VEHICLE ROLLOVER DETECTION

• US 20110320091A1
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Le, Jialiang, Chou, Clifford C., Barbat, Saeed David
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/46
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01252 Devices other than bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value

Abstract

A system and method for detecting a rollover of a vehicle that includes at least one wheel reaction force sensing device for transmitting wheel reaction force signal indicative of an amount of force exerted on at least one wheel of the vehicle is provided. The system includes a controller operably coupled to the at least one wheel reaction force sensing device and including at least one accelerometer sensor for transmitting the acceleration signal. The controller is configured to determine a first force index in response to the wheel reaction force signal, determine a first lateral acceleration of the vehicle in response to the acceleration signal, compare the first force index to a threshold force index and the first lateral acceleration to a threshold lateral acceleration, and deploy a restraint system based on the comparison.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a controller operably coupled to at least one accelerometer sensor that transmits a first acceleration signal, the controller configured to;

determine a lateral acceleration based on the first acceleration signal;

determine a force index based on an amount of force exerted on a wheel;

compare the force index to a threshold force index and the lateral acceleration to a threshold lateral acceleration; and

deploy a restraint based on the comparison of the force index to the threshold force index and the lateral acceleration to the threshold lateral acceleration.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to perform a safing function based on the first acceleration signal prior to deploying the restraint.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the at least one accelerometer sensor is further configured to transmit a second accelerometer signal and the controller is further configured to determine a vertical acceleration in response to the second accelerometer signal and to perform the safing function with the lateral acceleration and the vertical acceleration.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the force index corresponds to a first force measurement at one or more left wheels of the vehicle, a second force measurement at one or more right wheels of the vehicle, and an average force between the one or more left wheels and the one or more right wheels.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller further includes at least one roll rate sensor for transmitting at least one roll rate signal indicative of an angular velocity of the vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a roll angle in response to the roll rate signal;

compare the roll angle to a threshold roll angle; and

deploy the restraint in response to a comparison of the first force index to the threshold force index and the roll angle to the threshold roll angle.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a roll rate in response to the roll rate signal;

compare the roll rate to a threshold roll rate, and

deploy the restraint in response to a comparison of the first force index to the threshold force index and the roll rate to the threshold roll rate.

8. A vehicle rollover apparatus comprising:

a controller operably coupled to at least one roll rate sensor that transmits a roll rate signal, the controller configured to;

determine a roll rate of a vehicle based on the roll rate signal;

determine a force index based on an amount of force exerted on a wheel;

compare the roll rate to a threshold roll rate and the force index to a threshold force index; and

deploy a restraint based on the comparison of the roll rate to the threshold roll rate and the force index to the threshold force index.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising at least one accelerometer sensor for transmitting a first acceleration signal indicative of a vehicle body acceleration about at least one axis of the vehicle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a lateral acceleration in response to the first acceleration signal;

compare the lateral acceleration to a threshold lateral acceleration;

deploy the restraint in response to the comparison of the first force index to the threshold force index and the lateral acceleration to the threshold lateral acceleration.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further configured to perform a safing function based on the lateral acceleration prior to deploying the restraint.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the at least one accelerometer sensor is further configured to transmit a second accelerometer signal and the controller is further configured to perform the safing function with the first acceleration signal and the second acceleration signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the force index corresponds to a first force measurement at one or more left wheels of the vehicle, a second force measurement at one or more right wheels of the vehicle, and an average force between the one or more left wheels and the one or more right wheels.

14. A method for detecting a rollover of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a roll rate signal indicative of a roll rate of the vehicle,

determining a roll angle based on the roll rate signal;

determining a force index based on an amount of force exerted on a wheel;

comparing the force index to a threshold force index and the roll angle to a threshold roll angle; and

deploying the restraint responsive to the comparison.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the roll rate is indicative of an angular velocity of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the roll angle is indicative of an angular rotation of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a first acceleration signal indicative of a vehicle body acceleration about at least one axis of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining a lateral acceleration in response to the first acceleration signal;

comparing the lateral acceleration to a threshold lateral acceleration; and

deploying the restraint in response to the comparison of the first force index to the threshold force index and the lateral acceleration to the threshold acceleration.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising performing a safing function based on the first acceleration signal prior to deploying the restraint.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

providing a second accelerometer signal; and

performing the safing function with the first acceleration signal and the second acceleration signal.