Method and system for detecting a vehicle rollover

• US 20060074534A1
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Daniel Sygnarowicz, Mariusz Geborek
• Inventors: Sygnarowicz, Daniel, Geborek, Mariusz
• Granted Patent: US 7,499,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01313 monitoring the vehicle steering system or the dynamic control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for detecting a vehicle rollover or dangerous situations that may precede a rollover of a vehicle. The method comprises the steps of (a) measuring the set of input signals including at least vehicle velocity, vehicle steering angle, vehicle lateral acceleration, and vehicle roll rate; (b) integrating the vehicle roll rate to obtain the vehicle roll angle increment; (c) determining the vehicle state on the basis of the input signals; (d) determining the vehicle estimated lateral acceleration, corresponding to the vehicle true roll angle, on the basis of at least the vehicle state, vehicle lateral acceleration and the centrifugal acceleration; (e) determining the vehicle estimated roll angle on the basis of at least the vehicle roll angle increment, the vehicle estimated lateral acceleration and the vehicle state; and (f) generating an output activation signal determining a possibility of rollover of the vehicle, as a function of at least: vehicle estimated roll angle and the vehicle roll rate.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a vehicle rollover comprising the steps of

(a) measuring the set of input signals including at least vehicle velocity, vehicle steering angle, vehicle lateral acceleration, and vehicle roll rate;

(b) integrating the vehicle roll rate to obtain the vehicle roll angle increment;

(c) determining the vehicle state on the basis of the input signals;

(d) determining the vehicle estimated lateral acceleration, corresponding to the vehicle true roll angle, on the basis of at least the vehicle state, vehicle lateral acceleration and the centrifugal acceleration;

(e) determining the vehicle estimated roll angle on the basis of at least the vehicle roll angle increment, the vehicle estimated lateral acceleration and the vehicle state; and

(f) generating an output activation signal determining a possibility of rollover of the vehicle, as a function of at least;

vehicle estimated roll angle and the vehicle roll rate.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the vehicle state and/or other signals are additionally used as inputs for said function generating an output activation signal.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the vehicle state is chosen from at least parking, straight driving and turning.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the calculation of the centrifugal acceleration performed in step (d) of determining the vehicle estimated lateral acceleration, is based on the vehicle velocity and the vehicle turn radius.

5. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that, the turn radius is calculated as a function of a steering angle, vehicle parameters and vehicle velocity.

6. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, said function generating an output activation comprises a sequence of serially executed steps of checking whether input values are simultaneously higher than the boundary values defined separately for each step, said sequence starting with the higher boundary values.

7. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, said function generating an output activation signal is a lookup table.

8. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the at least one input value is sustained for a predefined period.

9. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, at least one of the input signals is pre-processed.

10. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that, pre-processing involves at least signal scaling, removing a signal drift and/or filtering a signal.

11. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, it further comprises the step of activation at least one protection device for an occupant of a vehicle.

12. A system of detecting a vehicle rollover implementing the method claimed in one of the preceding claims.