Vehicle Speed Control via Side-Slope Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle speed control systems are ineffective in congested traffic and off-road conditions, as they often require user intervention and are disabled by minimum speed requirements or wheel slip events, limiting their ability to maintain progress in varying terrains.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle speed control system that includes a side-slope detection system using sensors and processing means to predict the vehicle's path and adjust speed based on the angle of side-slope, allowing for adaptive speed control in response to terrain conditions without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cruise control systems are set with minimum speed requirements to reduce low-speed collision risk, then safety is improved, but the system becomes ineffective in congested traffic and off-road conditions where low speeds are necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic speed threshold adjustment where the minimum speed threshold is not fixed but adapts based on detected terrain conditions. The system uses terrain analysis to dynamically modify operational parameters, allowing the cruise control to operate at low speeds in off-road conditions while maintaining safety thresholds for on-road conditions. This resolves the contradiction by making the speed requirement dynamic rather than static.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of minimum speed threshold based on terrain type detection. When off-road terrain is detected, the system modifies the speed threshold parameter to allow lower operational speeds, whereas on-road conditions maintain higher speed thresholds. This parameter adaptation enables the system to be effective across diverse driving conditions while maintaining safety.
2Reliability
If cruise control systems are disabled upon detecting wheel slip events to maintain safety, then collision risk is reduced, but the system cannot maintain progress in off-road conditions where wheel slip is common
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the operational state parameter of cruise control based on terrain detection. When off-road terrain is detected, the system modifies the wheel slip detection parameter to allow continued cruise control operation despite slip events, whereas on-road conditions maintain strict disable-on-slip behavior. This enables progress maintenance in off-road conditions while preserving safety-critical disablement on paved roads.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic response to wheel slip events based on terrain context. Rather than a static disable-on-slip rule, the system dynamically adjusts its response to wheel slip detection according to the detected terrain type, allowing progressive adaptation to off-road conditions while maintaining safety protocols for on-road operation.
3Measurement precision
If terrain detection systems use complex sensors and processing to accurately predict vehicle path and detect side-slope, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by using existing vehicle sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes, wheel speed sensors) for multiple purposes: their primary functions plus terrain detection and side-slope calculation. This eliminates the need for dedicated complex terrain sensing hardware while achieving accurate terrain measurement through computational processing of readily available sensor data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical terrain sensing hardware with computational processing of data from existing sensors. Instead of using specialized mechanical sensors to directly measure terrain features, the system uses algorithms to calculate terrain characteristics from accelerometer, gyroscope, and wheel speed data, substituting mechanical complexity with computational processing.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a vehicle speed control system having a side-slope detection system (10, 19, 185C). The system comprises a processor (10, 19) arranged to receive, from one or more sensors (185C) arranged to capture data in respect of terrain ahead of the vehicle, terrain information indicative of the topography of an area extending ahead of the vehicle (100). The processor (10, 19), in dependence upon a predicted path of the vehicle (100) over said terrain extending ahead of the vehicle (100), generates, for the predicted path of the vehicle (100), information indicative of the angle of side-slope of the predicted path, being the slope of the predicted path transverse to a direction of travel of the vehicle (100). The vehicle speed control system is configured to control vehicle speed in dependence at least in part on the information indicative of the angle of side-slope of the predicted path generated by the side-slope detection system.