LATERAL ROLLOVER RISK WARNING DEVICE

• US 20170015265A1
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Published: 01/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
• Inventors: WATANABE, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 10,377,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0233 Vehicle tilting, overturning or roll over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/1315 Location of the centre of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/14 Tractor-trailers, i.e. combinations of a towing vehicle and one or more towed vehicles, e.g. caravans; Road trains
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/13 Load or weight
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 39/14 for indicating inclination or duration of roll
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 43/00 Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for fire-fighting in ships A62C3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/122 Determining position of centre of gravity

Abstract

A lateral rollover risk warning device can report vehicle rollover risk in real time during traveling with no need for inputting radius of a curved path in advance.

It includes a first acceleration sensor detecting an external force applied in up-down direction of a vehicle body; an angular velocity sensor detecting a rotation around vehicle axis of vehicle body; and a second acceleration sensor detecting an external force in right-left direction of vehicle body, with an arithmetic part using detection results given by first acceleration sensor and angular velocity sensor to calculate a limit index of vehicle being led to a rollover, and using detection result given by second acceleration sensor to calculate a comparative index to be compared with limit index in real time; and a reporting part using limit index and comparative index to report lateral rollover risk warning information telling the rollover risk.

Claims

1. A lateral rollover risk warning device that is installed in a vehicle that is supported by spring structures on both sides in the right-left direction across a vehicle axis of a vehicle body, respectively, reporting the risk of said vehicle being rolled over, said lateral rollover risk warning device comprising:

a vertical direction physical amount detection means for detecting an external force applied in the vertical direction of said vehicle body,

a rotational direction physical amount detection means for detecting a rotation around said vehicle axis of said vehicle body,

a limit index calculating means that uses the results of detection by said vertical direction physical amount detection means and said rotational direction physical amount detection means to calculate an index of the limit at which said vehicle is led to be rolled over,

a right-left direction physical amount detection means for detecting an external force applied in the right-left direction of said vehicle body,

a real-time index calculating means that uses the result of detection by said right-left direction physical amount detection means to calculate a comparative index to be compared with said limit index in real time; and

a reporting means that uses said limit index and said comparative index to report a piece of lateral rollover risk warning information telling the risk of rolling over.

2. The lateral rollover risk warning device according to claim 1, wherein said limit index calculating means calculates a restoring force losing lateral rollover limit external force, which indicates an external force that exceeds the restoring force of said spring structures, being applied to said vehicle, as said limit index.

3. The lateral rollover risk warning device according to claim 1, wherein said limit index calculating means calculates a restoring force losing lateral rollover limit angle, which indicates the angle of said vehicle body at a time when an external force exceeding the restoring force of said spring structures acts in the right-left direction, and thus said vehicle is led to a rollover in the right-left direction, as said limit index.

4. The lateral rollover risk warning device according to claim 1, wherein said limit index calculating means calculates a lateral rollover limit external force on the geometrical structure, which indicates the external force that leads said vehicle to a rollover on the geometrical structure, being applied in the right-left direction, even if the restoring force by said spring structures is sufficient, as said limit index.

5. A lateral rollover risk warning device that is installed in a vehicle that is supported by spring structures on both sides in the right-left direction across a vehicle axis of a vehicle body, respectively, reporting the risk of said vehicle being rolled over, said lateral rollover risk warning device comprising:

a vertical direction physical amount detection means for detecting an external force applied in the vertical direction of said vehicle body,

a rotational direction physical amount detection means for detecting a rotation around said vehicle axis of said vehicle body,

a limit condition calculating means that uses the results of detection by said vertical direction physical amount detection means and said rotational direction physical amount detection means to calculate a combination of the traveling speed and the horizontal direction deflection angle with which said vehicle is led to a rollover, as a limit condition,

a traveling information receiving means that receives either or both of said traveling speed and said horizontal direction deflection angle from said vehicle in real time as a piece of traveling information, and

a reporting means that uses said limit condition and said piece of traveling information to report a piece of lateral rollover risk warning information telling the risk of rolling over.

6. A lateral rollover risk warning device that is installed in a vessel that is supported by a floating force on both sides in the right-left direction across the centerline, respectively, reporting the risk of said vessel being rolled over, said lateral rollover risk warning device comprising:

a vertical direction physical amount detection means for detecting an external force applied in the vertical direction of said vessel,

a rotational direction physical amount detection means for detecting a rotation around said centerline of said vessel,

a limit index calculating means that uses the results of detection by said vertical direction physical amount detection means and said rotational direction physical amount detection means to calculate an index of the limit at which said vessel is led to be rolled over,

a right-left direction physical amount detection means for detecting an external force applied in the right-left direction of said vessel,

a real-time index calculating means that uses the result of detection by said right-left direction physical amount detection means to calculate a comparative index to be compared with said limit index in real time, and

a reporting means that uses said limit index and said comparative index to report a piece of lateral rollover risk warning information telling the risk of rolling over.