Curve rollover warning system for trucks

• US 20070008090A1
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Rogers, Seth, Schroedl, Stefan, Taliwal, Vikas, Gertsch, Jamie, Wilson, Christopher, McLandress, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,479,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/045 Levelling or stabilising systems for tippers suspensions with levelling or stabilising means for vehicles in general B60G17/00, B60G21/00, using ground-engaging vehicle fittings B60S9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0233 Vehicle tilting, overturning or roll over
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/082 using alarm actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/02 Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/243 for roll-over protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/246 Change of direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data

Abstract

In a method for preventing rollover for a vehicle traveling on a road, for each present position of the vehicle as it moves forward, its speed is forecasted for each future position of the vehicle on the road, based on an assumption regarding a driving style of a driver of said vehicle, and based on a map containing road geometry data and statistical speed data for vehicles traveling said road. At each such present position of the vehicle, a maximum safe speed of the vehicle is determined for each of a plurality of points on the road forward of the vehicle, based on a maximum lateral acceleration, the road geometry and the physical parameters of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for preventing vehicle rollover for a vehicle traveling on a road, said method comprising:

for each present position of said vehicle as it travels on said road, forecasting future speed of said vehicle as a function of future position of said vehicle on said road, based on an assumption regarding a driving style of a driver of said vehicle, and based on a map containing road geometry data and statistical speed data for vehicles traveling said road;

at each said present position of said vehicle, determining a maximum safe speed of said vehicle for each of a plurality of points on said road forward of said vehicle, based on a maximum lateral acceleration, on said road geometry and on physical parameters of said vehicle; and

generating a rollover warning for any current position of said vehicle on said road at which the forecast future speed for at least one particular point on said road forward of said vehicle exceeds the determined maximum safe speed at said at least one particular point.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said maximum safe speed is a speed beyond which, based on said road geometry and on said parameters of said vehicle, it is unavoidable that the vehicle will subsequently encounter a lateral acceleration that will cause it to roll over.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle speed is forecasted based on a model of driving behavior derived from data contained in said map data.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the future vehicle speed is forecasted based on an assumption that the driver of the vehicle will maintain the same percentile position relative to speed data contained in said map, throughout the road forward of said vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said model of driving behavior assumes that the vehicle will maintain a constant speed.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein said model assumes that the vehicle will maintain a constant acceleration.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein said model forecasts speed of said vehicle as a median speed for each point on said road, based on vehicle speed data contained in said map.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein said maximum safe speed is determined based on curvature of said road at each of said points on said road forward of said present position.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein said maximum safe speed to determined by a cost function that takes into account at least longitudinal speed and lateral acceleration of said vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said cost function further takes into account fuel consumption of said vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein when said forecasted future speed of said vehicle at a particular point on said road forward of said vehicle exceeds the maximum safe speed determined for that particular point, remedial action is taken at a point in time which is determined as a function of at least one of driver reaction time, maximum vehicle deceleration, a minimum time to achieve said maximum vehicle deceleration and a speed cushion.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein:

said remedial action comprises a warning to said driver; and

said warning is given at a point in time such that, after the reaction time, the maximum deceleration will bring the vehicle to the speed cushion below the maximum safe speed at a time t corresponding to particular point.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said remedial action includes an automatic slowing of the vehicle.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said statistical speed data contained in said map comprises speed data collected from actual truck operations over roads contained in said map, using GPS data to determine points along said road.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said map includes data characterizing at least one of vehicle position GPS, GPS error estimates, vehicle speed, measured lateral acceleration, vehicle operating parameters and lane-tracker information.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein:

GPS points are map matched with a commercially available digital map;

a GPS trace is broken into map segments based on said map;

all GPS traces on each segment are collected;

B-splines are fit to said traces to determine a centerline of the road;

curvature along each segment is determined based on a derivative of said splines.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein said future speed of said vehicle and said maximum safe speed are dynamically computed at each present position of said vehicle as it moves over said road, based on road geometry for said road forward of said particular position.