that are difficult to identify, such as limiters in parking spaces, the terminal device can identify the limiters and record their positions before or during parking, thereby facilitating the prediction of the gear position when subsequently leaving the parking space.

[0154] Step 202: predict the first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information.

[0155] After the terminal device obtains the obstacle information, it can predict the first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information. The first gear position is used to represent whether the terminal device is moving forward, moving backward, or parking.

[0156] The gears (including the first gear and the subsequent second gear) in the embodiment of the present application include at least one of the following: forward gear (e.g., D gear), reverse gear (e.g., R gear), parking gear (e.g., P gear), etc. Among them, the forward gear is used for the terminal device to move forward, the reverse gear is used for the terminal device to move backward, and the parking gear is used for parking, or it can be understood as preventing the terminal device from moving. Alternatively, it can be understood that the forward gear can control the terminal device to move forward, the reverse gear can control the terminal device to move backward, and the parking gear prevents the terminal device from slipping. It can be understood that the gears can also include neutral gear (e.g., N gear), driving gear (S gear), etc.

[0157] Exemplarily, the following describes how to predict the first gear of the terminal device based on the location and classification of the obstacle with reference to Table 1.

[0158] Table 1

[0159] Among them, the description of dynamic obstacles A and dynamic obstacles B can refer to the description in the aforementioned glossary and will not be repeated here. It can be seen that when there are no obstacles in front of and behind the terminal device, the first gear is predicted to be the forward gear. When there is no obstacle in front of the terminal device and an obstacle is behind it, the first gear is predicted to be the forward gear. When there is a dynamic obstacle in front of the terminal device, the first gear is predicted to be the forward gear. When there are dynamic obstacles both in front of and behind the terminal device, the first gear is predicted to be the forward gear.

[0160] For example, an example of a dynamic obstacle in front of the terminal device is shown in FIG3 .

[0161] It is understandable that in general driving habits, forward driving takes precedence over backward driving. Therefore, if there is a dynamic obstacle ahead, you can wait until the dynamic obstacle moves away from the front of the terminal device before using the forward gear to drive forward. Alternatively, when there is a dynamic obstacle ahead, you can first engage the forward gear, and then trigger forward driving after the dynamic obstacle in front no longer affects the forward driving of the terminal device. Of course, during the forward driving process, in addition to considering the movement of the dynamic obstacle, you can also combine the steering wheel control to ensure that the terminal device is not affected by the dynamic obstacle.

[0162] Optionally, when the obstacle information includes obstacle change information, this step specifically includes at least one of the following:

[0163] If the change information does not affect the passability of the terminal device, it is predicted that the first gear is the forward gear.

[0164] If the change information affects the terminal device's passability before the first moment and does not affect passability after the second moment, the gear is predicted to be the forward gear, and the vehicle proceeds forward in the forward gear after the second moment. Alternatively, the second information at the first moment and the third information at the second moment are determined, the second information affects the terminal device's passability; the third information does not affect the terminal device's passability; and the difference between the first and second moments is within a preset range; based on the second and third information, the first gear is predicted to be the forward gear. After the second moment, the vehicle proceeds forward in the forward gear.

[0165] For example, if there's a vehicle in front of the terminal device and its turn signal indicates a right turn, this indicates the vehicle in front of the terminal device is about to turn right, so the forward gear can be predicted first without affecting the terminal device's driving. By incorporating information about changing obstacles, obstacles can be prevented from constantly affecting the terminal device's gear prediction, improving the predicted gear to better suit driving habits in certain scenarios.

[0166] For example, an obstacle around a terminal device may initially affect its passage. However, based on the obstacle's movement trend, it can be determined that the obstacle will not affect the terminal's passage. Therefore, the first gear can be predicted to be forward, allowing the terminal to drive in forward gear after it no longer affects passage, thereby improving response efficiency.

[0167] On the one hand, the aforementioned consideration of obstacle changes during gear prediction improves safety when using the predicted gear. On the other hand, considering obstacle changes during gear prediction can initially affect traffic flow but not subsequently affect traffic flow. This allows the forward gear to be predicted in advance, allowing for driving in forward gear after traffic flow is no longer affected, improving response efficiency.

[0168] In an embodiment of the present application, compared with the prior art in which gear prediction is performed only based on the position of obstacles, the present application predicts the first gear of the terminal device by classifying obstacles around the terminal device, which can improve the accuracy of gear prediction.

[0169] In addition, in order to improve the safety of the terminal device after driving in gear and the accuracy of gear prediction, when predicting the gear, in addition to considering the classification of obstacles, at least one of the following can also be considered: traffic rules, traffic instructions, road topology information where the terminal device is located, passability, environmental information, etc.

[0170] The above-mentioned traffic indication information is used to indicate the normal passage of traffic, and may specifically include: traffic lights, signs (such as one-way signs, speed limit signs, triangle signs, etc.), limiters (such as dampers in parking garages, reflective stickers, etc.), etc. Road topology information includes the type of road where the terminal device is located, such as one-way street, two-way street, N lane, left turn lane, right turn lane, straight lane, and turn lane light. Passability is used to describe whether the terminal device is blocked by obstacles during forward or backward travel. Environmental information includes: brightness outside the vehicle, weather, visibility information, outdoor temperature, etc.

[0171] For example, the brightness unit may be nits, etc. There are various ways to determine visibility information, including time-based determination (e.g., high visibility outside the vehicle during the day and low visibility outside the vehicle at night), driver operation-based determination (e.g., low visibility outside the vehicle for a myopic driver and high visibility outside the vehicle for a driver with normal vision), and weather-based determination (e.g., low visibility outside the vehicle during a thunderstorm and high visibility outside the vehicle on a sunny day), etc., which are not specifically limited here.

[0172] It is understandable that the above items can be combined with each other. For example, the terminal device can predict the gear position based on obstacle classification and traffic regulations. For another example, the terminal device can predict the gear position based on obstacle classification and traffic instruction information. For another example, the terminal device can predict the gear position based on obstacle classification and road topology information where the terminal device is located. For another example, the terminal device can predict the gear position based on obstacle classification and trafficability. For another example, the terminal device can predict the gear position based on obstacle classification and environmental information. For another example, the terminal device can predict the gear position based on obstacle classification, trafficability, and traffic instruction information, etc.

[0173] In one possible implementation, the gear shift prediction based on obstacle information and passability can be illustrated in Figure 4. In addition to considering the obstacle classification, the gear shift prediction process can also take into account the passability of the terminal device. Specifically, the embodiment shown in Figure 2 can also include determining the passability of the terminal device, and step 202 can specifically include predicting the gear shift based on the obstacle information and passability.

[0174] Another gear prediction method provided by the example of the present application is described below in conjunction with Figure 4. The method can be executed by a control device / terminal device, or by a component of the control device / terminal device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.). The control device can be a control element inside the terminal device (for example, the control system, sensor system, etc. in the vehicle of Figure 1), or it can be an external control device independent of the terminal device. The terminal device can be a traversable or moving device such as a vehicle or a robot. The method can include steps 401 to 403. Steps 401 to 403 are described in detail below using the method executed by a terminal device as an example.

[0175] Step 401: Obtain obstacle information.

[0176] This step 401 is similar to step 201 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , and will not be described again here.

[0177] Step 402: Determine the accessibility of the terminal device.

[0178] The terminal device obtains passability, which is used to describe whether the terminal device is blocked by obstacles during forward or backward movement.

[0179] Optionally, the terminal device first obtains its own first parameter and obtains the spatial position relationship between the terminal device and the obstacle, and then determines the passability based on the first parameter and the spatial position relationship.

[0180] The first parameter includes at least one of the following: the dimensions of the terminal device, a turning radius, etc. The dimensions mentioned above refer to at least one of the following: the length, width, height, volume, etc. of the terminal device. Spatial position relationship can also be understood as parameters of the space surrounding the terminal device, such as the clearance space in front, behind, left, and right of the terminal device.

[0181] In the embodiments of the present application, determining the passability of a terminal device may refer to determining the impact of obstacles in front of and behind the terminal device on the passability of the terminal device. It is understood that if the obstacle is a dynamic obstacle, the passability determination may be dynamic. Alternatively, it may be understood as dynamically detecting the obstacle. For example, a dynamic obstacle may not initially affect the passability of the terminal device, but later on, the dynamic obstacle does affect the passability of the terminal device. For another example, a dynamic obstacle may initially affect the passability of the terminal device, but later, the dynamic obstacle does not affect the passability of the terminal device.

[0182] The passability in the embodiment of the present application may refer to whether the terminal device is obstructed by obstacles during forward or backward movement, or whether the terminal device can pass forward or backward, or the forward or backward passage trajectory, etc., which is not limited here.

[0183] Step 403: predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on the obstacle information and the trafficability.

[0184] After the terminal device obtains the obstacle information and the passability, it predicts the first gear of the terminal device based on the obstacle information and the passability. The description of the gear can refer to the description of the embodiment shown in Figure 2 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0185] Optionally, predicting the first gear of the terminal device based on obstacle information and trafficability specifically includes: predicting the first gear based on trafficability when there is a static obstacle in front of the terminal device.

[0186] For example, similar to the aforementioned Table 1, the following is combined with Table 2 to illustrate how to predict the first gear of the terminal device based on obstacle information and trafficability.

[0187] Table 2

[0188] If there are no obstacles in front of or behind the terminal device, the first gear is predicted to be forward. If there are no obstacles in front of the terminal device but an obstacle behind it, the first gear is predicted to be forward. If there is a dynamic obstacle in front of the terminal device, the first gear is predicted to be forward. If there are dynamic obstacles in front of and behind the terminal device, the first gear is predicted to be forward. In addition, if there is a static obstacle in front of the terminal device, the first gear is further predicted based on the trafficability.

[0189] For example, the situation where there are static obstacles both in front and behind the terminal device is shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5 (a), the distance between the terminal device and the static obstacle in front is less than the distance between the terminal device and the static obstacle behind. Based on the trafficability assessment, it can be predicted that the first gear is the reverse gear, that is, the parking space can be exited by reverse and turning the wheel right. As shown in Figure 5 (b), the distance between the terminal device and the static obstacle in front is greater than the distance between the terminal device and the static obstacle behind. Based on the trafficability assessment, it can be predicted that the first gear is the forward gear, that is, the parking space can be exited by forward and turning the wheel right. As shown in Figure 5 (c), the distance between the terminal device and the static obstacle in front is similar to the distance between the terminal device and the static obstacle behind. Based on the trafficability assessment, it can be predicted that the first gear is the reverse gear first, and then the first gear is predicted to be the forward gear. In other words, if the parking space cannot be exited once, the vehicle will first reverse, and then exit the space by forward and turning the wheel right. If the vehicle cannot exit the space multiple times, the vehicle will first reverse, and then exit the space by reverse and turning the wheel right after multiple times.

[0190] For example, an example of a static obstacle in front of a terminal device is shown in Figure 6. Based on the trafficability, the terminal device can move forward to the right to avoid the static obstacle. The first gear is predicted to be the forward gear, and the steering wheel is turned right to avoid the static obstacle and move forward.

[0191] It is understandable that if there is a dynamic obstacle ahead of the vehicle, the obstacle may not initially affect the vehicle's passage, and the predicted gear may be forward. However, after a period of time (e.g., milliseconds or seconds), the dynamic obstacle may affect the vehicle's passage, and the predicted gear may be reverse. In other words, the predicted first gear can be dynamically changed in real time based on the movement of the dynamic obstacle, thereby ensuring the safety of the vehicle during movement.

[0192] Of course, if the terminal device cannot pass, it can be predicted that the first gear is in parking gear (such as P gear). The driver can also be informed of the impassable situation and surrounding obstacles in an audio-visual manner to prevent traffic accidents.

[0193] Optionally, after the terminal device determines the first gear, it can present the first gear to the user (such as the driver or passenger, etc.). The presentation method can be voice or image, etc., which is not limited here. If the presentation method is voice, the prompt sound for the forward gear and the prompt sound for the reverse gear can be different, and then the driver can determine the current predicted gear result based on the different prompt sounds. If the presentation method is image, the current predicted gear result can be prompted by displaying arrows, text, etc. The display location of the image can be a central control screen (such as shown in Figure 7), an instrument panel or a projection, etc. Of course, after determining the passing route, the driver can be prompted in an audio-visual manner to a safer passing route. For example, as shown in Figure 6, after the terminal device determines that the first gear is the forward gear, after determining the passing route based on the trafficability, the driver is prompted through the central control screen: it is recommended to drive to the right front. For another example, as shown in Figure 8A, after the terminal device determines the passing route based on the trafficability, it is recommended to reverse first and then drive to the right front.

[0194] In the embodiments of the present application, on the one hand, considering accessibility during the gear prediction process can make the predicted gear more accurate. On the other hand, compared with the prior art, when there are obstacles in front and behind the vehicle, the predicted gear is the forward gear. If there are children in the blind spot of the vehicle, it will cause serious safety accidents. By introducing accessibility, the embodiments of the present application can reduce safety accidents caused by children in the blind spots of the front and rear of the terminal device, thereby improving the safety of the terminal device during driving.

[0195] In another possible implementation, the gear position is predicted based on obstacle information and traffic indication information.

[0196] For example, traffic indication information includes traffic lights. As shown in FIG8B , when the terminal device is at a red light and the vehicle ahead of the terminal device is also waiting for a red light, the terminal device can predict that the first gear is the forward gear based on the green indicator light and the vehicle ahead, thereby complying with driving habits and traffic regulations.

[0197] Compared with the method in the prior art of predicting the reverse gear position when there is an obstacle ahead, the above-mentioned method of predicting the gear position is more in line with driving habits and traffic regulations.

[0198] For another example, if the traffic sign information includes a damper on a parking space, as shown in FIG8C , the terminal device can record the damper's position when it can detect the damper, so that the terminal device can consider the damper's position when predicting gear shifts. For example, the damper can be identified and its position recorded before or during backing into a parking space. When predicting the gear position when leaving the parking space, although it may be difficult to identify the damper, the gear position can be predicted based on the previously recorded position. For example, due to the right damper at the lower rear of the vehicle, it can be determined that the first gear is the forward gear.

[0199] Compared to existing technologies, the damper cannot be identified when the vehicle is started from a parking space, which affects the accuracy of the gear prediction. For example, if the damper is not identified and the reverse gear is predicted, the damper will cause obstruction to the vehicle's passage after activation, or even cause bumps.

[0200] In addition, in order to improve the driving impact caused by the starting of the terminal device, the driving torque of the terminal device can be reduced when idling and creeping in the forward gear or when accelerating to start, thereby reducing the driving impact when accelerating away and improving driving safety. The following describes a starting method provided by an example of the present application in conjunction with Figure 9. The method can be executed by a control device / terminal device, or by a component of the control device / terminal device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.). The control device can be a control element inside the terminal device (for example, a control system, a sensor system, etc. in the vehicle of Figure 1), or an external control device independent of the terminal device. The terminal device can be a movable device such as a vehicle or a robot. The method can include steps 901 to 903. The following describes steps 901 to 903 in detail using the example of the method being executed by the terminal device. In addition, the embodiment shown in Figure 9 can be used in conjunction with the embodiment shown in Figure 2 above, or in conjunction with the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, and the specific details are not limited here.

[0201] Step 901: Determine to use the first gear based on a first operation of the driver.

[0202] After predicting the first gear, the terminal device may present the first gear, receive a first operation, respond to the first operation, and determine to use the first gear.

[0203] The method for presenting the first gear can refer to the description of the embodiment of FIG4 above and will not be repeated here. The first operation can be a click (for example, a click on the central control screen or a button on the steering wheel), a slide, a voice input (for example, confirming that the gear is the forward gear), etc., and the specific operation is not limited here.

[0204] For example, the driver can confirm the use of first gear by clicking or sliding on the central control screen. The driver can also confirm the use of first gear by voice. Of course, to improve the safety of using first gear, the driver's voiceprint information can be pre-stored and the first gear is confirmed only after receiving the first operation that matches the driver's voiceprint information. If it is a child's joke, it can be ignored.

[0205] Of course, if the driver thinks the predicted first gear is not suitable, he or she can also manually adjust the gear (for example, manually correct it through the central control screen or steering wheel buttons), which is not limited here.

[0206] In step 902 of the embodiment of the present application, it is determined that the driving torque of the terminal device is less than a first threshold.

[0207] The terminal device determines that the driving torque is less than or equal to a first threshold value, where the first threshold value is a factory threshold value of the terminal device or a starting torque of the terminal device when the gear is physically engaged.

[0208] Physically engaging a gear can be understood as closing the drive control circuit, while non-physical engaging a gear can be understood as not closing the drive control circuit. First gear can be understood as the gear predicted by intelligent gear selection, while the gear selected by the driver using the gear lever can also be understood as the gear selected by the driver.

[0209] In addition, the factory threshold may be set differently by different manufacturers. Alternatively, it can be understood that by controlling the driving torque to be less than the factory threshold, the driving shock during subsequent acceleration and departure can be reduced.

[0210] Optionally, the driving torque is 1 / N of the first threshold, where N is an integer greater than 1.

[0211] Optionally, the driving torque is the normal torque of the vehicle when it is physically engaged in gear multiplied by a coefficient. The coefficient is between 0 and 1 and can be set according to actual needs. The specific coefficient is not limited here.

[0212] Optionally, the driving torque may also be related to at least one of the following: a first distance, environmental information; the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and an obstacle on the predicted route traveling in the first gear; the environmental information includes at least one of the following: ambient brightness outside the terminal device, visibility information, and weather information.

[0213] The obstacle information further includes at least one of the following: a speed of the collision obstacle, a second distance between the collision obstacle and the terminal device, and a predicted collision moment between the terminal device and the collision obstacle;

[0214] Determining that the driving torque of the terminal device is less than a first threshold includes:

[0215] When a first condition is satisfied, determining that the driving torque is less than a first threshold;

[0216] The first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0217] The moving speed is less than or equal to the second threshold; the collision time is greater than or equal to the third threshold;

[0218] The second distance is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold;

[0219] The difference between the first throttle opening and closing rate and the second throttle opening and closing rate is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value, the first throttle opening and closing rate is a historical throttle opening and closing rate collected before predicting the first gear, and the second throttle opening and closing rate is a throttle opening and closing rate collected after predicting the first gear.

[0220] For example, when visibility outside the vehicle is low, it can be determined that a driving torque less than a first threshold is used, or that the driving torque is smaller. For another example, the smaller the speed of the collision obstacle, the smaller the driving torque is used. For another example, the greater the difference between the predicted collision moment and the current moment, the smaller the driving torque is used. For another example, the greater the distance between the collision obstacle and the terminal device, the smaller the driving torque is used. For another example, if the driver's historical throttle opening and closing rate in similar historical scenarios is significantly different from the current throttle opening and closing rate, indicating that the situation is abnormal, it can be determined that a smaller driving torque is used.

[0221] Optionally, if there are multiple obstacles with collision risks, it is also possible to choose to use a larger driving torque to travel in the direction of the obstacle with smaller risk according to the size of the risk, thereby reducing the risk loss when the collision risk cannot be avoided.

[0222] For example, as shown in Figure 10A, in a scenario where a terminal device is making a U-turn or right turn, there is a fast-moving obstacle 1 in front of the right side of the terminal device, and a stationary or slower-moving obstacle 2 behind the terminal device. Assuming that the terminal device cannot make a U-turn or right turn all at once and needs to adjust forward or backward, if the terminal device predicts that the first gear is the reverse gear, the terminal device can use the driving torque to move backward, reducing the risk of collision with the fast-moving obstacle 1 and choosing to move toward the obstacle 2 with a lower risk cost.

[0223] In addition, the visibility outside the vehicle can be displayed to the driver, so that the driver can understand the current visibility outside the vehicle and decide the next driving behavior (for example, adjusting the driving torque based on the visibility outside the vehicle, determining to use the predicted gear for driving based on the visibility outside the vehicle, etc.).

[0224] Step 903: driving the terminal device based on the first gear and torque.

[0225] After the terminal device determines the gear position and driving torque, it drives the terminal device based on the gear position and torque.

[0226] Optionally, in the case where the terminal device is a vehicle, the vehicle may be driven by the traveling system in the architecture shown in FIG1 .

[0227] For example, assuming the terminal device is a vehicle, the process of this step can also be referred to Figure 10B. After the driver releases the brake and starts, the terminal device determines whether to automatically engage a gear. If so, the vehicle idles at creep speed (torque is normal torque × coefficient), and when the driver presses the accelerator to start and accelerate away, the driving torque is limited to normal torque × coefficient. If not, the vehicle creeps normally and starts and accelerates away normally when the driver presses the accelerator.

[0228] For example, a schematic diagram of the driving torque and speed of a fuel vehicle is shown in FIG10C . It can be seen that the driving torque of a fuel vehicle increases directly from 100 Nm to more than 200 Nm when the speed is between 1000 rpm and 2000 rpm. This results in excessive starting torque for fuel vehicles. However, the present application reduces the problem of excessive starting torque by introducing a coefficient, so that when the driver steps on the accelerator to start, the vehicle will not have too much forward impact. The schematic diagram of the starting torque and speed of new energy vehicles is shown in FIG10D . It can be seen that the starting torque of new energy vehicles is greater than that of fuel vehicles, and can reach more than 400 Nm at 0 speed, which makes the starting driving impact of new energy vehicles greater. However, the present application reduces the problem of excessive starting torque by introducing a coefficient, so that when the driver steps on the accelerator to start, the vehicle will not have too much forward impact.

[0229] In the embodiments of the present application, compared to the prior art where the user presses the brakes to predict and display the gear position, if the user releases the brakes and presses the accelerator, poor throttle control can cause a jerky start, affecting ride comfort and safety. In particular, prior art electric vehicles start quickly, making them more susceptible to driving shock. The embodiments of the present application, by reducing the driving torque during idling creep and the driving torque during acceleration and pull-off, achieve both the driving response expected of an automatic transmission vehicle and the reduced driving shock during acceleration and pull-off, thereby improving driving safety.

[0230] In addition, the driver's intention to shift gears, the driver's state and the vehicle state can also be detected, and smart shifting can be triggered when the conditions are met, thereby improving the reliability and safety of triggering smart shifting. The following describes a gear prediction method provided by an example of the present application in conjunction with Figure 11. The method can be executed by a control device / terminal device, or by a component of a control device / terminal device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.). The control device can be a control element inside the terminal device (for example, a control system, a sensor system, etc. in the vehicle of Figure 1), or an external control device independent of the terminal device. The terminal device can be a traversable device such as a vehicle or a robot. The method can include steps 1101 to 1105. The following describes steps 1101 to 1105 in detail using the example of the method being executed by a terminal device. In addition, the embodiment shown in Figure 11 can be combined with the embodiment shown in Figure 2, or with the embodiment shown in Figure 4, or with the embodiment shown in Figure 9, and the specific details are not limited here.

[0231] Step 1101: Determine whether the driver intends to shift gears.

[0232] Before the terminal device determines to enable the intelligent gear shifting function, the terminal device determines that the driver has the intention to shift gears.

[0233] In the embodiment of the present application, there are many ways to determine whether the driver intends to shift gears. It can be determined by the driver's voice input such as "turn on the intelligent driving function" (i.e., software switch method), or it can be determined by the driver using the central control screen, steering wheel buttons / paddles, etc. (i.e., hardware switch method), or it can be determined by detecting the first pressure or the first stroke (the first stroke is the stroke of the control pedal in the terminal device), etc., and the specifics are not limited here.

[0234] Optionally, the terminal device determines whether there is an intention to shift gear based on whether a second condition is met. The second condition includes: a first pressure / first stroke of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a second threshold. The first pressure may include at least one of the following: brake pressure, accelerator pressure, etc. The control pedal may include at least one of the following: a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, the depth of a physical control button, etc.

[0235] Optionally, the second condition also includes the first pressure lasting longer than or equal to a preset duration. To reduce accidental braking, the duration of the first pressure can be used to determine whether to trigger the smart shift. This prevents children from accidentally pressing the brake pedal while playing in the car, thereby preventing the smart shift from being triggered, thus improving safety.

[0236] Furthermore, the terminal device may also present first information, which is used to dynamically present the first pressure, so that the driver can determine the amplitude change of the first pressure or the distance change of the first stroke (also called depth change) based on the first information.

[0237] For example, as shown in FIG12A , an example of the second condition is that the brake pressure is collected within a preset period, and when a value exceeding a second preset threshold (i.e., P threshold ) and maintains a high-level signal for a period greater than or equal to a preset time (i.e., Δt = t2 - t1 ≥ τ), it is determined that the driver intends to shift gears rather than accidentally touching the gear. The preset period, second preset threshold, and preset time can be set according to actual needs. For example, the preset period is 10 milliseconds, the second preset threshold is 1 / 2 or 1 / 3 of the maximum pressure value, and the preset time is 0.3 seconds, 0.5 seconds, 0.7 seconds, etc.

[0238] For example, while displaying the predicted first gear to the user, the brake pressure information can also be dynamically displayed to help the user clearly understand when to trigger the gear shift prediction. Taking Figure 7 as an example, referring to Figure 12B , 1201 is used to display brake pressure information, and 1202 dynamically changes based on the brake pressure information as the driver steps on the brake component, allowing the driver to clearly understand the current brake pressure information changes based on 1202.

[0239] In this case, on the one hand, real-time brake pressure information can be displayed, which is safer than the existing method where the driver can only judge based on experience. On the other hand, combined with the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the driver can clearly know when to trigger the start, reducing the driving shock caused by excessive drive torque due to factors such as pressing the wrong pedal in the existing technology.

[0240] Step 1102: Obtain the user's first status information. This step is optional.

[0241] Optionally, the terminal device obtains the first status information of the user, where the user includes at least one of the following: driver, passenger, and the first status information includes at least one of the following: sitting posture, head position, line of sight, eyelid opening, hand position, age, etc.

[0242] Optionally, the terminal device may obtain the first status information through a driver monitoring system (DMS).

[0243] For example, when the terminal device is a vehicle, the terminal device may collect the first state information according to the sensor system in the architecture of FIG. 1 .

[0244] Step 1103: Acquire second status information of the terminal device component. This step is optional.

[0245] Optionally, the terminal device obtains second status information of a component, where the component includes at least one of the following: a fuel tank cap, an engine hood, a luggage compartment, a trunk, a door, a seat belt, etc., and the second status information includes closed or disconnected.

[0246] Step 1104: Determine whether to use the smart gear shifting function based on the first status information and / or the second status information. This step is optional.

[0247] Optionally, after obtaining the first status information and / or the second status information, the terminal device determines whether to use the smart gear shift function based on the first status information and / or the second status information. This can also be understood as whether to activate the smart gear shift function.

[0248] For example, in the case where step 1102 is included, this step is to determine whether to use the smart gear shift function based on the first state information. For another example, in the case where step 1103 is included, this step is to determine whether to use the smart gear shift function based on the second state information. For another example, in the case where step 1102 and step 1103 are included, this step is to determine whether to use the smart gear shift function based on the first state information and the second state information.

[0249] Optionally, if the first state information satisfies a first preset condition and the second state information satisfies a second preset condition, it is determined that the smart gear shift function is enabled. Alternatively, if the first state information satisfies the first preset condition, it is determined that the smart gear shift function is enabled. Alternatively, if the second state information satisfies the second preset condition, it is determined that the smart gear shift function is enabled.

[0250] Corresponding to the above, if the first state information does not meet the first preset condition and the second state information does not meet the second preset condition, it is determined that the smart gear shifting function is not enabled. Alternatively, if the first state information does not meet the first preset condition, it is determined that the smart gear shifting function is not enabled. Alternatively, if the second state information does not meet the second preset condition, it is determined that the smart gear shifting function is not enabled.

[0251] Among them, the first state information that meets the first preset condition includes at least one of the following: the driver's age is greater than the preset age (for example, 18 years old), the driver's head position is within the first interval, the driver's head posture is within the second interval, the driver's eyelid opening is greater than or equal to the preset opening, whether the driver's hands are on the steering wheel (or understood as the driver holding the steering wheel), the passenger is sitting on the seat, the passenger is wearing a seat belt, the passenger's body (such as head, hands, etc.) is not leaning out of the window, etc. The second state information that meets the second preset condition includes at least one of the following: the fuel tank cap is closed, the hood is closed, the luggage compartment is closed, the trunk is closed, the door is closed, the seat belt is closed (or understood as the seat belt is fastened), etc. Among them, the eyelid can also be understood as the eyelid. The eyelid opening represents the average value of the distance between the upper eyelid and the lower eyelid over a period of time. Or it can be understood that the eyelid opening represents the opening and closing size of the eyelid or the average value of the degree of eyelid opening over a period of time.

[0252] For example, a schematic diagram of the head position and head posture described above is shown in FIG13 , where a coordinate system is constructed with the driver's nose as the origin. This coordinate system includes an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. The Y-axis is the driver's lateral symmetry axis (or understood as the driver's front and back), the X-axis is an axis perpendicular to the Z-axis and Y-axis, respectively (or understood as the driver's left and right), and the Z-axis is an axis perpendicular to the plane where the driver is located (or understood as the driver's up and down). Yaw angular velocity (Yaw) refers to the driver's deflection around the vertical axis (i.e., the Z-axis), and the magnitude of this deflection represents the driver's stability. Pitch angular velocity (Pitch) refers to the driver's deflection around the Y-axis. Roll angle (Roll) refers to the driver's deflection around the X-axis. The driver's head position being within the first interval can be understood as the driver's head position being within the first interval when the driver's head position is within the normal driving range. The driver's head posture being within the second interval can be understood as the driver's head angles in three directions being within the three angle intervals (i.e., the second interval) when the driver's head position is within the normal driving range. The eyelid opening can also be understood as the eyelid closure degree. The driver's eyelid opening being greater than or equal to the preset opening can be understood as a judgment as to whether the driver is ready to drive the terminal device normally.

[0253] Step 1105: predict the first gear position of the terminal device.

[0254] This step may have multiple situations, such as predicting the first gear position when it is determined in step 1101 that the driver intends to shift gears, or predicting the gear position of the terminal device when it is determined that a smart shift operation is to be used.

[0255] Alternatively, the first gear position may be predicted based on the obstacle information when the smart gear shifting function is enabled. For example, the terminal device may be triggered to predict the first gear position only after the user has enabled the smart gear shifting function. Of course, the triggering of the terminal device to predict the first gear position may also be determined in combination with steps 1101 to 1104 described above.

[0256] Among them, the method for predicting the first gear can be the method of the embodiment shown in Figure 2 above, or the method of the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, or the method of combining the embodiment shown in Figure 2 above with the embodiment shown in Figure 9, or the method of combining the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above with the embodiment shown in Figure 9, etc., and the specific details are not limited here.

[0257] The method provided in this embodiment may include step 1101 and step 1105; it may also include steps 1101 to 1105; it may also include steps 1101, 1102, 1103 and 1105; it may also include steps 1101, 1102, 1104 and 1105, etc., and the specific details are not limited here.

[0258] In the embodiment of the present application, compared with the existing smart gear shifting technology with a single triggering condition (i.e., the triggering condition is only triggered by the driver stepping on the brake or the accelerator), the reliability and safety are not high enough. Reduce the situation where children may unconsciously step on the brake pedal when playing in the car and mistakenly trigger the smart gear shifting function. The embodiment of the present application sets safer smart gear shifting triggering conditions: detecting the vehicle status (fuel tank, hood, luggage compartment, door, seat belt), the driver status (adult, sitting position, line of sight, eyelid opening, hands holding the steering wheel), and detecting the intention to shift smart gears (the brake pedal braking pressure is greater than a preset threshold and is maintained for a certain period of time). Thereby improving the safety of triggering smart gear shifting and reducing the occurrence of accidents caused by mistaken triggering of smart gear shifting.

[0259] It should be noted that the embodiments shown in FIG2 , FIG4 , and FIG9 can also be executed by a control device, a cloud device, or other devices. After the control device or cloud device predicts a gear position, it instructs the terminal device to use that gear position for driving. Of course, the driver can also adjust or confirm the predicted gear position according to actual conditions.

[0260] In addition, the aforementioned embodiment may further include the step of dynamically presenting a brake pressure value to the user based on the user's operation, where the operation is the user's braking operation on the brake component in the terminal device.

[0261] The presentation may be a display or a voice broadcast, and an example of displaying the brake pressure data may be as shown in FIG. 12B .

[0262] It is understood that the dynamic presentation of brake pressure values ​​can be applied to any of the embodiments shown in Figures 4, 9, or 11. The dynamic presentation of brake pressure values ​​not only helps users determine whether to trigger smart shifting, but also helps users clearly understand the current braking operation, avoiding confusion between accelerator and brake.

[0263] The gear prediction method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the following scenarios:

[0264] The first one is to prevent the wrong gear shifting.

[0265] In this scenario, after predicting the first gear, the terminal device can also obtain the second gear that is physically engaged. If the second gear is different from the first gear, the vehicle can be driven in the second gear and a prompt message will be displayed. The prompt message can be used to indicate that the second gear is different from the first gear or that the gear is incorrect.

[0266] Physical gear engagement can be understood as the driver control circuit being closed, while non-physical gear engagement can be understood as the driver control circuit being open. First gear can be understood as the gear predicted by intelligent gear selection, and second gear can be understood as the gear selected by the driver using the gear lever.

[0267] In addition, the way of presenting prompt information may include at least one of the following: sound (such as warning sound), vibration (such as steering wheel vibration, physical gear vibration, etc.), display interface (such as central control screen, instrument panel, head-up display, etc.), etc.

[0268] For example, the terminal device predicts that the first gear is forward, but the driver's physical gear is reverse. In this case, after the terminal device predicts the first gear, it compares the driver's physical gear with the predicted gear and presents a prompt to the driver, reducing the risk of the driver engaging the wrong gear and thus improving gear usage safety.

[0269] The second is the anti-collision scenario.

[0270] In this scenario, if a collision warning is issued, the terminal device is driven based on the driving torque less than the first threshold and the predicted first gear. This can reduce the risk of collision by reducing torque and improve driving safety.

[0271] This scenario can also be understood as controlling the driving torque to reduce collision risk or collision losses, such as the shortcomings of the driving torque in the embodiment shown in FIG9 .

[0272] For example, in the scenario shown in FIG10A above, if there are multiple obstacles with collision risks, you can also choose to use a larger driving torque to travel in the direction of the obstacle with smaller risk according to the size of the risk, thereby reducing the risk loss when the collision risk cannot be avoided.

[0273] It is understandable that the above-mentioned scenarios are just examples. In actual applications, there may be other scenarios, which are not specifically limited here.

[0274] The gear prediction method in the embodiment of the present application is described above. The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application is described below. Please refer to Figure 14. An embodiment of the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application includes: a transceiver unit 1401 and a processing unit 1402.

[0275] Transceiver unit 1401 is configured to obtain obstacle information, including obstacle location information and obstacle classification. Processing unit 1402 is configured to predict the first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information. Processing unit 1402 can then set the gear position based on the predicted gear position or use the first gear position for forward or reverse driving or parking. The aforementioned classification includes static obstacles and dynamic obstacles, and the first gear positions include forward, reverse, and park.

[0276] Optionally, processing unit 1402 is further configured to determine that the drive torque of the terminal device is less than a first threshold, where the first threshold is a factory threshold of the terminal device or a starting torque of the terminal device when the terminal device is physically engaged in gear; processing unit 1402 is further configured to drive the terminal device based on the first gear and the torque. Physically engaging a gear can be understood as a closed drive control circuit, and non-physical engaging a gear can be understood as an open drive control circuit.

[0277] Optionally, the driving torque is related to at least one of the following: a first distance, environmental information; the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and an obstacle on the predicted route when the terminal device uses the first gear; the environmental information includes at least one of the following: ambient brightness outside the terminal device, visibility information, and weather information.

[0278] Optionally, the obstacle information further includes: a collision obstacle with which the terminal device has a risk of collision, wherein parameters include at least one of the following: a speed of the collision obstacle, a second distance between the collision obstacle and the terminal device, or a predicted collision moment between the terminal device and the collision obstacle; the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to determine that the driving torque is less than a first threshold when the first condition is met;

[0279] The first condition includes at least one of the following: the moving speed is less than or equal to the second threshold; the collision time is greater than or equal to the third threshold; the second distance is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold; the difference between the first throttle opening and closing rate and the second throttle opening and closing rate is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold, the first throttle opening and closing rate is the historical throttle opening and closing rate collected before the first gear is predicted, and the second throttle opening and closing rate is the throttle opening and closing rate collected after the first gear is predicted.

[0280] Optionally, the above-mentioned processing unit 1402 is also used to determine whether the terminal device meets the second condition, and the second condition includes: the first pressure / first stroke of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the first stroke is the stroke of the control pedal in the terminal device.

[0281] Optionally, the first pressure may include at least one of the following: brake pressure, accelerator pressure, etc. The control pedal may include at least one of the following: brake pedal, accelerator pedal, depth of a physical control button, etc.

[0282] Optionally, the second condition mentioned above also includes: the duration of the first pressure is greater than or equal to a preset duration.

[0283] Optionally, the processing unit 1402 is further configured to present first information, where the first information is configured to dynamically present a first pressure.

[0284] Optionally, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to predict that the first gear is a forward gear when there is a dynamic obstacle in front of the terminal device.

[0285] Optionally, the above-mentioned processing unit 1402 is also used to determine the passability of the terminal device, which is used to describe whether the terminal device is blocked by obstacles during forward or backward driving; the processing unit 1402 is specifically used to predict the first gear based on obstacle information and passability.

[0286] Optionally, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to predict the first gear based on trafficability when there is a static obstacle in front of the terminal device.

[0287] Optionally, the above-mentioned processing unit 1402 is specifically used to obtain a first parameter of the terminal device, and the first parameter includes at least one of the following: the size and turning radius of the terminal device; the processing unit 1402 is specifically used to obtain the spatial position relationship between the terminal device and the obstacle; the processing unit 1402 is specifically used to determine the passability based on the first parameter and the spatial position relationship.

[0288] Optionally, the above-mentioned processing unit 1402 is also used to obtain the second gear of the physical gear; the processing unit 1402 is also used to use the second gear to drive and present a prompt message if the second gear is different from the first gear, and the prompt message is used to prompt that the second gear is different from the first gear.

[0289] Optionally, the above-mentioned processing unit 1402 is also used to drive the terminal device to move based on a driving torque less than a first threshold and a first gear if a collision warning occurs. The first threshold is the factory threshold of the terminal device or the starting torque of the terminal device when it is physically engaged.

[0290] Optionally, the aforementioned obstacle information also includes at least one of the following: obstacle change information and parking space-related limiters. The obstacle change information includes at least one of the following: the obstacle's movement trend and its dynamic indication information. The movement trend or dynamic indication information affects the terminal device's accessibility. Dynamic obstacles include at least one of the following: static objects with dynamic indication information, objects traveling at speeds exceeding a threshold, and moving objects. Static objects with dynamic indication information are classified as dynamic obstacles. For example, if a vehicle in front of the terminal device has its right turn signal flashing, indicating that it is about to turn right, the vehicle can be identified as a dynamic obstacle, thereby improving the accuracy of subsequent gear predictions and driving efficiency.

[0291] Optionally, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to predict that the first gear is a forward gear if the change information does not affect the passability of the terminal device.

[0292] Optionally, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to determine second information at a first moment, where the second information affects the passability of the terminal device; determine third information at a second moment, where the third information does not affect the passability of the terminal device, and the difference between the first moment and the second moment is within a preset range; and predict, based on the second information and the third information, that the first gear is a forward gear. Processing unit 1402 is further configured to drive forward based on the forward gear after the second moment.

[0293] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1401 is further configured to record the position of the limiter before entering the parking space.

[0294] Optionally, the processing unit 1402 is further configured to present the first gear; the transceiver unit 1401 is further configured to receive a first operation; and the processing unit 1402 is further configured to determine to use the first gear in response to the first operation.

[0295] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1401 is further configured to receive a second operation; and the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to predict the first gear position based on the obstacle information in response to the second operation.

[0296] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1401 is further configured to obtain first status information of a user, where the user includes at least one of the following: driver or passenger, and the first status information includes at least one of the following: sitting posture, head position, line of sight, eyelid opening, and hand position. The transceiver unit 1401 is further configured to obtain second status information of a terminal device component, where the component includes at least one of the following: fuel tank cap, engine hood, luggage compartment, door, or seat belt, and the second status information includes whether the component is closed or open. The processing unit 1402 is further configured to determine whether to use the smart gear shifting function based on the first status information and the second status information. Specifically, if the smart gear shifting function is determined to be used, the processing unit 1402 is configured to predict the first gear position based on the obstacle information.

[0297] Optionally, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to determine to use the smart gear shifting function when the first state information satisfies a first preset condition and the second state information satisfies a second preset condition.

[0298] Optionally, the above-mentioned first status information satisfies the first preset condition including at least one of the following: the driver's age is greater than the preset age; the driver's head position is within the first interval; the driver's head posture is within the second interval; the driver's eyelid opening is greater than or equal to the preset opening; whether the driver's hand position is on the steering wheel; the passenger has not left the seat; the passenger's body has not leaned out of the window.

[0299] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the terminal device are similar to those described in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 13 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0300] In this embodiment, compared to prior art methods that predict gear positions based solely on the location of obstacles, processing unit 1402 predicts the first gear position of the terminal device by classifying obstacles around the terminal device, thereby improving gear prediction accuracy. Furthermore, compared to prior art methods that predict the first gear position as forward when there are obstacles both in front of and behind the vehicle, this method also reduces the risk of serious accidents if children are located within the vehicle's blind spot. By introducing trafficability, this embodiment reduces accidents caused by children in the terminal device's front and rear blind spots, thereby improving driving safety. Furthermore, compared to prior art methods that predict and display the gear position after the user applies the brakes, improper throttle control can cause a jerk when the user releases the brakes and applies the accelerator, impacting ride comfort and safety. In particular, prior art electric vehicles have a relatively fast start, making them more susceptible to driving shock. By reducing the driving torque during idling creep and the driving torque during acceleration, this embodiment achieves both the driving response expected of an automatic transmission vehicle and reduced driving shock during acceleration, thereby improving driving safety. On the other hand, compared with the existing smart gear shifting technology, which has a single triggering condition (i.e., it is triggered only by the driver stepping on the brake or the accelerator), the reliability and safety are not high enough. Reduce the situation where children may unconsciously step on the brake pedal when playing in the car and mistakenly trigger the smart gear shifting function. The embodiment of the present application sets safer smart gear shifting triggering conditions: detecting the vehicle status (fuel tank, hood, luggage compartment, door, seat belt), the driver status (adult, sitting position, line of sight, eyelid opening, hands holding the steering wheel), and detecting the intention to shift smart gears (the brake pedal braking pressure is greater than a preset threshold and is maintained for a certain period of time). Thereby improving the safety of triggering smart gear shifting and reducing the occurrence of accidents caused by mistakenly triggering smart gear shifting.

[0301] Referring to FIG. 15 , this application provides a schematic diagram of another terminal device. The terminal device may include a processor 1501, a memory 1502, and a communication port 1503. The processor 1501, the memory 1502, and the communication port 1503 are interconnected via a line. The memory 1502 stores program instructions and data.

[0302] The memory 1502 stores program instructions and data corresponding to the steps executed by the terminal device in the corresponding implementation modes shown in Figures 1 to 13 above.

[0303] Processor 1501 is configured to execute the steps performed by the terminal device as shown in any of the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 13 .

[0304] The communication port 1503 can be used to receive and send data, and to execute the steps related to acquisition, sending, and receiving in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 13 above.

[0305] In one implementation, the terminal device may include more or fewer components relative to those in FIG15 . This application is merely an illustrative description and does not limit this.

[0306] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0307] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0308] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0309] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0310] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A gear prediction method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device, and the method comprises: Obtaining obstacle information, wherein the obstacle information includes location information of the obstacle and classification of the obstacle, wherein the classification of the obstacle includes static obstacles or dynamic obstacles; A first gear position of the terminal device is predicted based on the obstacle information; the first gear position is used to indicate that the terminal device is moving forward, moving backward, or parking.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determining that the driving torque of the terminal device is less than a first threshold, where the first threshold is a factory threshold of the terminal device or a starting torque of the terminal device when the terminal device is physically engaged; The terminal device is driven to travel based on the first gear and the driving torque.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: If a collision warning is detected, the terminal device is driven based on a driving torque less than the first threshold and the first gear.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The driving torque is related to at least one of the following: a first distance and environmental information; the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the obstacle on the predicted route using the first gear; the environmental information includes at least one of the following: ambient brightness, visibility information, and weather information outside the terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The obstacle information further includes at least one of the following: a moving speed of the obstacle, a second distance between the obstacle and the terminal device, and a predicted collision moment between the terminal device and the obstacle; The determining that the driving torque of the terminal device is less than a first threshold comprises: When a first condition is met, determining that the driving torque is less than the first threshold; The first condition includes at least one of the following: The moving speed is less than or equal to a second threshold; The collision moment is greater than or equal to a third threshold; The second distance is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold; A difference between a first throttle opening and closing rate and a second throttle opening and closing rate is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold, the first throttle opening and closing rate is a historical throttle opening and closing rate collected before predicting the first gear, and the second throttle opening and closing rate is a throttle opening and closing rate collected after predicting the first gear.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that Before predicting the first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information, the method further includes: It is determined that the terminal device satisfies a second condition, where the second condition includes: a first pressure of a control pedal in the terminal device / a first stroke of the control pedal is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first pressure includes at least one of the following: brake pressure, accelerator pressure; the control pedal includes at least one of the following: brake pedal, accelerator pedal.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The second condition also includes: the duration of the first pressure is greater than or equal to a preset duration.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: First information is presented, where the first information is used to dynamically present the first pressure.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine the passability of the terminal device, where the passability is used to describe whether the terminal device is blocked by an obstacle during forward or backward movement; The predicting the first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information includes: The first gear is predicted based on the obstacle information and the trafficability.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The determining the accessibility of the terminal device includes: Acquire a first parameter of the terminal device, where the first parameter includes at least one of the following: a size and a turning radius of the terminal device; Acquire the spatial position relationship between the terminal device and the obstacle; The passability is determined based on the first parameter and the spatial position relationship.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: Get the second gear position of the physical gear; If the second gear is different from the first gear, the second gear is used for driving and a prompt message is presented, wherein the prompt message is used to prompt that the second gear is different from the first gear.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The obstacle information also includes at least one of the following: change information of the obstacle and a limiter related to the parking space; the change information of the obstacle includes at least one of the following: movement trend of the obstacle and dynamic indication information of the obstacle, and the movement trend or the dynamic indication information affects the passability of the terminal device; the dynamic obstacle includes at least one of the following: a static object with dynamic indication information, an object with a driving speed greater than a sixth threshold, and a moving object.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The predicting the first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information includes: If the change information will not affect the passability of the terminal device, it is predicted that the first gear is a forward gear.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The predicting the first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information includes: Determining second information at a first moment, wherein the second information affects the accessibility of the terminal device; Determine third information at the second moment; the third information does not affect the accessibility of the terminal device, and the difference between the first moment and the second moment is within a preset range; predicting that the first gear is a forward gear based on the second information and the third information; The method further comprises: After the second time, forward travel occurs based on the forward gear.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The obtaining of obstacle information includes: The position of the stopper is recorded before entering the parking space.

17. A terminal device, characterized in that: The terminal device is applied to the field of intelligent driving, and the terminal device includes: An acquisition unit, configured to acquire obstacle information, wherein the obstacle information includes location information of the obstacle and classification of the obstacle, wherein the classification of the obstacle includes static obstacles or dynamic obstacles; A prediction unit is used to predict a first gear position of the terminal device based on the obstacle information; the first gear position is used to indicate that the terminal device is moving forward, moving backward, or parking.

18. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle includes the terminal device as claimed in claim 17.

19. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle is driven using the gear obtained by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

20. A terminal device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions, and when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the terminal device executes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

21. A computer storage medium, characterized in that The method comprises computer instructions, which, when executed on a control device, cause the control device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

22. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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