Vehicle motion control apparatus

• US 20080300764A1
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Toshihisa, Ikematsu, Atsushi, Yasutake, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 7,987,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/03 Driver counter-steering; Avoidance of conflicts with ESP control
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle motion control apparatus includes a first means applying a first braking force to an outer wheel, relative to a turning direction, for suppressing oversteer when the vehicle is judged to be skidding in vehicle turning movement, a second means obtaining a state of a driver'"'"'s steering operation in the vehicle turning movement, a third means applying a second braking force, set to be smaller than the first braking force, to a wheel located at a horizontally opposite side of the outer wheel to which the first braking force is applied, when the state of the driver'"'"'s steering operation is judged to be in a steering turning back state, in which a steering wheel is turned from a turning direction to a reverse direction of the turning direction, based on the state of the driver'"'"'s steering operation obtained by the second means.

Claims

1. A vehicle motion control apparatus, comprising:

a first means applying a first braking force to at least an outer wheel, relative to a turning direction of a vehicle, for suppressing oversteer when the vehicle is judged to be skidding in vehicle turning movement;

a second means obtaining a state of a driver'"'"'s steering operation in the vehicle turning movement;

a third means applying a second braking force, set to be smaller than the first braking force applied by the first means, to at least a wheel located at a horizontally opposite side of the outer wheel, to which the first braking force is applied, when the state of the driver'"'"'s steering operation is judged to be in a steering turning back state, in which a steering wheel is turned from a turning direction to a reverse direction of the turning direction, based on the state of the driver'"'"'s steering operation obtained by the second means.

2. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third means sets the second braking force to a value proportional to a changed amount of the steering operation per unit time measured during a change of the driver'"'"'s steering operation from the turning direction to the reverse direction of the turning direction.

3. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the third means sets the second braking force to a value proportional to an operation amount of the vehicle varied depending on the turning movement of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the third means judges the steering operation to be in the steering turning back state when a changed amount of the driver'"'"'s steering operation per unit time is lower than a judging threshold value.

5. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a fourth means changing the judging threshold value depending on a hazard level of a vehicle'"'"'s traveling path.

6. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a fifth means detecting an actual yaw rate occurring in the vehicle, wherein the third means terminates the application of the second braking force when a sign of the actual yaw rate detected by the fifth means is inverted.

7. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the third means terminates the application of the second braking force when a time elapsed from an initiation of the application of the second braking force exceeds a predetermined amount of time.

8. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the third means detects an operation state of a turn signal of the vehicle and terminates the application of the second braking force when the turn signal is in operation.

9. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the third means terminates the application of the second braking force when a time elapsed from an initiation of the application of the second braking force exceeds a predetermined amount of time.

10. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the third means detects an operation state of a turn signal of the vehicle and terminates the application of the second braking force when the turn signal is in operation.

11. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third means sets the second braking force to a value proportional to a changed amount of the steering operation per unit time measured during a change of the driver'"'"'s steering operation from the turning direction to the reverse direction of the turning direction, and the third means judges the steering operation to be in the steering turning back state when the changed amount of the driver'"'"'s steering operation per unit time is lower than a judging threshold value.

12. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a fourth means changing the judging threshold value depending on a hazard level of a vehicle'"'"'s traveling path.

13. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third means sets the second braking force to a value proportional to an operation amount of the vehicle varied depending on the turning movement of the vehicle.

14. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the third means judges the steering operation to be in the steering turning back state when a changed amount of the driver'"'"'s steering operation per unit time is lower than a judging threshold value.

15. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a fourth means changing the judging threshold value depending on a hazard level of a vehicle'"'"'s traveling path.

16. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third means judges the steering operation to be in the steering turning back state when a changed amount of the driver'"'"'s steering operation per unit time is lower than a judging threshold value.

17. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

a fourth means changing the judging threshold value depending on a hazard level of a vehicle'"'"'s traveling path.

18. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth means detecting an actual yaw rate occurring in the vehicle, wherein the third means terminates the application of the second braking force when a sign of the actual yaw rate detected by the fifth means is inverted.

19. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third means terminates the application of the second braking force when a time elapsed from an initiation of the application of the second braking force exceeds a predetermined amount of time.

20. A vehicle motion control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third means detects an operation state of a turn signal of the vehicle and terminates the application of the second braking force when the turn signal is in operation.