Jaguar Land Rover Limited

Jaguar Land Rover Limitd

James Kelly

Andrew Fairgrieve

Daniel Woolliscroft

Elliot Hemes

Dan Dennehy

Sam Anker

Dennis Lausecker

Syed Asad Ali

Luke Birch

William Burdock

Nick Brockley

Sam Brown

Saleem Zuberi

Anesh Mistry

Paul Beever

Robert Burford

Simon Gilling

Charlotte Cooke

Jon Parr

Adam Southgate

Jan Pieter Prins

David Armstrong

Navid Shamshiri

Diana Franganillo

Alex Bean

Naseem Akhtar

Brian Gerrard

Edward Rycroft

Philip Barber

Mark Stanton

Andrew Fairgrive

Daniel Woolliscoft

Andrew Fairgireve

A control system () for controlling an active suspension system () of a vehicle () to determine relative traction levels, the control system comprising one or more controller (), wherein the control system is configured to (): control the active suspension system to change normal force through a first subset of one or more wheels; determine a traction-dependent variable at each of the first subset of wheels to which known torque is applied; control the active suspension system to change normal force through a second subset of one or more wheels; and determine a traction-dependent variable at each of the second subset of wheels to which known torque is applied, wherein the traction-dependent variables indicate relative traction levels.

Traction determination by changing wheel normal force

A control system () for controlling an active suspension system () of a vehicle (), the control system comprising one or more controller (), wherein the control system is configured to: determine () that an entry condition is satisfied; in dependence on satisfaction of the entry condition, transmit () a request to the active suspension system to create clearance beneath a first wheel (FL, RR) of the vehicle but not create clearance beneath a plurality of other wheels (FR, RL) of the vehicle.

Methods for creating clearance beneath vehicle wheels

A control system () for controlling an active suspension system () of a vehicle (), the control system comprising one or more controller (), wherein the control system is configured to: obtain () information indicative of relative traction levels between different wheels (FL, FR, RL, RR) of the vehicle; and in dependence on the information, control () the active suspension system to increase normal force through a wheel (FR) of the vehicle having relatively high traction compared to one or more other wheels (FL, RL, RR) of the vehicle, and decrease normal force through a wheel (FL) of the vehicle having relatively low traction compared to one or more other wheels (FR, RL, RR) of the vehicle.

Traction-dependent variation of wheel-to-surface normal force

A control system () for controlling an active suspension system () of a vehicle (), the control system comprising one or more controller (), wherein the control system is configured to: detect () a ramp () approached by an overhang of the vehicle; and in dependence on detecting the ramp, control () the active suspension system to modify a relative ride height between a leading ride height at a set of leading wheels (FL, FR) of the vehicle and a trailing ride height at a set of trailing wheels (RL, RR) of the vehicle, to increase a ramp angle (α, β) of the vehicle relative to the ramp.

Vehicle ramp angle control

A control system () for controlling an active suspension system () of a vehicle (), the active suspension system comprising suspension actuators (), the control system comprising one or more controller (), wherein the control system is configured to: in dependence on an activation signal (), provide () a control signal to the active suspension system to cause the suspension actuators of the active suspension system to repetitively pulse vertical force through wheels (FR, FL, RR, RL) of the vehicle in a controlled pattern determined by the one or more controller, to vary wheel-to-surface contact patch forces, wherein the pattern comprises repetitively pulsing vertical force through at least one of the wheels at a first phase and through at least one other of the wheels at a second phase.

Wheel-to-surface contact patch force variation

A control system () configured to control an active suspension system () of a vehicle (), the control system comprising one or more controller (), wherein the control system is configured to: determine () that the vehicle is travelling on or approaching repeating surface undulations; determine () vehicle speed; determine () an indication of surface wavelength of the repeating surface undulations; and control () the active suspension system to control at least one of a leading wheel suspension frequency and a trailing wheel suspension frequency in dependence on the vehicle speed and surface wavelength.

Active suspension control on repeating surface undulations

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for performing autonomous manoeuvers, especially when visibility is poor or it is unclear whether or not the terrain surrounding the vehicle is suitable for the vehicle to drive on. In some embodiments the systems are operable to detect user-defined boundaries to provide an improved determination as to whether or not the surrounding terrain is suitable for driving on.

Systems and methods for controlling vehicle manoeuvers

A speed control system operable to control a motor vehicle to operate in accordance with a set-speed value, the control means being operable to allow a user to adjust the set-speed value by user actuation of a vehicle brake control or a vehicle accelerator control.

Vehicle speed control system

A speed control system for a vehicle. The speed control system has a torque control for automatically causing application of positive and negative torque to one or more wheels of a vehicle to cause a vehicle to travel in accordance with a target speed value. The system receives information indicative of a gradient of a driving surface over which the vehicle is driving, with the torque control being configured to control the rate of change of the amount of torque applied to the one or more wheels, in order to attempt to maintain the vehicle traveling in accordance with the target speed value, in dependence at least in part on the gradient of the driving surface.

Vehicle speed control

A vehicle speed control system for a vehicle having a plurality of wheels, the vehicle speed control system comprising one or more electronic control units configured to carry out a method that includes applying torque to at least one of the plurality of wheels, detecting a slip event between any one or more of the wheels and the ground over which the vehicle is travelling when the vehicle is in motion and providing a slip detection output signal in the event thereof. The method carried out by the one or more electronic control units further includes receiving a user input of a target speed at which the vehicle is intended to travel and maintaining the vehicle at the target speed independently of the slip detection output signal by adjusting the amount of torque applied to the at least one of the plurality of wheels.

A vehicle speed control system operable to cause a vehicle to operate in accordance with a target speed value, the system being further operable automatically to control cross-axle locking means of an axle of the vehicle to cause an increase in resistance to relative rotation of wheels of the axle. Thus, the speed control system may be operable automatically to command the cross-axle locking means to increase the resistance to relative rotation of wheels of the axle without a driver being required to intervene to command assumption of this condition.

Vehicle speed control system and method

A method for operating a speed control system of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises detecting an occurrence of a slip event, of a step encounter event, or of both events at a leading wheel of the vehicle. The method also comprises predicting that the occurrence of the detected event(s) will occur at a following wheel of the vehicle. The method yet further comprises automatically controlling vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, or both vehicle speed and acceleration in response to the detection, the prediction, or both the detection and prediction. A speed control system comprising an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to perform the above-described methodology is also provided.

System and method for controlling vehicle speed

A speed control system for automatically controlling the speed of a vehicle. The system operates according to a method that includes: causing automatically a vehicle to travel at a predetermined speed value at least in part by controlling an amount of torque applied to one or more wheels of a vehicle; determining a recommended transmission gear ratio for a transmission of the powertrain at a given moment in time; providing an indication of the recommended transmission gear ratio to a user; and receiving a clutch actuation signal indicative of an actuation state of a clutch that is configured to connect the transmission to a torque drive source. The system is configured automatically to control a speed of the torque drive source to achieve a speed determined in dependence at least in part on at least one predetermined parameter when a predetermined one or more conditions are met.

Control system and method

A method for operating an off-road speed control system of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises identifying a pattern or change in at least one component of vehicle drag. The method further comprises monitoring vehicle speed to predict where a change in the at least one component of vehicle drag may result in a speed overshoot event or a speed undershoot event. The method still further comprises, in response to the predicted speed overshoot event or speed undershoot event, automatically commanding the application of an appropriate opposing torque to one or more wheels of the vehicle to counteract the predicted speed overshoot or undershoot. An off-road speed control system for a vehicle comprising an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to perform the above-described methodology is also provided.

Speed control system and method of operating the same

A system for controlling the speed of a vehicle, the system being operable to cause the vehicle to accelerate from a first speed to a second speed in accordance with a selected one of a plurality of acceleration profiles, the profile being selected in dependence on a selected one of a plurality of vehicle operating modes.

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Solihull, United Kingdom

James Kelly