ROLL-OVER CONTROLLER
First Claim
1. A steering system for a vehicle, comprising:
- at least one wheel that pivots to define a steering angle, the steering angle defined, at least in part, by an input from an operator;
at least one sensor adapted to monitor the roll of a vehicle body and a height of the center of gravity of the vehicle from a given point;
a motor operatively connected to the wheel that supplements the input to the steering angle from the operator; and
a controller in operable communication with the sensor and operatively connected to the motor, the controller adapted to adjust the supplementation of the input to the steering angle from the operator based upon the amount of roll of the vehicle body as monitored by the sensor, and adapted to supplement the steering angle when the amount of roll of the vehicle body as monitored by the sensor exceeds a calculated maximum value defined at least in part, by the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle, thereby reducing the amount of roll of the vehicle body.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A steering system for a vehicle includes at least one wheel that pivots to define a steering angle, wherein the steering angle is defined, at least in part, by an input from the operator, and at least one sensor adapted to monitor the roll of a vehicle body and a height of the center of gravity of the vehicle. The steering system also includes a motor operatively connected to the wheel that supplements the input to the steering angle, and a controller in communication with the sensor and operatively connected to the motor, wherein the controller is adapted to adjust the supplementation of the input to the steering angle based upon the amount of roll of the vehicle body as monitored by the sensor, and adapted to supplement the steering angle when the amount of roll of the vehicle body as monitored by the sensor exceeds a maximum value.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A steering system for a vehicle, comprising:
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at least one wheel that pivots to define a steering angle, the steering angle defined, at least in part, by an input from an operator;
at least one sensor adapted to monitor the roll of a vehicle body and a height of the center of gravity of the vehicle from a given point;
a motor operatively connected to the wheel that supplements the input to the steering angle from the operator; and
a controller in operable communication with the sensor and operatively connected to the motor, the controller adapted to adjust the supplementation of the input to the steering angle from the operator based upon the amount of roll of the vehicle body as monitored by the sensor, and adapted to supplement the steering angle when the amount of roll of the vehicle body as monitored by the sensor exceeds a calculated maximum value defined at least in part, by the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle, thereby reducing the amount of roll of the vehicle body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of controlling roll-over of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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monitoring an actual amount of roll of a vehicle body;
monitoring a height of the center gravity of the vehicle;
determining a maximum roll value based, at least in part, on the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle;
comparing the actual amount of roll of the vehicle body to the maximum roll value; and
controlling a steering angle of a steerable wheel of the vehicle based on the caparison of the actual amount of roll of the vehicle body to the maximum roll value. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of controlling roll-over of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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determining an actual amount of roll of a vehicle body by measuring the relative difference between the deflection of a suspension between two sides of the vehicle;
determining a height of the center gravity of the vehicle by monitoring the weight of the vehicle by measuring the relative height of the suspension of the vehicle relative to a given point;
determining a maximum roll value based, at least in part, on the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle;
comparing the actual amount of roll of the vehicle body to the maximum roll value; and
controlling a steering angle of a steerable wheel of the vehicle based on the caparison of the actual amount of roll of the vehicle body to the maximum roll value, thereby reducing the actual amount of roll of the vehicle body.
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Specification