# US 12,600,370 B2 · Vehicular control system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,600,370 B2 - Document ID: US12600370B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/650,253 - Filed: 2024-04-30 - Published: 2024-11-07 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2023-05-02 - Assignees: Magna Electronics Inc. - Applicants: Magna Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Ramachandra Bhat Kotambail; Komal Jha - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12600370B2 ## CPC - B60W 50/082: {Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2540/30: Driving style - B60W 2552/00: Input parameters relating to infrastructure - B60W 2555/20: Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT ## Abstract A vehicular control system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) and a camera disposed at a vehicle and viewing exterior of the vehicle. The ECU includes an image processor operable to process image data captured by the camera and transferred to the ECU. The vehicular control system, responsive to processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, determines a condition exterior of the vehicle. The vehicular control system, based on the determined condition, switches from a power operational mode to an economy operational mode. The power operational mode provides greater performance of the vehicle compared to the economy operational mode, and the economy operational mode provides greater fuel efficiency for the vehicle compared to the power operational mode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicular control system, the vehicular control system comprising: a camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular control system, the camera viewing exterior of the vehicle; wherein the camera is operable to capture image data; wherein the camera comprises a CMOS imaging array, and wherein the CMOS imaging array comprises at least one million photosensors arranged in rows and columns; an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; wherein image data captured by the camera is transferred to the ECU; wherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises an image processor that is operable to process image data captured by the camera and transferred to the ECU; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, determines a quantity of vehicles within the field of view of the camera; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to determining the quantity of vehicles within the field of view of the camera, determines a traffic condition exterior of the vehicle; wherein the vehicular control system, while the vehicle is operating in a power operational mode, switches from the power operational mode to an economy operational mode based at least in part on the determined traffic condition; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, determines a second traffic condition exterior of the vehicle; wherein the vehicular control system, while the vehicle is operating in the economy operational mode and based on the determined second traffic condition, switches from the economy operational mode to the power operational mode; and wherein the power operational mode provides greater performance of the vehicle compared to the economy operational mode, and wherein the economy operational mode provides greater fuel efficiency for the vehicle compared to the power operational mode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the determined traffic condition comprises a traffic condition of a traffic lane the vehicle is currently traveling along. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicular control system of claim 2, wherein the determined traffic condition comprises a low-traffic condition. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the determined traffic condition further comprises an environmental condition. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The vehicular control system of claim 4, wherein the environmental condition comprises a weather condition. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular control system determines the traffic condition based in part on navigation data from a navigation system of the vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular control system determines the traffic condition based in part on a status of a cruise control function of the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the determined second traffic condition comprises a high-traffic condition. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the determined traffic condition is further based on a driving pattern of a driver of the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to a user input while the vehicle is operating in the economy operational mode, switches from the economy operational mode to the power operational mode. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicular control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to data stored at a profile associated with the driver of the vehicle while the vehicle is operating in the economy operational mode, switches from the economy operational mode to the power operational mode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vehicular control system of claim 12, wherein the data comprises driving preferences of the driver. ### Claim 14 A vehicular control system, the vehicular control system comprising: a camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular control system, the camera viewing exterior of the vehicle; wherein the camera is operable to capture image data; wherein the camera comprises a CMOS imaging array, and wherein the CMOS imaging array comprises at least one million photosensors arranged in rows and columns; an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; wherein image data captured by the camera is transferred to the ECU; wherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises an image processor that is operable to process image data captured by the camera and transferred to the ECU; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, determines a quantity of vehicles within the field of view of the camera; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to determining the quantity of vehicles within the field of view of the camera, determines a traffic condition exterior of the vehicle, and wherein the traffic condition comprises a low-traffic condition; wherein the vehicular control system, while the vehicle is operating in a power operational mode, switches from the power operational mode to an economy operational mode based at least in part on the low-traffic condition; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, determines a second traffic condition exterior of the vehicle; wherein the vehicular control system, while the vehicle is operating in the economy operational mode and based on the determined second traffic condition, switches from the economy operational mode to the power operational mode; wherein the power operational mode provides greater performance of the vehicle compared to the economy operational mode, and wherein the economy operational mode provides greater fuel efficiency for the vehicle compared to the power operational mode; and wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to a user input while the vehicle is operating in the economy operational mode, switches from the economy operational mode to the power operational mode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicular control system of claim 14, wherein the vehicular control system determines the traffic condition based in part on navigation data from a navigation system of the vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The vehicular control system of claim 14, wherein the vehicular control system determines the traffic condition based in part on a status of a cruise control function of the vehicle. ### Claim 17 A vehicular control system, the vehicular control system comprising: a camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular control system, the camera viewing exterior of the vehicle; wherein the camera is operable to capture image data; wherein the camera comprises a CMOS imaging array, and wherein the CMOS imaging array comprises at least one million photosensors arranged in rows and columns; an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; wherein image data captured by the camera is transferred to the ECU; wherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises an image processor that is operable to process image data captured by the camera and transferred to the ECU; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, determines a quantity of vehicles within the field of view of the camera; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to determining the quantity of vehicles within the field of view of the camera, determines a traffic condition exterior of the vehicle; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to data stored at a profile associated with the driver of the vehicle while, determines driving preferences of the driver of the vehicle; wherein the vehicular control system, while the vehicle is operating in a power operational mode, switches from the power operational mode to an economy operational mode based at least in part on (i) the determined traffic condition and (ii) the driving preferences of the driver of the vehicle; wherein the vehicular control system, responsive to processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, determines a second traffic condition exterior of the vehicle; wherein the vehicular control system, while the vehicle is operating in the economy operational mode and based on the determined second traffic condition, switches from the economy operational mode to the power operational mode; and wherein the power operational mode provides greater performance of the vehicle compared to the economy operational mode, and wherein the economy operational mode provides greater fuel efficiency for the vehicle compared to the power operational mode. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The vehicular control system of claim 17, wherein the determined traffic condition further comprises an environmental condition. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The vehicular control system of claim 18, wherein the environmental condition comprises a weather condition. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The vehicular control system of claim 17, wherein the vehicular control system determines the traffic condition based in part on navigation data from a navigation system of the vehicle.