Vehicle running control device

• US 20050267666A1
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzumura, Masato, Hattori, Yoshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,584,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/02 Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/022 Rear-wheel steering; Four-wheel steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/003 in order to control vehicle yaw movement, i.e. around a vertical axis B62D6/007 takes precedence
• 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

There is provided a new and novel vehicle running control device for correcting a yaw angle of a vehicle toward the yaw direction intended by a driver, together with vehicle stability control, through generating yaw moments. In order to accomplish the yaw angle correction, the inventive device operates a yaw moment generating apparatus e.g. a steering apparatus, so as to generate a direction correcting yaw moment based upon an integration value of the deviations between an actual yaw rate and its target value. The direction correcting yaw moment may be generated for correcting the yaw angle deviation remaining after the stability control is ended.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a running condition of a vehicle having a vehicle body and a first apparatus of generating a yaw moment thereon;

the device comprising a portion of judging a running condition of the vehicle and a portion of executing a running stability control of the vehicle through generating a stabilizing yaw moment to the vehicle by operating the first yaw moment generating apparatus;

wherein the vehicle has a second apparatus of generating a yaw moment on the vehicle body and a detector of detecting an actual yaw rate of the vehicle; and

the device further comprises a portion of calculating a target yaw rate for the vehicle based upon a driver'"'"'s operation and a portion of calculating an integration value of yaw rate deviations between the actual and target yaw rates; and

a portion executing a control of correcting a yaw direction of the vehicle body based upon the integration value of the yaw rates through generating a direction correcting yaw moment by operating the second yaw moment generating apparatus.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the yaw rate integration value calculating portion integrates the yaw rate deviations when the running stability control is executed.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the yaw rate integration value calculating portion calculates a yaw rate deviation every predetermined period and calculates the integration value while reducing weights of yaw rate deviations of preceding predetermined periods.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the integration value is given by summing the yaw rate deviation at a present period and a value obtained by multiplying an integration value calculated in periods before the present period by a forgetting factor.

5. A device according to claim 3, wherein the weights of the yaw rate deviation of older periods are rendered smaller.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second yaw moment generating apparatus each are selected from an apparatus of generating a yaw moment by controlling braking and driving forces on individual wheels and an apparatus of generating a yaw moment by controlling a steering angle of wheels.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second yaw moment generating apparatus is an apparatus of generating a yaw moment by controlling a steering angle of front wheels of the vehicle, and the direction correcting control executing portion suppresses an increase in a control amount of the second yaw moment generating apparatus when the vehicle is fallen into an understeering condition.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second yaw moment generating apparatus is an apparatus of generating a yaw moment by controlling a steering angle of rear wheels of the vehicle, and the direction correcting control executing portion suppresses an increase in a control amount of the second yaw moment generating apparatus when the vehicle is fallen into an oversteering condition.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second yaw moment generating apparatuses are an identical apparatus, which generates a sum of the stabilizing yaw moment and direction correcting yaw moment.