Method for determining a roadway state

• US 20100145567A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Bian, Ning, Gamulescu, Celine, Mayer, Andreas, Schweiger, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,437,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/12 Friction
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining a roadway state (STATE) of a roadway on which a vehicle (10) is travelling which has at least one wheel (14) and an acceleration sensor (24) which is assigned to the wheel (14) in order to determine a vertical component of an acceleration of the wheel (14), in which method—a characteristic value which is representative of the roadway state (STATE) is determined as a function of a measured signal (AC_VERT) of the acceleration sensor (18).

Claims

1. A method for determining a roadway state of a roadway on which a vehicle is traveling which has at least one wheel and an acceleration sensor that is assigned to the wheel in order to determine a vertical component of an acceleration of the wheel, the method comprising the step of:

determining a characteristic value, which is representative of the roadway state, as a function of a measured signal of the acceleration sensor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic value for the roadway state is determined as a function of the frequency spectrum of the measured signal of the acceleration sensor.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the frequency spectrum is determined by means of a Fourier transformation.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is operable to distinguish between at least two roadway states by means of the characteristic value.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a first roadway state of the two distinguishable roadway states being the roadway state of a roadway covered with asphalt and a second roadway state of the two distinguishable roadway states being the roadway state of a roadway covered with snow or ice.

6. A device for determining a roadway state of a roadway on which a vehicle is traveling which has at least one wheel and an acceleration sensor that is assigned to the wheel in order to determine a vertical component of an acceleration of the wheel, comprising an evaluation unit which is operable to

determine a characteristic value, which is representative of the roadway state as a function of a measured signal of the acceleration sensor.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation device is further operable to determine the characteristic value for the roadway state as a function of the frequency spectrum of the measured signal of the acceleration sensor.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the evaluation device is further operable to determine the frequency spectrum by means of a Fourier transformation.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation device is further operable to to distinguish between at least two roadway states by means of the characteristic value.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein a first roadway state of the two distinguishable roadway states being the roadway state of a roadway covered with asphalt and a second roadway state of the two distinguishable roadway states being the roadway state of a roadway covered with snow or ice.

11. A vehicle comprising:

at least one wheel and an acceleration sensor that is assigned to the wheel in order to determine a vertical component of an acceleration of the wheel;

an evaluation unit for determining a roadway state of a roadway on which a vehicle is traveling, the evaluation unit being operable to determine a characteristic value, which is representative of the roadway state as a function of a measured signal of the acceleration sensor.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the evaluation device is further operable to determine the characteristic value for the roadway state as a function of the frequency spectrum of the measured signal of the acceleration sensor.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the evaluation device is further operable to determine the frequency spectrum by means of a Fourier transformation.

14. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the evaluation device is further operable to distinguish between at least two roadway states by means of the characteristic value.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein a first roadway state of the two distinguishable roadway states being the roadway state of a roadway covered with asphalt and a second roadway state of the two distinguishable roadway states being the roadway state of a roadway covered with snow or ice.