Claims:WE CLAIM:

1. A method for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by a control system 101 of the vehicle, information associated with one or more first environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more first vehicle parameters monitored when the vehicle is in an “automatic mode”;

selecting, by the control system 101, a first powertrain drive mode among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes in the “automatic mode” based on the received information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters;

detecting, by the control system 101, activation of a “manual mode”, from the “automatic mode”;

learning, by the control system 101, a selection of a second powertrain drive mode, selected by the user in the “manual mode”, based on user requirements by receiving information associated with one or more second environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more second vehicle parameters monitored during the learning process until one of a first condition and a second condition is detected; and

activating, by the control system 101, the second powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode” when the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters matches with the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more second environmental parameters comprises traffic condition, road type and rainfall.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more second environmental parameters are monitored using a rain sensor 104, a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator 103, and a camera 107 with image processing capabilities.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more first vehicle parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters comprises yaw rate, power mode, door status, and speed of the vehicle.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more first vehicle parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters are monitored using a yaw rate sensor 106, a Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) module 108 and a Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) 105.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more predefined powertrain drive modes comprise “City mode”, “Eco mode”, “Sports mode”, “Wet/Rain mode”, “Rough mode”, “Sand mode”, “Grass/Gravel/Snow mode”, and “Mud/Rut mode”.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first condition is a change in the powertrain drive mode during the learning process.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second condition is deactivation of the learning process by the user.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprises:
identifying, by an Engine Management System (EMS) 112 associated with the control system 101, a pre-calibrated map corresponding to a second powertrain drive mode selected by the user during the learning process; and
controlling powertrain of the vehicle based on the pre-calibrated map corresponding to the second powertrain drive mode.

10. A control system 101 for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle, the control system 101 comprising:
a processor 102;
a memory 113 communicatively coupled to the processor 102, wherein the memory 113 stores the processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the processor 102 to:

receive information associated with one or more first environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more first vehicle parameters monitored when an “automatic mode” is selected by a user;

select a first powertrain drive mode among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes in the “automatic mode” based on the received information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters;

detect activation of a “manual mode” by the user from the “automatic mode”;

learn a selection of a second powertrain drive mode selected by the user in the “manual mode”, based on user requirements by receiving information associated with one or more second environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more second vehicle parameters monitored during the learning process until one of a first condition and a second condition is detected; and

activate the second powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode” when the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters matches with the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters.

11. The system 101 as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control system 101 is communicatively coupled with a yaw rate sensor 106, a rain sensor 104, a Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) 105, a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator 103 an Engine Management system (EMS) 112, a Body Control Module (BCM) 109, a Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) module 108.

12. The system 101 as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processor 102 detects the first condition upon detecting a change in the powertrain drive mode during the learning process.

13. The system 101 as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processor 102 detects the second condition upon detecting deactivation of the learning process by the user.

14. The system 101 as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processor 102 identifies a pre-calibrated map corresponding to the second powertrain drive mode and controls powertrain of the vehicle based on the pre-calibrated map corresponding to the selected second powertrain drive mode.

15. The system 101 as claimed in claim 10, wherein the rain sensor 104, the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator 103, and the camera 107 with image processing capabilities monitors the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more second environmental parameters for transmitting information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and the one or more first vehicle parameters to the control system 101 through a communication protocol.

16. The system 101 as claimed in claim 10, wherein the yaw rate sensor 106, the PEPS module 108 and the VSS 105 monitors the one or more first vehicle parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters for transmitting to the control system 101 through the communication protocol.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present subject matter is generally related to driver assistance system and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method and a control system for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle.

BACKGROUND
In a vehicle, engine dynamics is controlled by a Drive Control Switch (DCS) based on user requirements. Generally, user controls brake and clutch pedals, steering, and gear lever efficiently to drive the vehicle in a safe manner with a certain speed considering traffic intensity, road condition, and weather conditions. Additionally, the user must perform functionalities associated with door lock, side windows, interior lighting, indicator light, head light, windshield wipers, sliding roof, and various components of the vehicle during driving by considering surroundings of the vehicle. Here, the performance of the vehicle depends on proper selection of a powertrain drive mode by the user. In cases, where the user fails to select proper powertrain drive modes according to specific environmental and vehicle conditions, the mileage, drivability and fuel consumption are adversely affected resulting in degradation in performance of the vehicle. Therefore, capability of the user to select a suitable powertrain drive mode considering various environmental and vehicle parameters imposes a limitation on attaining an expected performance of the vehicle.
Further, in some scenarios the user may be acquainted with driving Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEV) only. Here, if the user is provided with electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle, the user may not be versatile enough to choose appropriate powertrain drive modes at the first instance based on environmental and vehicle parameters. Consequently, the performance of the electric vehicle or the hybrid vehicle achieved may not be acceptable. In this case, the type of vehicle restricts performance of the vehicle.
Furthermore, in some scenarios the user may need a specific powertrain drive mode to be selected in a particular environmental and vehicle condition. However, existing system in the vehicle does not provide such options. Thus, resulting in lot of inconvenience to the user of the vehicle.
The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

SUMMARY
The present disclosure discloses a method for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle. The method comprises receiving, by a control system of the vehicle, information associated with one or more first environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more first vehicle parameters monitored. The information is received when an “automatic mode” is selected by a user. Thereafter, the method comprises selecting, by the control system, a first powertrain drive mode among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes in the “automatic mode” based on the received information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters. The method further comprises detecting, by the control system, activation of a “manual mode” from the “automatic mode” by the user. Upon activation of the “manual mode”, the method comprises learning by the control system a selection of a second powertrain drive mode, selected by the user in the “manual mode”, based on user requirements. Upon activation of the learning process, the control system receives information associated with one or more second environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more second vehicle parameters monitored during the learning process. The learning process continues until one of a first conditions and a second condition is detected. Upon completion of learning process, the method comprises activating, by the control system, the second powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode” when the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters matches with the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters
Further, the present disclosure discloses a control system. The control system comprises a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor. When an “automatic mode” is selected by a user, the processor receives information associated with one or more first environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more first vehicle parameters monitored. In the “automatic mode”, the processor selects a first powertrain drive mode among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes based on the received information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters. Further, the processor detects activation of a “manual mode” by the user from the “automatic mode”. Thereafter, the processor learns a selection of a second powertrain drive mode selected by the user in the “manual mode”, based on user requirements by receiving information associated with one or more second environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more second vehicle parameters monitored during the learning process until one of a first condition and a second condition is detected. The first condition is detected upon a change in the powertrain drive mode during the learning process. The second condition is detected upon deactivation of the learning process by the user. After completion of learning process, the processor activates the second powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode” when the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters matches with the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and regarding the accompanying figures, in which:
FIG.1 shows an exemplary architecture of a vehicle for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG.2 shows a flow chart illustrating selection of “manual mode” or “automatic mode” in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG.3 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any flow diagrams and timing diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative device embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, “including” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device, or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
The present disclosure relates to a method and a control system for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle. A user may select an “automatic mode” or “manual mode” to attain an expected performance of the vehicle. Upon selection of the “automatic mode”, the control system may receive information associated with one or more first environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more first vehicle parameters monitored. The one or more first environmental parameters may comprise traffic condition, road type and rainfall, which may be monitored during “automatic mode” of the vehicle using a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator, a camera with image processing capabilities, and a rain sensor respectively. Further, the one or more first vehicle parameters may comprise yaw rate, power mode, door status, and speed of the vehicle, which may be monitored using a yaw rate sensor, a Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) module and a Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) respectively. Upon receiving information pertaining to the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters, the control system may select a first powertrain drive mode among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes in the “automatic mode”. The powertrain drive mode is associated with transmission of the drive from internal combustion engine in case of petrol and diesel engines vehicles or transmission of electric motors drive in case of electronic vehicle to vehicles axle, along with the transmission which will be “automatic”, “manual” or torque converter type along with axles. The one or more predefined powertrain drive modes may include, but not limited to, “City mode”, “Eco mode”, “Sports mode”, “Wet/Rain mode”, “Rough mode”, “Sand mode”, “Grass/Gravel/Snow mode”, and “Mud/Rut mode”. “Sports mode”, “Eco mode” and “City/Normal mode” are the principal power train drive modes, where powertrain performance like engine torque or A/F Ratio or fuel injection are limited to meet desired performance in case of petrol or diesel engine vehicles. In electric vehicles. powertrain motors performance depends on the voltage and current injection control. In order to improve the powertrain performance further, chassis system or brake system response has been taken into consideration along with torque limitation, fuel injection limitation, throttle response in “Wet/Rain mode”, “Rough mode”, “Mud/Rut mode”, “Grass/Gravel/Snow mode” and “Sand mode”. Further, the powertrain mode does not limit to only above-mentioned modes but also includes controlling the themes color modes in vehicle. As an example, Red for Sports mode, Green for Eco Mode, Blue for the City/ Normal Mode. The themes color modes are controlled by Body Control Module as per input from the control system. Further,
, the control system may detect activation of a “manual mode” by the user from the “automatic mode”. In the “manual mode”, the user may press a push button associated with learning process for a predefined time. Upon receiving signal through the push button, the control system may start learning process for selection of powertrain drive modes from the user. A second powertrain drive mode may be selected by the user among the one or more predefined powertrain drive modes. The system may learn the selected second powertrain drive mode in the “manual mode” based on user requirements by receiving information associated with one or more second environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more second vehicle parameters monitored during the learning process. In an embodiment, the learning process may be performed until one of a first conditions or a second condition is detected. The first condition may be when the user changes the powertrain drive mode and the second condition may be deactivation of the learning process by the user. Further, the control system may activate the second powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode” when the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters matches with the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters. The one or more second environmental parameters may comprise traffic condition, road type and rainfall using the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator, the camera with image processing capabilities, and the rain sensor respectively, monitored during the learning process. Further, the one or more second vehicle parameters may comprise yaw rate, power mode, door status, and speed of the vehicle using the yaw rate sensor, the Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) module and the VSS respectively. When the second powertrain drive mode is activated, an Engine Management System (EMS) associated with the control system may identify a pre-calibrated map corresponding to the second powertrain drive mode selected by the user during the learning process and may control an engine of the vehicle based on the pre-calibrated map corresponding to the second powertrain drive mode. In this manner, the present disclosure provides a method and a control system for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes thereby achieving expected performance of the vehicle in terms of mileage, fuel efficiency and power consumption with minimal manual intervention.
FIG.1 shows an exemplary architecture of a vehicle for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIG.1, the architecture 100 of the vehicle may include a control system 101 for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle, a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator 103, a rain sensor 104, a Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) 105, a yaw rate sensor 106, a camera 107 with image processing capabilities, a Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) module 108, a Body Control Module (BCM) 109, an Electronic Stability Program (ESP) 110, an Engine Management System (EMS) 112, like EMS ECU or VCU in case of electric vehicles and an Engine Control Unit (ECU) 111.
The control system 101 of the vehicle may be implemented in an internal combustion engine vehicles, electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles. The vehicle engine may be powered by fuel like diesel, petrol or the vehicle may be powered by batteries. The control system 101 may include a processor 102 and a memory 113 for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes. In an embodiment, the vehicle may be activated in “automatic mode” or “manual mode”. As an example, the user may select “automatic mode” in the vehicle. When the “automatic mode” is selected, the processor 102 may receive information associated with environmental parameters [referred as one or more first environmental parameters] and vehicle parameters [referred as one or more first vehicle parameters]. The one or more first environmental parameters may include current traffic condition, type of road and rainfall. The one or more first environmental parameters may be monitored using the GPS navigator 103, the rain sensor 104, and the camera 107 with image processing capabilities as shown in FIG.1. The one or more first vehicle parameters may include yaw rate, power mode, door status, and speed of the vehicle. The one or more first vehicle parameters may be monitored using the yaw rate sensor 106, the VSS 105 and the PEPS module 108 as shown in FIG.1. Upon receiving the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters, the processor 102 may select a first powertrain drive mode among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes based on the received information. As an example, the one or more predefined powertrain drive modes may include, but not limited to, “City mode”, “Eco mode”, “Sports mode”, “Wet/Rain mode”, “Rough mode”, “Sand mode”, “Grass/Gravel/Snow mode”, and “Mud/Rut mode”. In an exemplary scenario, the user may not prefer the first powertrain drive mode selected by the processor 102. Therefore, the user may switch to “manual mode” from the “automatic mode”. The processor 102 may detect activation of the “manual mode” of the vehicle from the “automatic mode”. Thereafter, the user may press a push button associated with a learning process for a predefined time to activate the learning process. Upon detecting the user input, the processor 102 may start learning user activity. The user may select a second powertrain drive mode based on user requirements in the “manual mode”. Upon receiving the user input, the processor 102 may learn selection of the second powertrain drive mode. The processor 102 may receive information associated with one or more second environmental parameters and one or more second vehicle parameters. The one or more second environmental parameters may include traffic condition, road type and rainfall during learning process. The one or more second environmental parameters may be monitored using the GPS navigator 103, the rain sensor 104, and the camera 107 with image processing capabilities. The one or more second vehicle parameters may include yaw rate, power mode, door status, and speed of the vehicle during learning process. The one or more second vehicle parameters may be monitored using the yaw rate sensor 106, the VSS 105 and the PEPS module 108. The one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters which are recorded during the learning process, may be stored in the memory 113 of the control system 101. The processor 102 of the control system 101 may learn till detection of a first condition or a second condition. As an example, the processor 102 may detect a first condition when a change in the powertrain drive mode is performed by the user. As an example, the processor 102 may detect a second condition when the user deactivates the learning process by releasing the push button. Further, in an exemplary scenario, the user may switch to “automatic mode”. In the “automatic mode”, the control system 101 may receive information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters which may match with the second environmental parameters and the second vehicle parameters recorded during the learning process. Upon matching, the processor 102 may activate the second powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode”.
In an embodiment, the control system 101 may be communicatively coupled with the GPS navigator 103, the rain sensor 104, the yaw rate sensor 106, the VSS 105, the camera 107 with image processing capabilities, the PEPS module 108, the BCM 109, the ESP 110, the EMS 112, and the ECU 111 through a communication line.
In an embodiment, the processor 102 of the control system 101 may receive information regarding traffic condition from the GPS navigator 103 through the communication line. The received information from the GPS navigator 103 may be processed by the processor 102 to classify the traffic condition into one of clear traffic, moderate traffic or heavy traffic. Further, the processor 102 may receive information regarding rainfall from the rain sensor 104 through the communication line. The processor 102 may categorize the received information into light rainfall, moderate rainfall or heavy rainfall. The processor 102 may also receive information pertaining to yaw velocity of the vehicle from the yaw rate sensor 106 through the communication line. The processor 102 may determine angle between vehicle's heading and vehicle actual movement direction from the received yaw velocity. The determined angle may be further processed to determine one of flat road, uphill or downhill condition. Further, the processor 102 may receive linear velocity data of the vehicle from the VSS 105 through the communication line. The received data may be processed at the processor 102 to identify one of “high speed” or “low speed” of the vehicle. Additionally, the processor 102 may receive images captured by the camera 107 through the communication line. The received images may be processed to determine road condition in advance. The processor 102 may classify the road condition into one of muddy road, rut road, wet road, rough road, normal road, sand, grass, gravel and snow. The processor 101 may receive information regarding door status and power mode of the vehicle from the PEPS module 108 and BCM 109 of the vehicle. From the received information, the processor 101 may determine whether the door of the vehicle is “closed” or “opened”, and the power mode is “ON” or “OFF”. Upon processing all the aforementioned information received from the sensors, PEPS module 108 and BCM 109, the processor 102 may select first powertrain drive mode based on the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters. After selection of the first powertrain drive mode, the processor 102 may send this information to the ECU 111 of the vehicle. The ECU 111 may send the selected first powertrain drive mode to the ESP 110 for confirmation of the selected powertrain drive mode. The ESP 110 may send positive acknowledgement to confirm the ECU 111 regarding the selection of the first powertrain drive mode. Thereafter, the ECU 111 may retrieve a pre-calibrated map based on the selected first powertrain drive mode through the EMS 112. The ECU 111 may control the engine based on the retrieved pre-calibrated map.
FIG.2 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for selection of one of a “manual mode” or an “automatic mode” by the user in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIG.2, the method 200 includes one or more blocks illustrating a method for selection of one of a “manual mode” or an “automatic mode” in a vehicle. The order in which the method 200 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.
At block 201, the method may include initiating the process of selecting one of the “manual mode” or “automatic mode”.
At block 202, the method may include verifying, by the control system 101, ignition status or power mode of an engine of the vehicle. The processor 102 of the control system 101 may receive information regarding the ignition status or power mode of the engine and door status from the PEPS module 108 and the BCM 109 of the vehicle. The processor 102 may check the communication link between various sensors, the GPS navigator 103, the camera 107, the PEPS module 108, the BCM 109, the EMS 112, and the ECU 111 when the power mode is detected in “ON” condition.
At block 203, the method may include verifying, by the control system 101, network connectivity between the GPS navigator 103, the rain sensor 104, the yaw rate sensor 106, the VSS 105, the camera 107, the PEPS module 108, the BCM 109, the EMS 112 and the ECU 111. The processor 102 may continue verifying for communication connectivity until the network connectivity is established. Upon detecting network connectivity, the processor 102 may receive user input for selecting one of “manual mode” or “automatic mode”.
At block 204, the method may include receiving, by the control system 101, mode of operation of the vehicle. The mode of operation may be either “manual mode” or “automatic mode”. Upon selection of one of mode of operation, the user may be provided with predefined powertrain drive modes to be selected manually or automatically by the system.
At block 205, the method may include executing, by the control system 101, the functionalities associated with the “manual mode”. The operations performed in the “manual mode” is described herein below.
Manual Mode
In the “manual mode”, one of predefined powertrain drive modes may be selected by the user based on user preferences. The predefined powertrain drive modes in “manual mode” may include “City” mode, “Eco mode”, “Sports mode”, “Wet/Rain mode”, “Rough mode”, “Sand mode”, “Grass/Gravel/Snow mode”, and “Mud/Rut mode”. In the “manual mode”, the detected environmental parameters and monitored vehicle parameters may not affect the manual selection of the powertrain drive mode, as the user is provided with overall control of switching between various predefined powertrain drive modes. The preferred powertrain drive mode selected by the user may be communicated to the ECU 111 and the ESP 110. Upon receiving the selected powertrain drive mode from the control system 101, the ESP 110 may verify for stability of the vehicle in the selected powertrain drive mode. Thereafter, the ESP 110 may send positive acknowledgement to the ECU 111. Upon receiving the acknowledgement from the ESP 110, the ECU 111 may select a pre-calibrated map based on the selected powertrain drive mode to control the engine accordingly. The ESP 110 may also control vehicle parameters like traction, braking, steering based on drive mode input received from the control system 101.
At block 206, the method may include executing, by the control system 101, the functionalities associated with the “automatic mode”. The operations performed in the “automatic mode” is described herein below.
Automatic Mode
In the “automatic mode”, the processor 102 of the control system 101 may select a first powertrain drive mode among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes dynamically by monitoring one or more first environmental parameters and monitoring one or more first vehicle parameters without any manual intervention. The one or more first environmental parameters may include current traffic condition, type of road and rainfall. The processor 102 may receive the current traffic condition from the GPS navigator 103. Upon receiving the traffic information, the processor 102 of the control system 101 may classify the traffic condition to be one of clear traffic, moderate traffic and heavy traffic for selecting the first powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode”.
In some embodiments, the processor 102 may receive information related to rainfall from the rain sensor 104. In some embodiments, the rain sensor 104 may detect rainfall when the vehicle is in running condition and send the corresponding information to the control system 101. Upon receiving data pertaining to rain condition, the processor 102 may classify to one of light, moderate or high rainfall to control switching of the powertrain drive modes of the vehicle automatically.
In some embodiments, the processor 102 may receive information associated with the road condition from the camera 107. The camera 107 may capture image of the surroundings of the vehicle which may be further processed by an image processor 102 of the camera 107. The processed images with correlation factor greater than a predetermined value may be acceptable to determine road or terrain condition. Such processed images may be sent to the processor 102 of the control system 101 for determining road or terrain condition. The processor 102 of the control system 101 may interpret the processed images of the road to identify one of muddy road, rut road, wet road, rough road, normal road, sand, grass, gravel and snow. The identified road or terrain condition may be taken into consideration for selecting the first powertrain drive mode for enhanced performance of the vehicle.
Further, the one or more first vehicle parameters may include yaw rate, power mode, door status, and speed of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the processor 102 of the control system 101 may receive yaw velocity of the vehicle from the yaw rate sensor 106. As an example, the yaw rate sensor 106 may detect the angular velocity of the vehicle around its vertical axis. The detected slip angle of the vehicle may be sent from the yaw rate sensor 106 to the control system 101. Upon receiving the signal from the yaw rate sensor 106, the processor 102 of the control system 101 may identify uphill condition when the received angle is greater than a predefined value. Further, the processor 102 of the control system 101 may identify downhill when the received angle is smaller than the predefined value. However, in case if the received angle is within a predefined range, then flat road condition may be identified by the processor 102.
In some embodiments, the processor 102 may receive vehicle speed information from the VSS 105. Upon receiving the vehicle speed information from the VSS 105, the processor 102 of the control system 101 identifies low speed or high speed of the vehicle with respect to a predetermined value for switching to a desired powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode”.
In some embodiments, the processor 102 may receive door status and power mode from the PEPS module 108. The PEPS module 108 may perform functions associated with Passive Entry (PE), Remote Keyless Entry (RKE), Passive Start (PS), Passive Lock (PL) and immobilizer functions. Information associated with the key state may be transmitted to the processor 102 for activation of the first powertrain drive mode. The key state may indicate the opening or closing of the vehicle door to the processor 102.
In some embodiments, the processor 102 may receive door status and power mode from the BCM 109. The BCM 109 may perform functions associated with windshield wipers, interior and exterior lighting, air conditioning, side window lifter, sunroof, user authorization and energy management. The BCM 109 may be configured to send ignition status (in case of ICEVs) or power mode (in case of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles), and door status (open or closed state) to the control system 101 to enable selection of the first powertrain drive mode.
In some embodiments, the processor 102 may receive stability information of the vehicle from the ESP 110. The ESP 110 may maintain stability information of the vehicle by dynamically controlling skidding of the vehicle. The ESP 110 may receive the powertrain drive mode selected by the processor 102 of the control system 101 and may send a positive acknowledgement to the EMS 112 for configuring a pre-calibrated engine map based on the selected powertrain drive mode. Further, the ESP 110 may provide traction control, Anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic stability, steering roughness for driver comfort and better vehicle drivability based on the selected powertrain drive mode. ESP 110 may recognize critical driving conditions, and accordingly may stabilize the vehicle. ESP 110 may aid the user in avoiding the danger of losing the control of the vehicle stability due to under-steering or oversteering during cornering. The ESP 110 may indicate ECU 111 to control against over-steering or under-steering during cornering by controlling the vehicle stability using the input values from the sensors and applying the brakes independently to the corresponding wheels. The ESP 110 may include Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) systems to enable the system for operating efficiently based on the vehicle driving conditions. The ESP 110 may be activated to apply the brake force to desired wheels of the vehicle to compensate the yaw moment with the vehicle stability control function in a selected powertrain drive mode.
In the “automatic mode”, the processor 102 may select the first powertrain drive mode based on information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters. The first powertrain drive mode may be selected from one or more predefined powertrain drive modes. The predefined powertrain drive modes may comprise “City mode”, “Eco mode”, “Sports mode”, “Wet/Rain mode”, “Rough mode”, “Sand mode”, “Grass/Gravel/Snow mode”, and “Mud/Rut mode”. As an example, the control system 101 may select the first powertrain drive mode as “Eco mode”.
At block 207, the method may include executing, by the control system 101, the functionalities associated with the learning process when the user presses the push button associated with the learning process for a predefined time in “manual mode”.
In one exemplary embodiment, the user may select “Sports mode” in the “manual mode”. Further, the user may press the push button for a predetermined time to activate learning. Upon activation of learning process, the processor 102 may receive information associated with the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters to train a learning model accordingly. Thereafter, the user may release the push button to deactivate the learning process. Consequently, in next “automatic mode” of the vehicle, the processor 102 may switch to the “Sports mode” learnt by the control system, when the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters detected in “automatic mode” matches with the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters pre-stored during the time of learning.
In some scenarios, the user may not prefer the automatic selection of the control system 101. Hence, the user may switch from “automatic mode” to the “manual mode”. Thereafter, the user may press a push button associated with learning process for a predefined time for activating learning process in “manual mode”. For example, the predefined time may be “5 seconds”. Upon activation of the learning process, the user may select a second powertrain drive mode which is different from the first powertrain drive mode, based on his preferences. The selection activity from first powertrain drive mode to second powertrain drive mode may be learned by the processor 102 to implement the user preferred powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode”. Further, upon activation of the learning process the memory 113 may store the information pertaining to the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters monitored by the GPS navigator 103, the rain sensor 104, the camera 107, the yaw rate sensor 106 and the VSS 105. The learning process may continue until the second powertrain drive mode is changed by the user to a different powertrain drive mode. Further, the learning process may be terminated by the user by releasing the push button associated with the learning process.
In some embodiments, the control system 101 may implement the learned activity of the user in “automatic mode” to assist the user. The learned powertrain drive mode selected by the user which is the second powertrain drive mode may be activated when the current one or more first environmental parameters and current one or more first vehicle parameters in the “automatic mode” match with the pre-stored one or more second environmental parameters and one or more second vehicle parameters monitored during learning. process
In some embodiments, the control system 101 may prioritize learned selection activity of the user over the automatic selection of the powertrain drive mode when the one or more first environmental parameters and one or more first vehicle parameters detected match with the pre-stored information associated with the one or more second environmental and one or more second vehicle parameters monitored during learning. process
Example Illustration
As an example, consider the user may drive the vehicle on a hilly terrain. To drive the vehicle efficiently, the user may switch to “automatic mode”. By default, the processor 102 may select the first powertrain drive mode as “Eco mode”, upon detecting the power mode in “ON” condition and door status in “closed state”. Thereafter, the processor 102 may start receiving information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters and one or more first vehicle parameters. The processor 102 may receive information associated with the traffic condition, yaw angle, speed of the vehicle from the GPS navigator 103, the yaw rate sensor 106, and the VSS 105 respectively. As an example, consider, the GPS navigator 103 may indicate clear traffic for a distance greater than “0.5 km”. At the same time, flat road may be detected from the yaw angle received from the yaw rate sensor 106. Additionally, the VSS 105 may detect speed of the vehicle greater than “40 km/h”. Upon receiving this information, the control system 101 may decide to stay in “Eco mode”. Further, the GPS navigator 103 may indicate clear traffic for a distance less than “0.5 km”, with no change in the previous yaw angle and vehicle speed. Here, the control system 101 may change the powertrain drive mode to “City mode” from “Eco mode” for attaining enhanced mileage and fuel efficiency in the city environment. Further, consider clear traffic may be indicated for a distance greater than “0.2 km” with the same vehicle speed and uphill condition. Based on the sensors’ data, the control system 101 may select “Sports mode” as the appropriate powertrain drive mode for the vehicle. Thereafter, as an instance, the yaw rate sensor 106 may detect downhill condition, with clear traffic indicated from the GPS navigator 103 for a distance less than “0.2 km” and constant speed detected from the VSS 105. Therefore, in such situation, the control system 101 may select previous mode i.e. “Sports mode” based on the detected sensors’ parameters. Therefore, as an when the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters change, the first powertrain drive mode selected by the control system 101 also changes.
In another instance, the user may select “automatic mode” initially for automatic selection of powertrain drive modes by the control system 101. By default, the processor 102 may select the first powertrain drive mode as “Eco mode”, upon detecting the power mode in “ON” condition and door status in “closed state”. Thereafter, the processor 102 may start receiving information associated with one or more first environmental parameters and one or more first vehicle parameters from the one or more sensors. The processor 102 may receive information associated with light rainfall from the rain sensor 104 and wet road images may be received from the camera 107. The light rainfall may be recorded for a distance greater than “0.3 km”. Upon receiving this information, the control system 101 may select the first powertrain drive mode as “Wet/Rain mode” based on one or more first environmental parameters and one or more first vehicle parameters. As an example, the first powertrain drive mode selected by the control system 101 in the “automatic mode” may not be preferred by the user. In order to drive the vehicle based on user preferences, the user may switch to “manual mode” from the “automatic mode”. As an example, the user selects “Sports mode” as the preferred powertrain drive mode [referred as second powertrain drive mode] instead of “Wet/Rain mode” during light rainfall. Therefore, the user may press the push button for “10 seconds” to activate learning process by the control system 101. During learning process, the one or more second environmental parameters and one or more second vehicle parameters are monitored and the monitored one or more second environmental parameters and one or more second vehicle parameters associated with the second powertrain drive mode may be stored in the memory 113. In this scenario, the control system 101 may learn selection of “Sports mode” instead of “Wet/Rain mode” during light rainfall condition by monitoring the rainfall data from the rain sensor 104 and road images from the camera 107. The learning process may terminate when the user releases the push button for deactivating the learning process. Further, the learning process may automatically stop when the user changes the powertrain drive mode form the “Sports mode”. After completion of learning process, the driver may switch to the “automatic mode”. The control system 101 may verify the one or more first environmental parameters and one or more first vehicle parameters for automatic selection of the powertrain drive modes. As an example, light rainfall and wet road may be detected in “automatic mode”. At this instant, the control system 101 may automatically select “Sports mode” instead of “Wet/Rain mode” to provide user preferred powertrain drive mode based on previous learning experience. In this way, the user may be provided with comfort by avoiding repetitive manual intervention when the system selected powertrain drive mode is not preferred by the user. The control system 101 may provide flexibility to the user, by implementing learned powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode” when current one or more first environmental parameters and current one or more first vehicle parameters detected during “automatic mode” match with one or more second environmental parameters and one or more second vehicle parameters recorded during learning process.
FIG.3 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
As illustrated in FIG.3, the method 300 includes one or more blocks illustrating a method for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle. The order in which the method 300 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.
At block 301, the method may include receiving, by a control system 101 of the vehicle, information associated with one or more first environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more first vehicle parameters monitored when an “automatic mode” is selected by a user. The one or more first environmental parameters may comprise traffic condition, road type and rainfall. The one or more first environmental parameters may be monitored using a rain sensor 104, a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator 103, and a camera 107 with image processing capabilities. The one or more first vehicle parameters may comprise yaw rate, power mode, door status, and speed of the vehicle. The one or more first vehicle parameters may be monitored using a yaw rate sensor 106, a Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) module 108 and a Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) 105.
At block 303, the method may include selecting, by the control system 101, a first powertrain drive mode among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes in the “automatic mode” based on the received information associated with the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters. The one or more predefined powertrain drive modes may comprise “City mode”, “Eco mode”, “Sports mode”, “Wet/Rain mode”, “Rough mode”, “Sand mode”, “Grass/Gravel/Snow mode”, and “Mud/Rut mode”.
At block 305, the method may include detecting, by the control system 101, activation of a “manual mode”, from the “automatic mode”, by the user. In case the first powertrain drive mode automatically selected by the control system 101 is not preferred by the user, the “manual mode” may be selected by the user.
At block 307, the method may include learning process, by the control system 101, a selection of a second powertrain drive mode, selected by the user in the “manual mode”, based on user requirements. The learning process may be performed by receiving information associated with one or more second environmental parameters associated with the vehicle and one or more second vehicle parameters monitored during the learning process. The learned environmental and vehicle conditions may be stored in the memory 113 for future implementation in “automatic mode”. The learning process may continue until one of a first conditions and a second condition is detected. The first condition may be a change in the powertrain drive mode during the learning process. The second condition may be deactivation of the learning process by the user.
At block 309, the method may include activating, by the control system 101, the second powertrain drive mode in the “automatic mode” when the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters matches with the one or more second environmental parameters and the one or more second vehicle parameters. Upon activation, the pre-calibrated map corresponding to the second powertrain drive mode instead of first powertrain drive mode may be selected by the EMS 112 based on previous learning experience.
Advantages of the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated herein.
In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method and a control system for controlling switching on powertrain drive modes in a vehicle.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method for automatically controlling selection of powertrain drive modes among one or more predefined powertrain drive modes based on the one or more first environmental parameters and the one or more first vehicle parameters. Hence reduces manual intervention as well as improve the performance of the vehicle in terms of mileage, fuel efficiency, and power consumption.

In an embodiment, in the present disclosure, the system is learnt based on the user preferences which is implemented in future and hence user comfort is provided by avoiding frequent shift to manual mode from the automatic mode.

The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)" unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms "including", "comprising", “having” and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise. The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.
A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be clear that more than one device/article (whether they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether they cooperate), it will be clear that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
Referral Numerals:

Reference Number Description
100 Environment
101 Control system
102 Processor
103 GPS navigator
104 Rain sensor
105 Vehicle speed sensor
106 Yaw rate sensor
107 Camera
108 Passive entry passive start module
109 Body control module
110 Electronic stability program
111 Engine control unit
112 Engine management system
113 Memory