VEHICLE CONTROLLING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20130245888A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: KIKUCHI, Hironobu, Hirayama, Katsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,452,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/06 Characteristics of dampers , e.g. mechanical dampersB60G17/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/102 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/10 Damping action or damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/06 Active Suspension System
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17555 specially adapted for enhancing driver or passenger comfort, e.g. soft intervention or pre-actuation strategies
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/22 Suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/00 Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0677 Engine power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/182 Brake pressure, e.g. of fluid or between pad and disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/025 related to comfort of drivers or passengers

Abstract

A vehicle controlling apparatus includes: a vertical acceleration sensor configured to detect a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass; a power-source attitude controller configured to compute a power-source attitude control amount for a driving force outputted from a power source, the control amount making the acceleration detected by the vertical acceleration sensor an appropriate acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and to control the power source based on the power-source attitude control amount; a stroke sensor configured to detect a stroke speed of a shock absorber; and a friction-brake attitude controller configured to compute a brake attitude control amount for a braking force outputted from a friction brake, the control amount making the stroke speed detected by the stroke sensor an appropriate stroke speed for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and to control the friction brake based on the brake attitude control amount.

Claims

1. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

a vertical acceleration sensor configured to detect a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass;

a power-source attitude controller configured to compute a power-source attitude control amount for a driving force outputted from a power source, the control amount making the acceleration detected by the vertical acceleration sensor an appropriate acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and to control the power source based on the power-source attitude control amount;

a stroke sensor configured to detect a stroke speed of a shock absorber; and

a friction-brake attitude controller configured to compute a brake attitude control amount for a braking force outputted from a friction brake, the control amount making the stroke speed detected by the stroke sensor an appropriate stroke speed for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and to control the friction brake based on the brake attitude control amount.

2. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a phase compensator configured to compensate for a phase offset between the detection value obtained by the acceleration sensor and the detection value obtained by the stroke sensor.

3. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the power-source attitude controller suppresses a bounce motion and a pitch motion of a vehicle body.

4. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the power-source attitude controller has a limit value used to limit the power-source attitude control amount to a predetermined value range.

5. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the friction-brake attitude controller suppresses a pitch motion of a vehicle body.

6. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the friction-brake attitude controller has a limit value used to limit the brake attitude control amount to a predetermined value range so that a rate of change of a vehicle-body deceleration does not exceed a predetermined value.

7. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a damping-force controller configured to compute a control amount for a damping force of a damping-force-variable shock absorber, the control amount making the stroke speed detected by the stroke sensor an appropriate stroke speed for attaining at least one of a target sprung-mass state and a target unsprung-mass state, and to control the damping-force-variable shock absorber based on the damping force control amount.

8. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the damping-force controller computes the damping force control amount based on an active skyhook model capable of estimation not dependent on signs of a speed of the sprung mass and the stroke speed.

9. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the damping-force controller estimates a traveling state using a four-wheel model developed based on a bounce term representing a vertical motion of four wheels, a pitch term representing a vertical motion of the front wheels and of the rear wheels, a roll term representing a vertical motion of the left wheels and of the right wheels, and a warp term representing a vertical motion of each pair of diagonal wheels.

10. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

a vertical acceleration sensor configured to detect a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass;

a stroke sensor configured to detect a stroke speed of a shock absorber; and

a controller configured to compute a power-source attitude control amount for making the acceleration detected by the vertical acceleration sensor an appropriate acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state and to request a power source to output a driving force based on the power-source attitude control amount, and also configured to compute a brake attitude control amount for making the stroke speed detected by the stroke sensor an appropriate stroke speed for attaining at least one of a target sprung-mass state and a target unsprung-mass state and to request a friction brake to output a braking force based on the brake attitude control amount.

11. A vehicle controlling method causing a controller to perform:

computing a power-source attitude control amount for a driving force outputted from a power source, the control amount making a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass an appropriate sprung-mass vertical acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and controlling the driving force of the power source based on the power-source attitude control amount, and

computing a brake attitude control amount for a braking force of a friction brake, the control amount making a stroke speed of a shock absorber an appropriate stroke speed for attaining at least one of a target sprung-mass state and a target unsprung-mass state, and controlling the braking force of the friction brake based on the brake attitude control amount.

12. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

vertical acceleration detection means for detecting a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass;

power-source attitude control means for computing a power-source attitude control amount for a driving force outputted from a power source, the control amount making the acceleration detected by the vertical acceleration detection means an appropriate acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and for controlling the power source based on the power-source attitude control amount;

stroke speed detection means for detecting a stroke speed of a shock absorber; and

friction-brake attitude control means for computing a brake attitude control amount for a braking force outputted from a friction brake, the control amount making the stroke speed detected by the stroke speed detection means an appropriate stroke speed for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and for controlling the friction brake based on the brake attitude control amount.

13. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

a vertical acceleration sensor configured to detect a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass;

a power-source attitude controller configured to compute a power-source attitude control amount for a driving force outputted from a power source, the control amount making the acceleration detected by the vertical acceleration sensor an appropriate acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and to control the power source based on the power-source attitude control amount;

a stroke sensor configured to detect a stroke speed of a damping-force-variable shock absorber; and

a damping-force controller configured to compute a control amount for a damping force of the damping-force-variable shock absorber, the control amount making the stroke speed detected by the stroke sensor an appropriate stroke speed for attaining at least one of a target sprung-mass state and a target unsprung-mass state, and to control the damping-force-variable shock absorber based on the damping force control amount.

14. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 13 further comprising a phase compensator configured to compensate for a phase offset between the detection value obtained by the acceleration sensor and the detection value obtained by the stroke sensor.

15. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the power-source attitude controller suppresses a bounce motion and a pitch motion of a vehicle body.

16. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the power-source attitude controller has a limit value used to limit the power-source attitude control amount to a predetermined value range.

17. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a friction-brake attitude controller configured to compute a brake attitude control amount for a braking force outputted from a friction brake, the control amount making the stroke speed detected by the stroke sensor an appropriate stroke speed for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and to control the friction brake based on the brake attitude control amount.

18. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the friction-brake attitude controller suppresses a pitch motion of a vehicle body.

19. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the friction-brake attitude controller has a limit value used to limit the brake attitude control amount to a predetermined value range so that a rate of change of a vehicle-body deceleration does not exceed a predetermined value.

20. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the damping-force controller computes the damping force control amount based on an active skyhook model capable of estimation not dependent on signs of a speed of the sprung mass and the stroke speed.

21. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the damping-force controller estimates a traveling state using a four-wheel model developed based on a bounce term representing a vertical motion of four wheels, a pitch term representing a vertical motion of the front wheels and of the rear wheels, a roll term representing a vertical motion of the left wheels and of the right wheels, and a warp term representing a vertical motion of each pair of diagonal wheels.

22. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

a vertical acceleration sensor configured to detect a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass;

a stroke sensor configured to detect a stroke speed of a damping-force-variable shock absorber; and

a controller configured to compute a power-source attitude control amount for making the acceleration detected by the vertical acceleration sensor an appropriate acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state and to request a power source to output a driving force based on the power-source attitude control amount, and also configured to compute a damping force control amount for making the stroke speed detected by the stroke sensor an appropriate stroke speed for attaining at least one of a target sprung-mass state and a target unsprung-mass state and to request the damping-force-variable shock absorber to output a damping force based on the brake attitude control amount.

23. A vehicle controlling method causing a controller to perform:

computing a power-source attitude control amount for a driving force outputted from a power source, the control amount making a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass an appropriate sprung-mass vertical acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and controlling the driving force of the power source based on the power-source attitude control amount, and

computing a control amount for a damping force of a damping-force-variable shock absorber, the control amount making a stroke speed of the damping-force-variable shock absorber an appropriate stroke speed for attaining at least one of a target sprung-mass state and a target unsprung-mass state, and controlling the damping force of the damping-force-variable shock absorber based on the damping force control amount.

24. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

vertical acceleration detection means for detecting a vertical acceleration of a sprung mass;

power-source attitude control means for computing a power-source attitude control amount for a driving force outputted from a power source, the control amount making the acceleration detected by the vertical acceleration detection means an appropriate acceleration for attaining a target sprung-mass state, and for controlling the power source based on the power-source attitude control amount;

stroke speed detection means for detecting a stroke speed of a damping-force-variable shock absorber; and

damping force control means for computing a control amount for a damping force of the damping-force-variable shock absorber, the control amount making the stroke speed detected by the stroke speed detection means an appropriate stroke speed for attaining at least one of a target sprung-mass state and a target unsprung-mass state, and for controlling the damping-force-variable shock absorber based on the damping force control amount.

25. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

a plurality of actuators configured to perform vibration suppression control of a sprung mass;

a stroke sensor configured to detect a stroke speed of a shock absorber; and

a plurality of actuator attitude controllers configured to control corresponding actuators so that the stroke speed detected by the stroke sensor becomes an appropriate stroke speed for attaining a target sprung-mass state.

26. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 25, wherein

the plurality of actuators are a power source, a friction brake, and a damping-force-variable shock absorber of a vehicle, and

the plurality of actuator controllers are a power-source attitude controller, a brake attitude controller, and a damping-force controller.

27. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

the power-source attitude controller suppresses a bounce motion and a pitch motion of a vehicle body.

28. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

the power-source attitude controller has a limit value used to limit the power-source attitude control amount to a predetermined value range.

29. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

the friction-brake attitude controller suppresses a pitch motion of a vehicle body.

30. The vehicle controlling apparatus according to claim 26, wherein

the friction-brake attitude controller has a limit value used to limit the brake attitude control amount to a predetermined value range so that a rate of change of a vehicle-body deceleration does not exceed a predetermined value.

31. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a stroke speed of a shock absorber; and

a controller configured to control a plurality of actuators performing sprung-mass vibration suppression control so that the stroke speed detected by the sensor becomes an appropriate stoke speed for attaining a target sprung-mass state.

32. A vehicle controlling method comprising:

detecting, by a sensor, a stroke speed of a shock absorber; and

controlling, by a controller, a plurality of actuators performing sprung-mass vibration suppression control so that the stroke speed detected by the sensor becomes an appropriate stoke speed for attaining a target sprung-mass state.

33. A vehicle controlling apparatus comprising:

a plurality of vibration suppression control means for performing vibration suppression control of a sprung mass;

stroke speed detection means for detecting a stroke speed of a shock absorber; and

a plurality of actuator attitude control means for controlling the respective actuators so that the stroke speed detected by the stroke speed detection means becomes an appropriate stroke speed for attaining a target sprung-mass state.