METHOD AND CONTROL UNIT FOR OPERATING A VEHICLE

Abstract

A method of operating a vehicle (2) which recurrently travels along the same routes (1) with defined stopping points (3) along each of the routes (1). The parameters for operation of the vehicle (2) along the routes (1) are specified, on the basis of which the vehicle (2) can be braked, before the stopping points (3), and brought to rest at the stopping points (3).

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A method of operating a vehicle (2), where the vehicle (2) recurrently travels on at least one route (1) having defined stopping points (3) along the at least one route (1), the method comprising: specifying parameters for operation of the vehicle (2) along the at least one route (1) on a basis of which the vehicle (2) can be braked before the stopping points (3) and brought to rest at the stopping points (3).

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising defining the parameters, on the basis of which the vehicle (2) can be braked before the stopping points (3) and brought to rest at the stopping points (3), as a function of at least one of: a maximum allowable deceleration for passenger comfort, topography data of the at least one route, and a braking torque that is applicable by at least one of a service brake (6) and a retarder (7).

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: specifying, as a parameter for the operation of the vehicle (2) along a route (1) concerned, a maximum speed profile (9) with maximum speeds for route positions along the route (1) concerned, determining a current actual speed of the vehicle (2), during operation of the vehicle (2) along the route (1) concerned, and comparing the current actual speed of the vehicle with the maximum speed profile (9), and if the current actual speed of the vehicle (2) is lower than a corresponding route-position-dependent maximum speed defined by the maximum speed profile (9), applying a desired drive torque, specified by a driver, unchanged at a drive output of the vehicle, if the current actual speed of the vehicle (2) is higher than the corresponding route-position-dependent maximum speed defined by the maximum speed profile (9), changing the desired drive torque specified by the driver such that the current actual speed is adjusted to the maximum speed profile.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising if the current actual speed of the vehicle (2) is higher than the corresponding route-position-dependent maximum speed defined by the maximum speed profile (9), calculating a theoretical drive torque, which is necessary for the actual speed to be adjusted to the maximum speed profile (9), comparing the theoretical drive torque with the desired drive torque specified by the driver, and if the desired drive torque specified by the driver is smaller than the theoretical drive torque, applying the desired drive torque specified by the driver at the drive output unchanged, if the desired drive torque specified by the driver is larger than the theoretical drive torque, applying the theoretical drive torque at the drive output.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising calculating the theoretical drive torque as a function of a braking torque that can be applied at the drive output by service brakes.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising calculating the theoretical drive torque as a function of a braking torque that can be applied at the drive output by a retarder.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: determining the parameters for the operation of the vehicle along the routes (1) from historical operating data from other vehicles operated along the at least one route (1), and automatically supplying the determining the parameters to the vehicle (2) to be operated along the at least one route.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising, during the operation of the vehicle (2) to be operated along the at least one route (1), registering and using operating data along the at least one route (1) for automatic updating of the parameters.

19. A control unit (4) of a vehicle (2) that recurrently travels on a route (1) with defined stopping points (3) along the route (1), the control unit (4) storing parameters for operation of the vehicle (2) along the route (1), on a basis of the stored parameters, and the vehicle (2) being braked before the stopping points (3) and being brought to rest at the stopping points (3).

20. The control unit according to claim 19, further comprising a control means for carrying out a method of operating the vehicle (2) along the route (1) having the stopping points (3) along the route (1), the method comprising: specifying the parameters for the operation of the vehicle (2) along the route (1) on the basis of which the vehicle (2) can be braked before the stopping points (3) and being brought to rest at the stopping points (3).

21. A method of operating a vehicle which repeatedly travels along a route which has defined stopping points, the method comprising: determining a current actual speed of the vehicle at a specified position along the route before an approaching stopping point; comparing the current actual speed of the vehicle at the specified position with a maximum speed profile at the specified position; slowing the vehicle, before the vehicle reaches the approaching stopping point, based on the comparison of the current actual speed of the vehicle and the maximum speed profile; and stopping the vehicle at the approaching stopping point based on the comparison of the current actual speed of the vehicle and the maximum speed profile.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Preferred further developments emerge from the description given below. Example embodiments of the invention, to which it is not limited, are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, which show:

[0017] FIGS. 1, 1A: Very schematic diagram to make clear the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The invention concerns a method and a control unit for operating a vehicle, namely a vehicle which recurrently travels on the same routes with defined stopping points along the routes.

[0019] Such a vehicle is preferably a public transport bus. In addition, such a vehicle can be for example a train, a suburban rail service, a building machine, a truck, a taxi, a fork-lift or the like.

[0020] FIG. 1A shows very schematically a route 1 for a vehicle 2 to be operated on this route, such that the vehicle 2 is brought to rest along the route 1 at defined stopping points 3. FIG. 1A shows such a stopping point.

[0021] FIG. 1A shows very schematically, as a component assembly of the vehicle 2, a control unit 4 that serves for the operation of the vehicle 2. Further components of the vehicle 2 are an accelerator pedal 5, service brakes 6 and a retarder 7, wherein the accelerator pedal 5, service brakes 6 and retarder 7 exchange data with the control unit 4 for controlling or regulating the operation thereof.

[0022] To be able to operate the vehicle 2 repeatedly on the route 1 in an optimum manner, namely by bringing it optimally to rest at the defined stopping points 3, it is proposed according to the invention that parameters are specified for the operation of the vehicle 2 along the route 1, such that on the basis of these parameters the vehicle 2 can be braked automatically before the stopping point 3 concerned and automatically brought to rest.

[0023] The parameters for operating the vehicle 2 along the route 1 are preferably stored in the control unit 4 and are supplied to the control unit 4 from a databank 8 which exchanges data with the control unit 4. The databank 8 can be a databank cloud.

[0024] The databank cloud contains parameters for the operation of the vehicle 2 along the route 1, which parameters are determined from historical operating data from vehicles operated along the route 1. These parameters are automatically communicated by the databank 8 to the control unit 4 of the vehicle 2 and thus supplied automatically, so that the corresponding parameters for the operation of the vehicle 2 along the route 1 are present in the control unit 4 for the route 1. Preferably, during the operation of the vehicle 2 to be operated along the route 1 on the basis of the parameters held ready in the control unit 4, during operation along the route 1, operating data is registered and then communicated to the databank 8 by the control unit 4 in order to update the corresponding parameters along the route 1.

[0025] The parameters held ready in the control unit 4 of the vehicle 2, on the basis of which the vehicle 2 can be braked in a defined manner before the stopping point 3 along the route 1 and then brought to rest at the stopping point 3 in a defined manner, are determined in particular as a function of a maximum allowed deceleration for passenger comfort, and/or as a function of route topography such as uphill and/or downhill slopes and/or curves, and/or as a function of the condition of the road, and/or as a function of a braking torque that can be applied by the service brakes 6 and/or the retarder 7

[0026] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that as a parameter for operating the vehicle 2 along the route 1, a maximum speed profile for the vehicle 2, which defines maximum speeds for positions along the route 1 concerned, is specified. Thus, over the route s, FIG. 1 shows a maximum speed profile 9 for the speed of the vehicle 2. This is preferably done in such manner that the vehicle 2 is braked with as constant as possible deceleration into the stopping point and brought to rest at the stopping point 3.

[0027] During the operation of the vehicle 2 along the route 1, a current actual speed of the vehicle 2 is determined and compared with the specified maximum speed profile 9, namely the corresponding route-position-dependent maximum speed defined by the maximum speed profile 9.

[0028] If the current, route-position-dependent actual speed of the vehicle 2 is lower than the corresponding route-position-dependent maximum speed defined by the maximum speed profile 9 at the route position concerned, then a desired drive torque specified by the driver using the accelerator pedal 5 is applied at the drive output of the vehicle 2 unchanged.

[0029] But if the current route-position-dependent actual speed of the vehicle 2 is higher than the corresponding route-position-dependent maximum speed defined by the maximum speed profile 9, then the desired drive torque specified by the driver using the accelerator pedal 5 can be changed by the control unit 4, and this indeed in such manner that the actual speed can be adjusted to the maximum speed profile 9.

[0030] For that purpose, if the actual speed of the vehicle 2 is higher than the corresponding route-position-dependent maximum speed defined by the maximum speed profile 9, the control unit 4 calculates a theoretical drive torque which is required for the actual speed to be adjusted to the maximum speed profile 9.

[0031] This theoretical drive torque is then compared with the desired drive torque specified by the driver using the accelerator pedal 5. If this desired drive torque specified by the driver is smaller than the theoretical drive torque, the desired drive torque specified by the driver is applied at the drive output of the vehicle 2 unchanged. On the other hand, if the desired drive torque specified by the driver is larger than the theoretical drive torque, then the control unit 4 applies the theoretical drive torque at the drive output as a control operation, so that the desired drive torque specified by the driver is limited by the theoretical drive torque.

[0032] In such a case the theoretical drive torque is calculated in particular as a function of a torque that can be applied by the service brake 6 at the drive output of the vehicle 2, and if the vehicle 2 has a retarder, then also as a function of a retarder torque that can be applied at the drive output of the vehicle 2 by the retarder 7. If the vehicle 2 cannot be decelerated in a defined manner and brought to rest by reducing a drive aggregate torque alone, then the vehicle is braked in a defined manner by automatically actuating the service brakes 6 and/or the retarder 7, namely until it comes to rest in the area of the stopping point 3, and in the case when the vehicle 2 has a retarder 7, the retarder 7 is actuated first in order to treat the service brakes 6 more gently. The torque that can be applied at the drive output of the vehicle 2 by the retarder 7 depends on the choice of a gear, so when the control unit 4 uses the retarder 7 to decelerate the vehicle, the unit 4 can specify an appropriate gear.

[0033] In the context of the present invention, during the operation of a vehicle 2 along a recurrent route 1 with defined stopping points 3, parameters must be specified for the operation of the vehicle, which are preferably implemented in a map of the route. On the basis of these parameters, the vehicle 2 can be braked automatically and brought to rest. In this way the vehicle 2 can be stopped in an optimal manner, and this indeed while respecting a maximum allowable deceleration, taking into account route topography data such as uphill and downhill slopes, curves and uneven ground, and also taking into account braking torques that can be applied at the drive output of the vehicle 2 by the service brakes 6 and the retarder 7 if one is present.

[0034] The parameters are held ready by a databank 8, in which they are also updated. The databank 8 then supplies the control unit 4 of the vehicle 2 with parameters appropriate for the operation of the vehicle 2.

[0035] Thanks to the invention, regardless of the skill of the driver, the vehicle 2 can be brought to rest at defined stopping points 3 in an optimum manner. This makes life easier for the driver of the vehicle 2.

INDEXES

[0036] 1 Route [0037] 2 Vehicle [0038] 3 Stopping point [0039] 4 Control unit [0040] 5 Accelerator pedal [0041] 6 Service brake [0042] 7 Retarder [0043] 8 Databank [0044] 9 Maximum speed profile