Wheel brake pressure controlling system in which vehicle operating conditions are calculated to alter wheel brake pressure

• US 5,711,585 A
• Filed: 11/27/1995
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishizawa, Yoshiharu, Mihara, Jun, Yamazaki, Norio, Kojima, Seiichi, Itoh, Takayuki, Tozu, Kenji, Kuromitsu, Hiromu
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham, Matthew C.
• Application Number:
  US08/562,809
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 363/147, 363/148, 363/149, 363/146, 363/140, 363/139
• US Class Current: 303/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/02 Side slip angle, attitude angle, floating angle, drift angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/022 Rear-wheel steering; Four-wheel steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1764 Regulation during travel on surface with different coefficients of friction, e.g. between left and right sides, mu-split or between front and rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/246 Change of direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/268 using the valves of an ABS, ASR or ESP system
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/4872 pump-back systems

Abstract

A wheel brake pressure controlling system includes a brake pressure operating circuit for selectively supplying to a wheel brake a primary pressure generated by a vacuum booster in response to the depression of a brake pedal and a secondary pressure generated by a hydraulic pressure pump which is driven by an electric motor, a microcomputer for estimating a turning of vehicle, determining if a turning of the vehicle is in a over- or under-steer region, and for determining a wheel brake, the pressure of which is to be intensified if the turning of the vehicle lies in the over- or under-steer region, and an output controller for supplying the secondary pressure to the wheel brake which has been thus determined, through the brake pressure operating circuit. The microcomputer determines if the turning of a vehicle occurs in a reference region located outside the over- or under-steer region, and whenever the turning of the vehicle occurs in the reference region, drives the second source of pressure for generating the secondary pressure, determines a wheel brake which is to be intensified, and automatically intensifies the wheel brake.

Claims

1. A wheel brake pressure controlling system for a vehicle including a first source of pressure for generating a primary pressure corresponding to an operating force resulting from a driver'"'"'s operation, a second source of pressure for generating a secondary pressure independently from a driver'"'"'s operation, a brake pressure operating means for selectively supplying one of the primary and the secondary pressure to a plurality of wheel brakes of the vehicle, information processing means for estimating a turning of a vehicle and for judging whether or not the estimated turning of the vehicle lies in an over-steer or an under-steer region and whenever the turning of the vehicle is in an over-steer or under-steer region, for determining at least one wheel brake of the plurality of wheel brakes whose pressure is to be intensified, and output means for supplying the secondary pressure through the brake pressure operating means to the wheel brake which has been determined to have its pressure intensified;

wherein the information processing means judges whether or not a turning of the vehicle lies in a reference region which is located outside the over- or under-steer region, drives the second source of pressure in order to generate the secondary pressure whenever the turning of the vehicle lies in the reference region, determines at least one wheel brake of the plurality of wheel brakes whose pressure is to be intensified, and automatically intensifies the pressure of the wheel brake.

2. A wheel brake pressure controlling system according to claim 1 in which the information processing means performs a slip rate servo control of the wheel brake which is to be automatically intensified.

3. A wheel brake pressure controlling system according to claim 1 in which the information processing means estimates a coefficient of friction of a road surface on which the vehicle runs, chooses a slip rate which is predetermined in relation to the coefficient of friction as a standby target slip rate, determines at least one wheel brake of the plurality of wheel brakes whose pressure is to be intensified whenever the turning of the vehicle lies in the reference region, and automatically intensifies the pressure of the wheel brake in order to bring a wheel slip rate of the wheel brake to the standby target slip rate.

4. A wheel brake pressure controlling system according to claim 1 in which the information processing means estimates a hydraulic pressure applied to a wheel brake, determines an initial pressurization interval which is chosen to be long for a low value of the hydraulic pressure and to be short for a high value of the hydraulic pressure, determines at least one wheel brake of the plurality of wheel brakes whose pressure is to be intensified whenever the turning of the vehicle lies in the reference region, and automatically intensifies the pressure of the wheel brake for the initial pressurization interval.

5. A wheel brake pressure controlling system according to claim 4 in which the second source of pressure comprises a hydraulic pressure pump for withdrawing brake hydraulic fluid from a reservoir and pressurizing the brake hydraulic fluid, an electric motor for driving the pump, and a regulator for applying a relatively high voltage to the motor for a given interval after commencement of the automatic intensification for the initial pressurization interval and subsequently applying a relatively low voltage to the motor.

6. A wheel brake pressure controlling system according to claim 4 in which the brake pressure operating means comprises switching valve means for switching between a first position in which the wheel brake is disconnected from the second source of pressure and communicates with the first source of pressure, and a second position in which the wheel brake is disconnected from the first source of pressure and communicates with the second source of pressure, modulator valve means having an increasing position where the wheel brake communicates with the second source of pressure, a decompressing position in which the wheel brake communicates with the reservoir, and a holding position where the wheel brake is disconnected from the second source of pressure and the reservoir, and cut-off valve means for switching between an operative position in which a communication is established between a suction port of the second source of pressure and the reservoir and an inoperative position in which a communication between the suction port of the second source of pressure and the reservoir is interrupted, the output means having a duty cycle holding mode in which an increasing sub-mode in which the modulator valve means assumes an increasing position and the cut-off valve means assumes an inoperative position and a holding sub-mode in which the modulator valve means assumes a holding position and the cut-off valve means assumes an operating position are alternately repeated.

7. A wheel brake pressure controlling system according to claim 6 in which the information processing means estimates a slip rate of a wheel, decompresses the hydraulic pressure of a wheel brake by a given amount whenever the slip rate is equal to or greater than a given value during the initial pressurization interval, and then commands a duty cycle holding mode to the output means.

8. A wheel brake pressure controlling system for a vehicle including a first source of pressure for generating a primary pressure corresponding to an operating force resulting from a driver'"'"'s operation, a second source of pressure for generating a secondary pressure independently from a driver'"'"'s operation, a brake pressure operating means for selectively supplying one of the primary and secondary pressure to a plurality of wheel brakes of the vehicle, information processing means for estimating a turning of a vehicle and for judging whether the estimating turning of the vehicle lies in an over-steer or an under-steer region or not and whenever the turning of the vehicle is in an over-steer or an under-steer region, for determining at least one wheel brake of the plurality of wheel brakes whose pressure is to be intensified, and output means for supplying the secondary pressure through the brake pressure operating means to the wheel brake which has been determined to have its pressure intensified:

wherein the information processing means judges whether a turning of the vehicle lies in a reference region which is located outside the over- or under-steer region or not, and drives the second source of pressure in order to generate the secondary pressure whenever the turning of the vehicle lies in the reference region.