Rear-wheel steering angle control device

• US 20020022916A1
• Filed: 08/09/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Akita, Tokihiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,571,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/42
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/159 characterised by computing methods or stabilisation processes or systems, e.g. responding to yaw rate, lateral wind, load, road condition

Abstract

The present invention provides a rear-wheel steering angle control device which is capable of drastically reducing the man-hours required for setting a gain of a target rear-wheel steering angle relative to a front-wheel steering angle. The rear-wheel steering angle control device includes a target rear-wheel steering angle calculating device which has a variable coefficient inputting device. A specific parameter (such as steady β gain) of a theoretical transfer function of physical quantity (such as vehicle-body slip angle β) relative to a front-wheel steering angle is multiplied with variable coefficients (such as Kβ) to a transfer function as a target transfer function (target β transfer function 5). The target rear-wheel steering angle calculating device has an inverse operation setting device for doing an inverse operation of k(s)7 such that when an equivalent transfer function of the specific physical quantity relative to the front-wheel steering angle is represented by k(s) 7, a theoretical transfer function (Gbdf(s)1) of the specific physical quantity relative to the front-wheel steering angle, and a theoretical transfer function (Gbdr(s)3) of a specific physical quantity relative to the rear-wheel steering angle, the equivalent transfer function is made identical with the target transfer function. Based on the resultant k(s) 7, the target rear-wheel steering angle is calculated.

Claims

1. A rear-wheel steering angle control device comprising:

a detecting means for detecting at least a vehicle speed, an actual front-wheel steering angle, and an actual rear-wheel steering angle;

a target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means for calculating a target rear-wheel steering angle on the basis of at least outputs of the detecting means; and

a rear-wheel steering angle controlling means for controlling the actual rear-wheel steering angle detected by the detecting means to become equal or approximately equal to the target rear-wheel steering angle calculated by the target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means,

wherein the target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means includes a variable coefficient inputting means for inputting variable coefficients and an inverse operation setting means in which;

a specific physical quantity which represents a vehicle motion is dealt with when a transfer function of the rear-wheel steering angle relative to the front-wheel steering angle is set and

as a target transfer function is employed which is obtained by multiplying specific parameters of a theoretical transfer function of the specific physical quantity relative to the front-wheel steering angle by the variable coefficients inputted from the variable coefficient inputting means and

when an equivalent transfer function of the specific physical quantity relative to the front-wheel steering angle is represented by a transfer function of the rear-wheel steering angle relative to the front-wheel steering angle, a theoretical transfer function of the specific physical quantity relative to the front-wheel steering angle, and a theoretical transfer function of the specific physical quantity relative to the rear-wheel steering angle, the transfer function of the rear-wheel steering angle relative to the front-wheel steering angle is inversely calculated so that the equivalent transfer function becomes equivalent to the target transfer function, and

wherein the target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means calculates the target rear-wheel steering angle based on the transfer function of the rear-wheel steering angle relative to the front-wheel steering angle calculated by the inverse operation setting means.

2. The rear-wheel steer control device in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the detecting means is capable of detecting a second specific physical quantity which represents the vehicle motion;

wherein the target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means further includes;

a second specific physical quantity transfer function setting means in which;

a second specific physical quantity is dealt with and a transfer function of the second specific physical quantity relative to the front-wheel steering angle is calculated based on the transfer function of the rear-wheel steering angle relative to the front-wheel steering angle which is calculated by the inverse operation setting means, a theoretical transfer function of the second specific physical quantity relative to the front-wheel steering angle and a theoretical transfer function of the second specific physical quantity relative to the rear-wheel steering angle, and

a feedback control means for executing a feedback control in which a target second specific physical quantity calculated based on the transfer function of the second specific physical quantity relative to the front-wheel steering angle which is calculated by the second specific physical quantity transfer function setting means becomes equal to an actual second specific physical quantity which is detected by the detecting means; and

wherein the target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means corrects the target rear-wheel steering angle by the feedback control means.