System and Method for Optimized Cruise Control

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to systems and methods for improving metrics associated with vehicular transport, allowing for example maximized safety, minimized environmental impact, minimized fuel consumption, minimized trip time, minimized pollution, and the like.

2. Description of Related Art

[0002] Cruise control systems are common in modern vehicles. These systems allow a driver to set an operating point, typically a fixed driving speed, by pressing a button or through other means. When activated, the cruise control system will control the vehicle throttle to attain the set operating point, in some cases using feedback. Cruise control is more common on American cars than European cars, in part because the roads in America are generally longer and straighter, and destinations are farther apart. In any case with traffic loads continually increasing, basic cruise control is becoming less useful, but instead of becoming obsolete, cruise control systems are being adapted to a new reality of increasingly congested roads, ubiquitous computing, and reactive infrastructure.

[0003] A standard cruise control system has several functions other than controlling the speed of one's car. For instance, modern cruise control systems can accelerate or decelerate a car by a given speed increment at the driver's demand. Furthermore certain safety features have appeared in conjunction with cruise control, beyond the basic disengagement features such as those whereby the cruise control will disengage as soon as you hit the brake pedal, and will not engage at speeds less a preset threshold. [0004] Cruise control systems generally have a set of buttons or levers, such as : On, Off, Set/ Accel, Resume and Coast. In a sense the cruise control has an additional control in the brake pedal.

[0005] The On' button primes the system for operation. The 'off button turns the cruise control off even if it is engaged. Some cruise controls don't have these buttons; instead, they turn off when the driver hits the brakes, and turn on when the driver hits the set button.

[0006] The 'set/accel' button engages a feedback loop that will maintain the speed one is currently driving. If one hits the set button at (for instance) 100 km h, the car will maintain this speed despite variations in the road grade, wind resistance, etc. Holding down the set/accel button will make the car accelerate; and on certain models of cruise control, tapping it once will increase speed by a fixed increment, such asl mph faster.

[0007] On some vehicle cruise control systems if one recently disengaged the cruise control by hitting the brake pedal, hitting the 'resume' button will cause the car to accelerate back to the most recent speed setting. Holding down the 'coast' button will cause the car to decelerate, just as if one took one's foot completely off the gas. As with the speed increase increment, a speed decrease increment is also incorporated in some cruise controls whereby tapping the coast button (for instance) once will cause the car to slow down by 1 mph.

[0008] The brake pedal has a switch that disengages the cruise control as soon as the pedal is pressed, so one can shut off the cruise control with a light tap on the brake or clutch.

[0009] The cruise control system controls the speed of the vehicle by adjusting the throttle position. Cruise control actuates the throttle valve by any number of control means, such as a cable connected to an actuator, instead of by pressing the gas pedal. The throttle valve controls the power and speed of the engine by limiting how much air and petrol the engine takes in. [0010] Often the cruise control system will make use of two cables connected to a pivot that moves the throttle valve. One cable comes from the accelerator pedal, and one from the actuator. When the cruise control is engaged, the actuator moves the cable connected to the pivot, which adjusts the throttle; but it also pulls on the cable that is connected to the gas pedal - allowing the gas pedal to move up and down when the cruise control is engaged.

[0011] Many cars use actuators powered by engine vacuum to open and close the throttle. These systems use a small, electronically-controlled valve to regulate the vacuum in a diaphragm. This works in a similar way to the brake booster, which provides power to the brake system.

[0012] The cruise control system is generally controlled by a small computer that is normally found under the hood or behind the dashboard. It connects to the throttle control described above, as well as several sensors.

[0013] Modern cruise control systems have progressed from the simple fixed speed cruise control introduced in the 1960's to more sophisticated variants that (for instance) sense the distance from the preceding car (by sonar, visual, or other means) and decelerate (by slowing the fuel flow, changing throttle position, braking, or some combination of these) when this distance is below a prescribed limit.

[0014] The aforementioned more advanced cruise control system automatically adjusts a car's speed to maintain a safe following distance. This technology has been given various monikers including adaptive cruise control, and may use such distance sensing technology as forward-looking radar, installed behind the grill of a vehicle, to detect the speed and distance of the vehicle ahead of it.

[0015] Adaptive cruise control is similar to conventional cruise control in that it maintains the vehicle's pre-set speed. However, unlike conventional cruise control, such systems automatically adjust speed in order to maintain a predetermined minimum distance between vehicles in the same lane. This is achieved through a radar headway sensor or other distance sensor, digital signal processor and longitudinal controller. If the lead vehicle slows down, or if another object is detected, the system sends a signal to the engine or braking system to decelerate. Then, when the road is clear, the system will re-accelerate the vehicle back to the set speed.

[0016] For example there has been disclosed a 77-GHz radar system which has a forward-looking range of up to 492 feet (150 meters), and operates at vehicle speeds ranging from 18.6 miles per hour (30 km/h) to 111 mph (180 km/h). Other systems have been disclosed by car manufacturers which also detect objects as far away as 492 feet, and operate at speeds as low as 20 mph (32 km/h).

[0017] In keeping with developments in 'smart car' technology, these systems are being enhanced to include collision warning capabilities that will warn drivers through visual and/or audio signals that a collision is imminent and that braking or evasive steering is needed.

[0018] A standard cruise control system accelerates aggressively to the desired speed without overshooting, and then maintains that speed with little deviation no matter how much weight is in the car, or how steep the hill you drive up. Controlling the speed of a car is a classic application of control system theory. The cruise control system controls the speed of the car by adjusting the throttle position, with feedback derived by means of sensors for speed and throttle position. The system also needs to monitor the controls so it can tell what the desired speed is and when to disengage.

[0019] The primary input is the speed signal. This is used by all control systems, a few of which will now be described. In a proportional control system, the cruise control adjusts the throttle in proportion to the error (this being the difference between the desired speed and the actual speed). So, if the cruise control is set at 100 km h and the car is going 90 mph, the error term is lOkm/h and the throttle will be increased in proportion to this amount. The result is that the closer the car gets to the desired speed, the slower it accelerates. If one were on a steep enough hill, the car might not accelerate at all, allowing the error to remain and allowing the vehicle to remain below the set point of speed.

[0020] To correct the above deficiency most cruise control systems use a common control scheme called PID (proportional-integral-derivative) control. A PID control system uses these three factors - proportional signals (in proportion to the error between setpoint and actual speed), integral (integrated error over time) and derivative (derivative of error with respect to time). The integral factor eliminates any constant error such as the above problem encountered on hills, and also allows the system to settle into the correct speed and stay there. The derivative of speed is acceleration which allows the cruise control respond quickly to changes, such as hills. If the car starts to slow down, the cruise control can 'see' this deceleration before the speed can actually change appreciably, and respond by increasing the throttle position.

[0021] As an example of a simple cruise control system, U.S. patent 3511329 discloses such a cruise control system that allows a driver to choose a set operating point, and then cruise at this speed without depressing the gas pedal.

[0022] However the device is designed for a constant speed and will generally speaking not minimize fuel consumption, driving time or any other parameter, as to do so would require a far greater amount of information and planning than cruise control systems can provide.

[0023] Hence, an improved method for optimized cruise control is still a long felt need.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0024] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system and method for optimization of various driving parameters such as velocity profile, environmental profile, pollution profile, safety profile, braking profile, and the like. Further a system and method are provided for automatic engagement/disengagement of the drive train of a vehicle from the engine, effectively putting the vehicle into and out of neutral for purposes of energy savings.

[0025] Various embodiments of the invention provide different means and methods for optimizing trip metrics such as fuel consumption, elapsed time, and the like. [0026] It is within provision of the invention to provide an W. J. Optimized intelligent cruise control (TM) system comprising: a. computing means; b. sensing means in electronic communication with said computing means; c. software running on said computing means adapted to compute a trajectory that optimizes a metric, given information selected from the group consisting of: said sensing means; onboard information stored by said computing means; offboard information, and combinations thereof; d. indicating means adapted to indicate to a vehicle occupant an optimized vehicle state; whereby said vehicle may be brought closer to said optimized vehicle state.

[0027] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said optimized vehicle state is selected from the group consisting of: vehicle gear setting, vehicle speed, vehicle bearing, vehicle acceleration, and combinations thereof.

[0028] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further comprising control means in electronic communication (which may be real time, near real time, or not real time and may be internet communication or other) with said computing means adapted to control said vehicle so as to bring said vehicle to said optimized vehicle state.

[0029] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system wherein said control means are selected from the group consisting of: clutch engagement control; gear selector (including gears of various types including automatic, semiautomatic, manual, hydraulic, servomotor control, electric gear, motorized (including brushed and brushless motor); transmission; electrically motorized control; steering control; velocity control; fuel supply rate control; control surface control; indicator light control; vehicle airconditioning control; vehicle onboard display control. Clutch engagement may take the form of manual clutch, automatic clutch, electric clutch; hydraulic clutch; magnetic clutch; centrifugal clutch; finger clutch; diaphragm clutch; and screw clutch.

[0030] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system wherein said software means optimizes said metric by means of optimization algorithms selected from the group consisting of: gradient descent, simplex, convex minimization, support vector machine, neural networks, Bayesian networks, linear programming methods, nonlinear programming methods, Hessian methods, gradient methods, thermodynamic methods, entropic methods, ballistic methods, spline methods and simulated annealing methods.

[0031] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said metric is selected from the group consisting of: minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized safety risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized detection probability; maximized detection probability; minimized waiting time; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; minimized evaluation time; minimized deployment time; minimized army deployment time; minimized maneuvering requirement; and combinations thereof.

[0032] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said sensing means are selected from the group consisting of: GPS receiver; Dead Reckoning (DR) receiver; Dead Reckoning (DR); sonar rangefinder; laser rangefinder; radio receiver; proximity sensor; fuel consumption sensor; air flow sensor; speedometer; accelerometer; compass; inclinometer; magnetometer; altimeter;

[0033] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further comprising elements in electronic communication (real time or otherwise) with said computing means, selected from the group consisting of: radio transmitter; radio receiver; infrared transmitter; infrared receiver; license plate identification system; camera; night camera; day camera; vision processing means; cellular communications; internet connectivity; CANBUS; CCTV camera; thermal camera; fog vision systems; poor visibility vision systems; Google Earth 3D; satellite; and onboard vehicle network.

[0034] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said computing means are selected from the group consisting of: smartphone; pda; laptop computer; onboard computer; GPS, Dead Reckoning (DR), Google Earth 3D, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satnav systems, WJ. Hologram™, navigation unit; atomic clock time location; and Turing machine.

[0035] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said trajectory comprises points in spacetime.

[0036] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said trajectory includes segments utilizing a plurality of different vehicles.

[0037] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said information is selected from the group consisting of: route endpoint data; route waypoint data; route constraints; GPS data; Dead Reckoning (DR) data; infrastructure data; traffic data; stoplight data; weather data; average route time data; topographic data; road usage data; road quality data; road inclination data; wind speed data; vehicle efficiency data; vehicle emissions data; car drag data; tire air pressure data; altitude data; tire friction data.

[0038] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said vehicle is selected from the group consisting of: car, truck, light truck, heavy truck, 3 wheeled vehicles, tractor, trailer, cargo transport vehicle, tank, boat, yacht, sailboat, submarine, airplane, motorized vehicle, train, bus, motorcycle, hybrid vehicle, electric vehicle, magnetic motor vehicle, W.J. Engine™ powered vehicle, W. J Turbine™ and W.J Rotor engine™. [0039] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said vehicle is powered by a source selected from the group consisting of: internal combustion, external combustion, human power, electric propulsion, nuclear propulsion, wave propulsion, solar propulsion, ion propulsion, wind propulsion, W.J. Anaerobic engine™, anaerobic engine, magnetic propulsion, hydraulic propulsion, air propulsion, WJ. Hydrogen Propulsion™, hydrogen propulsion, W J. Turbine Propulsion™, turbine propulsion.

[0040] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said vehicle employs a transmission selected from the group consisting of: manual transmission, automatic transmission, electric transmission, hydraulic transmission, semiautomatic transmission.

[0041] It is further within provision of the invention to provide methods corresponding to the aforementioned systems.

[0042] It is within provision of the invention to provide a method for W. J. Optimized intelligent cruise control (TM) in a vehicle comprising steps of: a. providing computing means in said vehicle; b. providing sensing means in electronic communication with said computing means; c. computing a trajectory that optimizes a metric, given information selected from the group consisting of: said sensing means; onboard information stored by said computing means; offboard information, and combinations thereof; d. indicating an optimized vehicle state to a vehicle occupant; whereby said vehicle may be brought closer to said optimized vehicle state. [0043] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said optimized vehicle state is selected from the group consisting of: vehicle gear setting, vehicle speed, vehicle bearing, vehicle acceleration, environmental emissions reduction, and combinations thereof.

[0044] It is further within provision of the invention to further comprise control means in electronic communication with said computing means adapted to control said vehicle through mechanical means, air pressure means, electrical means, hydraulic means and the like so as to bring said vehicle to said optimized vehicle state.

[0045] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said control means are selected from the group consisting of: clutch engagement control; gear selector; steering control; velocity control; fuel supply rate control; control surface disposition; indicator light control; vehicle air conditioning control; vehicle onboard display control; RPM control; handbrake control; brake control; wheel pressure; weight distribution; center of mass.

[0046] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said software means optimizes said metric including minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; minimized inclement weather; minimized waiting time, minimized detection probability; maximized detection probability; and combinations thereof by means of optimization algorithms selected from the group consisting of: gradient descent, simplex, convex minimization, support vector machine, neural networks, Bayesian networks, linear programming methods, nonlinear programming methods, Hessian methods, gradient methods, thermodynamic methods, entropic methods, ballistic methods, spline methods, and simulated annealing methods.

[0047] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said metric is selected from the group consisting of: minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; minimized waiting time, minimized detection probability (allowing for example escape from inimical forces), maximized detection probability (allowing for example detection by rescue personnel during an emergency), and combinations thereof.

[0048] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said sensing means are selected from the group consisting of: GPS receiver; Dead Reckoning (DR); Google Earth 3D, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satnav systems, WJ. Hologram™, sonar rangefinder; laser rangefinder; radio receiver; proximity sensor; fuel consumption sensor; air flow sensor; speedometer; accelerometer; compass; inclinometer; magnetometer; altimeter; thermal rangefinder, fog vision system, dust vision system, bush and plant sensing means.

[0049] It is further within provision of the invention to comprise elements in electronic communication with said computing means, selected from the group consisting of: radio transmitter; radio receiver; infrared transmitter; infrared receiver; license plate identification system; camera; vision processing means; cellular communications; internet connectivity; CANBUS; onboard vehicle network; Google Earth 3D; data relay satellite; optical satellite; radar satellite; satellite navigation systems; CCTV cameras for day or night operation.

[0050] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said computing means are selected from the group consisting of: smartphone; pda; laptop computer; onboard computer; GPS navigation unit; Dead Reckoning (DR) unit; Google Earth 3D, satnav systems, WJ. Hologram™, Turing machine; altimeter; electronic altimeter and bar code reader.

[0051] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said trajectory comprises points in spacetime. It is further within provision of the invention to use an atomic clock for purposes of timing and precise location.

[0052] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said trajectory includes segments utilizing a plurality of different vehicles.

[0053] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said information is selected from the group consisting of: GPS data; Dead Reckoning (DR) data; Google Earth 3D, satnav systems, W.J. Hologram™, infrastructure data; traffic data; stoplight data; weather data; average route time data; topographic data; road usage data; road quality data; road inclination data; wind speed data; vehicle efficiency data; vehicle emissions data; crash data; altimeter data; road condition data; road angle data; infrastructure data including tunnel location; pedestrian crossing locations; school locations; U-turn locations; kindergarten locations; hospital locations; army base locations; animal crossing locations; training zone locations; firing zone locations; land mine field locations; accident data; road construction data; under repair data; altitude data.

[0054] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said vehicle is selected from the group consisting of: car, truck, wheeled tractor, trailer, cargo transport vehicle, tank, boat, yacht, sailboat, submarine, airplane, motorized vehicle, train, bus, motorcycle , hybrid vehicle, electric vehicle, magnetic vehicle, 3 wheeled vehicle, 3 wheeled motor cycle.

[0055] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said vehicle is powered by a source selected from the group consisting of: internal combustion, external combustion, human power, electric propulsion, nuclear propulsion, wave propulsion, solar propulsion, ion propulsion, wind propulsion, W.J. Anaerobic Engine ™ propulsion, anaerobic engine propulsion, W.J. Turbine ™ propulsion, turbine propulsion and WJ. Rotor engine™.

[0056] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said vehicle employs a transmission selected from the group consisting of: manual transmission, automatic transmission, electric transmission, hydraulic transmission, pneumatic transmission.

[0057] It is further within provision of the invention to provide an optimized cruise control system adapted to compute a trajectory that optimizes a metric and indicate to a vehicle occupant an optimized vehicle state.

[0058] It is further within provision of the invention to provide an optimized cruise control system adapted to compute a trajectory that optimizes a metric and control means adapted to control said vehicle so as to bring said vehicle to said optimized trajectory.

[0059] It is within provision of the invention to provide an optimized cruise control system comprising: a. computing means; b. sensing means in electronic communication with said computing means; c. software running on said computing means adapted to compute a trajectory that optimizes a metric, given information selected from the group consisting of: said sensing means; onboard information stored by said computing means; offboard information, and combinations thereof; d. indicating means adapted to indicate to a vehicle occupant an optimized vehicle state; whereby said vehicle may be brought closer to said optimized vehicle state.

[0060] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said computing means are redundant with provision for majority vote control. The system of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein said optimized vehicle state is selected from the group consisting of: vehicle gear setting, vehicle speed, vehicle bearing, vehicle acceleration, and combinations thereof.

[0061] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system where said gear is selected from the group consisting of: automatic gear; semiautomatic gear; manual gear; servomotor gear; hydraulic gear; pneumatic gear; motorized gear; brushed motor gear; brushless motor gear; magnetic gear; centrifugal gear; transmission; magnetic gear; centrifugal gear; transmission. [0062] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said control means are selected from the group consisting of: clutch engagement control; gear selector; steering control; velocity control; fuel supply rate control; control surface control; indicator light control; vehicle air conditioning control; vehicle onboard display control, 3D display screen, hologram display, W.J. Hologram ™ display; heads up display; RPM control; handbrake control; brake control; wheel pressure; weight distribution; center of mass position; drag control system; GPS control; Dead Reckoning (DR) control; altimeter control; information system control; accurate system control.

[0063] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said clutch is selected from the group consisting of: automatic clutch; manual clutch; electronic clutch; hydraulic clutch; magnetic clutch; centrifugal clutch; air clutch; membrane clutch; finger clutch.

[0064] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said software means optimizes said metric by means of optimization algorithms selected from the group consisting of: gradient descent, simplex, convex minimization, support vector machine, neural networks, Bayesian networks, linear programming methods, nonlinear programming methods, Hessian methods, gradient methods, thermodynamic methods, entropic methods, ballistic methods, spline methods, and simulated annealing methods.

[0065] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said metric is selected from the group consisting of: minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized environmental impact; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; maximized safety, minimized wait time, minimized time in traffic jams; maximized trip enjoyment; minimized driver fatigue; minimized vehicle wear; minimized consumables depletion; minimized oil usage; minimized emergency evacuation time; minimized emergency evacuation time; and combinations thereof.

[0066] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said sensing means are selected from the group consisting of: GPS receiver; Dead Reckoning (DR); sonar rangefinder; laser rangefinder; radio receiver; proximity sensor; fuel consumption sensor; air flow sensor; speedometer; accelerometer; emissions sensor; compass; inclinometer; magnetometer; altimeter; optical sensor; camera; night vision equipment; UV sensor; IR sensor; wind direction sensor; temperature sensor; daylight sensors; darkness sensors; night vision systems; day vision systems; piezoelectric sensors; crystal sensors; encoders; laser sensors; mirror sensors; WJ. Hologram sensors; bar code readers, QR code readers.

[0067] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said emissions sensor is adapted to sense pollutants selected from the group consisting of: 0 ₃ , PM2.5, PM10, PM50, CO, C0 ₂ , NO, N0 ₂ , SO, SO2, VOCs, NH ₃ , benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans, lead, mercury, unburnt fuel.

[0068] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system further comprising elements in electronic communication with said computing means, selected from the group consisting of: radio transmitter; radio receiver; infrared transmitter; infrared receiver; license plate identification system; camera; vision processing means; cellular communications; internet connectivity; CANBUS; onboard vehicle network; W.J. Holograms ™, holograms; bar code readers; QR code readers; CCTV; daylight cameras; night vision cameras; thermal cameras; electronic computers; altimeters; data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satellite communications; Google Earth 3D; center communication; online communication; update communications.

[0069] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said computing means are selected from the group consisting of: smartphone; pda; laptop computer; onboard computer; GPS navigation unit; Dead Reckoning (DR) navigation unit; Turing machine; altimeter; compass; electronic altimeters; computers; systems of parallel computers; robust computers; W.J. Cruise Control™; cruise control; [0070] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said trajectory comprises points in spacetime.

[0071] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said trajectory includes segments utilizing a plurality of different vehicles.

[0072] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said information is selected from the group consisting of: route endpoint data; route waypoint data; route constraints; GPS data; Dead Reckoning (DR) data; infrastructure data; traffic data; stoplight data; weather data; average route time data; topographic data; road usage data; road quality data; road inclination data; wind speed data; vehicle efficiency data; vehicle emissions data; crash data; accident data ; altimeter data; road condition data; road angle data; infrastructure data; tunnel location data; pedestrian crossing locations; school locations; U-turn locations ;kindergarten locations; hospital locations; army base locations; animal crossing locations; training zone locations; firing zone locations; visibility data; police data; army data; emergency data; firefighting data; airborne data; aviation data; land mine field locations; temperature data; air drag data; average distance of saving mode data; saving mode data; one month saving mode data; war zone data; country border data; enemy vehicle data; municipal data; road condition data; city border data; army installation data.

[0073] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said vehicle is selected from the group consisting of: car, truck, heavy truck, light truck, wheeled tractor, trailer, cargo transport vehicle, tank, boat, yacht, sailboat, submarine, airplane, spacecraft, motorized vehicle, train, bus, motorcycle, bicycle, hybrid vehicle, electric vehicle, floating vessel, hydrofoil, minibus, electric bicycle.

[0074] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said vehicle is powered by a source selected from the group consisting of: internal combustion engine, external combustion engine, steam engine; anaerobic engine; W.J. Anaerobic engine™,; W.J. Rotor engine™,; human power; electric propulsion; brushed electric propulsion; brushless electric propulsion; nuclear propulsion; wave propulsion; solar propulsion; ion propulsion; hydrogen engine; W.J. Plasma engine™,; air power; gas engine; diesel engine; propane engine; kerosene engine; butane engine; and wind propulsion, W.J. Anaerobic Engine™ propulsion, anaerobic engine propulsion, WJ. Turbine ™ propulsion, turbine propulsion.

[0075] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said vehicle employs a transmission selected from the group consisting of: manual transmission, automatic transmission, electric transmission; hydraulic transmission; magnetic transmission; centrifugal clutch; planetary gear.

[0076] It is further within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned cruise control system wherein said metric is chosen based on factors selected from the group consisting of: driver age; driver attention span; driver accident record; driver driving record; driver disabilities; driver socioeconomic status; driver visual acuity; driver reaction time; driver hearing acuity; driver ADHD, driver ADD, driver disorder, driver deficit, driver neurological condition; driver alertness; driver experience; driver fatigue.

[0077] It is within provision of the invention to provide a system for optimized road height profiles, comprising segments of upslope having a first length alternating with sections of downslope having a second length, wherein said first length is shorter than said second length.

[0078] It is within provision of the invention to provide a a game of optimization consisting of computing means adapted to compute a metric of a journey; and means for comparison of said metric to that of other journeys with all parameters and computing system and sensor correlations. It is further within provision of the invention to store results of studies, simulations, and learning systems for purposes of more efficacious operation of the control means and/or trajectory calculation. [0079] It is within provision of the invention to provide a method for optimized cruise control comprising steps of: a. computing a trajectory that optimizes a metric, and; b. indicating an optimized vehicle state in said trajectory to a vehicle occupant.

[0080] It is within provision of the invention to provide a method of optimized cruise control comprising steps of: a. computing a trajectory that optimizes a metric; b. controlling said vehicle to bring said vehicle to a state in said trajectory.

[0081] It is within provision of the invention to provide a method for optimized cruise control in a vehicle comprising steps of: a. providing computing means in said vehicle; b. providing sensing means in electronic and one of: data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satellite communication; with said computing means; c. computing a trajectory that optimizes a metric, given information selected from the group consisting of: said sensing means; onboard information stored by said computing means; offboard information, and combinations thereof; d. indicating an optimized vehicle state to a vehicle occupant; whereby said vehicle may be brought closer to said optimized vehicle state. [0082] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said optimized vehicle state is selected from the group consisting of: vehicle transmission setting, gear setting, vehicle speed, vehicle bearing, vehicle acceleration, transmission settings, vehicle air drag factor, vehicle internal mass and combinations thereof.

[0083] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods further comprising control means in electronic communication and/or data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, or any other satellite communication with said computing means adapted to control said vehicle so as to bring said vehicle to said optimized vehicle state.

[0084] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said control means are selected from the group consisting of: clutch engagement control; gear selector; steering control; velocity control; fuel supply rate control; control surface control; indicator light control; vehicle air conditioning control; vehicle onboard display control, 3D display screen, hologram display, W.J. Hologram™ display, heads up display; altitude display, fuel savings display; mode display; status display; road slope display, TV display, in seat display, headrest display; navigation control; air drag factor display; RPM control; handbrake control; brake control; wheel pressure; weight distribution; center of mass position and barcode display.

[0085] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods where said gear is selected from the group consisting of: automatic gear; semiautomatic gear; manual gear; servomotor gear; hydraulic gear; pneumatic gear; motorized gear; brushed motor gear; brushless motor gear; magnetic gear; centrifugal gear; transmission; planetary gear.

[0086] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said clutch is selected from the group consisting of: automatic clutch; manual clutch; electronic clutch; hydraulic clutch; magnetic clutch; centrifugal clutch; finger clutch; air clutch; membrane clutch;. [0087] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said software means optimizes said metric by means of optimization algorithms selected from the group consisting of: gradient descent, simplex, convex minimization, support vector machine, neural networks, Bayesian networks, linear programming methods, nonlinear programming methods, Hessian methods, gradient methods, thermodynamic methods, entropic methods, ballistic methods, spline methods, and simulated annealing methods.

[0088] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said metric is selected from the group consisting of: minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized environmental impact; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; maximized safety, minimized detection probability; maximized detection probability; minimized waiting time; minimized evacuation time; minimize emergency vehicle arrival time; minimized police force arrival time; minimized first aid arrival time; minimized firefighting arrival time; and combinations thereof.

[0089] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said sensing means are selected from the group consisting of: GPS receiver; Dead Reckoning (DR) receiver; sonar rangefinder; laser rangefinder; radio receiver; proximity sensor; fuel consumption sensor; air flow sensor; speedometer; accelerometer; compass; inclinometer; magnetometer; altimeter, emissions sensor; optical sensor; camera; night vision equipment; UV sensor; IR sensor; CCTV; day vision system; night vision system.

[0090] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said emissions sensor is adapted to sense pollutants selected from the group consisting of: 0 ₃ , PM2.5, PM10, PM50, CO, C0 ₂ , NO, N0 ₂ , SO, S0 ₂ , VOCs, NH ₃ , benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans, lead, mercury, unburnt fuel.

[0091] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods further comprising elements in real time, near real time, or non-real time electronic communication with said computing means, selected from the group consisting of: radio transmitter; radio receiver; dead reckoning (DR) receiver; GPS receiver; infrared transmitter; infrared receiver; license plate identification system; camera; vision processing means; cellular communications; internet connectivity; CANBUS; onboard vehicle network; WJ. hologram™, hologram; barcode reader; QR code reader; identification systems; vision processing systems; mirrors; sights; road sign sensors; traffic lights sensors; range finders; laser range finders; altimeters; electronic altimeters; mechanical altimeters; mechanical compass; electronic compass; GPS receiver; data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, battery powered devices including those with emergency recharged batteries.

[0092] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said computing means are selected from the group consisting of: smartphone; pda; laptop computer; onboard computer; GPS navigation unit; Dead Reckoning (DR) unit; and Turing machine.

[0093] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said trajectory comprises points in spacetime.

[0094] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said trajectory includes segments utilizing a plurality of different vehicles.

[0095] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said information is selected from the group consisting of: GPS data; Dead Reckoning (DR) data; infrastructure data; traffic data; stoplight data; weather data; average route time data; topographic data; road usage data; road quality data; road inclination data; wind speed data; wind direction data; vehicle air drag data; road slope data; humidity data; temperature data; border data; municipal city data; vehicle efficiency data; vehicle emissions data; crash data; accident data ; altimeter data; road condition data; road angle data; infrastructure data; tunnel location data; pedestrian crossing locations; school locations; U-turn locations ;kindergarten locations; hospital locations; army base locations; animal crossing locations; training zone locations; firing zone locations; visibility data; police data; emergency data; firefighting data; airborne data; aviation data; and land mine field locations. [0096] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said vehicle is selected from the group consisting of: car, truck, heavy truck, light truck, wheeled tractor, trailer, cargo transport vehicle, tank, boat, yacht, sailboat, submarine, airplane, motorized vehicle, train, bus, motorcycle , bicycle, electric bicycle, hybrid vehicle, electric vehicle, spacecraft, floating vessel, hydrofoil.

[0097] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said vehicle is powered by a source selected from the group consisting of internal combustion engine, external combustion engine, steam engine; anaerobic engine; W.J. Anaerobic engine; human power; electric propulsion; brushed electric propulsion; brushless electric propulsion; nuclear propulsion; wave propulsion; solar propulsion; ion propulsion; hydrogen engine; W.J. Plasma engine; plasma engine; air power; gas engine; diesel engine; propane engine; kerosene engine; butane engine; and wind propulsion, hydrogen engine; W.J. Hydrogen engine™; W.J. Anaerobic Engine ™ propulsion, anaerobic engine propulsion, W.J. Turbine ™ propulsion, turbine propulsion; petrol engine; magnetic engine; Wankel engine; and W.J Rotor engine.

[0098] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said vehicle employs a transmission selected from the group consisting of: manual transmission, automatic transmission, electric transmission; hydraulic transmission; magnetic transmission; centrifugal clutch; planetary gear; magnetic gear; centrifugal gear; planetary gear; transmission.

[0099] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods wherein said metric is chosen based on factors selected from the group consisting of: driver age; driver attention span; driver accident record; driver driving record; driver disabilities; driver socioeconomic status; driver visual acuity; driver reaction time; driver hearing acuity; driver attentiveness; driver alertness; driver fatigue; driver record; driver ADHD; driver ADD; driver dyslexia; driver syndromes; driver medical conditions; driver psychological conditions.

[00100] It is within provision of the invention to provide a method for optimizing fuel savings on roads, comprising providing segments of road with upslope having a first length, alternating with sections of road with downslope having a second length, wherein said first length is shorter than said second length.

[00101] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned methods method for playing an optimization game consisting of the steps: a. computing a metric of a journey; b. comparing said metric to that of other journeys.

The method may be used for such purposes as environmental education, cooperation and driving behavior modification, analysis of driving skill, learning geography by safe touring, and the like.

It is within provision of the invention to provide a driver learning method consisting of: a. computing an optimized metric of a journey; b. comparing said metric to that of driver performance on said journey; c. analyzing driver behavior to encourage better driving methods and increasing the general safety of driving.

[00102] These, additional, and/or other aspects and/or advantages of the present invention are: set forth in the detailed description which follows; possibly inferable from the detailed description; and/or learnable by practice of the present invention.

[00103] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [00104] In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be implemented in practice, a plurality of embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. la,b,c,d illustrate fuel economy vs. speed charts; and

FIGS. 2a,b,c,d,e illustrate speed vs. time and elevation vs. time profiles implementing different trajectories;

FIG. 3 illustrates a height (y) vs. horizontal position (x) profile implementing part of a trajectory;

FIG. 4 illustrates a speed vs. position profile implementing part of a trajectory;

FIG. 5a illustrates a throttle position vs. vehicle position profile implementing part of a trajectory;

FIG. 5b illustrates an altitude vs. distance profile;

FIG. 5c illustrates an altitude vs. distance profile;

FIG. 5d illustrates another altitude vs. distance;

FIG. 5e illustrates another altitude vs. distance profile used for experimentation ;

FIG. 6 illustrates a graph of nodes connected by edges;

FIG. 7 illustrates a graph of nodes connected by edges that have been given scalar weights;

FIG. 8 illustrates a graph of nodes connected by edges that have been given vector weights;

FIG. 9 illustrates a redundant solenoid-pair system adapted for engagement and disengagement of a throttle lever; FIG 10. illustrates a flow chart implementing one possible embodiment of the invention;

FIG 11. illustrates a set of roads linking destinations, some roads being urban and others being highway.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00105] The following description is provided, alongside all chapters of the present invention, so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make use of said invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out this invention. Various modifications, however, will remain apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined specifically to provide a means and method for providing a system and method for driving optimization.

[00106] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that such embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention.

[00107] The term 'plurality' refers hereinafter to any positive integer (e.g, 1,5, or 10).

[00108] The term 'trajectory' refers hereinafter to a path through spacetime. A trajectory thus consists of a collection of points or curves including positions and times. From a trajectory one may therefore determine position, velocity, acceleration and higher derivatives of position, in three dimensional space and at any given time. By means of the trajectory one can compute (for instance) average speed, the speed histogram, acceleration histogram, and the like, from which further information may be determined including the fuel consumption of a vehicle (given certain further parameters as explained below).

[00109] The term 'metric' hereinafter refers to a measure of performance. For the purposes of a cruise control system relevant metrics could be total fuel consumption; travel time; travel risk; emissions; ticket risk; optimized scenery; minimized waiting time; maximized trip enjoyment; maximized safety; pollution; minimized inclement weather; minimized detection probability; maximized detection probability; and combinations of these such as functions of any number of these.

[00110] The term 'majority vote' hereinafter refers to redundant computer systems provided with (for instance) 3 or more independent computers running identical or nearly identical software. The effects of an error on a single computer can then be largely eliminated if an overall arbiter constantly performs operations based on the output of the majority of the computers; if the likelihood of a single computer error is ε (for instance 1 in 1000) then the likelihood of a majority vote system of three computers performing an operation based on an error is ~3ε (in this example 3 in 1,000,000), which is clearly far less than the likelihood of a single failure. Systems with more than 3 independent units can also be used to implement more robust systems. It is within provision of the invention that such redundancy be built into the computing means of the system as well as the mechanical components thereof.

[00111] Having summarized the current state of the art of cruise control we now turn to the invention this document purports to disclose. It is known that at highway speeds, each one percent improvement in fuel economy results in savings of about 200 million gallons of fuel in the U.S.A, given its 10 million strong heavy truck fleet. Thus in an age of increasing vehicle use and steadily waning resources, conservation means and methods will assume increasing importance.

[00112] It is an object of the invention to provide what may be thought of as an

'intelligent cruise control' . A standard cruise control system will bring a vehicle to a preset speed and maintain this speed. Most designs have provision for setting the desired cruising speed, a "resume" control, an "automatic mode ", a "gliding mode", and potentially other functions. These systems allow a driver to cease depressing the accelerator pedal while still maintaining a steady speed, irrespective of road grade and wind resistance. However they do not optimize the driving speed or other parameters to allow fuel savings, time savings or the like.

[00113] As will be appreciated there exist trajectories of minimal time consumption, minimal fuel consumption, maximized safety for the driver and passengers, and the like. Determination of these trajectories requires detailed information concerning possible routes, maximum allowed speeds, grades, slopes, topography, vehicle fuel consumption information, efficiency information, weather information, air pressure data, vehicle loading data, vehicle geometry data, real time information, infrastructure information, temperature information, altitude information, vehicle-specific information, air drag information, temperature information, and possibly further information. It is one purpose of the invention to correlate such information and provide feedback to a driver and/or computing means allowing said driver and/or computing means to pursue an optimized trajectory. It is also within provision of the invention that the computing means directly control a vehicle for pursuit of such an optimized trajectory. This is accomplished by means of suitable software, hardware, sensors, databases access, and communications (real time or otherwise, such as cellphone, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satellite, and radio communications), infrastructure data, lane data and the like allowing the computing means to compute and optimize trajectory, and either transmit his information to a driver e.g. by means of a display screen, and/or directly control the vehicle by means of various control methods, including for example the fuel delivery system, gearbox, accelerator, brakes, clutch, hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators, electromagnetic transmissions, and possibly steering.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the problem of trajectory optimization is a case of multidimensional optimization, and as such is amenable to solution by well-known numerical methods such gradient descent, simplex, convex minimization, support vector machine, neural networks, Bayesian networks, linear programming methods, nonlinear programming methods, Hessian methods, gradient methods, simulated annealing methods, thermodynamic methods, entropic methods, ballistic methods, spline methods, and others known in the art of function optimization. It is within provision of the invention to use one or more such methods to calculate, using partial or complete problem knowledge, optimized routes and to act on such information to achieve improved routes, as judged by such metrics as total fuel consumption, time elapsed, accident probability, evacuation speed, emergency aid arrival speed, military readiness, police reaction time, ambulance arrival speed, and the like.

[00114] As will be appreciated by the astute reader, solutions to the problem of route optimization may be used to solve the related problems of trajectory optimization. For trajectory optimization, in addition to the actual physical route taken, the exact speed profile along each route must also be optimized. Thus one may imagine instead of a single edge connecting pairs of nodes or vertices, an infinitude of paths each representing a different speed-distance or speed-time profile. By means of algorithms such as gradient descent, simplex, calculus of variations and the like, optimal profiles may be chosen in addition to optimal routes, starting from solutions for optimal routes based on known methods such as alpha star and the like.

[00115] The invention comprises a system and method useful for any motor vehicle and any place in the world, which improves fuel and/or time efficiency, and increases the range of operation saving fuel and money thus implementing an environmentally friendly transportation planning solution. The system is applicable to any powered vehicle including but not limited to cars, trucks, wheeled tractors, trailers, cargo transport vehicles, tanks, boats, yachts, sailboats, submarines, airplanes, motor vehicles, trains, buses , motorcycles , powered by any type and kind of engine , solar panels , hybrid drives, electric motors , servo motors, and the like. Vehicles both manned and unmanned, and powered by any type of power source including internal combustion engines, external combustion engines, human power, electric propulsion, nuclear propulsion, W.J. Anaerobic Engine™, anaerobic engine; W.J. Plasma Engine ™, plasma engine; W.J. Hydrogen Engine™; hydrogen engine; magnetic engine; W.J. Turbine™; W.J. Rotor engine TM; turbine; and the like may be used in conjunction with the system and method of the invention. Manual, automatic, electric and other transmissions are amenable for use with the system. [00116] We stress that the system is of great utility for purposes of fuel savings as well as concomitant cost reductions and emissions reductions. It may be the case for instance that a particular government places emissions limits on fleet vehicles, by means of emissions laws for instance. There may then be implemented a system of carbon trading, emissions trading or the like. In this case a fleet vehicle that can be demonstrated as having lowered emissions, for instance in line with or lower than a given countries maximum allowable emissions per km, per mile, per hour, per vehicle lifetime or the like, will be of material and even monetary benefit over a truck without such provision, be it to the fleet operator, truck owner, truck seller, or whosoever obtains benefit or use of the vehicle in question.

[00117] The invention comprises computation means in communication with means for control over vehicle parameters, either directly (e.g. through control over the gearbox, clutch, brakes, steering, , fuel flow, lights, sensors, ) or indirectly for instance by means of display indicating to the driver the optimal speed. It is within provision of the invention that incoming information be received and/or processed in real time, near real time, or in non-real time. It is within provision of the invention that the computation means be a smartphone, cellphone, pda, portable computer, onboard computer, vehicle computer, satellite communication, GPS information, Dead Reckoning (DR) information or combination(s) thereof. Software suitable for the purpose running on the aforementioned computation means will determine optimal parameters of a given route including optimum trajectory. As defined above the trajectory includes the position, velocity, acceleration, air pressure, throttle position, RPM, altitude, atmospheric conditions, air drag factor, etc. as functions of time.

[00118] It is within provision of the invention that the system engage and disengage the clutch of any type of vehicle any in its various forms including manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like. By these means or otherwise, the system may disengage the motive power source from the transmission, drive train and/or wheels. By so doing the system can automatically implement a 'pump and glide' (also known as 'pulse and glide') driving trajectory consisting of segments of high speed transport and segments wherein the system is in 'neutral', i.e. the motive power source is disengaged from the wheels, propellers, or other force-delivery mechanisms. It has been found through extensive experimentation that this method can produce substantial energy savings. As may be appreciated from Fig. 1, the fuel economy of a given vehicle may be a complex function of speed. Knowing the fuel economy as a function of speed, and in certain cases even lacking detailed information concerning fuel economy as a function of speed, an optimized trajectory can planned and executed, either by trial and error, or by feedback, or by means of a vehicle model, or combinations of these. One way of considering the advantage of the pump and glide method is that it exploits a vehicle's momentum and/or inertia to the maximum extent possible.

[00119] Generally speaking the computing means of the system thus determines an optimal trajectory for the vehicle, given the vehicle parameters and external parameters such as road inclination. Alternatively an optimal current state (instead of an entire trajectory) may be determined. In either case, the computing means will take action to bring the vehicle closer to the optimal current state, either by means of alerting the driver or directly by means of control over various vehicle mechanisms such as the clutch, brake, fuel flow and the like.

[00120] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, control over the gear, clutch, steering and various other physical parameters of the vehicle may be had by means of known actuators, including real time actuation systems, near real time actuation system, and non-real time actuation systems, including but not limited to electric actuators, air pistons, linear actuators, rotary actuators, cable control, solenoids, fluidic control systems, 'fly by wire' systems and the like. Further control means are within provision of the invention, including but not limited to control over drag (for instance by means of opening/closing windows, raising/lowering spoilers, changing load distribution, changing center of gravity, and the like) as well as related factors such as vehicle balance, which may be controlled for instance by means of hydraulic or pneumatic shock absorber settings, electric shock absorber settings, air cushion settings, tire pressure, control surface attitude, altitude, GPS, Dead Reckoning (DR) and the like.

[00121] It is consistent with certain embodiments of the invention that control of the system be possible locally, remotely, real time, or combinations thereof. By this we mean simply that the various parameters of the system such as choice of route, settings such as minimum allowable vehicle distance, minimum allowable time-to- collision, metric including minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; minimized inclement weather; minimized waiting time; minimized detection probability; maximized detection probability; and the like, may be set either by the driver of the vehicle, a passenger, or a third party such as a dispatcher or fleet supervisor, who may change the various real time information settings of the system remotely (in real time or otherwise, such as through audio advisement of the driver of advisable routes or automatically through remote control of the system control computer) through use of communications means that will be obvious to one skilled in the art, including cellular communications, radio frequency communications, wireless networks, LANs, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satellite communications systems, internet connectivity in all its various guises and forms, and the like.

[00122] As an example of system operation consider the following scenario.

The system may accelerate the system user's vehicle (either directly, through control over the fuel flow, throttle position or the like, or indirectly by means of a visual display, audible signal or the like, transmitted or relayed in some fashion to the driver) until reaching a speed of (for example) l lOkm/h. Upon reaching this speed the system (again either directly or indirectly) takes action to reduce engine usage, for example by putting the vehicle transmission into 'neutral' by means of disengaging the power train and lowering the throttle position, effectively putting the vehicle into neutral gear. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the fuel savings in this mode will be substantial as the engine idle running at its idle RPM will enjoy a fuel consumption appreciably much less than that at HOkm/h powered fuel consumption. Upon reaching a dynamically determined lower speed setpoint such as 90km/h, the drive train or W.J. Automatic Gear™ is engaged once more and the throttle position raised to a position consistent with moderate acceleration to HOkm/h. The 'coast time' may be considerable, for example reaching 35 seconds for a coast from l lOkm/h to 90 km/h in certain conditions. The vehicle will then again accelerate to make up the 20km/h of speed lost, reaching l lOkm/h in some amount of time such as 4-5 seconds, determined by the throttle position, and after maintaining the l lOkm/h speed for some predetermined amount of time, the cycle may be repeated by once again putting the vehicle into neutral gear. A subtle and non-intuitive result of this operation is that effective fuel savings may be enjoyed in comparison (for example) to a trajectory of constant lOOkm/h speed, even though the average speed of the aforementioned cycle between 90km/h and HOkm/h may also be lOOkm/h; this is due to the nonlinear nature of the fuel economy vs. vehicle speed as shown for example in Fig. la,b. As will be clear to one skilled in the art, by this means a much more economic trajectory may be implemented, especially insofar as the computation means and associated software are in possession of more information concerning the economy vs. speed curve for better performance.

[00123] As should be clear the speed ranges listed above are simply examples; other ranges of maximum and minimum speeds may be used, and may in fact be calculated dynamically based upon changing conditions. Thus the range 80km/h minimum to lOOkm/h maximum may be used, or 90km/h to lOOkm/h, or the like, as long as the ranges are within ranges allowed by local and regional law.

[00124] As a further example of such an embodiment of the invention consider the fuel efficiency curves of Fig. la. Apparently a certain vehicle has efficiency peaks at 45mph and 60 mph, and thus it behooves the system to spend as much time as possible at these efficient operating points if these speeds are appropriate for the current driving conditions (such as road type, traffic conditions, weather conditions, altitude, atmosphere, and the like). A further example of a speed-efficiency curve is shown in Fig. lb, where power, speed and pedal position are shown on a 3D curve. It can be appreciated from this graph that the pedal position required for a constant speed will vary with vehicle speed.

[00125] One possible way to implement a 'pump and glide' system (or 'pulse and glide' as it may be known) is to oscillate between two speeds such as in the speed-time chart of Fig. 2a. Once a 60mph speed is attained, the vehicle is put into neutral and the motive source is disengaged and idled, putting the vehicle into a fuel- saving mode. Once the vehicle has coasted down to a speed of 45 mph (for example) the clutch, in its various forms including manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like, is once again engaged and the vehicle accelerated to a speed of 60mph, whereupon the cycle repeats.

[00126] It may however be more beneficial to spend more time at certain speeds such as the peaks of the efficiency-speed curve of Fig. la which has (for instance ) efficiency peaks at 45mph and 60 mph for a certain vehicle. Thus if (for example) a 55mph speed is determined to be sufficient to bring the driver to his or her destination within the time allotted for the journey, the system may implement a trajectory such as that shown in Fig. 2b, wherein segments of operation at the 60mph efficiency peak alternate with segments at the 45mph efficiency peak, at a duty cycle determined to achieve an average 55mph speed. If (for example) minimum elapsed time is chosen by the system operator as the primary metric to be optimized, with fuel consumption as a secondary metric, the system may find that (for instance) 65 mph operation is optimal, satisfying the minimum time metric while using relatively little fuel. Alternatively if it is found that a more optimal trajectory for energy savings involved more time at 45mph, then the system will adopt longer segments at this speed if energy savings is chosen for the primary metric.

[00127] As can be appreciated by reference to Fig. lc, different vehicles will often have different profiles of efficiency vs. speed. Thus there may be a point of overlap whereby one vehicle is more efficient than another in one range of speeds, and less efficient than the same other vehicle in a different range of speeds.

[00128] With reference to Fig. Id the relative effects of air drag and rolling resistance may be appreciated. The air drag is generally a much larger fraction of the total drag, rising as the third power of velocity, while the rolling resistance is usually largely constant and small compared to the air drag over much of the useful speed range of a passenger vehicle. By use of these curves, be they generally derived or specifically measured or tabulated for a particular model of vehicle or specific vehicle, the drag that will be experienced at any given speed may be calculated and thus used for prediction of fuel consumption and the lie at a given speed. It is within provision of the invention to use models for these drag components to more efficaciously estimate various metrics of the system, including fuel efficiency, trip time and the like. [00129] A further example of a speed profile that may be implemented by the system is shown in Fig. 2c. Here a full profile demonstrating speed as a function of time, starting from zero speed and reaching highway speeds, is shown. At the origin the vehicle starts from rest. After 15 seconds the vehicle reaches a highway speed of HOkm/h, at which point the throttle is automatically disengaged (in implementations of the invention using a computer-controlled clutch (in its various forms including such as manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like) and gear control). The vehicle then coasts or glides for a full 35 seconds until reaching a lower speed threshold of 80km/h. Once this speed is detected, (which may be accomplished by speed sensors known in the art, possibly in addition to prediction means using vehicle physics models) the system reengages the clutch and appropriate gear stick, and increases the fuel flow to the engine, and as a consequence accelerates to a speed of 100 km/h once again. Thus after reaching lOOkm/h at 65 seconds, the system will once again coast to reach 80km/h at 100 seconds. At this point the system can recapitulate the steps varying speed from lOOkm/h to 80 km/h ad infinitum if external factors remain the same. Obviously the heights, lengths and durations of this speed profile are examples only; and furthermore the profile may take a much more variable form than that shown here. For example if the vehicle approaches a hill, the 'pump and glide' profile of Fig. 2C may be modified to allow for slower speeds on the upslope and larger speeds on the downslope. To achieve these different speeds the periods of acceleration and deceleration such as those shown in Fig. 2e may be varied.

[00130] The speed profile shown in Fig. 2c is appropriate for operation on level ground. It is within provision of the invention to implement automated 'pump and glide' even when on non-level ground, as shown in Fig. 2d,e. Here, between 50 and 90 seconds the driver experiences a long uphill stretch, after which he experiences a long downhill stretch as shown in the elevation chart of Fig. 2d. As shown in Fig. 2e, the system may then stretch the 'pump' and 'glide' sections accordingly, for example increasing the length of the 'pump' section on the uphill slope and increasing the length of the 'glide' section on a downhill stretch.

[00131] Various savings modes may be envisioned, for example a 'fuel saving' mode which provides moderate fuel savings while still allowing a moderately quick trip; 'super savings mode' providing maximized fuel savings at the cost of a longer, slower trip, and variations upon this theme, as will be obvious to one skilled in the art. Thus for instance in the 'fuel saving' mode, the optimized trajectory might consist of alternating between 1 lOkm/h and 90 km/h, while a 'super fuel-saving' mode might alternate between 105km/h and 90 km/h or 105km/h and 80 km/h.

[00132] It may be found that certain throttle positions are advantageous in terms of one or more metrics of the system. In such cases it may be found advantageous to (for instance) accelerate at a certain rate that has been found (either through database lookup, or experimentation, or observation of vehicle history, or vehicle model, or the like) to be most advantageous for fuel savings, emissions, or any other metric including minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; minimized inclement weather; minimized waiting time; minimized detection probability; maximized detection probability and combinations thereof. Thus the particular slopes of the graphs in Figs. 2a,b,c,e may be carefully chosen by the system not only to provide certain amounts of time coasting or accelerating, but to optimize metrics dependent upon acceleration.

[00133] The aforementioned example highlights another subtlety of the system, namely the prioritization and balancing of metrics that may conflict or involve tradeoff such that not all may be optimized simultaneously. For example generally speaking higher speeds are less efficient, and thus the goals of minimum elapsed time (requiring high speeds) and minimum fuel utilization (requiring low speeds) are at odds. It is thus within provision of the invention to allow for combined metrics that are functions of one or more other metrics. For example a metric can be defined by the user that gives a certain weight to the elapsed time and another weight to the fuel consumed. The total metric can then be computed as some function of the weighted elapsed time and fuel consumed. For example twice the total number of elapsed minutes plus thrice the total milliliters of fuel consumed, may be defined as a hybrid metric to be optimized. Then this sum will be optimized as opposed to fuel consumption or time elapsed alone. [00134] As an example of the utility of the invention we now calculate a number of performance figures for a real world implementation of the system. Consider a vehicle of 1000kg mass. This vehicle suffers a rolling resistance from the tires, which can be calculated by means of the formula

F = C rr F n

[00135] where Crr is the rolling resistance coefficient (-0.01 for car tires on concrete) and Fn is the normal force of gravity or -10000N for the vehicle in question. Thus the force is

F = 0.01 * 10000N = 100N = ma

[00136] and the acceleration is 100/1000=0. lm/s . This will give a gliding time of -60s to decelerate from l lOkm/h (which is ~31m s) to 90km/h (which is 25m/s) in a distance of s = v + -at ² = 31x60 - - x0.1x60 ² = 1680m

0 2 2

[00137] If the rolling resistance coefficient in the wheel is 0.04 (in dimensionless units), the resistance force comes to 400Ν, for an acceleration of 0.4m s . In this case the gliding time from l lOkm/h to 90 km h is about 15s, in a distance of

1 ^■ > 1

s = v _n t + -at = 31x15— x0.4xl5 = 420m

⁰ 2 2

[00138] As is known , the air drag in passenger vehicles is far more significant than the rolling resistance. The air drag is given by f _D = pAC _D v ² [00139] where p is the air density, A the vehicle projected area, Cd the drag coefficient and v the vehicle speed. Consider a drag coefficient of 0.35, area 2m ^A 2, in air at STP, for a vehicle at 35m/s. The force in this case works out to 1029N.

[00140] The gliding time in this case is not as simple as the case of constant acceleration since the drag force is not constant, but rather decreases as the speed decreases. If the drag force were a constant 1029N, then the acceleration would be 1029/1000- lm/s, and the deceleration time for decelerating from 35m s to 30m s would be 5s. However the drag force is not constant and thus one must resort to the relation a=dv/dt to find dv pACv

a -— = - dt m

dv _ pAC

v m

Thus for vl=30 and v2=20, we have a deceleration time of

1 1 1.2x2x35

(Ί - Ό )

30 ³ 20 ³ 1000

= 0.1*

[00141] It is within provision of the invention that further metrics may be defined such as trip cost. By obtaining information concerning fuel prices, for example, the system may determine optimal refueling points. The metric to be optimized may thus include fueling costs as part of a combined metric or standalone metric which may furthermore include minimized fuel consumption, minimized emissions, maximized safety, minimized trip time, minimized driver fatigue, minimized wait time, maximized trip enjoyment, minimized detection probability, maximized detection probability, and the like. As should now be clear to one skilled in the art, many other metrics can be conceived that will be easily implemented in the system, such as minimized risk (for example as determined by use of road safety databases, traffic accident databases, and the like), maximized enjoyment of scenery (for example as determined by automated reference to travel guides and reviews, driver preferences, etc.) and the like. Examples of further metrics include minimized ticket risk (i.e. a minimization of the risk of receiving a ticket, which may be accomplished by some combination of lowered speeds ,use of roads with known low police presence, GPS location, Dead Reckoning (DR) location or other means for identification of police presence, use of roads with low historic ticket probability, and the like), enhanced enjoyment (for example by use of scenic routes, avoidance of traffic, and the like), maximized scenery enjoyment (for example by use of data concerning road side attractions, scenery visible from various road segments, and the like), and in fact any other metric that may be found desirable to optimize. It is further within provision of the invention that the metrics used be user-definable and variable, such that a user may program his or her own metrics to be optimized, which may be (for example) functions of the data sensed by the system and other information available to it (for example over the internet).

[00142] As a further example of the invention consider a hilly segment of terrain. If the vehicle attains a sufficient on an upslope, a long 'glide' (segment of unpowered transport) may be implemented. The system , if put in possession of terrain information such as topographic information, can plan an optimized 'glide' and even carry it out in the case of computation means in communication with the clutch or equivalent (including mechanical clutch, electronic clutch, manual clutch, semiautomatic clutch, automatic clutch, motorized clutch, magnetic clutch, pneumatic clutch, hydraulic clutch, and the like). The system will indicate the optimum time on an upslope at which to disengage the engine that will still allow the vehicle to pass the upslope summit, at which point the engine is disengaged or even turned off. Similarly an optimum braking schedule may be planned and implemented directly or indirectly, allowing for instance a maximum safe speed to be reached on a downslope without braking, by means of intelligent choice of the aforementioned upslope point at which to extinguish or disengage the engine. Variations of this notion are within provision of the invention, such as allowing for a 'minimum braking' trajectory that minimizes the amount of braking necessary, thereby saving fuel and/or time. [00143] Obviously in the above example it would be unwise to allow for extinguishing the engine in the case of vehicles with (for example) power brakes, power steering or the like, as the vehicle requires engine power at all times in order to keep these vital functions operating. In such cases therefore the engine must only be disengaged by means (for example) of a clutch in its various forms including such as manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like , and not turned off or extinguished.

[00144] It is within provision of the invention to take into account vehicle inertia in calculating optimal trajectories, as the amount of throttle necessary to (for example) crest a hill may well depend upon the vehicle inertia. Likewise, it is within provision of the invention to take into account vehicle parameters such as frontal area, air drag coefficient, rolling drag coefficient, mass, tire inflation pressure, and the like to build a model of vehicle performance (mathematical or otherwise) which can be used for purposes of calculating optimized trajectories.

[00145] An example of this type of operation is shown in Figs. 3,4,5a. In Fig.

3 a crude representation of terrain is shown. The x-axis represents for instance distance driven (not necessarily linear position, but rather mileage, for example) while the y-axis represents height (e.g. above sea level.) An example of a speed profile that may possibly be found appropriate for this height profile is shown in Fig. 4. The speed is allowed to fall on the upslope (near point Xo as marked on Figs. 3,4). This is in anticipation of the coming downslope, where the speed will naturally pick up (as seen in Fig. 4 after the point Xo), rendering high speed on the upslope unnecessary and wasteful, as it will require braking on the downslope and extra fuel on the upslope. The advantage of this procedure may be seen in detail in Fig. 5a where the throttle position as a function of vehicle position is shown. Even though the vehicle is on an upslope, the throttle may be gradually decreased if the computing means of the system determines that the inertia of the vehicle is enough to carry it to the peak Xo with sufficient velocity (sufficient, for example, to fulfill minimum speed requirements). The throttle may be kept at low values and even choked completely during the downslope after Xo, saving further fuel. Only when the terrain begins to rise again and the system determines more throttle is needed, is the throttle again repositioned as in Fig. 5a near the point Xj. [00146] In Fig. 5b, a profile of altitude vs. position is shown. In this figure the profile has been chosen to provide a maximized effectiveness for the method of the invention; namely, here a brief steep hill is followed by a long descent. The brief steep hill takes advantage of the inertia of the vehicle, allowing it to crest the top with a minimum of expended fuel. The long coast down then allows the vehicle to proceed in neutral, in accordance with the fuel consumption optimization method of the invention. It is within provision of the invention to build infrastructure that tends to maximize fuel savings by such means as engineered road grades, minimized wind resistance, or similar variations thereof as will be clear to one skilled in the art.

[00147] Further examples of terrain profiles are shown in Fig. 5c,d. Here one sees a vehicle 501 and road 502 in side view. Various 'control points' 503 are shown, which may be for example points at which the vehicle is put into neutral or put into gear.

[00148] As a further example we now present some experimental results from use of the method of the invention on a strait road having sections with moderate slope, a sharp slope, and a moderately hilly road. The road profile is shown in Fig. 5e, and is summarized in the table below:

acceleration Moderate 90 110 2500 180 9 slope

Gliding Hilly 110 90 600 350 25

Acceleration Flat 90 110 2500 200 11

Gliding Moderate 110 90 600 420 35 hill

Accelerating Moderate 90 110 2500 180 12 hill

Gliding Moderate 110 90 600 420 35 hill

Accelerating Sharp hill 90 110 2500 160 12

Gliding Straight flat 110 90 600 500 35

[00149] To analyze the above experimental results we first sum the gliding distances and times (gliding occurring during the 600rpm sections). Summing gliding times for the sections #2,4,6,8,10,12 one arrives at the sum 35sec+150sec+35sec+35sec+35sec+35sec=325 sec = 5.4 minutes.

[00150] Performing the analogous sum for calculation of total gliding distance, we arrive at : 500m+2000m+350m+420m+420m+500m= 4190m

[00151] We now calculate the total accelerating time and distance at 2500 rpm.

Summing times for accelerating sections (#1,3,5,7,9,11 : 50sec+10sec+9sec +l lsec+12sec+12sec=104 sec = 1.7 minutes. The corresponding distance in meters comes to: 500m+200m+ 180m+200m+ 180m+ 160m= 1440m. [00152] Now we are in a position to calculate the savings of the method. The average speed during the accelerating sections is lOOkm/h (from 90km/h to l lOkm/h with constant acceleration) Thus from Fig. Id we can see for the BMW 535d Touring, 30mpg is the average fuel economy (lOOkm/h being approximately 60mph).

[00153] The fuel consumption at idle for this vehicle is approximately

0.5gallon/hr. The total gliding time was 5.4 minutes for a consumption of 0.045 gallon, over a distance of 4.19km=2.6miles, for an average fuel economy of 58mpg. Thus on average the fuel economy has been improved by almost 25mph, as the time- average consumption is approximately 55mpg for the total route, including both gliding and accelerating sections.

[00154] The metrics to be optimized such as fuel consumption, time, safety and the like are calculated by computation means which use the available information which generally may be selected from the group consisting of: terrain, topography, position, as for instance obtained through GPS, Dead Reckoning (DR) location, Google Earth 3D, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satnav systems, W.J. Hologram™ or the like), altimeter data, satellite data, mapping information, GIS information, road information, surface information, vehicle information including efficiency at one or more speeds, traffic information, infrastructure information, such as stoplight information including stop light location, light durations (e.g. average length of red stoplight, and average length of green 'go' light), and the like. Further information sources may be used including but not limited to altimeter information, information obtained through satellite communication and/or navigation services , information obtained through GIS services or Google Earth, and the like as will be clear to one skilled in the art. Other sensors may be employed such as lamdba sensors, rotating driveshaft rpm, wheel rpm, speedometer cable position sensor, wheel speed sensor, road sensors, light sensors, humidity sensors, thermometers, conductivity sensors, friction coefficient sensors, radio transmitters, and others as will be clear to one skilled in the art. It is within provision of the invention to make use of an internet connection, which is connected from the moment the driver turns on the vehicle ignition, or alternatively which is kept on continuously even when the vehicle is not activated. [00155] As an example, suppose the system is implemented on a smartphone.

A menu-driven system is implemented in software running on the smartphone that allows a user to choose the metric to be optimized, for example choosing from a list including minimized fuel consumption, minimized elapsed time, maximized safety, minimized ticket risk, or optimized scenery. Suppose the user chooses optimized scenery and maximized safety as the top two metrics to be optimized. The system, which is in communication with road databases including terrain data, scenery data, and average road speed data, chooses a route that includes several spectacular views along roads with relatively low top speeds and good safety records. For this purpose it becomes obvious that databases of crash and accident data are of use for the system; for example if a particularly vicious switchback turn has claimed the lives of many unwary travelers, the system can either advise a driver to take an alternate route or advise on a safe speed when approaching this particular turn. Alternatively, the system may automatically reduce fuel flow to the engine, adjust the throttle, or otherwise reduce the vehicle speed upon approaching this turn to minimize the risk of accident.

[00156] The system uses real time information obtained through various communications channels to help the driver adhere to an optimal driving trajectory. This information includes various sources and parameters including but not limited to GPS, Dead Reckoning (DR), Google Earth 3D, satnav systems, WJ. Hologram™, barometer, electronic and photoelectric sensors and information, holograms, barcode readers, identification systems, optical instruments including cameras and associated vision processing systems, gages , mechanical instruments that are part of or embedded in the infrastructure , and the like. This information is correlated and used by computing means in order to plan and execute an optimum trajectory.

[00157] It is within provision of the invention that the system 'learn' by means of storing information concerning fuel economy, elapsed times, driver behavior and the like such that these factors may be taken into account in future trips. It is further within provision of the invention that this invention be stored either locally or remotely, for instance on a magnetic card, flash drive, cd, DVD, Blu-Ray, or the like, for instance on a networked server associated with the system. This networked server may thus be updated with information concerning average route speed on given legs of a route, traffic information, driver behavior and the like which will allow more precise optimization of future trips.

[00158] The computing means are in communication and control of certain vehicle parameters, including in some embodiments control over such mechanisms as the clutch, brakes, speed, gear (be it automatic, manual, semi automatic, electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, electric, magnetic, or the like) and in some cases velocity (i.e. speed and direction) . By means of this control and/or indicators indicating to the driver the desired optimum trajectory, an optimal or improved path can be followed. In certain embodiments the invention operates as a kind of cruise control; the driver indicates to the system that he wishes to revert control over to the system of the invention, whereupon the speed (for instance) of the vehicle and its gearing are governed by the computing means of the system. This computing means will determine the optimum speed, acceleration, gearing, and in some cases direction, for a given situation, and change the speed and bearing accordingly.

[00159] The computation means and/or associated software are such that the system adapts and learns various parameters associated with the vehicle and/or driver using the system or in which the system is installed. Thus, any type of vehicle, such as motorcycles, trucks, light trucks, any kind of wheeled vehicle of any number of axles, floating vessels, trains, military equipment such as tanks, army personal transport vehicles, planes, boats, ships, submarines, and in principle spacecraft, may be used in conjunction with the system. This is due to measurement means in communication with the computation means, including (for instance) the speedometer of the vehicle and fuel flow meter of the vehicle. By means of these two sensors alone, the mass and other characteristics of the vehicle may be determined, including the fuel efficiency. This is accomplished by measuring the speed and fuel consumption, and calculating the energy output of the engine (e.g. at the wheels) as compared to the energy input (in the form of fuel), the ratio of these two energies being the fuel efficiency.

[00160] Parameters are calculated that are of concern of computation of optimal trajectories such as vehicle loads, routes , terrain , altitude, fuel consumption , handling traffic, traffic light information, road tolls, air pressure, tire pressure, temperature, center of gravity, and the like, in order to compute optimal route in terms of several metrics including: fuel consumption, travel time, travel cost, travel safety, vehicle wear, and the like. By this means one may improve safety, reduce vehicle wear, reduce transportation times, and reduce fuel consumption.

[00161] The platform disclosed implements a transportation management system that allows vehicles of any type to be operated in the safest, most efficient and most environmentally friendly way possible in any country on the globe, internationally and nationally.

[00162] It is within provision of the invention that multi-mode travel may be planned and executed optimally by means of the system; the system can help people and goods effortlessly transfer from one mode of travel (motorcycle, car, bus, truck, train, ship, floating vessel, etc.) or route to another for the fastest and most environmentally friendly trip. This may be accomplished for example by notifying the user of an optimum route from a given point to another, and from this second point to a third, where the two legs of the trip utilize different vehicles. Thus for instance if a user indicates a desire to travel from Washington D.C. to New York, New York, and requests the minimum travel time (and without regard to expense), the system will search all travel options including air travel. If it is found that a suitable flight from a Washington airport to a New York airport is available, the system will plan an optimal route from the current location to the Washington airport, and from the New York airport (in a rental car, for instance) to the final New York destination. It is within provision of the invention that tickets for such route legs be automatically bought, and that vehicles be automatically rented by use of various known online technologies and websites.

[00163] As an example of such provision of the system consider Figs. 6,7,8.

Here a set of junctions (which may be street intersections, cities or other geographical entities) are shown connected by edges (which may be for instance roads). As will be appreciated several different routes may be employed to get from any given point to any other, for example to get from point A to point G (which might represent for example starting and ending points on a trip) one could use any of the following routes: Route 1 Route2 Route3 Route4 Route5

A A A A A

B B C C C

H H E E B

G E F H H

F G G G

G

Table 1. Different routes possible connecting A and G

[00164] In order to choose between the different routes one may make use of information concerning the various legs, such as the length of the legs, average driving speed on each leg, accident probability on each leg, and the like.

[00165] Such information is presented in Fig. 7, where each leg (or edge for those computer scientists amongst us) has been marked with a number representing some metric, such as average elapsed time for that leg (which may be determined by recourse to a database, to a personal history, to a mathematical estimate, or the like). Adding the average elapsed times allows one to compare the different routes, as shown in the following table which has been updated with the elapsed time data:

H H E E B

G E F H H

F G G G

G

Total 26 57 40 35 38 elapsed

time

Table 2. Different routes possible connecting A and G with calculation of elapsed times

[00166] In the example above, the route A-B-H-G apparently requires the least time. By means of such a calculation an optimal route can be chosen, and lacking a known optimal route various alternatives may be compared. There are various algorithms known in the art such as A Star, ant colony optimization, and the like adapted for minimizing such scalar metric including minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; minimized inclement weather; minimized waiting time; minimized detection probability; maximized detection probability, and combinations thereof without exhaustive search (which in many cases may become intractable due to the number of possible routes, as in the famous traveling salesman problem.)

[00167] The problem becomes slightly more complex when one takes into account that each leg may be characterized by more than one parameter, for example its energy use (as judged for example by the topography, or by database of energy usage, or by mathematical model, or the like). Such a case of several parameters associated with each leg is shown in Fig. 8. As before a given route may be assessed and thereby compared to other routes, now with the route totals being vector sums instead of scalar sums. Thus the preceding table may be once again updated, this time with the second parameter of energy usage being indicated.

[00168] Table 3. Different routes possible connecting A and G with calculation of elapsed times and energy usage

[00169] As seen in Table 3 the energy used roughly correlates with elapsed time, but does not correlate exactly. Thus if total energy usage were the only factor involved then Route 1 (A-B-H-G) would be indistinguishable from route 5 (A-C-B-H- G) whereas if some combination of energy usage and elapsed time is chosen for optimization, then Route 1 is preferable due to its shorter elapsed time (26 vs. 38 for route 5). [00170] It is within provision of the invention to provide solutions for the following routing problems, and/or use known solutions to these problems for the generation of optimal trajectories for use by the system:

[00171] Capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP)

[00172] Multi-depot vehicle routing problem (MDVRP)

[00173] Period vehicle routing problem (PVRP)

[00174] Split delivery vehicle routing problem (SDVRP)

[00175] Stochastic vehicle routing problem (SVRP)

[00176] Vehicle routing problem with pick-up and delivery (VRPPD)

[00177] Vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW)

[00178] Time Dependent Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows

(TD VRPTW)

[00179] One metric that may be felicitously optimized by the system is driving safety. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, maintaining at least a certain minimum distance between one's vehicle and the preceding will not necessarily prevent accidents, especially insofar as a given distance at high speed differences between vehicles will translate into different 'times to collision', which in the case of high relative speeds may not suffice to take preventive action. A 'time to collision' may be calculated, this being based on the distance from the preceding vehicle and the relative velocity between the two vehicles. It is within provision of the invention to implement a system that keeps this collision time greater than some minimum threshold.

[00180] The 'time to collision' can be defined using the relative velocity between a given vehicle and the preceding, and the distance between these two vehicles. In a system sampling distance at discrete times, the relative velocity may of course be determined through the finite difference δχ/δί where the δ refer to differences between successive samples.

[00181] A lower limit on the time to collision will thus be given in one embodiment by the ratio

where x, t refer to position and time respectively. By means of successive measurements of position x, the finite difference δχ/δί will measure the relative (and not absolute) velocities of the vehicles involved.

[00182] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, higher order approximations for positions of the vehicles involved (one's own vehicle, bearing the computing means associated with the system, and one or more nearby vehicles) may be employed, for example by means of quadratic or higher-order interpolants, spline curves, or the like. By means of such approximations an estimate of collision time may be determined, and corrective action can be taken if the time to collision as heretofore defined is determined to be below a certain predetermined threshold. It is within provision of the invention that the predetermined threshold collision time be variable and further that it be settable by the driver or other system operator. It is within provision of the invention that corrective action be taken by the system including but not limited to changing the vehicle throttle setting, braking the vehicle, accelerating the vehicle, changing the fuel flow rate, changing vehicle control surfaces, activating the vehicle horn, activating vehicle lights including running lights and high-beam lights, and the like, including combinations thereof, in an attempt to avoid an impending collision.

[00183] It is within provision of the invention that it be used for improving and increasing the range of driving of any type and kind of vehicle, such as motor vehicle, hybrid , solar vehicle, train, truck, tank, APC, airplane, wheeled tractor, submarine, commercial submarine, floating vessel, and the like. It is further within provision of the invention that it be used on land vehicles of any number of wheels or treads.

[00184] It is within provision of the invention to utilize topographic and geographic information as well as infrastructure information including road quality, traffic routing information, traffic sign and signal information, and the like. In this way for example the system can choose between a short route that has many stop signs and traffic lights, and a slightly longer route that nevertheless will provide a shorter travel time, due to a smaller number of necessary stops. Similarly, hilly terrain that will provide a faster but more fuel-intensive and dangerous route may be chosen or discarded in lieu of a less hilly and safer but longer route, depending on whether the user of the system indicates a preference for optimized travel time, fuel consumption, safety, or particular combination of these metrics.

[00185] It is within provision of the invention that the computing means of the invention be in electronic or mechanical communication with various sensors including but not limited to ultra-sonic devices, GPS, Dead Reckoning (DR), Google Earth 3D, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satnav systems, WJ. Hologram ™, altimeter, laser rangefinders, cellular communications including internet connectivity, radar Doppler system, WJ. Hologram, CANBUS, other vehicle networks, fuel consumption sensors, air flow sensors, accelerometers, compasses, inclinometers, magnetometers, altimeters, radio transmitters and receivers, infrared transmitters and receivers, license plate identification systems, cameras, vision processing equipment, and others that will be obvious to one skilled in the art. It is within provision of the invention to use real time systems as well as persistent internet connections allowing access any place in the world.

[00186] It is within provision of the invention that the computing means transmit information to the driver or other entity by means of optical display, LCD screen, 3D screen, heads up display, audible means, and may transmit warnings (such as warnings concerning imminent collision, traffic, inclement weather, or the like) by means of voice warning, light warning , signals, siren warning , vibration warning ,horn warning , flashing light warning, and the like. [00187] It is within provision of the invention to maintain a relatively constant throttle position (or fuel delivery rate), allowing the vehicle to accelerate on downgrades and decelerate on upgrades naturally as a result of the topography, while reducing power consumption. For example slightly fewer throttles may be used when cresting a rise in anticipation of the reduced throttle necessary during the upcoming downgrade. A standard cruise control will tend to over throttle on the upgrades and retard on the downgrades, wasting the energy storage capabilities available from intelligent use of the inertia of the vehicle.

[00188] It is within provision of the invention to determine the weight or mass of the vehicle in question, with or without adding the weight of the driver and other persons and or cargos.

[00189] For the sake of example, consider a vehicle of 1000 kg mass, that reaches a speed of 110 km per hour while the engine is running in 3000rpm when in 5 ^th gear, consuming 12 letters of petrol per 100km at this speed. The computing means of the system may then (for example) oscillate bi-stably between several throttle positions, such as:

[00190] State A : This state corresponds to a throttle position corresponds to the minimum allowed speed in highways, for example 90 km/h, which may be reached in 4™ gear at 2300rpm.

[00191] State B: This state corresponds to a throttle position corresponds to the maximum allowed speed on the road in use, for example 110 km/h, which may be reached in 4 ^th gear at 3000 rpm.

[00192] State C: This state corresponds to 'neutral' ; in this stage the motive power source is disengaged from the power train or wheels. The gear box is in Neutral position, allowing the engine to reduce immediately its running speed, for example dropping to the idling rpm of 700 rpm only. The energy savings in this mode is related to the idling RPM; the difference in RPM in this example is 2300RPM, which difference multiplied by the time in idle, will provide a measure of the energy saved. In this state the running speed will obviously decrease due to friction and air drag of the vehicle. The system may vary between different states automatically by means of electronic control over the gearbox, transmission, fuel flow, throttle and associated mechanisms.

[00193] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, by dint of the nonlinear nature of the efficiency-speed curve, oscillation or other variation between a plurality of states such as those described in the example above may provide improved metrics such as those listed above, including fuel consumption, drive time, safety, and the like. Put another way, the optimized trajectory will not necessarily involve constant speed, but rather may involve a dynamically changing speed depending upon such factors as road incline/declivity, road surface quality, speed limit, vehicle performance curves such as fuel efficiency vs. speed, vehicle turn radius, road layout, and the like. It is an object of the invention to take these an all other relevant factors into account in order to calculate the optimum trajectory, either analytically or by means of an optimization algorithm as known in the art, such as gradient descent, simplex, or the like.

[00194] As an example of the fuel savings possible by use of the invention consider that at 1 lOkm/h the engine is working at some high rate of fuel consumption, as high as 8 liters/hr depending on the vehicle aerodynamic drag, air drag factor, engine efficiency and the like; while during the coasting phase of the invention, the vehicle is generally idling. In idling mode the same vehicle would use around 21iters/hr, in some cases less, depending on the engine settings, a significant savings.

[00195] Is within provision of the invention to control the idling speed of the vehicle, allowing the system to increase the idling fuel savings. By doing so electromechanically, by air pressure, hydraulic means or in otherwise automated fashion, or alternatively by indicating to the driver the desired speed and gear, the system implements an optimized or improved trajectory.

[00196] It is within provision of the invention that the system may be disengaged either manually or automatically. For example, when the driver depresses the brake, gas or clutch pedal, the system may be automatically taken out of operation allowing the driver full control over the vehicle for safety, additionally engaging the engine to the transmission immediately. Alternatively when the system is disconnected remotely, or a given time period elapses, or necessary planning information is lacking, the system may be disengaged and control passed to the driver.

[00197] It is also within provision of the invention that the system be reengaged either manually or automatically, for instance when the driver decides to engage the system he may depress a button on the system interface (which may be a smartphone interfaced with a vehicle control system) that reengages the system.

[00198] Alternatively, depressing the brake, or in Manuel Gear systems the

Clutch pedal, will disable the system instantly so the driver can change the speed without interference from the system.

[00199] It is within provision of the invention that it be operated with controls easily within the driver's reach, for instance in the fashion of a standard cruise control through use of two or more buttons on the steering wheel, on the dashboard, on the turn signal stalk, or on a dedicated stalk, and/or on a panel, and/or on a smartphone screen or associated device. It is within provision of the invention that these interfaces be implemented in any language with or without voice control and output. By means of these controls the user may set speed choices in addition to those automatically calculated, for example according to personal taste, local factors such as the country, local speed rules, regulations, traffic conditions, weather conditions, time constraints, fuel constraints and the like.

Advantages and disadvantages

[00200] Extant cruise control and other speed control systems generally require the user to bring a vehicle up to speed manually and use a button to set the cruise control to the current speed.

[00201] An advantage of the current system is that no preset speed is required; rather the computing means of the system calculates the operating point that will optimize the metric desired at any given moment. It is within provision of the invention that different metrics may be defined, including minimized fuel consumption, maximized safety, minimized travel time, minimized risk of obtaining a speeding ticket, minimized detection probability, maximized detection probability, minimized oil consumption, maximized trip enjoyment, minimized driver fatigue, and the like, as well as combinations of these metrics (such as minimized weighted sums of different metrics, or generally speaking minimized or maximized functions of one or more metrics).

[00202] In one implementation of the invention, speed control is accomplished by means of pulling the throttle cable with a solenoid, a vacuum driven servo mechanism or by using the vehicle 'drive-by-wire' system.

[00203] It is within provision of the invention that the W. J. Optimized intelligent cruise control (TM) be capable of being turned off both explicitly and automatically, when the driver depresses the brake and or by depressing the clutch in its various forms including such as manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like in manual gear box , and or pressing the "Off" or "cancel " or "Red stop" button or pulling an operating switch , or by pressing an appropriate menu button on a display such as a vehicle display, smartphone dimply, or the like.

[00204] As the system disclosed has relatively modest computing requirements, it can be easily integrated into a modern vehicle's engine management system. This includes the ability to automatically reduce speed when the distance to a car in front decreases, or the speed limit decreases. Distance information may be obtained through appropriate sensors, while infrastructure information such as speed limit may be obtained through network connectivity, local database, or the like.

[00205] It is within provision of the invention to incorporate a "speed limiter" function, which will not allow the vehicle to accelerate beyond a pre-set maximum; this can be overridden in the case of emergency by fully depressing the accelerator pedal. It is within provision of the invention to keep the driving speed below a pre-set maximum; and automatically brake in the event of over speeding (e.g. on a downhill stretch) and reduce the speed by using means known in the art, such as by means of electric solenoid or servo motor that connected to the braking mechanism. [00206] It is within provision of the invention to plan optimized trajectories and/or optimized operating points, in real time or otherwise, with the help of various information sources, in some embodiments including but not limited to built in GPS, Dead Reckoning (DR) and map database, Google Earth 3D, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satnav systems, and W.J. Hologram™. Thus the system may smoothly and automatically transfer from a mode of urban driving to a mode of free road driving (such as on an autobahn or highway). It is within provision of the invention to use infrastructure data including speed limits, construction areas and the like for speed optimization.

[00207] The system disclosed allows every driver to achieve highly optimized driving, for example in some embodiments by means of maintaining a relatively constant throttle position and allowing the vehicle to accelerate on the downgrades and decelerate on upgrades, while reducing power when cresting a rise and adding a bit before an upgrade is reached, at an accuracy limited only by the accuracy of information known about the vehicle and driving conditions (specifically, the vehicle performance curves and the road parameters such as the three-dimensional layout of the road).

[00208] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art this system is actually applicable to any vehicle, motorized or not; for example, a bicycle equipped with this system would be able to inform a rider as to the optimal speed at any given point, allowing the rider to achieve an optimized trajectory without benefit of years of experience; indeed, even long experience will not allow a seasoned biker to optimize his trajectory unless the biker also has foreknowledge of the terrain, which is not always the case and may well be of less detail than that possible with an onboard computerized database.

[00209] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, an W. J. Optimized intelligent cruise control (TM) would provide all the benefits of a regular cruise control including reduction of driver fatigue, improved comfort, and the like, in addition to optimizing metrics such as fuel consumption. Amongst other metrics, a pollution-minimizing metric is within provision of the invention , which takes into account the emissions vs. speed curve of a given vehicle or a standardized curve of similar nature, useful for reducing emissions such as C(¾ , ΝΟχ, particulates, metals, sulfur and the like.

[00210] It is within provision of the invention that sensors be provided in electronic communication with the computing means of the system that are adapted for measurement of a variety of emissions and/or external pollutants including but not limited to 0 ₃ , PM2.5, PM10, PM50, CO, C0 ₂ , NO, N0 ₂ , SO, S0 ₂ , VOCs, NH ₃ , benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans, lead, and mercury. By means of these sensors the emissions of the vehicle (as well as the pollution levels of the surroundings) may be monitored, and if desired, may be used for optimization. For example if a certain emissions ode must be adhered to, deviation from this emissions code may be added to a metric to be optimized, thus preventing deviations from the code or minimizing them. For purposes of carbon trading for instance this may prove invaluable, as a driver who can demonstrate lowered emissions may at some point be eligible for benefits such as tax credits or the like.

[00211] It is within provision of the invention to use either a radar or laser setup to allow the vehicle to keep pace with the car it is following, slowing when closing in on the vehicle in front and accelerating again to an optimal speed when traffic allows.

[00212] It is within provision of the invention to use forward collision warning systems, which warn the driver if a vehicle in front - given the speed of both vehicles - gets too close (within the preset headway or braking distance).

[00213] It is within provision of the invention to use a dynamic set speed determined by the computing means of the system, using for instance the GPS positions or Dead Reckoning (DR) positions of speed limit signs as determined from a database. By so doing, an optimized speed profile can be generated that (for instance) allow a driver to coast long distances before required stops such as stop signs, thus minimizing wasted energy of braking.

[00214] It will be appreciated that large cars such as those equipped with large bore engines like V6 or V8 engines, petrol engines, or engines equipped with turbo or compressor systems, and/or vehicles of large mass such as 2000-2500 kg, their inertia power at speed of 110 km/h may allow the vehicle to coast long distances before the speed drops to a given lower minimum such as a minimum 90 Km/h lower higher speed limit.

[00215] It is within provision of the invention that the system employ one or more microprocessor modules with hardware memory management and Real-Time Operating Systems. Likewise it is within provision of the invention that embedded system platforms be employed, capable of running appropriate software applications, including model-based process control, artificial intelligence, and cloud and ubiquitous computing.

[00216] It is within provision of the invention to use RFID (Radio Frequency

Identification) for vehicle and/or driver and/or smartphone and/or road identification. Inexpensive intelligent beacon sensing technologies have enhanced the technical capabilities that will facilitate motorist safety benefits for intelligent transportation systems globally. Sensing systems for ITS are vehicle and infrastructure based networked systems, thus it is within provision of the invention to use infrastructure sensors. These may be in-road reflectors or other devices that are installed or embedded on the road, or surrounding the road (buildings, posts, and signs for example) to enable better transport or provide other road, transport, safety, or condition information (such as information concerning a tight turn upcoming, slipper when wet indications, and any other road indications which may in addition to being posted on signs, be embedded in RFID tags or otherwise provided in an electronically or automatically readable format. It is within provision of the invention to use the W.J. Hologram, barcode readers, optical connections, internet connections, real time data, and persistent always-on connections.

[00217] It is within provision of the invention to utilize variable speed limits, calculating optimized trajectories taking into account the actual speed limit that is currently in force or that would be in force at a given point in time and on a given road. [00218] It is within provision of the invention to use the Global Positioning

System (GPS) or Dead Reckoning system (DR), vehicle to vehicle, in real time or otherwise, for the purpose of determining the vehicle's current location on Earth, and in turn for determining heading, bearing, velocity, acceleration, and higher moments of position.

[00219] It is within provision of the invention to provide an W. J. Optimized intelligent cruise control (TM) system comprising: a. computing means; b. sensing means in electronic communication with said computing means; c. software running on said computing means adapted to compute a trajectory that optimizes a metric, given information selected from the group consisting of: said sensing means; onboard information stored by said computing means; off board information, and combinations thereof; d. indicating means adapted to indicate to a vehicle occupant an optimized vehicle state; whereby said vehicle may be brought closer to said optimized vehicle state.

[00220] It is within provision of the invention that said optimized vehicle state be selected from the group consisting of: vehicle gear setting, vehicle speed, vehicle bearing, vehicle acceleration, combinations thereof, and others as will be known to those skilled in the art. It is within provision of the invention further to use air drag, tire type, air pressure, and rolling resistance factors for finding optimized vehicle state.

[00221] It is within provision of the invention to further provide control means in electronic communication with said computing means adapted to control said vehicle so as to bring said vehicle to said optimized vehicle state, and others as will be known to those skilled in the art. [00222] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system wherein said control means are selected from the group consisting of: clutch in its various forms including such as manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like engagement control; gear selector; steering control; velocity control; fuel supply rate control; control surface control; indicator light control; vehicle air conditioning control; vehicle onboard display control, and others as will be known to those skilled in the art.

[00223] It is within provision of the invention that said software means optimizes said metric by means of optimization algorithms selected from the group consisting of: gradient descent, simplex, convex minimization, support vector machine, neural networks, Bayesian networks, linear programming methods, nonlinear programming methods, Hessian methods, gradient methods, simulated annealing methods, thermodynamic methods, entropic methods, ballistic methods, spline methods, and others as will be known to those skilled in the art.

[00224] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said metric is selected from the group consisting of: minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized risk of getting a traffic ticket; optimized scenery; minimized detection probability; maximized detection probability; minimized waiting time; combinations thereof, and others as will be known to those skilled in the art.

[00225] It is within provision of the invention that said sensing means are selected from the group consisting of: GPS receiver; Dead Reckoning (DR); sonar rangefinder; laser rangefinder; radio receiver; proximity sensor; fuel consumption sensor; air flow sensor; speedometer; accelerometer; compass; inclinometer; magnetometer; altimeter; and others as will be known to those skilled in the art. It is further within provision of the invention to use W.J. Hologram™, bar code readers, internet connections, and real time systems.

[00226] It is within provision of the invention to utilize elements in electronic communication with said computing means, selected from the group consisting of: radio transmitter; radio receiver; infrared transmitter; infrared receiver; license plate identification system; camera; vision processing means; cellular communications; internet connectivity; CANBUS; onboard vehicle network, and others as will be known to those skilled in the art.

[00227] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said computing means are selected from the group consisting of: smartphone; pda; laptop computer; onboard computer; GPS navigation unit; Dead Reckoning (DR) unit; Google Earth 3D, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, satnav systems, W.J. Hologram™, Turing machine, bar code readers, internet connections that are always connected, real time data, worldwide networks, and others as will be known to those skilled in the art.

[00228] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said trajectory comprises points in spacetime.

[00229] It is within provision of the invention to provide the aforementioned system further wherein said trajectory includes segments utilizing a plurality of any kinds of different vehicles.

[00230] It is within provision of the invention that the information available to the computing means be selected from the group consisting of: route endpoint data; route waypoint data; route constraints; vehicle to vehicle data; GPS data; Dead Reckoning (DR) data; infrastructure data; traffic data; stoplight data; weather data; average route time data; topographic data; road usage data; road quality data; road inclination data; wind speed data; vehicle efficiency data; vehicle emissions data, crash data, safety data, data relay satellite, optical satellite, radar satellite, accident data and others as will be known to those skilled in the art.

[00231] It is within provision of the invention that the vehicle be selected from the group consisting of: car, truck, tractor, trailer, cargo transport vehicle, tank, boat, yacht, sailboat, submarine, airplane, motorized vehicle, train, bus, motorcycle, hybrid vehicle, electric vehicle and others as will be known to those skilled in the art. [00232] It is within provision of the invention that the vehicle be powered by a source including internal combustion, external combustion, human power, electric propulsion, nuclear propulsion, wave propulsion, solar propulsion, ion propulsion, wind propulsion, W.J. Anaerobic Engine™ propulsion, anaerobic engine propulsion, W.J. Turbine™ propulsion, turbine propulsion, W.J. Rotor Engine™, rotor engines, and others as will be known to those skilled in the art.

[00233] It is within provision of the invention that the vehicle employ a transmission such as manual transmission, automatic transmission, electric transmission or others as will be known to those skilled in the art.

[00234] It is within provision of the invention that the computing means be provided with a user interface in any given language. This user interface may include text, audio, gestures, and other elements as will be clear to one skilled in the art. It is within provision of the invention to use real time connections and add updates anywhere in the world depending on internet availability.

[00235] It is within provision of the invention that the gear shift of a manual vehicle be automatically moved from position to position by means adapted for this purpose, for example by means of an electromagnetic solenoid such as that pictured in Fig. 9. Here a pair of electromagnetic linear actuators (aka solenoids) are to move a gear shift (although these types of actuators can also be used in conjunction with the system disclosed in order to engage/disengage the clutch in its various forms including manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like , control the steering, move the gas pedal, move the brake pedal, or the like). By use of two solenoids a redundant system is implemented whereby a failure of a single solenoid will not prevent effective performance of the device.

[00236] Further control means are within provision of the invention, including but not limited to control over drag (for instance by means of opening/closing windows, raising/lowering spoilers, changing load distribution, changing center of gravity, and the like) as well as related factors such as vehicle balance, which may be controlled for instance by means of hydraulic or pneumatic shock absorber settings, tire pressure, control surface attitude, and the like.

[00237] It is within provision of the invention to allow a user to calibrate the system, for example in conjunction with air pressure. The user would in this case for example inflate new tires to a certain standard amount. This fact would be entered using software associated with the system, running on the computing means of the system. By taking a short run on level ground the system can then determine the average rolling resistance due to the tires, and this level of rolling resistance is saved. During future trips, the current rolling resistance value is checked against the original calibration value, and if it is found that the current value lies too far above the original value, the system may inform the user of such, may suggest stopping at the nearest service station to fill the tires, and/or may fill the tires automatically. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, remote air pressure sensors may also be employed for this purpose, without requiring the aforementioned calibration run. As will be further appreciated, driving at length without proper tire pressure can lead to a hidden but potentially enormous loss of money due to lowered fuel economy.

[00238] It is within provision of the invention to sense the number of people riding in a vehicle, or to allow for the system operator to program such. By this means the system may behave more 'intelligently' with respect to the metrics to be optimized. For example, if it is sensed that four or more passengers occupy the vehicle, use of a carpool lane may be justified and the system may inform the driver of such and/or take action to utilize such a carpool lane.

[00239] It is within provision of the invention to sense the disposition of cargo and warn the system operator if dangerous and/or inefficient loads are being used. For example if a large load is placed in the trunk of a car, it may cause an imbalance and force the back of the car down the front up. This will in turn tend to increase the wind resistance. Thus it is within provision of the invention to sense such load imbalance, for example by means of an inclinometer, or by means of strain gauges, or the like. If the imbalance is above a predetermined threshold, it is within provision of the system to alert the driver of such, and/or to take corrective action, such as by increasing the pressure in the rear hydraulic suspension or the like. Various alternatives will be obvious to one skilled in the art.

[00240] It is within provision of the invention to be implemented in redundant and fail-safe fashion. For instance, three onboard computers can be used to run the system software instead of one, and a majority-rules system implemented whereby if any computer disagrees with the others at any point, a 'majority vote' is taken and action is taken according to the majority. Obviously this will only occur when one or more of the computers has reached some sort of error condition, and thus the system operator can be warned of the occurrence in order to repair the computers, call for service, download updated software or the like.

[00241] It is within provision of the invention to provide a 'pump and glide' method for driving economy consisting of 5-10 seconds of acceleration and 35-40 seconds of coasting. The coasting may start from 110 km/h (for example), and continue until 90 km/h at which point the vehicle is accelerated once more to 110 km/h.

[00242] It is within provision of the invention to implement an RPM limit whereby the maximum RPM is limited to a certain predetermined value. Thus the user may specify a limit of 5000 RPM, and in cases where the vehicle throttle is under full system control, the system will never allow the engine RPM to exceed 5000 RPM.

[00243] It is within provision of the invention to identify different sorts of terrain, in real time or otherwise. For example by use of topographic databases, GPS positioning systems, Dead Reckoning (DR) positioning systems, onboard maps, and sense data such as laser rangefinder data, sonar data, vision processing data, altimeter data and the like, the system may identify a stretch of rocky, mountainous terrain. In addition to calculating a path of optimum speed (or energy efficiency, or safety, or the like as described above in conjunction with the notion of the metric), the system may indicate this path (for instance on an onboard computer monitor, or on a smart phone screen, or on a windshield display, heads-up monitor, or the like.), and may furthermore steer the vehicle automatically on this path for example by means of hydraulic or electronic control over the steering, gear, clutch in its various forms including such as manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like , and throttle.

[00244] Generally speaking it is an object of the invention to provide an indication of an optimized state and/or to take action to put the vehicle into a state that is closer to an optimized state. By the notion 'state' we mean any possible state of the vehicle including its position, speed, acceleration, bearing, gear position, clutch position, throttle position, and the like. Optimal states in general lie along optimized trajectories. These optimal states and/or trajectories may be computed by various means including analog computation, digital computation, or the like. The optimality of a given state or trajectory is determined by means of one or more metric functions. These are functions of the vehicle state, history, and the like, and may include (for example) the time elapsed on a given trip or leg, fuel consumption, emission levels, trip safety, and the like. Functions of these metrics are optimized by computing means associated with the system, which computing means may be onboard, offboard, or both, and may be run on dedicated computers, handheld computers, PDAs, smartphones, laptop computer(s), persistent internet connections, real time networks, or the like.

[00245] It is within provision of the invention that weather data be taken into consideration for purposes of metric computation. For example, inclement weather such as heavy rains or hailstorms will have a statistically predictable effect on average driving speeds, safety, fuel consumption, and the like. Thus during stages of planning an optimal trajectory, knowledge of incipient inclement weather can be incorporated for more accurate assessment of the various metrics. It is further within provision of the invention to use statistical and/or partial knowledge of external factors including weather, so as to incorporate information such as "10% chance of rain" ; the probability of this occurrence may be used for instance to weight its effect in computation of a metric, or to weight the number of occurrences in a Monte Carlo simulation, or by use of other methods as will be clear to one skilled in the art.

[00246] As an example of one implementation of the invention consider the flowchart of Fig. 10. The first step of the method is to determine the metric to be optimized, be it fuel efficiency , elapsed time, emissions, safety, and the like, including combinations and functions thereof. The metric may be chosen automatically, remotely, or locally e.g. by the driver through a menu-driven interface. The next step is to determine the destination, again either locally or remotely and again for instance by means of a menu-driven interface. The next step in this example is determination of position, e.g. through GPS or Dead Reckoning (DR) and a number of vehicle parameters such as speed, gear, inclination, acceleration, fuel consumption, traffic situation, weather, road status, accident status and the like. Given this information an optimal route can be determined (which may in fact change during the trip due to navigational mistakes, changes in traffic, accidents ahead, inclement weather ahead, etc.) Given the optimal route, an optimal vehicle state (or states) my be determined. By comparing the vehicle state with the optimal state, a difference measure can be determined, and if greater than some threshold this may trigger corrective action. This may take the form of a display, alarm, warning, audio alert, or mechanical action taken such as engagement or disengagement of the clutch in its various forms including such as manual, semiautomatic, automatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or the like . Generally these steps will be taken in an event-driven loop, allowing for adjustment depending on changing conditions such as changed destination, changing vehicle performance, and the like.

[00247] Fig. 11 shows a further example of factors which may be taken into account by the computing means for optimizing metrics of the trip. As can be seen from the figure, different routes connecting various points on a map can be labeled with different qualitative characteristics such as (in this case) 'urban' vs. 'highway' legs. Thus a driver primarily concerned with speed may have a trip optimized for maximal use of highway legs, while a driver concerned primarily with access to stores may have a trip maximizing use of urban routes.

[00248] It is within provision of the invention to optimize a large variety of trip factors, providing (for example) for minimized fuel consumption; minimized travel time; minimized travel risk; minimized travel emissions; minimized environmental impact; minimized ticket risk; optimized scenery; maximized safety, minimized wait time, minimized time in traffic jams; maximized trip enjoyment (for example as defined by some combination of minimized time in traffic jams and maximized time on scenic highways); minimized driver fatigue; minimized vehicle wear; minimized consumables depletion; minimized oil usage; minimized emergency evacuation time;; and including combinations thereof such as functions of one or more of these factors.

[00249] It should be appreciated that amongst other benefits possible through use of the invention, accident reduction can be especially significant in the case of certain population segments in greater danger of accidents such as those with ADD, ADHD, other attention disorders, physical disabilities, Tourette's syndrome, sleepwalkers, the elderly, youth, and any other group or groups prone to accidents. This is accomplished by means (for example) of increasing the importance of trip safety in the definition of the metric to be optimized, in the case of a driver falling into any of these accident-prone groups. Additionally of course the collision avoidance systems of the invention, including audible, visual, and other warnings of impending collision and/or other unsafe conditions, will tend to reduce the rate of collisions over that which would otherwise occur. Thus for example the system may be designed so as to automatically choose a metric based on factors such as: driver age; driver attention span; driver accident record; driver driving record; driver disabilities; driver socioeconomic status; driver visual acuity; driver reaction time; driver hearing acuity.

[00250] It is further within provision of the invention to use driver information to provide tailored warnings. For example in the case of a driver with known good eyesight but poor hearing, audio sensors can be used to pick up audio information that the driver may miss. This information may then be used (for example) in a visual display, warning the driver of a nearby honking car or vehicle in reverse (which often emit a beeping signal when backing up). In this fashion the system will adapt to take advantages of a driver's strengths to compensate for his weaknesses.

[00251] Another aspect of the invention is that optimization of metrics may be turned into a game to be played between different drivers or by a single driver. The metric may be used to generate a score which may be compared to high scores or between drives or between drivers. Thus a fleet vehicle that has a fixed route every day but different drivers on different days may be used to create an optimization contest, with (for example) the driver using the least fuel on this route winning the contest, and (for instance) receiving a bonus from the fleet operator.

[00252] This illustrates another possible use of the system, namely that by quantification of driver performance, 'good' drivers (in the sense of any metric as discussed above) may be rewarded for their performance in optimizing some metric such as minimized fuel consumption.

[00253] It is within provision of the invention that the passengers be allowed access to the information correlated by the computing means of the system. Thus passengers as well as driver and/or system operator may be shown (by means of in- headrest display, windscreen display, heads up visor or the like) system information including but not limited to: fuel economy; elapsed time; ETA; average speed; speed histogram; average acceleration; acceleration histogram; safety rating; remaining fuel; remaining distance to destination; deviation from optimal vehicle state; optimal vehicle state; current vehicle state; engine RPM; gear state; clutch state; speed limit; road grade; vehicle inclination; vehicle altitude; topographic information; map information; and the like.

[00254] We now present a brief summary of the system and method and the capabilities thereof.

[00255] The W.J. Intelligent Cruse control operating system™ is a game changing platform. The computing means comprises one or more cores, with (for example) 4.3" or 7" screens, and can be supplied either in fixed or portable versions.

[00256] The W.J. Intelligent Cruise control operating system™ is a Ground breaking layered architecture which provides OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and ASPs (Application Service Providers) with a rugged, versatile, vehicle -centric, and fixed-mount or portable mobile-computing platform for a variety of MRM (Mobile Resource Management) applications, with real time update option applications. [00257] The platform in one embodiment features Microsoft Windows

Embedded WJ.Intelligent Cruise control operating system™ , supporting Compact Framework , and offers a comprehensive development environment for independent application programming and system integration.

[00258] It is within provision of the invention that the WJ.Intelligent Cruise control operating system™ be fully recyclable according all environmental regulations. Its unique layered architecture makes the WJ.Intelligent Cruise control operating system™ highly modular and scalable, allowing for variable factory-set configurations and in-field hardware upgrades, by using plug-in modules, and a real time update by the company through cell phone technologies, and satellite .

[00259] This WJ.Intelligent Cruise control operating system™ future proof and cost effective design: simplifies maintenance tasks, significantly extends product life expectancy, and lowers TCO (total cost of ownership).

[00260] The WJ.Intelligent Cruise control operating system™ is built to withstand a wide temperature range, vibrations, shock, and endure the rough working conditions in the commercial vehicle environment.

[00261] It is within provision of the invention that the WJ.Intelligent Cruise control operating system™ be offered in several models, denoted the Wl , W2,W3,W4 Models etc.

[00262] These devices are based on human science and are ergonomically designed for use in different sizes of commercial vehicles. Four distinct product models are available, each featuring an optimized user interface.

[00263] A single core processing unit supports two exchangeable display sizes: 4.3" WQVGA (Wl model) and 7" WVGA (W2 model), W3 model is a 3 dimensional screen allowing the user to enjoy the support of "GOOGLE EARTH 3D" and other 3 D navigation programs and/or channels. [00264] W4 model is adapted to be connected to all car and bus screens ,each combining a touch color screen with large and programmable function and control keys.

[00265] All models feature multiple, integrated wireless options: Quad band

GPRS modem, GPS, Dead Reckoning (DR), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ethernet connection, flash drive, and electronic altimeter.

[00266] All wireless options come with internal antennas.

Physical interface options on these models include: USB, Serial RS-232 ports, dedicated interface for Dallas ID button reader, analog inputs, multiple digital inputs and outputs, and control signals for vehicle connectivity. Additional integrated options include a bar-code scanner, W.J.Hologram™, informative card, magnetic card-reader, flash drive, and any size CD.

[00267] Each model can be ordered with fixed-mount or portable configurations , according the size of the screen. The portable configuration includes a battery, for up to three hours of operation, and a unique cradle for recharging and for additional interface and connectivity options.

[00268] Development Tool and Kit Packages The W.J.Intelligent Cruse control operating system™ Al Model has a Development Tool Kit \ SDK package, for independent application development and is backed by W.J.Intelligent Cruise control operating system™ technical support. Platform Key Features include ruggedness, Feature -rich nature, a ground breaking layered architecture, multiple optional built-in modules, and fixed or portable vehicle interface.

[00269] It is within provision of the invention to use artificially intelligent systems in the route planning, optimization, Dead Reckoning (DR) and GPS portions of the system. These may include neural nets, heuristics, and any other artificial intelligence technique known in the art.

[00270] It is within provision of the invention to utilize advanced GPS Dead

Reckoning (DR) techniques include 'filling in' of areas with no or low-resolution coverage by use of other techniques such as dead reckoning, map matching, Kalman filters, vehicle to vehicle data, and the like.

[00271] It is within provision of the invention to implement a 'Where am I system' capable of providing map location, lane location, position information, and the like. It is within provision of the invention that realtime information be provided thereto by means of UAVs, drones, airplanes, satellites, UUV's and the like. It is within provision of the invention that digital lanes of traffic including the safety lane be included. It is within provision of the invention that the inertial navigation system be of super interlligence. It is within provision of the invention to provide handicapped aware services such as vibration indicators for the deaf.

[00272] It is within provision of the invention to make use of thermal sensors, heat cameras, infrared viewers and the like. IT is within provision of the invention to use sensors including optical, acoustic, thermal and the like to provide imagine capability even instorem conditions such as sandstorms, heavy rain, dust, and extreme weather of all sorts.

[00273] It is within provision of the invention to implement an online thinking algorithmic system.

[00274]

It is within provision of the invention to utilize locations of nearest neighbors on the road and other objects in proximity to a vehicle to plan optimized routes. It is further within provision of the invention to use information concerning activities and changes outside the vehicle for route optimization. It is within provision of the invention to correct mistakes of the driver or other drivers by means of warning systems and direct control of a vehicle.

[00275] It is within provision of the invention to provide a driving platform having an integral didtal map.

It is within provision of the invention to provide a smart sensing confirming seat belt and air bag.

It is within provision of the invention to take into account petrol level for purposes of route optimization, for example using routes that have available refilling station(s) if the petrol level is predicted to be or sensed to be low.

[00276] It within provision of the invention that it be used in conjunction with an autonomous driving vehicle.

[00277] It is within provision of the invention that it exchange information with other vehicles on the road, implementing a shared sensor network, and receiving information from other vehicles. All this information may be correlated and used for optimized route planning.

[00278] It is within provision of the invention to use a traffic light sensing and/or identification and/or reading system. It is within provision of the invention to analyze locations of multiple cars for use of group behavior, for instance implementing 'group gliding' wherein an entire group of cars uses the pump and glide method together in synchrony, the synchronization being implemented in distributed fashion by the onboard route optimization systems, which (for instance) sense whether neighbors are in 'pump' mode or in 'glide' mode.

[00279] It is within provision of the invention to use radar, the 'Velodyne' system, and other radar systems as part of the sensing means of the system. It is within provision of the invention to use forward vision, as well as V2V (vehicle to vehicle) communication systems to all real time vehicle communication and navigation.

[00280] It is within provision of the invention to allow for 'stop and go', namely the capability to stop the vehicle in case of major blockage, obstacle, or other collision hazard.

[00281] It is within provision of the invention to provide collision warning in the form of alerting means, and/or control means adapted to control the vehicle in case a potential accident situation is predicted. [00282] It is within provision of the invention to provide a system allowing driving at speed with the capability to pass from lane to lane without danger or risk to the vehicle or other vehicles.

[00283] It is within provision of the invention to provide for emergency changes in position, including finding parking places as well as using the road shoulders and/or safety lanes as potential 'escape routes' in case of route blockage or collision hazard.

[00284] It is within provision of the invention to provide parking places in large cities, by using satellite information and free parking space information close to the final target for a given route.

[00285] It is within provision of the invention to provide real time gliding and driving control by using car radar system, laser range finder, and thermal navigation systems.

It is within provision of the invetnion to provide real time information about free lane availability, allowing a vehicle for instance to merge safely, exit safely, pass safely, and the like.

[00286] It is within provision of the invention to provide traffic light warning information comprising advance warnings about traffic lights and their predicted dispositions (red, green, etc) as well as upcoming road condition warnings such as sharp turn warnings, ice slick warnings, etc.

[00287] It is within provision of the invention to allow for synchronization of multiple cars trajectories, allowsing for instance group gliding and pumping.

[00288] It is within provision of the invention to provide a team work driving system following the car in front, back and sides, and considering traffic in every lane.

[00289] It is within provision of the invention to increase the range of electric cars. [00290] It is within provision of the invention to provide and/or utilize mobile apps for vehicle connectivity.

[00291] It is within provision of the invention to use algorithmic software for route optimization. It is within provision of the invention to utilize long range radar, short range radar, and the like for sensing means.

[00292] It is within provision of the invention to utilize mirror radar, and real time lane sensors as inputs to the system.

[00293] It is within provision of the invention to utilize human engineering. It is further within provision of the invention to utilize drive by wire systems.

[00294] It is within provision of the invention to utilize position and status information concerning traffic islands, lane dividers and the like for route optimization and trajectory calculation.