Method and device for effecting a computer-aided estimation of the mass of a vehicle, particularly of a goods-carrying vehicle

• US 20060149424A1
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Horn, Matthias, Guecker, Ulrich, Hecker, Falk, Hummel, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 8,412,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2250/02 Vehicle mass
• 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: G01G 19/086 wherein the vehicle mass is dynamically estimated

Abstract

A method is for effecting a computer-aided estimation of the mass of a vehicle, e.g., of a goods-carrying vehicle, based on the equilibrium ratio between the driving force and the sum of the inertial force and drive resistances, in which the mass and a gradient angle of the roadway are contained as quantities. The method may include: a) computer-aided differentiation of the equilibrium ratio according to the time with the assumption that the gradient angle is constant; and b) calculating the mass of the vehicle and/or the reciprocal value of the mass from the equilibrium ratio differentiated according the time.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method for effecting a computer-aided estimation of a mass of a vehicle, comprising:

computer-aided differentiating an equilibrium relationship, between a motive force and a sum of an inertial force and drive resistances, in which the mass and a gradient angle of a roadway are included as quantities, with respect to time, assuming a constant gradient angle; and

calculating at least one of (a) the mass of the vehicle and (b) a reciprocal value of the mass of the vehicle from the equilibrium relationship differentiated with respect to time in the differentiating step.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle includes a commercial vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the drive resistances include a sum of one of (a) an accelerative force and (b) a deceleration force as a function of the mass and one of (a) an uphill force and (b) a downhill force as a function of the gradient angle.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the mass is calculated from the equation:

$m=\frac{d<br><br>F/d<br><br>t}{d<br><br>a/d<br><br>t}$

wherein a represents a time derivation of a longitudinal vehicle velocity and F represents the motive force of the vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising determining, from measured quantities, the motive force and the one of (a) the acceleration and (b) the deceleration.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the measured quantities are available in a control unit of the vehicle.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising filtering the measured quantities as a function of a signal quality.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

repeatedly measuring the measured quantities; and

weighting the measurements differently.

21. The method according to claim 13, wherein the computer-aided differentiating is performed continuously and recursively.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the computer-aided differentiating is performed one of (a) according to a two-point differentiation and (b) with a state-variable filter.

23. The method according to claim 13, wherein the calculating step includes calculating both the mass and the reciprocal value of the mass, the method further comprising forming a weighted average value.

24. A device for effecting a computer-aided estimation of a mass of a vehicle, comprising:

a calculation unit adapted to calculate at least one of (a) the mass of the vehicle and (b) a reciprocal value of the mass of the vehicle from an equilibrium relationship between a motive force and a sum of an inertial force and drive resistances, the mass and a gradient angle of a roadway included as calculation quantities, after a computer-aided differentiation of the equilibrium relationship with respect to time, assuming a constant gradient angle.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein the vehicle includes a commercial vehicle.

26. The device according to claim 24, wherein the calculation unit is integrating into a control unit of the vehicle.