Vehicle Component Control Methods and Systems

• US 20080147271A1
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01184 Fault detection or diagnostic circuits in power circuits B60R2021/01129
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value

Abstract

Control system for controlling at least one part of a vehicle includes a plurality of sensor systems mounted at different locations on the vehicle, each sensor system providing a measurement related to a state thereof system or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location. A processor is coupled to the sensor systems and diagnoses the state of the vehicle itself and optionally its dynamic motion based on the measurements of the sensor systems. The processor controls each part based at least in part on the diagnosed state of the vehicle.

Claims

1. In a motor vehicle, a control system for controlling at least one part of the vehicle comprising:

a plurality of sensor systems mounted at different locations on the vehicle, each of said sensor systems providing a measurement related to a state of said sensor system or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location; and

a processor coupled to said sensor systems and arranged to diagnose the state of the vehicle itself based on the measurements of said sensor systems,

said processor being arranged to control the at least one part based at least in part on the diagnosed state of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the diagnosis of the vehicle itself provided by said processor is an indication of whether the vehicle is experiencing a crash, whether the vehicle is skidding or whether the vehicle is rolling over.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the diagnosis of the vehicle itself provided by said processor is a diagnosis of the vehicle and its dynamic motion.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said sensor systems are arranged to provide a temporal pattern representing variation of the measurement as a function of time to said processor.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensor systems is arranged to be continuously monitored.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one part is a system selected from a group consisting of a steering system, a braking system or a throttle system, said processor being arranged to control the system in an attempt to maintain stability of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one part is an occupant restraint device, said processor being arranged to control the occupant restraint device in an attempt to minimize injury to an occupant in the event of a crash involving the vehicle.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said processor includes pattern recognition means for diagnosing the state of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to said processor for displaying an indication of the state of the vehicle to an occupant of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a warning device coupled to said processor for relaying a warning to an occupant of the vehicle relating to the state of the vehicle as diagnosed by said processor.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a transmission device coupled to said processor for transmitting a signal to a remote site relating to the state of the vehicle as diagnosed by said processor.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the state of the vehicle is derived from angular acceleration, a plurality of said sensor systems comprising accelerometers arranged at different locations such that said processor determines the angular acceleration of the vehicle based on the acceleration measured by said accelerometers, said accelerometers being monitored at the same time and providing output of measurements of acceleration which are combined by said processor in order to diagnose the state of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the state of the vehicle is derived from angular acceleration of the vehicle whereby angular velocity and angular position or orientation are derivable from the angular acceleration, the at least one part being a navigation system, said processor being arranged to control said navigation system based on the angular acceleration of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said sensor systems are mounted separate and apart from the at least one part being controlled by said processor.

15. A method for controlling at least one part of the vehicle, comprising:

mounting a plurality of sensor systems at different locations on the vehicle;

measuring a state of the sensor system or a state of the respective mounting location of the sensor system;

diagnosing the state of the vehicle itself based on the measurements of the state of the sensor systems or the state of the mounting locations of the sensor systems; and

controlling the at least one part based at least in part on the diagnosed state of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the state of the sensor system is the acceleration, angular acceleration, angular velocity or angular orientation of the sensor system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of diagnosing the state of the vehicle comprises determining whether the vehicle is about to rollover, crash or skid.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one part is a system selected from a group consisting of a steering system, a braking system or a throttle system, the step of controlling the at least one part comprising controlling the system in an attempt to maintain stability of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one part is an occupant restraint device, the step of controlling the at least one part comprising controlling the occupant restraint device in an attempt to minimize injury to an occupant in the event of a crash involving the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying an indication of the state of the vehicle to an occupant of the vehicle or relaying a warning to an occupant of the vehicle relating to the state of the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting a signal to a remote site relating to the state of the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein a plurality of the sensor systems comprises accelerometers, the step of diagnosing the state of the vehicle comprising determining angular acceleration of the vehicle based on the acceleration measured by the accelerometers, the accelerometers being monitored at the same time and providing output of measurements of acceleration which are combined by a processor in order to diagnose the state of the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of diagnosing the state of the vehicle comprises determining angular acceleration of the vehicle whereby angular velocity and angular position or orientation are derivable from the angular acceleration, the at least one part being a navigation system, the step of controlling the at least one part comprising controlling the navigation system based on the angular acceleration of the vehicle.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of mounting the sensor systems at different locations on the vehicle comprises mounting the sensor systems separate and apart from the at least one part being controlled.