METHOD FOR DETECTING ROLLOVER OF AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE BASED ON A LATERAL KINETIC ENERGY RATE THRESHOLD

• US 20100161168A1
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wu, Fubang, Chou, Cliff, Subbian, Thiag
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/122 Determining position of centre of gravity

Abstract

A method for rollover sensing (12) that may be used in the determination of when to deploy restraints in a vehicle is disclosed herein. The method for rollover sensing (12) may include lateral acceleration sensors (22), a roll rate sensor (18), and a roll angle detector (20). A control circuit (16) determines a roll moment of inertia as a function of lateral acceleration, a trip point length as a function of the lateral acceleration, and a trip point angle as a function of the lateral acceleration. The control circuit (16) also determines a rollover threshold in response to a roll rate signal, a roll angle signal, the trip point length, the roll moment of inertia, and the trip point angle. The control circuit (16) further generates a control signal for a deployment circuit in response to the rollover threshold.

Claims

1. A method of detecting rollover in a vehicle comprising:

determining a lateral acceleration of said vehicle and accordingly generating a lateral acceleration signal;

determining a roll rate of said vehicle and accordingly generating a roll rate signal;

determining a roll angle of said vehicle and accordingly generating a roll angle signal;

determining a trip point length related to a track width of said vehicle as a function of said lateral acceleration communicated via each said lateral acceleration signal so that said trip point length at least partially reflects any change in said track width resulting from deformation of a suspension system and wheels of said vehicle that is caused by a rollover initiation force applied to said vehicle from a substantially lateral direction;

determining a rollover threshold according to said roll rate communicated via said roll rate signal, said roll angle signal, said trip point length and a roll moment of inertia of said vehicle; and

generating a control signal according to said rollover threshold thereby indicating detected rollover of said vehicle.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining said roll moment of inertia as a function of said lateral acceleration;

determining a trip point angle of said vehicle as a function of said lateral acceleration; and

determining said rollover threshold also according to said trip point angle.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining a trip point angle of said vehicle as a function of said lateral acceleration; and

determining said rollover threshold also according to said trip point angle.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of determining said rollover threshold further comprises determining said rollover threshold also according to a gap requirement.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein said step of determining a lateral acceleration of said vehicle further comprises determining said lateral acceleration from a side impact accelerometer.

6. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein said step of determining a roll angle of said vehicle and said step of determining a roll rate of said vehicle are executed independently of each other.