Method for influencing the roll behavior of motor vehicles

• US 20040176890A1
• Filed: 02/18/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Longhorn Automotive Group LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Meier, Gerhard, Schulz, Walter, Acker, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 7,072,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0162 mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0164 mainly during accelerating or braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01908 Acceleration or inclination sensors characterised by the use of gyroscopes B60G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 21/0553 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 21/073 between wheels on the same axle but on different sides of the vehicle, i.e. the left and right wheel suspensions being interconnected
• 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 2400/208 of wheel rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/30 Propulsion unit conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/32 Torque on propulsion shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/38 Speed of engine rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/41 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/412 of steering wheel or column
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/0122 Roll rigidity ratio; Warping
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/18 Starting, accelerating
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/22 Braking, stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/70 Estimating or calculating vehicle parameters or state variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9122 ARS - Anti-Roll System Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9123 : Active Body Control [ABC]

Abstract

In a method for influencing the roll behavior of a motor vehicle having at least one axle with wheels at opposite sides of the motor vehicle, vehicle body movements caused by transverse forces acting at the center of gravity are reduced in that for each vehicle axle wheel, a stabilizer with a hydraulic actuator generating a controllable force is provided and the stabilizer force is transmitted to the respective wheels and vehicle body for counteracting the vehicle body roll movements so as to improve the roll behavior of the vehicle with respect to accuracy and reaction speed.

Claims

1. In a method for influencing the roll behavior in motor vehicles, having a vehicle body with an engine and at least three wheels, for each wheel or stabilizer with at least one actuator acting on the wheels and the vehicle body, and a steering wheel for steering said motor vehicle, said method comprising the steps of

measuring a steering wheel angle (δ

_LR), a traveling speed (v₀), a transverse acceleration (a_yr) of the vehicle and at least the speed (n_M) of said engine,

calculating the theoretical transverse acceleration (a_y,theo) of the vehicle from the steering wheel angle (δ

_LR) and the traveling speed (v₀),

calculating a roll momentum distribution (M_W,v⇄

M_W,h) from a measured transverse acceleration (a_y,meas) or the calculated transverse acceleration (a_y,theo), the engine speed (n_M) and a variable which is proportional to the position of the accelerator pedal,

determining the actuator forces from the data relating to the transverse acceleration (a_y,meas or a_y,theo) and a roll momentum distribution (M_W,v⇄

M_W,h), and

controlling the supply of energy to the actuators on the basis of the data relating to the respective actuator forces (F_actuator), the improvement, wherein

the wheel speeds (n_R) at least at two wheels of an axle are measured, and the traveling speed (v₀) which is necessary to calculate the transverse acceleration (a_y,theo) is calculated from the wheel speeds (n_R),

the engine torque (M_M) is determined from at last one of measurements made at the drive engine and engine-typical measurement data and characteristic diagrams,

the theoretical transverse acceleration (a_y,theo) is compared with a threshold value (a_y,theo,Sw), the actuators being inactive until the threshold value (a_y,theo,Sw) is reached, and, when the threshold value (a_y,theo,Sw) is exceeded, the difference (Δ

a_y) between the theoretical transverse acceleration (a_y,theo) and the measured transverse acceleration (a_y,meas) is determined,

the difference (Δ

a_y) is compared with a differential threshold value (Δ

a_y,Sw), the calculated transverse acceleration (a_y,theo) being used as the momentary transverse acceleration (a_y,cur) until the differential threshold value (Δ

a_y,Sw) is reached, and, when the differential threshold value (a_y,Sw) is exceeded, the measured transverse acceleration (a_y,meas) is used as the momentary transverse acceleration (a_y,cur),

a roll momentum distribution (M_w,v,0⇄

M_w,h,0) is determined for a predefined, normal traveling state range as a function of the rotational speeds (n_R) of the vehicle wheels of an axle, the momentary transverse acceleration (a_y,cur) and a change (Δ

A_M) in the drive torque,

the rotational speeds (n_R) of the axles or wheels, the current transverse acceleration (a_y,cur) and the change (Δ

A_m) in the drive torque are compared with corresponding threshold values (v_0,Sw,a_y,cur,Sw, Δ

A_M,Sw), the first-translated roll momentum distribution (M_W,v,0⇄

M_W,h,0) being used as the momentary roll momentum distribution (M_{W,v, cur}⇄

M_W,cur) until the threshold values (v_0,Sw, a_y,cur,Sw, Δ

A_M,Sw) are reached, and, when at least two of the aforesaid threshold values (v_0,Sw, a_y,cur,,Sw, Δ

A_M,Sw) are exceeded, a new, current roll momentum distribution (M_W,v,new⇄

M_W,h,new≡

M_W,v,cur⇄

M_W,h,cur) is calculated, the actuation forces (F_actuator,v,h) of the actuators are calculatied as functions of the momentary transverse acceleration (a_y,cur) and the current roll momentum distribution (M_W,v,cur,⇄

M_W,h,cur), and

a start-up acceleration (a_an) or a braking deceleration (a_br) is calculated from the rotational speeds (n_R) of the axle wheels, from the engine torque (M_M), from the gearspeed (G_G), from the current spring compressions at the front and rear axles (s_cur,VA, s_cur,VH) and from the steering wheel angle (δ

_LR).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in order to calculate the roll momentum distribution (M_M,v,cur⇄

M_W,h,cur), a manually actuatable switch which permits selection between a calculation mode for the comfortable and a sporty driving style is interrogated.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein as the actuators one of hydraulic motors and hydropneumatic components are used.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a measured yaw rate (ω

_meas) is compared with a setpoint yaw rate (ω

_setp), a current roll momentum distribution (M_M,v,cur⇄

M_W,h,cur) being determined as a function of the vehicle speed (v₀), the change (Δ

A_M) in the drive torque and the transverse acceleration (a_y,meas).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein with the calculation of the momentary roll momentum distribution (M_M,v,cur⇄

M_W,h,cur) from the pitch angle (χ

_meas), the momentary wheel spring travel values (s_cur,R), the corresponding wheel setpoint spring travel values (S_setp,R) and the transverse acceleration (a_y,meas), a switch which can be manually actuated by the driver and which permits selection between a normal driving mode and an off-road driving mode is interrogated.