METHOD AND DEVICE FOR OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

A system and method for operating a vehicle having different operating modes affecting emissions include activating, by a vehicle controller, at least one of the different operating modes affecting emissions selected in response to an estimated population density of a designated area associated with a current location or an anticipated future location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for operating a vehicle having different operating modes affecting emissions, comprising: activating, by a vehicle controller, at least one of the different operating modes affecting emissions selected in response to an estimated population density of a designated area associated with a current location or an anticipated future location of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising estimating the population density, by the vehicle controller, based on detection of persons present in the area based on a wireless data transmission.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the estimated population density from a remote server.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeatedly estimating the population density by the vehicle controller while the vehicle is moving, wherein the designated area for which the population density is estimated is updated based on a current position of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the anticipated future location is anticipated in response to a destination or route received by a navigation system of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the vehicle comprises a hybrid vehicle and the different operating modes comprise an electric mode.

7. The method of claim 7 further comprising selecting the electric mode in response to the population density exceeding a threshold population density.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting one of the different operating modes in response to air quality of the current location or the anticipated future location.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting one of the different operating modes based on respective energy expenditure associated with the one of the different operating modes relative to other of the operating modes.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting one of the different operating modes in response to a number or type of emission sources present in the current location or the anticipated future location.

11. A vehicle comprising: a controller programmed to control the vehicle using a selected one of a plurality of operating modes each having different associated emissions profiles, the operating mode selected based on at least one of an estimated population density and an air quality associated with a location of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the location is a current location of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle of claim 11 further comprising a navigation system, wherein the location is a location based on a destination or route stored in the navigation system.

14. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the estimated population density is received by the controller from a remote server.

15. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the plurality of operating modes comprises an electric mode and a hybrid mode.

16. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the controller is further programmed to estimate the population density based on wireless transmission data transmission.

17. A vehicle having a plurality of operating modes including an electric mode, comprising: a controller programmed to control the vehicle according to one of the plurality of operating modes selected in response to a population density of a location of the vehicle.

18. The vehicle of claim 17 wherein the controller is further programmed to select the electric mode in response to a first population density and a different operating mode in response to a second population density higher than the first population density.

19. The vehicle of claim 17 wherein the controller is further programmed to select one of the plurality of operating modes in response to an air quality of the location.

20. The vehicle of claim 17 wherein the location comprises a location on a vehicle route programmed into a navigation system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of components or modules present in the device according to one embodiment; and

[0028] FIGS. 2 and 3 show schematic representations to illustrate different representative scenarios when carrying out the method according to one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] As required, detailed embodiments are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely representative and that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the claimed subject matter.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows in a schematic representation an overview of components or modules present in a device according to one embodiment.

[0031] According to FIG. 1, a central logic module for the coordination of the operation of the components present is denoted by 19. An HMI module 11 (HMI=human machine interface) enables interactions on the part of the user or driver. A (optional) route planning module 12 can for example be configured as a navigation system. A GPS module 13 enables the geographical location of the vehicle.

[0032] A planning unit for planning estimation areas is denoted by 14. Said planning unit 14 defines the characteristic features (size, shape and center) of a current estimation area as well as future estimation areas. The planning unit 14 further determines the frequency at which the estimation areas are updated. Here the information that is provided by the route planning module 12 can be used to process or to determine the estimation areas along the envisaged route of the vehicle.

[0033] A module 15 for estimating the population density or the people density receives the positions and velocity vectors of persons located within a predetermined estimation area, wherein for example smartphone-based geographical location can be used. Here a plurality of areas can also be detected simultaneously. The velocity vectors describe the respective orientation and speed of motion of the persons and thus give information about the dynamics of the population density.

[0034] A prediction module 16 for predicting the population density or the people density is used to predict the population density or the people density in the estimation areas that the vehicle will probably reach after a certain period of time with knowledge of the route of the vehicle.

[0035] A classification module 17 for classification of the emission strategy is used to classify different emission strategies based on the current data and possibly predicted data using different parameters, for example the population density in a predetermined estimation area, the size of the estimation area, the period spent by a vehicle in an estimation area, the estimated emissions in the current operating mode in a given estimation area, the energy expended and time expended to exit the current operating mode and the transition to a predetermined emission reducing strategy as well as the estimated emissions for a predetermined emission reducing mode. Weather and the surroundings can provide a measure of how good the air circulation and emission dissipation are in a certain estimation area.

[0036] A planning module 18 for planning the drive train operation is used to determine and coordinate the activation of different emission operating modes along the route of the vehicle based on the data estimated with the modules 14-17.

[0037] FIGS. 2 and 3 are used to illustrate different scenarios when carrying out the method according to one or more embodiments. According to FIG. 2, an estimation area is denoted by 25, and persons or individuals present in the estimation area 25 are denoted by 21. The current population density or people density in the surroundings of a motor vehicle 30 is continuously estimated based on the number of individuals 21 that are located in the estimation area 25, and the drive train operating mode is adjusted accordingly. In doing so, the development over time of the population density or the people density can also be taken into account in order to plan a transition to the most suitable drive train operating mode in each case.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a scenario in which the motor vehicle 30 is to travel from a starting location A to a destination B. The motor vehicle 30 is equipped with a navigation system or a comparable device. The device according to the invention thus has available information both regarding the route of the vehicle and also regarding an estimation of the population density or the people density along the corresponding path of the vehicle based on the respectively detected number of individuals. Estimation zones along the route of the vehicle are denoted by 31-35, wherein each of said estimation zones 31-35 is associated with a respective center 31a, . . . , 35a. The estimation zones or areas 31, 32, and 33 are inner city areas in the representative scenario, whereas the areas 34 and 35 are non-urban areas.

[0039] In the representative embodiment of FIG. 3, a measurement now takes place of the average population density or people density at the start and end of the inner-city area, i.e. for the (estimation) areas 31 and 33. Here a first strategy for reducing emissions in said areas 31 and 33 is activated by the device. In area 32 however, in the representative embodiment a second strategy is activated that provides a still stricter emission limit (for example by enforcing an electric drive mode), because the population density or the people density is relatively higher or very high there. Finally, for areas 34 and 35 a very low people density and dynamics are measured or anticipated, so that the device enables a return to a relatively conventional drive train operating mode, wherein for said areas special operating modes, such as for example the regeneration of a diesel particle filter (DPF), may also be able to be planned.

[0040] In further embodiments, the number of emission sources present in a current estimation area can also be monitored by the device according to various embodiments. Said number of emission sources can also be taken into account in the decision regarding whether a change of the drive train emission mode is to be carried out or not. Emission sources can for example be other motor vehicles, but also industrial manufacturing plants or power stations with the use of fossil fuels, airports etc. The detection of such emission sources can for example be carried out based on GPS. In doing so, according to the invention the density of emission sources for the individual estimation areas can also be estimated. The corresponding decision function for altering the drive train modes increases in complexity here, wherein for example reducing emissions (for example by switching on the electric drive) can be caused if there is a high density of emission sources despite a low population density or people density.

[0041] In one or more embodiments, operating modes for reducing the emissions of a motor vehicle are planned and activated based on a possible dynamic estimation of the population density or the people density. The device according to the invention comprises for this purpose a device for locating the motor vehicle as well as a device for planning the route of the vehicle, for example in the form of a navigation system. The device according to the invention plans corresponding estimation areas in which the population density or the people density is estimated or analyzed. Furthermore, the device according to the invention determines in each case a suitable operating mode of the drive train for reducing emissions that enables emissions to be minimized in a certain estimation area and activates said operating mode.

[0042] The planned estimation areas according to the invention can be constant regarding the characteristic features thereof (such as shape or size) or can even vary depending on the vehicle state (for example the speed of the vehicle) or the surroundings of the vehicle (for example an inner-city area, freeway, non-urban area etc.).

[0043] The frequency at which a respective new estimation area is planned can also be constant or even vary depending on the vehicle state (for example the speed of the vehicle) or on the surroundings of the vehicle. The estimation areas along the route of the vehicle can be planned if said route is fully or partially known or can easily be predicted.

[0044] The estimation of the population density or the people density can be carried out by geographical location of all persons or individuals present within an estimation area. The number of individuals detected within the respective estimation area over the entire surface of the estimation area can be used as a measure of the population density or the people density. Furthermore, the dynamics of the population density or the people density can be estimated and the orientation and speed of motion of the individuals detected within the respective estimation area can be determined or estimated.

[0045] The determination according to the invention of which operating mode is most suitable for reducing emissions for a predetermined estimation area can be carried out regarding the population density or the people density, the population dynamics or the people dynamics, the period spent by the motor vehicle in the relevant estimation area, the weather or environmental conditions in the relevant estimation area (for example regarding the air circulation and the emission dissipation), the estimated emissions in the current operating mode in said estimation area, the energy expenditure and time expenditure for exiting the current operating mode and for a transition to a predetermined emission reducing strategy and the current emission value in the relevant estimation area. With a knowledge of the route of the vehicle, planning of the optimum combination of emission reduction modes that enable maximum emission reduction is carried out, wherein the load on the vehicle and the energy costs are minimized at the same time.

[0046] In further embodiments, monitoring of the number of emission sources in each estimation zone as well as the determination of a category of the relevant emission source (for example motor vehicle, truck, factory, airport etc.) can be carried out. The detection of the respective emission sources can for example be carried out based on GPS. The number of emission sources as well as the category thereof (regarding the respective degree of emissions) can be taken into account in the decision regarding whether the operating mode of the drive train is to be altered or not.

[0047] While representative embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the claimed subject matter. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments that may not be explicitly illustrated or described.