Predictive Vehicle Speed Control Using Route Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems are not sophisticated enough to manage speed effectively in luxury/performance automobiles, particularly in anticipating future driving situations and optimizing energy recovery, as they rely on broad categorization of surroundings rather than precise route analysis.
Innovation Solution
A predictive vehicle control system that uses a combination of a predictive route planner and a repeat journey logger to determine an optimal speed profile based on anticipated routes, previous journey data, and real-time traffic information, allowing for precise adjustments in speed through driver alerts or electronic control, enabling efficient energy recovery without reducing available power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a crude control system switching only in response to broad categories of surroundings is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the control precision and ability to anticipate future situations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control system into multiple specialized components: a predictive route planner that divides the route into segments with different characteristics (urban, rural, motorway), a repeat journey logger that separates historical data collection from current control decisions, and an optimal speed profile calculator that processes segment-specific parameters. This segmentation allows precise route analysis without requiring a single overly complex control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by using the predictive route planner to pre-analyze the upcoming route segments and identify optimal braking and accelerating points before the vehicle reaches them. The repeat journey logger also performs preliminary data collection on previous journeys to refine future predictions. This advance preparation enables precise control decisions without real-time computational complexity.
2Reliability
If the repeat journey logger is continuously enabled to record speed profiles, then the data quality for determining optimal braking points is improved, but the energy consumption and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The repeat journey logger operates periodically rather than continuously, recording speed profiles at relevant points during journeys (such as during braking events or when passing through characteristic route segments). This periodic operation provides sufficient data for determining optimal braking points while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous recording.
3Loss of energy
If the system provides detailed signs to the driver to adjust speed profile, then the energy recovery efficiency is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback to the driver in the form of signs or alerts indicating the optimal braking or accelerating points ahead. This feedback loop allows the driver to adjust their speed profile to match the optimal pattern, improving energy recovery efficiency while maintaining ease of operation through simple, intuitive signals rather than complex controls.
4Loss of energy
If the system automatically adjusts the speed profile, then the energy recovery is optimized, but the adaptability to driver preferences deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides the driver with information about optimal speed profiles and allows the driver to self-adjust their driving behavior to match the energy-optimized pattern. This self-service approach maintains driver autonomy and adaptability to personal preferences while still enabling energy recovery optimization through informed driver decisions rather than forced automatic control.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of controlling the speed of a vehicle, especially an automobile, is responsive to information concerning a route and traffic. The method identifies at least a portion of an anticipated route, based on planned route data from a navigation system and/or based on data from a repeat journey logger. The method determines an optimal braking or accelerating point based on the anticipated route and outputs a sign to a driver to adjust the vehicle speed in accordance with the optimal braking or accelerating point. The method also records speed profiles of the vehicle along routes followed in a repeat journey logger and uses these speed profiles to determine an optimal braking or accelerating point. Instead of, or as well as outputting a sign to the driver, the method can adjust the speed profile of the vehicle in accordance with the optimal braking or acceleration point.