System and method for controlling a safety system of a vehicle in response to conditions sensed by tire sensors related applications

• US 20050033486A1
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mory, Todd, Chubb, Eric, Mattson, Keith, Salib, Albert, Brown, Todd, Schmitt, Paul, Lopez, Michael, Brewer, Michael, Eisele, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0521 Roll 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 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/64 Wheel forces, e.g. on hub, spindle or bearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/012 Rolling condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/0124 Roll-over conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/922 EBV - Electronic brake force distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2250/06 Sensor zero-point adjustment; Offset compensation
• 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: B60T 8/17554 specially adapted for enhancing stability around the vehicles longitudinal axle, i.e. roll-over prevention road vehicle drive control systems for roll-over prevention otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/241 Lateral vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/245 Longitudinal vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/246 Change of direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 : related to roll-over prevention
• 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

Abstract

A control system for a vehicle (10) is described for use in conjunction with the safety system (44) of the vehicle (10). A tire sensor or plurality of tire sensors generates tire force signals. The tire force signals may include lateral tire forces, longitudinal (or torque) tire forces, and normal tire forces. Based upon the tire force signals, a safety system (44) may be activated. The tire force sensors may be used to monitor various conditions including but not limited to sensing a roll condition, wheel lift detection, a trip event, oversteering and understeering conditions, pitch angle, bank angle, roll angle, and the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A control system for a vehicle comprising:

a tire sensor generating a roll condition signal indicative of a roll condition;

a rollover control system; and

,

a controller coupled to the tire sensor and the rollover control system, said controller generating a control signal in response to the roll condition signal, said control signal controlling the rollover control system to prevent the vehicle from rolling over.

2. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the rollover control system comprises a brake system.

3. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the rollover control system comprises a brake system and a steering system.

4. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the rollover control system comprises a steering system.

5. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition signal comprises a roll rate signal.

6. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition signal comprises a roll rate signal about the center of gravity.

7. A control system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of sensors generating a plurality of vehicle dynamic condition signals, said controller generating the control signal in response to the roll condition signal and the vehicle dynamic condition signal.

8. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition comprises a tripped event.

9. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition comprises high lateral forces at contact patches of the tire.

10. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition comprises a one-wheel lifting event.

11. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition comprises a two-wheel lifting event.

12. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition comprises roll angle.

13. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition comprises a bank angle.

14. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition comprises a pitch angle.

15. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll condition comprises a normal force.

16. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the tire sensor comprises sidewall sensors.

17. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the tire sensor comprises tread sensors.

18. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the tire sensor comprises a plurality of tire sensors generating roll condition signals indicative of the roll condition, said controller generating the control signal in response to the roll condition signals.

19. A method of controlling the vehicle comprising:

generating lateral tire force signals at each of the tires using respective tire sensors;

determining a roll event in response to the lateral acceleration force; and

reducing lateral force on an outside tire relative to a turn in response to the roll event.

20. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein reducing lateral force on an outside tire comprises braking.

21. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein reducing lateral force on an outside tire comprises steering.

22. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein the roll event comprises a roll rate above a roll rate threshold.

23. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein the roll vent comprises a roll angle above a roll angle threshold.

24. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein the tire sensor comprises sidewall sensors.

25. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein the tire sensor comprises tread sensors.