Closed-loop control for trailer sway mitigation

• US 20080036296A1
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH), Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hartman, Eric, Chen, Jin-Jae, Nardi, Flavio, Wu, Hsien-cheng
• Granted Patent: US 8,740,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 303/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/06 Tractor-trailer swaying
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1708 for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations
• 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 2050/0009 Proportional differential [PD] controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/001 Proportional integral [PI] controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0011 Proportional Integral Differential [PID] controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0031 Mathematical model of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0052 Filtering, filters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/14 Tractor-trailers, i.e. combinations of a towing vehicle and one or more towed vehicles, e.g. caravans; Road trains
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/22 Articulation angle, e.g. between tractor and trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/11 Pitch movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/112 Roll movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/114 Yaw movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/06 Improving the dynamic response of the control system, e.g. improving the speed of regulation or avoiding hunting or overshoot

Abstract

A method, and a system using the method, of controlling a towing vehicle that is connected to a vehicle trailer. The method includes sensing a set of vehicle targets and a set of vehicle conditions in response to the set of vehicle targets. The method also includes determining a plurality of differences between the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions, determining a trend of the plurality of differences, generating at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal based on the trend, and actuating a vehicle system with the at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a towing vehicle connected to a vehicle trailer, the method comprising:

sensing a set of vehicle targets for the towing vehicle;

sensing a set of vehicle conditions indicative of movements exhibited by the towing vehicle in response to the set of vehicle targets;

determining a plurality of differences between the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions;

determining a trend of the plurality of differences;

generating at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal based on the trend; and

actuating a vehicle system with the at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal to decrease the trend.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend of the plurality of differences comprises:

determining a rate of change of the plurality of differences;

indicating the trend to be increasing when the rate of change comprises a positive value; and

indicating the trend to be decreasing when the rate of change comprises a negative value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend of the plurality of differences comprises:

determining a peak value from the plurality of differences;

indicating the trend to be increasing when one of the plurality of differences is above the peak value; and

indicating the trend to be decreasing when one of the plurality of differences is less than the peak value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal comprises:

delivering an asymmetric signal when the trend indicates increasing differences; and

delivering a symmetric signal when the trend indicates decreasing differences.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein actuating a vehicle system comprises applying at least one of a symmetric braking and an asymmetric braking based on the at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising band-pass filtering the plurality of differences, and wherein determining a trend comprises determining a trend of the plurality of filtered differences.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of vehicle targets comprises a plurality of yaw rates.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing a set of vehicle conditions comprises determining a plurality of yaw rates exhibited by the towing vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein actuating a vehicle system comprises generating at least one of a symmetric torque and an asymmetric torque based on the at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal.

10. A system for controlling a towing vehicle connected to a vehicle trailer, the system comprising:

a first sensor configured to sense a set of vehicle targets for the towing vehicle;

a second sensor configured to sense a set of vehicle conditions indicative of movements exhibited by the towing vehicle in response to the set of vehicle targets;

a comparator configured to determine a plurality of differences between the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions;

a trend module configured to determine a trend of the plurality of differences;

a controller configured to generate at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal based on the trend; and

a vehicle system configured to be actuated based on the at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal to decrease the trend.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the trend comprises a rate of change of the plurality of differences, and wherein the controller is further configured to indicate the trend to be increasing when the rate of change comprises a positive value, and to indicate the trend to be decreasing when the rate of change comprises a negative value.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the trend module comprises a peak seeker configured to determine a peak value of the plurality of differences, and wherein the controller is further configured to indicate the trend to be increasing when one of the plurality of differences is above the peak value, and to indicate the trend to be decreasing when one of the plurality of differences is less than the peak value.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to deliver an asymmetric signal when the trend indicates increasing differences, and to deliver a symmetric signal when the trend indicates decreasing differences.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle system comprises a hydraulic system, and wherein the hydraulic system is configured to apply at least one of a symmetric braking and an asymmetric braking based on the at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising a band-pass filter configured to filter the plurality of differences, and wherein the controller is further configured to determine the trend of the plurality of differences based on the plurality of filtered differences.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the set of vehicle targets comprises a plurality of yaw rates.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the set of vehicle conditions comprises a plurality of yaw rates exhibited by the towing vehicle.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle system comprises a hydraulic system, and wherein the hydraulic system is configured to receive the respective symmetric signal and the asymmetric signal and to generate at least of a symmetric torque and an asymmetric torque for the towing vehicle based on the at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal.

19. A method of controlling a towing vehicle connected to a vehicle trailer, the method comprising:

determining a model of the towing vehicle based on a plurality of dynamics;

sensing a set of vehicle targets for the towing vehicle;

sensing a set of vehicle conditions indicative of movements exhibited by the towing vehicle in response to the set of vehicle targets;

determining a plurality of differences between the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions;

determining a switching signal with the model based on the difference; and

selectively applying at least one of a symmetric braking and an asymmetric braking based on the switching signal to decrease the plurality of differences.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the model comprises at least one of a proportional-integral-derivative (“

PID”

) controller model, a proportional controller model, a proportional-derivative (“

PD”

) controller model, a proportional-integral (“

PI”

) controller model, a filtering model, a trend model, a comparison model, and a peak seeking model.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining a plurality of differences between the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions with the comparison model;

determining a peak value of the plurality of differences with the peak seeking model;

filtering the plurality of differences with the filtering model;

determining a trend of the plurality of differences with the trend model; and

determining the switching signal with one of the PID controller model, the proportional controller model, the PD controller model, the P1 controller model.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of dynamics of the towing vehicle comprise a wheel speed, a steering angle, a yaw rate, a body slip angle, a lateral acceleration, a front wheel torque, and a rear wheel torque.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a peak value from the plurality of differences;

indicating an increasing trend when one of the plurality of differences is above the peak value; and

indicating a decreasing trend when one of the plurality of differences is less than the peak value.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining the switching signal comprises:

generating an asymmetric signal when the trend comprises an increasing trend; and

generating a symmetric signal when the trend comprises a decreasing trend.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a rate of change of the plurality of differences;

indicating an increasing trend when the rate of change comprises a positive value; and

indicating a decreasing trend when the rate of change comprises a negative value.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the set of vehicle targets comprises a plurality of yaw rates.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein sensing the set of vehicle conditions comprises sensing a plurality of yaw rates exhibited by the towing vehicle.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein selectively applying at least one of a symmetric braking and an asymmetric braking comprises generating at least one of a symmetric torque and an asymmetric torque.