METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SPEED REGULATION WHEN TRAVELLING ON AN INCLINE

• US 20110010065A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucas Automotive GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Lucas Automotive GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Bach, Thomas, Thelen, Harald, Bleser, Michael, Wöll, Stefan, Hoffmann, Elmar
• Granted Patent: US 9,139,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/04 and means for comparing one electrical quantity, e.g. voltage, pulse, waveform, flux, or the like, with another quantity of a like kind, which comparison means is involved in the development of an electrical signal which is fed into the controlling means
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/04 Hill descent control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/30 Wheel torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/146 Speed limiting

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for controlling the speed of a motor vehicle in particular during a hill ascent are described. In a PID controller acting upon the brake system of the motor vehicle the change of the vehicle inclination is fed into the I branch of the controller, thereby providing an adaptive speed control.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an actual speed of a motor vehicle in travelling direction thereof during a hill descent, comprising the following steps:

determining (210) an actual speed signal;

determining (220) an inclination signal;

determining (230) a setpoint speed signal;

determining (240) a difference signal from the actual speed signal and the setpoint speed signal;

determining (250) an actuating signal from the difference signal;

converting (260) the actuating signal to at least one braking signal; and

supplying (270) the at least one braking signal to a brake system of the motor vehicle,

characterized in that

the determination (250) of the actuating signal from the difference signal is influenced by the inclination signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclination signal indicates a time rate of change of the inclination.

3. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the determination (250) of the actuating signal from the difference signal comprises a proportional-integral-differential (PID) control operation.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the integrative branch of the PID controller is influenced by the inclination signal.

5. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conversion (260) of the actuating signal to at least one braking signal comprises a conversion of a setpoint braking force derived from the actuating signal to a brake pressure associated with the setpoint braking force.

6. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the motor vehicle has a plurality of wheel brakes and that the actuating signal is converted to at least one wheel-specific braking signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the conversion of the actuating signal (260) to at least one braking signal takes into account further influences that influence the relationship between the setpoint braking force and a deceleration of the motor vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the wheel-specific braking signal distribution takes into account functions of an antilock braking system (ABS) and/or of an electronic stability program (ESP).

9. A computer program product with program code means for implementing a method according to one of the preceding claims when the computer program product is in operation at a processing module.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, stored on a medium that is readable by the processing module.

11. An apparatus (100;

300) for controlling an actual speed of a motor vehicle (380) in travelling direction thereof during a hill descent, comprising;

a device (170;

310) for determining an actual speed signal;

a device (150;

340) for determining an inclination signal;

a device (120;

305) for determining a setpoint speed signal;

a device (130;

315) for determining a difference signal from the actual speed signal and the setpoint speed signal;

a device (140;

320, 325, 330, 335) for determining an actuating signal from the difference signal; and

a device (160;

350) for determining at least one braking signal from the actuating signal,

characterized in that

the device (150;

340) for determining the inclination signal is coupled in such a way to the device (140;

320, 325, 330, 335) for determining the actuating signal that the determination of the actuating signal from the difference signal can be influenced by the inclination signal.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the device (150;

340) for determining the inclination signal determines a time rate of change of the inclination.

13. A system for braking a motor vehicle (380) comprising a plurality of wheels, in particular during a hill descent, comprising

a brake system (385) that can be coupled to the motor vehicle (380) and acts upon at least one of the wheels thereof;

and

an apparatus (100;

300) for controlling the brake system according to claim 11 or 12.