FR3142976A1 - Method and device for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a device for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle. The method comprises the following steps: - obtaining (31) at least one piece of data representative of road traffic conditions from at least one on-board sensor of the electric vehicle; - determining (32) a deceleration setpoint depending on said at least one piece of data; and- adaptation (33) of the deceleration level according to the deceleration setpoint. Figure for abstract: Figure 5

Description

Method and device for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle.

The present invention relates to methods and devices for assisting in driving an electric vehicle, in particular an automobile, and more particularly for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system for an electric vehicle.

Technology background

A single-pedal driving system for an electric vehicle, particularly of the automobile type, is a system which implements a functionality offered to users to make it easier for them to drive their electric vehicles.

Single-pedal driving allows a driver of an electric vehicle to accelerate if they press an accelerator pedal and to slow down if they release the accelerator pedal. The electric vehicle cannot therefore coast while the single-pedal driving functionality is activated.

A single-pedal driving system includes means for calibrating an electric vehicle wheel torque level in such a way as to obtain a so-called basic deceleration level while taking into account the comfort of vehicle users. Typically the basic deceleration level is set at -2m/s ² . This base deceleration level is determined to meet the most common vehicle operating circumstances. It is set for a majority of road situations that a vehicle driver usually encounters.

A single-pedal driving system uses adapted technology to recharge an in-vehicle battery. In fact, this system includes specific braking means which can act as generators of electrical power when the vehicle is decelerated. These means then convert the kinetic energy of stopping or slowing down the vehicle into electrical energy which is used to recharge the on-board battery of the electric vehicle.

A single-pedal driving system can be activated via a button, paddle or menu on a vehicle's screen. When activated, the vehicle accelerates when the driver presses an accelerator pedal and slows down to a set base deceleration level when the driver releases the accelerator pedal. When a typical road situation arises, the driver releases the accelerator pedal and the vehicle decelerates (or even stops) according to this set base deceleration level. On the other hand, when an unusual or sudden road situation occurs, such as for example a traffic light turning red or the sudden appearance of an obstacle, the basic deceleration level of the vehicle may prove insufficient. and the driver is then required to brake the vehicle, or even stop it, by conventional braking means such as those by friction.

The problem at hand is to improve an electric vehicle single-pedal driving system to minimize driver intervention even when an unusual or sudden road situation occurs.

Summary of the present invention

An object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the problems of the technological background described above.

Another object of the present invention is to improve existing single-pedal electric vehicle driving systems.

Another object of the present invention is to improve road safety.

According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle, said method being implemented by at least one on-board computer of the vehicle, said process comprising the following steps:
- obtaining at least one data representative of road traffic conditions from at least one on-board sensor of the electric vehicle;
- determination of a deceleration setpoint based on said at least one piece of data; And
- adaptation of the deceleration level according to the deceleration setpoint.

Said at least one piece of data, obtained by at least one onboard sensor of the electric vehicle, makes it possible to detect obstacles or road sign indications on the trajectory of the electric vehicle and to evaluate the proximity of these obstacles or of the effect taking effect. of these indications. The deceleration setpoint is then determined based on said at least one piece of data so that the electric vehicle does not collide with these obstacles or so that the electric vehicle respects these detected road sign indications. A deceleration level used by the single-pedal driving system is then automatically adapted, i.e. either increased or decreased, depending on the deceleration setpoint so that the vehicle does not collide with an obstacle detected or for the electric vehicle to comply with a road sign indication.

The present invention makes single-pedal driving systems more robust than current systems and limits the use of conventional braking means to decelerate or stop the electric vehicle even in the case where critical situations arise suddenly.

The present invention improves user comfort because it can limit the deceleration level to values lower than the basic deceleration level. The decelerations of the electric vehicle are thus gentler when road traffic conditions permit and maximum in the event of necessary intensive braking.

The present invention is therefore particularly advantageous for urban road trips because it increases road safety both for the electric vehicle and for other road users by reducing the risk of collision.

The present invention also makes it possible to compensate for lack of attention on the part of the driver of the electric vehicle by adapting the level of deceleration as a function of road sign indications such as, for example, the turning of a traffic light to red.

According to an example embodiment, one of the sensors is a camera.

This exemplary embodiment is advantageous because it can reuse a camera already on board the electric vehicle which is used to implement another driving assistance function for example.

According to an example embodiment, one of the sensors is a radar or an ultrasound sensor.

This exemplary embodiment is advantageous because it can reuse a radar already on board the electric vehicle which is used to implement another driving assistance function for example. Data D obtained from a radar or an ultrasound sensor can, for example, be analyzed to determine a distance between the front of the electric vehicle and an obstacle located in front of this vehicle.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the deceleration level is adapted by adding the deceleration setpoint.

This embodiment is advantageous because depending on the sign of the deceleration setpoint, the basic deceleration level can be modified either upwards if the deceleration setpoint is negative or downwards if the deceleration setpoint is positive. This embodiment is therefore advantageous because it is very simple to implement.

According to an exemplary embodiment, one of the sensors is a receiver of a satellite geolocation system.

This exemplary embodiment is advantageous because it can reuse a receiver of a satellite geolocation system already on board the electric vehicle which is used for the implementation of another driving assistance and/or navigation function. .

According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a device for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle, said device comprising a memory associated with at least one processor configured for implementing implementation of at least one step of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle using a deceleration level to decelerate the electric vehicle, wherein the deceleration level is controlled by a device according to the second aspect of the present invention.

According to a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a vehicle, for example of the automobile type, comprising a single-pedal driving system according to the third aspect of the present invention.

According to a fifth aspect, the present invention relates to a computer program which comprises instructions adapted for the execution of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in particular when the computer program is executed by at least one processor.

Such a computer program can use any programming language, and be in the form of a source code, an object code, or an intermediate code between a source code and an object code, such as in partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

According to a sixth aspect, the present invention relates to a computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a computer program comprising instructions for executing the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

On the one hand, the recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise a storage means, such as a ROM memory, a CD-ROM or a ROM memory of the microelectronic circuit type, or even a magnetic recording means or a hard disk.

On the other hand, this recording medium can also be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, such a signal being able to be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by conventional or terrestrial radio or by self-directed laser beam or by other ways. The computer program according to the present invention can in particular be downloaded onto an Internet type network.

Alternatively, the recording medium may be an integrated circuit in which the computer program is incorporated, the integrated circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in executing the method in question.

Brief description of the figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description of the particular and non-limiting examples of embodiment of the present invention below, with reference to the appended Figures 1 to 5, in which:

schematically illustrates a road environment 1 according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates an example of deceleration of a vehicle according to a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system according to the state of the art;

schematically illustrates an example of deceleration of a vehicle according to a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates a device configured for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates a flowchart of the different stages of a method for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the implementation examples

A method and a device for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle will now be described in what follows with reference jointly to Figures 1 to 5. The same elements are identified with the same reference signs throughout the description which follows.

According to the present invention, at least one piece of data D representative of road traffic conditions is obtained from at least one sensor C on board an electric vehicle, a deceleration setpoint CD is determined as a function of said at least one piece of data D and a deceleration level ND used by the single-pedal driving system is adapted according to the deceleration setpoint CD.

There schematically illustrates a road environment 1, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

Road environment 1 includes two vehicles 10 and 11 traveling on a traffic lane. Vehicle 10 follows vehicle 11.

The vehicle 10 corresponds to a vehicle with electric motor(s) or even a hybrid vehicle with a thermal engine and one or more electric motors. The vehicle 10 thus corresponds for example to a land vehicle, for example an automobile or a utility vehicle.

According to one embodiment, the vehicle 10 comprises a geolocation system comprising a receiver of a satellite geolocation system, for example a receiver of the GPS system (from the English “Global Positioning System” or in French “Systeme Mondiale de positioning") or a Galileo system receiver.

The vehicle 10 has a single pedal driving system using a base deceleration level ND.

This basic deceleration level ND is set by calibrating a wheel torque level of the electric vehicle.

The vehicle 10 also carries a device 2 which corresponds to a set of computers comprising at least one computer of the vehicle (for example at least one processor of this or these computers in relation to a memory).

According to a particular embodiment, these computers form for example a multiplexed architecture for the production of different services useful for the proper functioning of the electric vehicle 10.

The computers communicate and exchange data, for example D data, with each other via one or more computer buses, for example a CAN data bus type communication bus (from the English “Controller Area Network”). or in French “Réseau de controllers”), CAN FD (from the English “Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate” or in French “Réseau de controllers à flow flexible data”), FlexRay (according to the ISO 17458 standard), LIN (from the English “Local Interconnect Network” or in French “Réseau interconnectée local”) or Ethernet (according to the ISO/IEC 802-3 standard).

Environment 1 further comprises a mobile communication network infrastructure, for example a V2X type network infrastructure (from the English “Vehicle-to-everything” or in French “Véhicule vers tout”), with which the device 2 is configured to communicate signals. The mobile communication network infrastructure implements, for example, communications according to LTE technology (from the English “Long-Term Evolution” or in French “Evolution à long-term”), LTE-Advanced (from the English “Long -Term Evolution - Advanced” or in French “Advanced long-term evolution”), C-V2X (from the English “Cellular – Vehicle to Everything” or in French “Cellulaire – Véhicule vers tout”) which is based on the 4G and/or 5G, based on LTE.

To communicate signals with the mobile communication network infrastructure, the device 2 comprises or is in relation with a communication device corresponding for example to an associated telematic control unit, called TCU (from the English “Telematic Control Unit”). with one or more antennas.

The communication device communicates with the mobile communication network infrastructure using a so-called V2X communication system, for example based on the 3GPP LTE-V or IEEE 802.11p standards of ITS G5. In such a V2X communication system, each vehicle has a node to enable V2V vehicle-to-vehicle (vehicle-to-vehicle) and vehicle-to-vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. -infrastructure) and/or vehicle-to-pedestrian V2P.

The mobile communication network infrastructure comprises, for example, a communication device 110 corresponding to a relay antenna and/or a roadside unit (UBR). The communication device 110 corresponds to a node of the network.

The antenna or UBR 110 is advantageously connected to one or more remote servers 111, 112, for example via the “cloud” 100 (or in French “cloud”), via a wired and/or wireless connection. According to the example of the , the antenna or UBR 110 is configured to act as a relay between the “cloud” 100 and in particular with the remote server 111 or 112 and the device 2.

The remote server 112 associated or connected to the antenna or UBR 110 corresponds for example to a peripheral computing device, to an MEC type device (from the English “Mobile Edge Computing” or “Multi-Access Edge Computing”) which allows to move computer traffic and services from the centralized “cloud” 100 to an edge network, closer to users or client devices (for example device 2). Instead of sending all data to be processed in the “cloud”, an edge network analyzes, processes and/or stores the data. Collecting and processing data close to users reduces communications latency and increases the bandwidth available to each user by avoiding the bottleneck effect when all data is redirected to or emitted from the cloud. the “cloud” 100. The standards governing the operation of the architecture and MEC compatible devices are defined by ETSI (from the English “European Telecommunications Standards Institute” or in French “European Institute of Telecommunications Standards”). The peripheral computing device 113 is connected to the “cloud” infrastructure 100 (for example to “cloud” servers 100 such as the server 112) via a wired “backbone” type connection, for example Ethernet or optical fiber type.

According to a particular embodiment, the vehicle 10 carries one or more mobile communication devices such as one or more smart phones, that is to say that this or these mobile communication devices are in the vehicle 10. A device mobile communication is advantageously configured to communicate signals with the “cloud” 100 (server 111, 112) via the mobile communication network infrastructure of environment 1, for example via a wireless connection of the LTE 4G or 5G type.

According to one embodiment, the device 2 corresponds to a mobile communication device present (on board) in the vehicle 10. The mobile communication device is then configured to communicate with equipment of the mobile communication network infrastructure.

According to one embodiment, the device 2 corresponds to a system formed of one or more vehicle computers connected in wireless communication with a mobile communication device. The mobile communication device is then further configured to communicate signals with the vehicle's computer(s) when a wireless or wired connection is established between this mobile communication device and this computer(s). A wireless connection is for example of the Wifi® or Bluetooth® type.

A process for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of the electric vehicle 10 is now described when this process is implemented by the device 2 on board the vehicle 10.

In a first operation, at least one piece of data D representative of road traffic conditions is obtained from at least one sensor C on board the electric vehicle.

In a second operation, a deceleration setpoint CD is determined as a function of said at least one piece of data D.

In a third operation, a deceleration level ND used by the single-pedal driving system is adapted according to the deceleration setpoint.

According to an example embodiment, one of the sensors is a camera.

For example, a piece of data D is an image obtained from a camera. This image can, for example, be analyzed by image processing means on board the electric vehicle 10 to detect the presence of an obstacle on the track on which the electric vehicle 10 is traveling. The deceleration instruction CD can then be fixed at a significant value so as to stop the electric vehicle 10 as soon as possible. The deceleration level ND is then adapted according to the deceleration setpoint CD.

According to an exemplary embodiment, one of the sensors is a radar.

According to an exemplary embodiment, one of the sensors is an ultrasonic sensor.

For example, data D obtained from a radar or an ultrasound sensor can be adapted or analyzed to provide a distance between the front of the electric vehicle 10 and an obstacle located in front of the electric vehicle 10 such as the vehicle 11 The deceleration setpoint CD can then be set as a function of this distance so as to slow down or stop the electric vehicle 10 as soon as possible. The deceleration level ND is then adapted as a function of the deceleration setpoint CD, i.e. the level of. deceleration ND increases if the deceleration setpoint CD increases and vice versa. For example, when the deceleration setpoint CD reaches a threshold value then the deceleration level ND is set at a maximum value fixed according to the minimum degree of comfort acceptable to users.

According to an exemplary embodiment, one of the sensors is a receiver of a satellite geolocation system.

For example, a narrowing of the lane on which the electric vehicle 10 is traveling can be detected from map data (data D) obtained by the receiver of a satellite geolocation system. A deceleration setpoint CD can then be determined as a function of the distance between the electric vehicle 10 and this narrowing of the lane and the deceleration level ND can be adapted according to the deceleration setpoint CD which can evolve gradually to increase the comfort of users of the electric vehicle 10.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the deceleration level ND is adapted by adding the deceleration setpoint CD to it.

There schematically illustrates an example of deceleration of the electric vehicle 10 according to a deceleration level ND of a single-pedal driving system according to the state of the art.

In this example, vehicles 10 and 11 are traveling on a traffic lane. Vehicle 10 follows vehicle 11 at a regulatory distance.

THE represents a deceleration curve 13, respectively 14, of the vehicle 10, respectively 11 and curves 16 and 17 representing respectively a support of the foot of the driver of the vehicle 10 on the accelerator pedal and a support of the driver's foot of the vehicle 10 on a brake pedal for example by friction.

On the left part of the , the vehicles 10 and 11 travel at a quasi-constant speed and the driver of the vehicle 10 presses the accelerator pedal to maintain this constant speed. Curve 16 is at a high level indicating pressure on the accelerator pedal. Curve 17 is at a low level indicating no pressure on the brake pedal.

Now suppose that a traffic light 12 turns red and the driver of vehicle 11 is surprised by this change in color of traffic light 12. The driver of vehicle 11 then brakes suddenly. Curve 14 decreases quickly and sharply. The driver of vehicle 2 then releases the accelerator pedal at time t1. Curve 16 goes to a low level indicating a release of the accelerator pedal. Vehicle 10 decelerates. Curve 13 decreases but insufficiently because the basic deceleration level ND is not sufficient. The driver of the vehicle 10 must then compensate for a difference in deceleration 15 required to avoid a collision with the vehicle 11 by pressing the brake pedal. The curve 17 passes at a high level indicating the support of the foot of the driver of the electric vehicle 10 on the brake pedal. At a time instant t2 the vehicles 10 and 11 have adapted their speeds or stopped.

There schematically illustrates an example of deceleration of the vehicle 10 of environment 1 according to a deceleration level ND of a single-pedal driving system according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

Taking the example of the , at time t1, at least one piece of data D is obtained from at least one sensor of the vehicle 10. A deceleration setpoint CD is then determined from said at least one piece of data D and the deceleration level ND is adapted to compensate for the difference in deceleration 15. The driver of the electric vehicle 10 then no longer has to press the brake pedal and the curve 17 remains at the low level.

For example, the deceleration setpoint is a value that is added to the base deceleration level ND.

There schematically illustrates a device configured for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

The device 2 is configured for the implementation of the operations of the process described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and/or the steps of the method described with regard to the .

Examples of such a device 2 include, without being limited to, on-board electronic equipment such as an on-board computer of a vehicle, an electronic computer such as an ECU (“Electronic Control Unit”), a telephone smart, tablet, laptop, computer. The elements of device 2, individually or in combination, can be integrated into a single integrated circuit, into several integrated circuits, and/or into discrete components. Device 2 can be produced in the form of electronic circuits or software (or computer) modules or even a combination of electronic circuits and software modules.

The device 2 comprises one (or more) processor(s) 20 configured to execute instructions for carrying out the steps of the method and/or for executing the instructions of the software(s) embedded in the device 2. The processor 20 may include integrated memory, an input/output interface, and various circuits known to those skilled in the art. The device 2 further comprises at least one memory 21 corresponding for example to a volatile and/or non-volatile memory and/or comprises a memory storage device which may comprise volatile and/or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM , PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic or optical disk.

The computer code of the embedded software(s) comprising the instructions to be loaded and executed by the processor is for example stored on memory 21.

According to different particular and non-limiting examples of embodiment, the device 2 is coupled in communication with other similar devices or systems and/or with communication devices, for example a TCU (from the English “Telematic Control Unit” or in French “Telematic Control Unit”), for example via a communications bus or through dedicated input/output ports.

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment, the device 2 comprises a block 22 of interface elements for communicating with external devices.

According to another particular and non-limiting example of embodiment, the device 2 comprises a communication interface 23 which makes it possible to establish communication with other devices (such as on-board computers of the first vehicle 10) via a communication channel 230. The communication interface 23 corresponds for example to a transmitter configured to transmit and receive information and/or data via the communication channel 230. The communication interface 23 corresponds for example to a CAN type wired network (from the English “Controller Area Network” or in French “Réseau de controlleres”), CAN FD (from the English “Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate” or in French “Réseau de controllers à flow flexible data”), FlexRay ( standardized by the ISO 17458 standard) or Ethernet (standardized by the ISO/IEC 802-3 standard).

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment, the device 2 can provide output signals to one or more external devices, such as a display screen 240, touch or not, one or more speakers 250 and/or other peripherals 260 via output interfaces 24, 25 and 26 respectively. According to a variant, one or the other of the external devices is integrated into the device 2.

There schematically illustrates a flowchart of the different stages of a method of controlling a deceleration level ND of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

The method is for example implemented by a device on board the first vehicle 10 or by the device 2 of the .

In a first step 31, at least one piece of data D representative of road traffic conditions from at least one on-board sensor of the electric vehicle 10.

In a second step 32, a deceleration setpoint CD is determined as a function of said at least one piece of data D.

In a third step 33, a deceleration level ND is adapted according to the deceleration setpoint.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above but extends to a method of controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle which would include secondary steps without departing from the scope of the present invention. The same would apply to a device configured to implement such a process.

The present invention also relates to a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle using a deceleration level to decelerate the electric vehicle, wherein the deceleration level is controlled by the device 2 of the .

The present invention also relates to a vehicle, for example an automobile or more generally an autonomous vehicle with a land engine, comprising the single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle above.

Claims (10)

Method for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle, said method being implemented by at least one on-board computer of the vehicle, said method comprising the following steps:
- obtaining (31) at least one piece of data representative of road traffic conditions from at least one on-board sensor of the electric vehicle;
- determination (32) of a deceleration setpoint based on said at least one piece of data; And
- adaptation (33) of the deceleration level according to the deceleration setpoint. Method according to claim 1, wherein one of the sensors is a camera. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which one of the sensors is a radar or an ultrasound sensor. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which one of the sensors is a receiver of a satellite geolocation system. Method according to one of the preceding claims, the deceleration level is adapted by adding the deceleration setpoint. Computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method according to any one of the preceding claims, when these instructions are executed by a processor. Computer-readable recording medium on which a computer program comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of the method according to one of claims 1 to 5 is recorded. Device (2) for controlling a deceleration level of a single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle, said device comprising a memory associated with at least one processor configured for implementing at least one step of the process according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A single-pedal driving system of an electric vehicle using a deceleration level for decelerating the electric vehicle, wherein the deceleration level is controlled by a device according to claim 8. Vehicle (10) incorporating a single-pedal driving system according to claim 9.