System for estimating and compensating for lateral disturbances using controlled steering and braking

• US 20080015754A1
• Filed: 07/14/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hac, Aleksander B.
• Application Number:
  US11/486,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20080015754A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/22 Banked curves
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/02 Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
• 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: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• 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 6/04 responsive only to forces disturbing the intended course of the vehicle, e.g. forces acting transversely to the direction of vehicle travel

Abstract

A method for compensating for a lateral force disturbance acting on a vehicle including the steps of estimating a magnitude of the lateral force disturbance, determining whether the magnitude or a rate of change of the magnitude exceeds a predetermined threshold value and, when the predetermined threshold value is exceeded, generating a control signal adapted to at least partially counter the lateral force disturbance.

Claims

1. A method for compensating for a lateral force disturbance acting on a vehicle comprising the steps of:

estimating a magnitude of said lateral force disturbance;

determining whether at least one of said magnitude and a rate of change of said magnitude exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and

when said predetermined threshold value is exceeded, generating a control signal adapted to at least partially counter said lateral force disturbance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said lateral force disturbance includes at least one of a side wind component and a gravity component.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein at least one of said wind component and said gravity component is passed through a filter to reduce noise.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said estimating step includes estimating a lateral velocity of said vehicle and said estimate of said lateral force disturbance is based, at least in part, upon said estimate of said lateral velocity.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said lateral velocity is estimated using at least one of a measured lateral acceleration, a yaw rate, a front wheel steering angle, a rear wheel steering angle and a vehicle speed.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said control signal is at least one of a steering correction signal and a brake intervention signal.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising communicating said steering correction signal to a controlled steering system.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said controlled steering system is at least one of an active front steer system, an active rear steer system and an electric power steer system.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising communicating said brake intervention signal to a controlled braking system.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said controlled braking system is a brake-based electronic stability control system.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating step includes determining at least one of a magnitude and a direction of said control signal necessary to at least partially counter said lateral force disturbance.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said control signal is adapted to counter said lateral force disturbance only for a pre-determined amount of time.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to said generating step, determining whether said vehicle is in a linear range of handling.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to said generating step, determining whether a driver steering correction has been provided in response to said lateral force disturbance.

15. A method for compensating for a lateral force disturbance acting on a vehicle comprising the steps of:

estimating a lateral velocity of said vehicle based upon at least one of a measured lateral acceleration, a yaw rate, a front wheel steering angle, a rear wheel steering angle and a vehicle speed;

based at least upon said estimated lateral velocity, estimating a magnitude and a direction of said lateral force disturbance acting on said vehicle;

determining whether at least one of said magnitude and a rate of change of said magnitude exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and

when said predetermined threshold value is exceeded, providing said vehicle with at least one of a steering correction and a brake intervention to at least partially counter said magnitude and said direction of said lateral force disturbance.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said lateral force disturbance includes at least one of a side wind component and a gravity component.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein at least one of said wind component and said gravity component is passed through a filter to reduce noise.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said at least one of said steering correction and said brake intervention is provided for a pre-determined amount of time.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising, prior to said providing step, determining whether said vehicle is in a linear range of handling.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising, prior to said providing step, determining whether a driver steering correction has been provided in response to said lateral force disturbance.