Roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle

• US 20050099065A1
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi FUSO Truck & Bus Corporation (Daimler Truck Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi FUSO Truck & Bus Corporation (Daimler Truck Holding AG)
• Inventors: Sakata, Kunio, Harada, Masaharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,118,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 303/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• 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

Abstract

The invention provides a roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle which can make a decision of a start of roll suppressing control appropriately in response to the degree of the possibility of turning over on its side of the vehicle. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus includes a braking mechanism for braking wheels of the vehicle, a roll rate sensor for detecting a roll rate of the vehicle, and a roll-over suppressing control section for controlling the braking mechanism so that, if the roll rate detected upon turning of the vehicle becomes equal to or higher than a control starting threshold value, then it is decided that the vehicle is in an excessively rolling state and braking force is applied to the wheels. The control starting threshold value is set to different values depending upon different types of turning of the vehicle (depending upon whether the turning is sudden steering back turning, moderate steering back turning or one-directional turning).

Claims

1. A roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a braking mechanism for braking wheels of said vehicle;

parameter value detection means for detecting a value of a parameter corresponding to a rolling state of said vehicle; and

roll-over suppressing control means for controlling said braking mechanism so that, if the parameter value detected by said parameter value detection means upon turning of said vehicle becomes equal to or higher than a control starting threshold value, then it is decided that said vehicle is in an excessively rolling state and braking force is applied to said wheels;

the control starting threshold value being set to different values depending upon different types of turning of said vehicle.

2. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameter value is a roll rate of said vehicle, and said parameter value detection means is roll rate detection means for detecting the roll rate.

3. The vehicle roll-over suppressing control of apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein, if the roll rate detected by said roll rate detection means upon turning said vehicle is lower than a control ending threshold value set in advance as a value lower than the control starting threshold value, then said roll-over suppressing control means ends the control for applying the braking force to said wheels.

4. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the types of turning of said vehicle include one-directional turning wherein said vehicle turns only in one direction and steering back turning wherein the turning direction is changed over halfway.

5. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the types of turning of said vehicle include one-directional turning wherein said vehicle turns only in one direction and steering back turning wherein the turning direction is changed over halfway.

6. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control starting threshold value upon the steering back turning is set to a value higher than the control starting threshold value upon the one-directional turning.

7. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the steering back turning includes quick steering back turning wherein the steering back turning is performed quickly and normal steering back turning wherein the steering back turning is performed at a normal speed or less, and the control starting threshold value upon the quick steering back turning is set to a value higher than the control starting threshold value upon the normal steering back turning.

8. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein discrimination between the quick steering back turning and the normal steering back turning is performed by comparing a magnitude of a steering angular velocity upon the steering back turning with a reference value set in advance, and if the magnitude of the steering angular velocity is equal to or higher than the reference value, then it is decided that the turning is the quick steering back turning, but if the magnitude of the steering angular velocity is lower than the reference value, then it is decided that the turning is the normal change-over turning.

9. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a condition that said vehicle is turning is set to satisfaction of all of conditions that a vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined vehicle speed set in advance, that the steering angular velocity is equal to or higher than a predetermined angular velocity set in advance, and that a lateral acceleration of said vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined acceleration set in advance.

10. A roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a braking mechanism for braking wheels of said vehicle;

a rolling state sensor for detecting a value of parameter corresponding to a rolling state of said vehicle; and

a braking controller for controlling said braking mechanism so that, if the parameter value detected by said rolling state sensor upon turning of said vehicle becomes equal to or higher than a control starting threshold value, then it is decided that said vehicle is in an excessively rolling state and braking force is applied to the wheels;

the control starting threshold value being set to different values depending upon different types of turning of said vehicle.

11. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein said rolling state sensor is a roll rate sensor for detecting a roll rate of said vehicle which is the parameter value, and, if the roll rate detected by said roll rate sensor upon turning said vehicle is lower than a control ending threshold value set in advance as a value lower than the control starting threshold value, then said braking controller ends the control for applying the braking force to said wheels.