Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Colorado State University Research Foundation

Benjamin M Geller

Joshua D Payne

Geoffrey David Gaither

Justin J Chow

Nathan C Westover

Shannon Alicia Wrobel

Heraldo Felicio Stefanon

Abril A Galang

Takanori Aoki

Thomas H Bradley

Zachary Asher

David Trinko

Methods, systems, and apparatus for a brake assist control system. The brake assist control system is for a vehicle. The brake assist control system includes a first sensor configured to detect driver awareness. The brake assist control system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is coupled to the first sensor. The electronic control unit is configured to determine that a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal are in a released position. The electronic control unit is configured to determine that there is vehicle movement. The electronic control unit is configured to determine that a driver of the vehicle is unaware of the vehicle movement based on the driver awareness. The electronic control unit is configured to reduce or eliminate the vehicle movement.

Brake supplement assist control

A system includes a power source and a memory to store an event that is predicted to occur, an action to be performed by the power source to increase efficiency of the power source during the stored event, and a mis-prediction counter indicating a count of mis-predictions. The system further includes an ECU designed to predict that the stored event will occur and to control the power source to take the action when the stored event is predicted to occur. The ECU is further designed to update the mis-prediction counter and to adjust at least one of the stored event that is predicted to occur, the stored action to be performed by the power source, or a prediction horizon of the prediction when the mis-prediction counter reaches or exceeds a threshold quantity of mis-predictions to increase efficiency of the power source during a subsequent prediction of the stored event.

Utilizing missed prediction

A method may include predicting an acceleration event of a vehicle. The method may further include predicting a maximum speed of the predicted acceleration event. The method may also include determining an engine start time based on the predicted maximum speed. The method may still further include starting an engine of the vehicle at the engine start time.

Systems and methods for determining engine start time during predicted acceleration events

Methods, systems, and apparatus for a lane assist system that prepares the vehicle to move from a current lane to an adjacent lane. The lane assist system includes a sensor for detecting one or more surrounding vehicles in an adjacent lane and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is connected to the sensor. The electronic control unit is configured to predict or determine predict or determine that the vehicle intends to or is moving from a current lane to an adjacent lane. The electronic control unit is configured to determine one or more locations of the one or more surrounding vehicles in the adjacent lane, and control operations of the vehicle to prepare the vehicle for a lane change to a first open space or area in the adjacent lane based on the one or more locations of the one or more surrounding vehicles.

Merging and lane change acceleration prediction energy management

A system for increasing efficiency of a current vehicle includes a power source designed to generate power to propel the current vehicle and a distance sensor designed to detect multiple distance measurements each corresponding to a distance from the current vehicle to a reference vehicle. The system also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the power source and the distance sensor and designed to determine an acceleration or deceleration rate of the reference vehicle based on the multiple distance measurements. The ECU is also designed to predict a forthcoming acceleration or deceleration rate of the current vehicle based on the determined acceleration rate or the determined deceleration rate of the reference vehicle. The ECU is also designed to change operation of the power source to increase efficiency of the power source based on the predicted forthcoming acceleration or deceleration rate of the current vehicle.

Efficient acceleration from surrounding vehicles

A system for reducing motor drive loss in a vehicle. The system includes a motor designed to convert electrical energy into torque. The system also includes a sensor designed to detect motor data corresponding to at least one of a motor torque or a motor speed of the motor. The system also includes a memory designed to store testing data including optimized current commands for multiple combinations of motor torques that were determined during testing of the motor or a similar motor. The system also includes a speed or torque controller coupled to the motor, the sensor, and the memory and designed to receive a speed or torque command and to determine a current command signal usable to control the motor based on the speed or torque command, the testing data, the detected motor data, and an artificial intelligence algorithm.

Motor lock overheat mitigation control for autonomous vehicles

A system includes a power source, a sensor to detect data, and a HVAC system having a compressor to compress vapor refrigerant and a fan to blow conditioned air into a cabin of the vehicle, the compressor and the fan both designed to operate using a portion of the power generated by the power source. The system further includes an ECU to predict that the vehicle will accelerate or decelerate based on the data, to decrease power provided to the compressor and increase power provided to the fan when the ECU predicts the acceleration in order to reduce total power provided to the HVAC system and to reduce variance in total noise and vibration generated by the HVAC system, and to increase power to the compressor when the ECU predicts that the vehicle will decelerate in order to increase the total power provided to the HVAC system.

Efficient HVAC operation by predictive control

A device and method for autonomous vehicle routing based on chaos assessment are provided. A plurality of route options based on destination objective data relative to current autonomous vehicle position data are generated. For each of the plurality of route options, an associated chaos level may be assessed, and an autonomous cooperability metric may be generated based on the associated chaos level. Autonomous selection of a route option of the plurality of route options is based on a favorable autonomous cooperability metric, and an autonomous mission description data is generated based on the route option that includes the favorable autonomous cooperability metric. The autonomous mission description data may be transmitted for autonomously engaging a destination being defined by the destination objective data.

Autonomous vehicle routing based on chaos assessment

A system includes a sensor designed to detect data corresponding to a speed of a vehicle and a motor designed to convert electrical energy into driving torque. The system also includes a first wheel coupled to the motor and designed to propel the vehicle in response to receiving the driving torque along with a second wheel. The system also includes a brake coupled to at least one of the first wheel or the second wheel and designed to apply a braking torque to the at least one of the first wheel or the second wheel. The system also includes an ECU coupled to the sensor and the motor and designed to control the motor to begin controlled braking by applying the driving torque to the first wheel to at least partially offset the braking torque when the speed of the vehicle is at or below a braking threshold speed.

Systems and methods for smooth stopping of a vehicle

A system includes an engine, a motor and a transmission coupled to the engine and the motor and that can be shifted from a first gear ratio to a second gear ratio. The system also includes an ECU that may receive or generate a shift command corresponding to an instruction for the transmission to shift from the first gear ratio to the second gear ratio and may determine a target engine speed corresponding to a desired speed of the engine when the transmission shifts from the first gear ratio to the second gear ratio. The ECU may control the motor to adjust the motor torque such that the motor torque causes the engine speed to become close or equal to the target engine speed and may cause the transmission to shift to the second gear ratio when the engine speed is within a threshold of the target engine speed.

Systems and methods for improving gear shifts

A method for notifying a third party or a third party device (e.g., a mobile phone or a second vehicle) as to whether a first vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode or a semi-autonomous mode. The method includes receiving, at a first electronic control unit, notification information including whether the first vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode or the semi-autonomous mode and a description of or details about the first vehicle and transmitting from a transmitter of the first vehicle to a receiver of the third party device, the notification information. The method also includes displaying, using a display screen of the third party device, the notification information including whether the first vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode or the semi-autonomous mode and the description of or the details about the first vehicle.

External indicators and notifications for vehicles with autonomous capabilities

A hybrid vehicle for providing improved control, response and energy management. The vehicle including a first sensor configured to determine base data corresponding to an estimated age of the vehicle, a second sensor configured to determine feedback data corresponding to a response to a driver request for acceleration, braking or steering and a third sensor configured to determine variable data corresponding to a drag, a current environment or a weight of the vehicle. The vehicle including an electronic control unit configured to calculate an estimate of a present condition of the vehicle based on the base data, the feedback data and the variable data, adjust an energy management control data based on the estimate of the present condition of the vehicle and control at least one of a battery, a transmission, a motor or a fuel converter of the vehicle based on the energy management control data.

System and method for improved control, response and energy management of a vehicle

A system for notifying a third party as to whether a vehicle is producing or generating emissions. The system includes an internal combustion engine capable of producing exhaust gases, an exhaust pipe coupled to the internal combustion engine and for allowing passage of the exhaust gases and a sensor positioned within the exhaust pipe and configured to determine a characteristic of the exhaust gases. The system also includes a switch configured to activate and deactive a zero emissions mode, an electronic control unit (ECU) for determining whether emissions are present based on at least one of the characteristic of the exhaust gases or the zero emissions mode and an external light, controlled by the ECU, that is activated when no emissions are present.

External zero emissions indicator

A system for providing a smoother vehicle response when transitioning a hybrid vehicle having a transmission, a battery and a fuel converter from an EV driving mode to a HV driving mode. The system includes a memory for storing an amount of force to be applied to the transmission for a given pedal input and a given vehicle speed. The system also includes a BMU for determining a state of charge of the battery and for determining a proportional scaling number based on the state of charge. The system also includes an ECU for determining a scaled drive force based on the amount of force to be applied to the transmission and the proportional scaling number and for controlling the utilization of the battery and the fuel converter based on the scaled drive force when the state of charge of the battery is within a low power range.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Benjamin M Geller