Vehicle Gear Shift Control Using Driving Scene Recognition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automatic transmission systems in vehicles fail to accurately select gear shifting modes due to neglecting influences from driving environments, leading to inaccurate gear selection and adverse effects on drivability and power performance.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle gear control method that acquires driving scene images, performs image recognition to obtain scene labels, and combines this data with vehicle status and behavior data to determine optimal gear shifting modes, ensuring timely and appropriate gear changes based on road, traffic, and environmental conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If automatic transmission determines gear shifting mode based only on vehicle speed, then the control system remains simple, but gear shifting accuracy deteriorates due to neglecting driving environment influences

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegear shifting accuracyVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the gear shifting control into multiple independent modules: image acquisition module captures driving scene images, image recognition module processes images to identify road conditions and traffic conditions, and gear shifting determination module integrates image recognition results with vehicle speed data to determine optimal gear shifting modes. This segmentation allows the system to incorporate environmental factors without creating a monolithic complex system, improving gear shifting accuracy while maintaining manageable system architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges multiple data sources including vehicle speed data from the transmission system, image data from cameras capturing road conditions, traffic conditions, and environmental factors. By combining these diverse inputs through the image recognition module and gear shifting determination module, the system achieves comprehensive awareness of driving conditions, significantly improving gear shifting accuracy beyond what speed-only systems can achieve.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Productivity

If gear shifting is delayed to simplify control logic, then system complexity reduces, but drivability and power performance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrivability and power performanceVSAvoidcontrol logic complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by continuously capturing driving scene images and performing image recognition in advance to identify upcoming road conditions such as slopes, curves, and traffic conditions. The gear shifting determination module uses this pre-processed environmental information alongside current vehicle speed to proactively determine optimal gear shifting timing and modes before the driver needs to react, improving drivability and power performance through timely gear changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If traditional automatic transmission uses only speed-based gear shifting, then the system remains simple to operate, but adaptability to different driving environments deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to driving environmentsVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the image recognition module continuously monitors driving environment changes and feeds this information back to the gear shifting determination module. The system adjusts gear shifting modes based on real-time environmental feedback including road conditions, traffic conditions, and weather factors, enabling high adaptability to different driving environments while maintaining clear separation of functions that prevents excessive system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12072021B2Vehicle gear control method and apparatus, computer device, and storage medium
Publication Date: 2024.08.27 TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) CO LTD
  • US12072021B2 patent drawing
  • US12072021B2 patent drawing
  • US12072021B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A vehicle gear control method includes acquiring a driving scene image while a vehicle is driving, and performing image recognition on the acquired driving scene image to obtain a driving scene label including at least one of a road attribute label, a traffic attribute label, or an environment attribute label. The method further includes acquiring driving status data and driving behavior data corresponding to the vehicle. The driving status data indicates at least one of vehicle speed and vehicle acceleration and the driving behavior data indicates at least one of a brake control input, an accelerator control input, or a throttle opening degree. The method further includes determining a gear shifting mode based on the driving status data, the driving behavior data, and the driving scene label. The gear shifting mode controls the vehicle to drive according to a corresponding gear at a corresponding gear shifting time.