SYSTEM FOR DYNAMICALLY DETERMINING AXLE LOADINGS OF A MOVING VEHICLE USING INTEGRATED SENSING SYSTEM AND ITS APPLICATION IN VEHICLE DYNAMICS CONTROLS

• US 20100036557A1
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/06 Wheel load; Wheel lift
• 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: B60W 2040/1307 Load distribution on each wheel suspension
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/16 Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/20 Sideslip angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/20 Sideslip angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/13 Load or weight
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/086 wherein the vehicle mass is dynamically estimated

Abstract

A vehicle (10) includes a control system (18) that is used to control a vehicle system. The control system determines a wheel normal loading in response to heave motion wheel loading, attitude-based wheel loading, and vertical motion induced wheel loading. The various wheel loadings may be indirectly determined from the sensors of the various dynamic control system outputs.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a vehicle having a sprung mass, a spring rate, a wheel assembly mass, a suspension, a body and a suspension point where the suspension couples to the body, a half track, a center of gravity, a longitudinal distance between the center of gravity and axle, a vertical distance between the center of gravity and a suspension point, said method comprising:

determining a relative pitch angle;

determining a relative roll angle;

determining a vertical acceleration using the vertical distance between the center of gravity and the suspension point;

determining a heave motion wheel loading in response to the sprung mass and the vertical acceleration;

determining an attitude based wheel loading in response to the spring rate and half track and the longitudinal distance between the center of gravity and axle;

determining a vertical motion induced wheel loading in response to the wheel assembly mass and the vertical acceleration;

determining a total wheel normal loading in response to the heave motion wheel loading, the attitude based wheel loading and the vertical motion induced wheel loading; and

controlling a vehicle system in response to the total wheel normal loading.

2. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein determining a vertical acceleration comprises determining a moving-road-frame vertical acceleration.

3. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein controlling a vehicle system comprises controlling a vehicle safety system.

4. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein controlling a vehicle system comprises controlling a vehicle suspension.

5. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein controlling a vehicle system comprises controlling a dynamic control system.

6. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 5 wherein the dynamic control system comprises a roll stability control system.

7. A method of controlling a vehicle comprising:

determining a relative pitch angle;

determining a relative roll angle;

determining a vertical acceleration;

determining a total wheel normal loading in response to the relative pitch angle, the relative roll angle and the vertical acceleration; and

controlling a vehicle system in response to the total wheel normal loading.

8. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 7 wherein controlling a vehicle comprises controlling a vehicle safety system.

9. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 7 wherein controlling a vehicle comprises controlling a vehicle suspension.

10. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 7 wherein controlling a vehicle comprises controlling a dynamic control system.

11. A method of controlling a vehicle as recited in claim 7 wherein the dynamic control system comprises a roll stability control system.

12. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle system comprising:

an integrated sensing system generating a plurality of dynamic signals indicative of the dynamic state of the vehicle;

a controller coupled to the integrated sensing system and using the plurality of dynamic signals to determine a relative pitch angle, a relative roll angle, a vertical acceleration;

a total wheel normal loading determined in response to the relative pitch angle, the relative roll angle and the vertical acceleration; and

a control signal to control the vehicle system in response to the total wheel normal loading.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the vertical acceleration is determined using a vertical distance between a vehicle center of gravity and a suspension point.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 13 further comprising a moving road frame vertical acceleration determined in response to the vertical acceleration in a body frame, the relative roll angle and the relative pitch angle.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the control signal controls a vehicle safety system.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the control signal controls a vehicle suspension.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein the control signal controls a dynamic control system.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein the dynamic control system is a roll stability control system.