Controlling vehicular driving force in anticipation of road situation on which vehicle is to run utilizing vehicular navigation system

A control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

• a) electronic road map storing means for storing a road map information, said road map information including at least a gradient information of roads;
• b) vehicle present position specifying means for specifying a present position of the vehicle;
• c) running road estimating means for referring to the stored road map information as a function of the specified present position of the vehicle so as to derive a present position of the vehicle with respect to the road map information, and for estimating a future position of the vehicle as a function of the derived present position of the vehicle, said estimated future position of the vehicle being a future position of the vehicle several seconds after the vehicle has been placed at the specified present position;
• d) vehicular running resistance measuring means for deriving a present vehicle load condition imposed on a vehicular driving system at the specified present position of the vehicle;
• e) driving force predicting means for correcting the present vehicular load condition at the specified present position of the vehicle so as to predict a required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the gradient information between the specified present position of the vehicle and the estimated future position of the vehicle searched from the electronic road map storing means;
• f) driving system controlling means for adjusting in advance a setting of a driving characteristic of at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated automatic power transmission installed in the vehicle driving system as a function of the predicted driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle so as to suppress a fuel consumption as low as possible within a range such that the fuel consumption enables the vehicular driving system to exert the required driving force at the estimated position of the vehicle;
• and
• g) target point inputting means for inputting and setting a target position of the vehicle on a route of travel to which the vehicle is to reach through said target point inputting means by an operator in connection with the road map information, and
• wherein said running road estimating means comprises moving means for moving the estimated future position of the vehicle along a road branched from a branching point and having a relatively high directional tendency toward the set target position of the route of travel in a case where the estimated future position of the vehicle is placed so as to jump over the branching point with respect to the present position of the vehicle.

A control apparatus for an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a) electronic road map storing means for storing a road map information, said road map information including at least a gradient information of roads;
• b) vehicle present position determining means for determining a present position of the vehicle;
• c) running road estimating means for referring to the stored road map information using the determined present position of the vehicle so as to receive said road map information, and for estimating a future position of the vehicle as a function of the determined present position of the vehicle, said estimated future position of the vehicle being a future position of the vehicle several seconds after a time at which the vehicle has been placed at the present position;
• d) running resistance measuring means for deriving a present vehicle load condition imposed on a vehicular driving system at the determined present position of the vehicle;
• e) driving force predicting means for correcting the present vehicular load condition at the determined present position of the vehicle so as to predict a required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the gradient information between the determined present position of the vehicle and the estimated future position of the vehicle from the electronic road map storing means;
• and
• f) driving system controlling means for adjusting in advance a setting of a driving characteristic of at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated automatic power transmission installed in the vehicle driving system as a function of the predicted driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle so as to suppress a fuel consumption as low as possible within a range such that the fuel consumption enables the vehicular driving system to exert the required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle, and wherein said running road estimating means further comprises forward direction identifying means for detecting an operation intent of the vehicular driver corresponding to a forward direction of the vehicle and identifying the forward direction of the vehicle at a road branching point and estimated future position moving means for moving the estimated future position along a branched road corresponding to the forward direction of the vehicle identified by said forward direction identifying means when the estimated future position of the vehicle is placed so as to jump over the road branching point.

A control apparatus for an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a) electronic road map storing means for storing a road map information, said road map information including at least a gradient information of roads, said electronic road map storing means being arranged so as to be rewritable therein on a new information at each point on a running route of travel of the vehicle in relation to the road map information;
• b) vehicle present position determining means for determining a present position of the vehicle;
• c) running road estimating means for referring to the stored road map information using the determined present position of the vehicle so as to receive said road map information, and for estimating a future position of the vehicle as a function of the determined present position of the vehicle, said estimated future position of the vehicle being the future position of the vehicle several seconds after a time at which the vehicle has been placed at the determined present position;
• d) running resistance measuring means for deriving a present vehicle load condition imposed on a vehicular driving system at the determined present position of the vehicle;
• e) driving force predicting means for correcting the present vehicular load condition at the determined present position of the vehicle so as to predict a required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the gradient information between the determined present position of the vehicle and the estimated future position of the vehicle;
• f) driving system controlling means for adjusting in advance a setting of a driving characteristic of at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated automatic power transmission installed in the vehicle driving system in advance in time as a function of the predicted driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle so as to suppress a fuel consumption as low as possible within a range such that the fuel consumption enables the vehicular driving system to exert the required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle;
• and
• g) running locus recording means for detecting an ever-changing information related to the driving force generated by the vehicle during a run of the vehicle and for storing and recording the detected ever-changing information on said rewritable electronic road map storing means, and
• wherein said driving system controlling means comprises correcting means for correcting in advance a content of adjustment according to the required driving force as a function of the past ever-changing information related to the driving force generated by the vehicle at the estimated future position of the vehicle.

A control apparatus for an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a) electronic road map storing means for storing a road map information, said road map information including at least a gradient information of roads, said electronic road map storing means being arranged so as to be rewritable therein on a new information at each point on a running route of travel of the vehicle in relation to the road map information;
• b) vehicle present position predicting means for determining a present position of the vehicle;
• c) running road estimating means for referring to the stored road map information using the determined present position of the vehicle so as to receive said road map information, and for estimating a future position of the vehicle as an estimated position of the vehicle as a function of the determined present position of the vehicle, said estimated future position of the vehicle being a future position of the vehicle several seconds after a time at which the vehicle has been placed at the determined present position;
• d) running resistance measuring means for deriving a present vehicle load condition imposed on a vehicular driving system at the determined present position of the vehicle;
• e) driving force predicting means for correcting the present vehicular load condition at the determined present position of the vehicle so as to predict a required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the gradient information between the determined present position of the vehicle and the estimated future position of the vehicle;
• f) driving system controlling means for adjusting in advance a setting of a driving characteristic of at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated automatic power transmission installed in the vehicle driving system as a function of the predicted driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle so as to suppress a fuel consumption as low as possible within a range such that the fuel consumption enables the vehicular driving system to exert the required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle;
• g) generated driving force deriving means for deriving an ever-changing driving force output state of the vehicle during a run of the vehicle;
• and
• h) evaluating means for evaluating a numerical value related to a gap between the required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle and an actual driving force output state at the estimated future position of the vehicle and storing and recording the derived numerical value on said rewritable electronic road map storing means, and
• wherein said driving system controlling means comprises correcting means for correcting a content of an adjustment in anticipation according to the past numerical value related to said gap searched from said rewritable electronic road map storing means.

A control apparatus for an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a) electronic road map storing means for storing a road map information, said road map information including at least a gradient information of roads;
• b) vehicle present position determining means for determining a present position of the vehicle;
• c) running road estimating means for referring to the stored road map information using the determined present position of the vehicle so as to receive said road map information, and for estimating a future position of the vehicle as an estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the determined present position of the vehicle, said estimated future position of the vehicle being a future present position of the vehicle several seconds after a time at which the vehicle has been placed at the determined present position;
• d) running resistance measuring means for deriving a present vehicle load condition imposed on a vehicular driving system at the determined present position of the vehicle;
• e) driving force predicting means for correcting the present vehicular load condition at the determined present position of the vehicle so as to predict a required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the gradient information between the determined present position of the vehicle and the estimated future position of the vehicle;
• f) driving system controlling means for adjusting in advance a setting of a driving characteristic of at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated automatic power transmission installed in the vehicle driving system as a function of the derived driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle so as to suppress a fuel consumption as low as possible within a range such that the fuel consumption enables the vehicular driving system to exert the required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle;
• and
• g) vehicular driver operation intention detecting means for detecting an ever-changing operating variable of an engine throttle valve of the vehicle by a vehicular driver during the run of the vehicle so as to determine a variation of a driving pattern of the vehicular driver, and
• wherein said driving system controlling means comprises correcting means for correcting a content of the adjustment in advance of the setting so as to relieve the suppression of the fuel consumption when a variation width in the operating variable of the engine throttle valve detected by the vehicular driver operation intention detecting means is expanded.

A method for controlling a driving force exerted by an automotive vehicle, comprising the steps of:

• a) storing a road map information, said road map information including at least a gradient information of roads;
• b) determining a present position of the vehicle using a GPS receiving system;
• c) referring to the stored road map information as a function of a result of determination of the present position of the vehicle at the step b) so as to derive a present position of the vehicle with respect to the road map information, and estimating a future position of the vehicle as a function of the derived present position of the vehicle, said estimated future position of the vehicle being a future position of the vehicle several seconds after a time at which the vehicle has been placed at the determined present position;
• d) deriving a present vehicle load condition imposed on a vehicular driving system at the determined present position of the vehicle;
• e) correcting the present vehicular load condition at the determined present position of the vehicle so as to derive a required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the gradient information between the present position of the vehicle and the estimated future position of the vehicle searched from step a);
• and
• f) adjusting in advance a setting of a driving characteristic of at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated automatic power transmission installed in a vehicle driving system as a function of the derived driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle so as to suppress a fuel consumption as low as possible within a range such that the fuel consumption enables the vehicular driving system to exert the required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle.

A control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

• a) an electronic road map storage unit for storing a road map information, the road map information including at least a gradient information of roads;
• b) vehicle present position determinator for determining a present position of the vehicle;
• c) a running road estimator for referring to the stored road map information using the determined present position of the vehicle and for estimating a future position of the vehicle as an estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the determined present position of the vehicle, a estimated future position of the vehicle being a future position of the vehicle several seconds after a time at which the vehicle is placed at the determined present position of the vehicle;
• d) a running resistance measuring instrument for deriving a vehicle load condition imposed on a vehicular driving system at the determined present position of the vehicle;
• e) a driving force predictor for correcting the present vehicular load condition at the determined present position of the vehicle so as to predict a required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle as a function of the gradient information between the determined present position of the vehicle and the estimated position of the vehicle estimated from the electronic road map storage unit;
• and
• f) a vehicular driving system controller for adjusting in advance a setting of a driving characteristic of at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated with an automatic power transmission installed in the vehicle driving system as a function of the predicted driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle so as to suppress a fuel consumption as low as possible within a range such that the fuel consumption enables the vehicular driving system to exert the required driving force at the estimated future position of the vehicle.

A control apparatus for a driving system of an automotive vehicle, the driving system including at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated automatic power transmission installed in the vehicle, the control apparatus comprising:

• a road map memory for storing a road map information, the road map information including gradient information of roads;
• a position sensor for detecting a present position of the vehicle;
• a determination circuit for determining the present position of the vehicle on the map information according to the position detected by the position sensor;
• a running resistance measuring circuit for measuring a running distance imposed on the vehicle at the detected position;
• a future position estimating circuit for estimating a future position of the vehicle on the road map information, which represents the position of the vehicle a few seconds in the future, according to the determined present position and a running condition of the vehicle at the determined present position;
• a driving force calculating circuit for calculating the driving force required at the estimated future position according to the running resistance at the determined present position and the gradient information between the determined present position and the estimated future position stored in the road map memory;
• and
• a driving controller for controlling a driving characteristic of the driving system including at least one of a vehicular engine and an engine associated automatic power transmission so that the characteristic is optimum when the vehicle runs at the future position.