METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE AXLE LOAD OF A VEHICLE

• US 20150039216A1
• Filed: 07/29/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZF CV Systems Europe BV (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Wabco GmbH (Wabco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stender, Axel, Wolf, Markus, Czaja, Daniel, Treichel, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,469,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/124
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17551 determining control parameters related to vehicle stability used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/1307 Load distribution on each wheel suspension
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0088 Adaptive recalibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/13 Load or weight

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for determining the axle load of a vehicle (10) having at least two tires on an axle. During cornering, the axle load is determined from a difference between wheel speeds at a wheel on the inside of the bend and wheel speeds at a wheel on the outside of the bend and by taking into account the lateral acceleration and track width.

Claims

1. A method for determining an axle load of a vehicle (10) having at least two wheels on one axle, the at least two wheels defining a track width, the method comprising the following steps:

determining, during cornering through a bend, the axle load from a difference between wheel speeds at a bend-inner wheel and wheel speeds at a bend-outer wheel on the one axle;

measuring a lateral vehicle acceleration;

and by taking into account the lateral acceleration and the track width

outputting information representative of the axle load.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the the axle load is determined only during cornering when the lateral acceleration exceeds a threshold value for the lateral acceleration, further comprising the step of

assuming, at least when starting the vehicle (10), an assumed axle load of a fully laden vehicle.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the threshold value is larger than or equal to 1 m/s².

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of

determining the axle load again during a repeat cornering, and

generating mean values with at least one previously determined axle load.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of,

determining the axle load again during a repeat cornering within a period of time after at least a stationary state of the vehicle or after travel at low speeds below a threshold value, and

generating weighted mean values with at least one previously determined axle load.

6. An electronic control device configured to determine an axle load of an axle of a vehicle from a difference between wheel speeds at a bend-inner wheel and wheel speeds at a bend-outer wheel on the axle by taking into account a measured lateral acceleration and a track width defined by the bend-inner wheel and the bend-outer wheel, and further to generate information representative of the axle load.

7. An electronic brake system for a vehicle (10), comprising an electronic control device as claimed in claim 6, the electronic control device further being configured to verify repeatedly whether a critical drive state is present by taking into account the axle load, and further to generate information representative of the critical drive state.

8. A vehicle comprising an electronic control device as claimed in claim 6.