SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STABILITY CONTROL USING GPS DATA

• US 20100211248A1
• Filed: 02/17/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Shivy, David, CRAIG, William C., D'Onofrio, Thomas, Stevens, Richard S., Disaverio, Charles T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability

Abstract

A system and method for stability control of a vehicle using GPS data. The system and method can receive GPS data and optionally vehicle operating data or signals and define one of a brake-based stability control subsystem and a torque management-based stability control subsystem as the dominant stability control system. Based on the stability control subsystem defined as the dominant stability control system, the system and method provide stability control for the vehicle. The system and method also defines the dominant stability control system based on weather data.

Claims

1. A method for electronic stability control of a wheeled tactical vehicle, the electronic stability control method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of signals representing current vehicle operating conditions, the current vehicle operating conditions signals including three or more of a velocity signal, a wheel speed signal, a height signal, a steering signal, a throttle signal, a roll/pitch/yaw signal, an active damping signal, a brake pedal signal, and one or more current driving conditions signals;

transmitting a signal from a mobility traction control system including a mobility keypad, the signal from the mobility traction control system being indicative of a traction mode of the wheeled tactical vehicle selected by a user via the mobility keypad;

transmitting a signal from a GPS system of the wheeled tactical vehicle;

transmitting a weather signal associated with the wheeled tactical vehicle;

receiving substantially in real time at a state estimator of a vehicle arbiter controller, three or more signals associated with the current vehicle operating conditions;

receiving at the state estimator of the vehicle arbiter controller a signal associated with the mobility traction control system;

receiving at the state estimator of the vehicle arbiter controller a signal associated with the GPS system and a signal associated with the weather signal;

defining one of a brake-based stability control subsystem, a torque-based stability control subsystem, and a drivetrain-based stability control subsystem as the dominant stability control system based on the three or more received real time signals associated with current vehicle operating conditions, based on the received signal associated with the mobility traction control system, based on the received signal associated with the GPS system, and based on the received signal associated with the weather signal; and

providing stability control of the wheeled tactical vehicle based on the defined dominant stability control system, said providing stability control including providing active damping for the wheeled tactical vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more current driving conditions signals represent one or more of a vehicle weight, a vehicle center of gravity, a vehicle tire pressure, and a surface upon which the vehicle is positioned.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said defining includes providing a choice of the brake-based stability control subsystem, the torque-based stability control subsystem, and the drivetrain-based stability control subsystem for defining as the dominant stability control system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining one or more subordinate subsystems.

5. The method of claim 1, the signal from the GPS system of the wheeled tactical vehicle includes GPS data of the wheeled tactical vehicle, the GPS data including one or more of the wheeled tactical vehicle'"'"'s location, longitude, latitude, speed, velocity, direction, attitude, altitude, and a time component associated with the wheeled tactical vehicle.

6. A system for stability control of a tactical vehicle, the system comprising:

first transmitting means for transmitting in real time a velocity signal of the tactical vehicle;

second transmitting means for transmitting in real time a wheel speed signal;

third transmitting means for transmitting in real time a height signal associated with the tactical vehicle;

fourth transmitting means for transmitting in real time a steering signal associated with the tactical vehicle;

fifth transmitting means for transmitting in real time a throttle signal associated with the tactical vehicle;

sixth transmitting means for transmitting in real time a roll/pitch/yaw signal associated with the tactical vehicle;

seventh transmitting means for transmitting in real time a brake pedal signal associated with the tactical vehicle;

eighth transmitting means for transmitting in real time at least one signal associated with a current driving condition of the tactical vehicle;

ninth transmitting means for transmitting a signal from a traction control system, the signal from the traction control system being indicative of a traction mode of the tactical vehicle selected by a user;

tenth transmitting means for transmitting a signal from a GPS system of the tactical vehicle;

processing means for defining one of a brake-based stability control subsystem and a torque management-based stability control subsystem as the dominant stability control system based on the signals from said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth transmitting means; and

controlling means for providing stability control of the tactical vehicle based on the defined dominant stability control system.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising damping means for providing active damping for the tactical vehicle.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one current driving condition signal represents one or more of a vehicle weight, a vehicle center of gravity, a vehicle tire pressure, a surface upon which the tactical vehicle is riding, and a slope of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said processing means for defining one of the brake-based stability control subsystem and the torque management-based stability control subsystem as the dominant stability control system includes providing a selection between the brake-based stability control subsystem and the torque management-based stability control subsystem.

10. The system of claim 6,

wherein the signal from said tenth transmitting means includes GPS data of the tactical vehicle, the GPS data including one or more of the tactical vehicle'"'"'s location, longitude, latitude, speed, velocity, direction, attitude, altitude, and a time component associated with the wheeled tactical vehicle, and

wherein the longitude and latitude data is correlated to a terrain map indicating the nature of the surface being traversed by the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 6,

wherein said processing means includes a state estimator, and

wherein said controlling means includes an arbitration function.

12. A method for stability control of a wheeled vehicle comprising:

receiving at an arbiter controller GPS data;

automatically choosing as a dominant stability control system for the wheeled vehicle from between a brake-based stability control subsystem and a torque management-based stability control subsystem based on said received GPS data; and

providing stability control of the wheeled vehicle based on the automatically chosen dominant stability control system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said providing stability control further includes providing active damping for the wheeled vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12,

wherein said receiving at the arbiter controller further includes receiving data associated with current vehicle operating conditions,

wherein said data associated with current vehicle operating conditions include three or more of speed data, velocity data, height data, steering data, throttle data, roll/pitch/yaw data, brake data, active damping data, and data representing at least one current driving condition, and

wherein said automatically choosing is additionally based on the received data associated with current vehicle operating conditions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data representing at least one current driving condition includes one or more of a vehicle weight, a vehicle center of gravity, a vehicle tire pressure, and a surface upon which the wheeled vehicle is riding.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said arbiter controller includes a state estimator and provides an arbitration function.

17. The method of claim 12,

wherein said receiving at the arbiter controller further includes receiving a signal from a mobility traction control system including a mobility keypad, the signal from the mobility traction control system being indicative of a traction mode of the wheeled tactical vehicle selected by a user via the mobility keypad, and

wherein said automatically choosing is additionally based on said received signal from the mobility traction control system.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving weather data at the arbiter controller, wherein said automatically choosing is further based on said received weather data.

19. The method of claim 12,

wherein said automatically choosing is performed by a state estimator of the arbiter controller, and

wherein said providing stability control includes an arbitration function.

20. The method of claim 12,

wherein the GPS data includes one or more of the wheeled tactical vehicle'"'"'s location, longitude, latitude, speed, velocity, direction, attitude, altitude, and a time component associated with the wheeled tactical vehicle, and

wherein the longitude and latitude data is correlated to a terrain map indicating the nature of the surface being traversed by the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 12, further determining which ones of a plurality of subsystems to invoke as subordinate.