Attitude sensing system for an automotive vehicle

• US 20030065430A1
• Filed: 10/01/2001
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo, Brown, Todd Allen
• Granted Patent: US 6,631,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01908 Acceleration or inclination sensors characterised by the use of gyroscopes B60G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0511 Roll angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0512 Pitch angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0513 Yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0521 Roll rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0522 Pitch rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0523 Yaw rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/106 longitudinal with regard to vehicle, e.g. braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/02 Retarders, delaying means, dead zones, threshold values, cut-off frequency, timer interruption
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/082 Sensor drift
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/14 Differentiating means, i.e. differential control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/16 Integrating means, i.e. integral control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/1877 Adaptive Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/1885 Euler equations
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/60 Signal noise suppression; Electronic filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/012 Rolling condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/014 Pitch; Nose dive
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/016 : Yawing condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 : Improving accuracy of a sensor signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/912 : Attitude Control; levelling control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9124 : Roll-over protection systems, e.g. for warning or control
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0233 : Vehicle tilting, overturning or roll over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 : Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 : Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 : responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01336 : using filtering
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 : Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 : Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0052 : Filtering, filters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/20 : Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 : Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 : Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/16 : Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/18 : Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 : Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• 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

A stability control system (18) for an automotive vehicle includes a plurality of sensors (28-39) sensing the dynamic conditions of the vehicle. The sensors may include a speed sensor (20), a lateral acceleration sensor (32), a roll rate sensor (34), a yaw rate sensor (20) and a longitudinal acceleration sensor (36). The controller (26) is coupled to the speed sensor (20), the lateral acceleration sensor (32), the roll rate sensor (34), the yaw rate sensor (28) and a longitudinal acceleration sensor (36). The controller (26) has an anti-integration drift filter and a steady state recovery filter. The controller determines a roll attitude angle, a pitch attitude angle and a yaw attitude angle in response to the roll angular rate signal, the yaw angular rate signal, the lateral acceleration signal, the longitudinal acceleration signal, the wheel speed signal, the anti-integration drift filter and the steady state recovery filter.

Claims

1. A control system for an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body comprising:

a first angular rate sensor generating a first angular rate signal corresponding to a first angular motion of the vehicle body;

a second angular rate sensor generating a second motion signal corresponding to a second angular motion of the vehicle body;

a lateral accelerometer generating a lateral acceleration signal corresponding to a lateral acceleration of a center of gravity of the vehicle body;

a longitudinal accelerometer generating a longitudinal acceleration signal corresponding to the longitudinal acceleration of the center of gravity of the vehicle body;

a wheel speed sensor generating a wheel speed signal corresponding to a wheel speed of the vehicle; and

a controller coupled to said first angular rate sensor, said second angular rate sensor, said lateral accelerometer, said longitudinal accelerometer, and said wheel speed sensor, said controller comprising an anti-integration drift filter and a steady state recovery filter, said controller determining a roll attitude angle, a pitch attitude angle and a yaw attitude angle in response to said first angular rate signal, said second angular rate signal, said lateral acceleration signal, said longitudinal acceleration signal, said wheel speed signal, said anti-integration drift filter and said steady state recovery filter.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said first angular rate sensor is one selected from the group of a yaw rate sensor, a pitch rate sensor and a roll rate sensor and said second angular rate sensor comprises is one selected from the group of a yaw rate sensor, a pitch rate sensor and a roll rate sensor, said second sensor being different than the first sensor.

3. A control system for an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body comprising:

a roll angular rate sensor generating a roll angular rate signal corresponding to an roll angular motion of the vehicle body;

a yaw angular rate sensor generating a yaw motion signal corresponding to a yaw motion of the vehicle body;

a lateral accelerometer generating a lateral acceleration signal corresponding to a lateral acceleration of a center of gravity of the vehicle body;

a longitudinal accelerometer generating a longitudinal acceleration signal corresponding to the longitudinal acceleration of the center of gravity of the vehicle body;

a wheel speed sensor generating a wheel speed signal corresponding to a wheel speed of the vehicle; and

a controller coupled to said roll angular rate sensor, said yaw angular rate sensor, said lateral accelerometer, said longitudinal accelerometer, and said wheel speed sensor, said controller comprising an anti-integration drift filter and a steady state recovery filter, said controller determining a roll attitude angle, a pitch attitude angle and a yaw attitude angle in response to said roll angular rate signal, said yaw angular rate signal, said lateral acceleration signal, said longitudinal acceleration signal, said wheel speed signal, an anti-integration drift filter and a steady state recovery filter.

4. A control system as recited in claim 3 further comprising a safety system coupled to said controller, said controller generating a control signal to said safety system in response to said roll attitude angle, said pitch attitude angle and said yaw attitude angle.

5. A control system as recited in claim 4 wherein said safety system comprises an active brake control system.

6. A control system as recited in claim 4 wherein said safety system comprises an active rear steering system.

7. A control system as recited in claim 4 wherein said safety system comprises an active front steering system.

8. A control system as recited in claim 4 wherein said safety system comprises an active anti-roll bar system.

9. A control system as recited in claim 4 wherein said safety system comprises an active suspension system.

10. A method for operating a vehicle control system comprising:

generating a plurality of sensor signals in response to vehicle conditions;

generating a yaw rate sensor signal;

estimating a vehicle pitch angle estimation in response to said plurality of sensor signals;

determining a transient roll attitude in response to said pitch angle estimation, roll rate sensor signal, yaw rate sensor signal;

determining a steady state roll attitude angle in response to said pitch angle, vehicle reference velocity and longitudinal acceleration;

determining a roll attitude angle estimation in response to the steady state roll attitude angle and the transient roll attitude angle; and

determining a pitch rate estimation in response to the roll and pitch angle estimation and the yaw rate sensor signal.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said step of determining a roll attitude angle estimation is performed using an anti-drift-integration filter and a steady-state recovery filter to estimate the roll attitude angle.

12. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said step of determining a roll attitude angle estimation is performed in response to roll angle velocity.

13. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said step of determining a roll attitude angle estimation is performed in response to an anti-drift-integration filter.

14. A method of operating a safety device for an automotive vehicle comprising the steps of:

determining a yaw rate for the vehicle;

determining a roll rate for the vehicle;

determining a lateral acceleration for the vehicle;

determining a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle;

determining vehicle speed; and

generating a rollover signal in response to a yaw rate, roll rate, lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration, vehicle speed, an anti-integration drift filter, and a steady state recovery filter operating a safety device in response to said rollover signal.

15. A method as recited in claim 14 further comprising the step of activating a safety device in response to said rollover signal.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein said step of activating a safety device comprises one selected from the group consisting of an active brake control system, an active rear steering system, an active front steering system, an active anti-roll bar system, and an active suspension system.