Vehicle control system and method

• US 10,029,677 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Owen, Simon, Richards, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jha, Abdhesh K
• Application Number:
  US14/917,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20160214603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/40 Torque distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/406 between left and right wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for a motor vehicle comprising: means for detecting a side-slope condition in which a vehicle is traversing a side-slope; and means for controlling an amount of torque applied to one or more wheels to induce a turning moment on a vehicle, the system being configured to cause a turning moment to be induced in a direction opposing side-slip of a trailing axle in a down-slope direction relative to a leading axle.

Claims

1. A control-system for a motor vehicle comprising:

a module configured to detect a side-slope condition in which said vehicle is traversing a side-slope;

a module configured to detect a trailing axle slip angle (Angle_TAS) exceeding a threshold value (Angle_TASt); and

a controller configured to control an amount of torque applied to one or more wheels to induce a turning moment on said vehicle,

the controller being configured to, in response to the module detecting said side slope, automatically cause a first turning moment to be induced in a direction opposing side-slip of a trailing axle in a down-slope direction relative to a leading axle; and

the controller being configured to, in response to detecting said trailing axle slip angle (Angle_TAS) exceeding said threshold value (Angle_TASt), cause a second turning moment to be induced in a direction to reduce the trailing axle slip angle.

2. The control-system according to claim 1 configured to determine that a side-slope condition exists when a side-slope angle exceeds a prescribed angle.

3. The control-system according to claim 1 configured to cause the second turning moment to be induced having a magnitude determined in dependence on the value of Angle_TAS.

4. The control-system according to claim 1 configured to cause the second turning moment to be induced to reduce a value of trailing axle slip angle by causing application of brake torque and/or powertrain drive torque.

5. The control-system according to claim 4 configured to cause the second turning moment to be induced at least in part by application of brake torque to a trailing up-slope wheel.

6. The control-system according to claim 4 configured to cause the second turning moment to be induced by causing an amount of powertrain drive torque delivered to a trailing up-slope wheel to exceed that delivered to trailing down-slope wheel.

7. The control-system according to claim 4 configured to cause the second turning moment to be induced by causing an amount of powertrain drive torque delivered to a trailing down-slope wheel to exceed that delivered to a trailing up-slope wheel.

8. The control-system according to claim 1 configured to cause adjustment of a suspension system to create a difference in ride-height on an up-slope side of the vehicle relative to a down-slope side of the vehicle.

9. The control system according to claim 1 configured to cause adjustment of a vehicle body roll control system arranged to provide body roll correction to reduce vehicle body roll, the system being configured to cause the vehicle body roll control system to increase a resistance of vehicle body to roll associated with the side-slope condition.

10. The control system according to claim 1 configured to operate in a selected one of a plurality of control modes of at least one subsystem of the vehicle, the system comprising a subsystem controller for initiating control of at least one subsystem in the selected one of the plurality of subsystem control modes, each of which corresponds to one or more different driving conditions for the vehicle.

11. The control-system according to claim 10 configured to determine whether to cause the first or second turning moments by causing torque applied to an up-slope wheel to exceed that applied to a downslope wheel or by causing the torque applied to a down-slope wheel to exceed that applied to an up-slope wheel in dependence on one or more of the selected control mode, the value of trailing axle slip angle, and an amount of turning moment required.

12. The control-system according to claim 10 operable in a manual control mode selection condition in which a user may select a required system control mode by means of user-operable mode selection input means.

13. The control system according to claim 10 operable in an automatic mode selection condition in which the system is configured to select automatically an appropriate system control mode.

14. The control system according to claim 13 where the system comprises evaluation means for evaluating one or more driving condition indicators to determine the extent to which each of the subsystem control modes is appropriate, the system being configured in the automatic mode selection condition automatically to control the subsystem controller to initiate control of one or more subsystems in the subsystem control mode which is most appropriate.

15. The control system according to claim 10 wherein the control modes are control modes of at least one vehicle subsystem selected from amongst an engine management system, a transmission system, a steering system, a brakes system and a suspension system.

16. The control system according to claim 15 wherein the control modes are control modes of at least two vehicle subsystems selected from amongst an engine management system, a transmission system, a steering system, a brakes system and a suspension system.

17. The control system according to claim 10 wherein in each control mode the system is configured to cause each the one or more vehicle subsystems to be operated in a subsystem configuration mode appropriate to the driving condition.

18. The control system according to claim 1 further comprising a dynamic stability control system, wherein interventions by the dynamic stability control system to correct vehicle yaw to compensate for understeer or oversteer are suspended when, in response to detecting said side slope, the control system is automatically causing the first turning moment to be induced in said direction opposing side-slip of said trailing axle in said down-slope direction relative to said leading axle.

19. A vehicle comprising a system according to claim 1.

20. A vehicle according to claim 19 wherein the vehicle is adapted for off-road driving.

21. A method of controlling a vehicle comprising:

detecting a side-slope condition in which the vehicle is traversing a side-slope;

detecting a trailing axle slip angle (Angle_TAS) exceeding a threshold value (Angle_TASt); and

controlling an amount of torque applied to one or more wheels to induce a turning moment on the vehicle,

the method comprising, in response to detecting said side slope, automatically causing a first turning moment to be induced in a direction opposing side-slip of a trailing axle in a down-slope direction relative to a leading axle; and

the method comprising, in response to detecting said trailing axle slip angle (Angle_TAS) exceeding said threshold value (Angle_TASt), causing a second turning moment to be induced in a direction to reduce the trailing axle slip angle.

22. A non-transitory carrier medium having stored thereon computer readable code that, upon execution by a processor in a vehicle carries out the steps of:

detecting a side-slope condition of the vehicle traversing a side-slope;

detecting a trailing axle slip angle (Angle_TAS) exceeding a threshold value (Angle_TASt); and

controlling an amount of torque applied to one or more wheels of the vehicle to, in response to detecting said side slope, automatically induce a first turning moment on the vehicle in a direction opposing side-slip of a trailing axle of the vehicle in a down-slope direction relative to a leading axle of the vehicle, and in response to detecting said trailing axle slip angle (Angle_TAS) exceeding said threshold value (Angle_TASt), causing a second turning moment to be induced in a direction to reduce the trailing axle slip angle.