Vehicle stability monitoring system and method and article of manufacture for determining vehicle stability

• US 20070213885A1
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company), Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation (Nexteer Automotive Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Krage, Mark, Jalics, Laci, D'Silva, Siddharth
• Granted Patent: US 7,610,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2250/03 Vehicle yaw rate
• 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: B60T 8/17551 determining control parameters related to vehicle stability used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A vehicle stability monitoring system and a method and an article of manufacture for determining vehicle stability are provided. The vehicle stability monitoring system includes a plurality of vehicle sensors generating a plurality of signals. The vehicle stability monitoring system further includes a computer operably communicating with the plurality of vehicle sensors. The computer is configured to calculate a first value indicative of vehicle stability at a first predetermined time based on the plurality of signals.

Claims

1. A method for determining vehicle stability, comprising:

generating a plurality of signals from a plurality of vehicle sensors; and

calculating a first value indicative of vehicle stability at a first predetermined time based on the plurality of signals, utilizing a processor operably communicating with the plurality of vehicle sensors.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating an unstable vehicle stability condition when the first value is greater than a threshold value.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising indicating a stable vehicle stability condition when the first value is less than or equal to the threshold value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating a degree of stability of the vehicle based on the first value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the first value comprises calculating a first Mahalanobis distance value indicative of vehicle stability at a first predetermined time, based the plurality of signals and a correlation matrix, the correlation matrix having values indicating a correlation between each pair of signals in the plurality of signals.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein calculating the first Mahalanobis distance value, comprises:

determining a first vector having a first vehicle operating parameter value obtained from a first signal of the plurality of signals, a second vehicle operating parameter value obtained from a second signal of the plurality of signals, and a third vehicle operating parameter value obtained from a third signal of the plurality of signals;

determining a normalized data vector based on the first vehicle operating parameter value, the second vehicle operating parameter value, and the third vehicle operating parameter value, in the first vector; and

determining the first Mahalanobis distance value based on the normalized data vector and the correlation matrix.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first vehicle operating parameter value comprises a steering wheel angle, the second vehicle operating parameter value comprises a vehicle lateral acceleration value, and the third vehicle operating parameter value comprises a vehicle yaw rate value.

8. A vehicle stability monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of vehicle sensors generating a plurality of signals; and

a computer operably communicating with the plurality of vehicle sensors, the computer configured to calculate a first value indicative of vehicle stability at a first predetermined time based on the plurality of signals.

9. The vehicle stability monitoring system of claim 8, further comprising an output device operably communicating with the computer, the computer further configured to induce the output device to indicate an unstable vehicle stability condition when the first value is greater than a threshold value.

10. The vehicle stability monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the computer is further configured to induce the output device to indicate a stable vehicle stability condition when the first value is less than or equal to the threshold value.

11. The vehicle stability monitoring system of claim 8, further comprising an output device operably communicating with the computer, the computer further configured to induce the output device to indicate a degree of stability of the vehicle based on the first value.

12. The vehicle stability monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the computer is further configured to calculate a first Mahalanobis distance value indicative of vehicle stability at a first predetermined time, based the plurality of signals and a correlation matrix, the correlation matrix having values indicating a correlation between each pair of signals in the plurality of signals.

13. The vehicle stability monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the computer is further configured to determine a first vector having a first vehicle operating parameter value obtained from a first signal of the plurality of signals, a second vehicle operating parameter value obtained from a second signal of the plurality of signals, and a third vehicle operating parameter value obtained from a third signal of the plurality of signals, the computer further configured to determine a normalized data vector based on the first vehicle operating parameter value, the second vehicle operating parameter value, and the third vehicle operating parameter value, in the first vector, and the computer further configured to determine the first Mahalanobis distance value based on the normalized data vector and the correlation matrix.

14. The vehicle stability monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the first vehicle operating parameter value comprises a steering wheel angle, the second vehicle operating parameter value comprises a vehicle lateral acceleration value, and the third vehicle operating parameter value comprises a vehicle yaw rate value.

15. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer storage medium having a computer program encoded therein for determining vehicle stability, the computer storage medium comprising;

code for receiving a plurality of signals from a plurality of vehicle sensors; and

code for calculating a first value indicative of vehicle stability at a first predetermined time based on the plurality of signals, utilizing a processor operably communicating with the plurality of vehicle sensors.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the computer storage medium further comprises code for inducing an output device to indicate an unstable vehicle stability condition when the first value is greater than a threshold value.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the computer storage medium further comprises code for inducing the output device to indicate a stable vehicle stability condition when the first value is less than or equal to the threshold value.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the computer storage medium further comprises code for inducing an output device to indicate a degree of stability of the vehicle based on the first value.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the computer storage medium further comprises code for calculating a first Mahalanobis distance value indicative of vehicle stability at a first predetermined time, based the plurality of signals and a correlation matrix, the correlation matrix having values indicating a correlation between each pair of signals in the plurality of signals, the first Mahalanobis distance value corresponding to the first value.