Stability control system for vehicle

• US 6,053,583 A
• Filed: 03/27/1998
• Issued: 04/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuyama, Toshiaki, Okazaki, Haruki, Tachihata, Tetsuya, Izumi, Tomoji
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, CHRISTOPHER P
• Application Number:
  US09/049,126
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 303/140, 303/143, 303/146, 303/147, 303/188, 701/69, 701/72, 701/81, 701/89, 364/426.016, 364/426.026, 364/426.028, 364/426.035, 364/426.036
• US Class Current: 303/150
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/02 Side slip angle, attitude angle, floating angle, drift angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/175 Brake regulation specially adapted to prevent excessive wheel spin during vehicle acceleration, e.g. for traction control safety devices for propulsion unit control responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels B60K28/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17552 responsive to the tire sideslip angle or the vehicle body slip angle

Abstract

A system of driving stability control, which is adapted to control valves for opening and closing hydraulic pressure passages between a master cylinder and brake units of wheels and simultaneously controls pressurizing valves and a pressure relief valves so as to supply braking force selectively and independently to the brake units when a specified driving condition is detected, performs the coordinated braking control that, when a specified step-on pressure is detected during execution of the driving stability control, delivers the braking pressure to the brake units according to brake pedal travels as the driving intends simultaneously with reducing the participative degree of the driving stability control so as to ensure gripping force of wheels that brake the vehicle and reduces reduce the participative degree of the driving stability control with an intention of regarding driving stability of the vehicle as important when the vehicle is going to cause a spin.

Claims

1. A system of driving stability control for a vehicle equipped with a braking system for controlling driving stability of the vehicle according to vehicle driving conditions of applying braking force selectively and independently to respective wheels, said system of driving stability control comprising:

a master cylinder for developing braking pressure according to pedal travels by which a brake pedal is pressed down;

hydraulic pressure distribution means for distributing said braking pressure to a brake unit of each said wheel from said master cylinder therethrough;

opening/closing means disposed in said hydraulic pressure distribution means for opening said hydraulic pressure distribution means to distribute said braking pressure to said brake unit and closing said hydraulic pressure distribution means to prevent distribution of said braking pressure to said brake unit;

pressuring means installed to said hydraulic pressure distribution means downstream from said opening/closing means to pressurize said braking pressure to be supplied to said brake unit;

pressure relief means connected to said brake unit to relieve said braking pressure from said brake unit;

driving condition monitoring means for monitoring a driving condition of the vehicle;

pressure detecting means for detecting a step-on pressure which with a brake pedal is stepped on; and

control means for controlling said opening/closing means so as to close said hydraulic pressure distribution means which said driving condition monitoring means detects a specified driving condition, executing driving stability control by which said pressurizing means and said pressure relief means are controlled so as to apply braking force selectively and independently to said brake units when said driving condition monitoring means detects a specified driving condition, executing coordinated braking control by which, when said pressure detecting means detects a specified step-on pressure during execution of said driving stability control, said braking pressure is delivered to said brake units according to said pedal travels while said driving stability control is continued, rectifying said driving stability control so as to make a participative degree of said driving stability control smaller while said step-on pressure is higher than said specified step-on pressure than while said step-on pressure is lower than said specifies step-on pressure, judging whether said driving condition causes a spin of the vehicle, and restraining said rectification of said driving stability control while said step-on pressure is higher than said specified step-on pressure when judging said driving condition to cause a spin of the vehicle.

2. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means calculates a slip angle of the vehicle on the basis of said driving condition and restraining said rectification of said participative degree of said driving stability control while said step-on pressure is higher than said specified step-on pressure when judging said driving condition to cause a spin of the vehicle when said slip angle is greater than a threshold angle specified for an occurrence of a spin.

3. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means increases a rate at which said participative degree of said driving stability control is made smaller as said step-on pressure becomes higher.

4. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means calculates a vehicle speed on the basis of said driving condition increases a rate at which said participative degree of said driving stability control is made smaller as said vehicle speed becomes higher.

5. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means restrains said driving stability control when judging that a steering wheel is further turned on the basis of said driving condition.

6. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 5, wherein said control means suspends said driving stability control when judging that a steering wheel is further turned on the basis of said driving condition.

7. The stability control system as defined in claim 5, wherein said control means suspends said driving stability control and said distribution of said braking pressure according to said pedal travels while detects a driving condition falling in a range specified for execution of anti-ski braking control.

8. A system of driving stability control for a vehicle equipped with a braking system including braking units, one for each wheel, driving stability control of the vehicle according to vehicle driving conditions by applying braking force selectively and independently to said braking units, said system of driving stability control comprising:

a master cylinder for developing braking pressure according to pedal travels by which a brake pedal is pressed down;

a first hydraulic pressure distribution passage through which said braking pressure is distributed to said brake units of said front right and rear left wheels from said master cylinder therethrough;

a second hydraulic pressure distribution passage through which said braking pressure is distributed to said brake units of said front left and rear right wheels from said master cylinder therethrough;

a first cut value disposed in said first hydraulic pressure distribution passage for opening said first hydraulic pressure distribution passage to distribute said braking pressure to said brake units and closing said first hydraulic pressure distribution passage to prevent distribution of said braking pressure to said brake units;

a second cut valve disposed in said second hydraulic pressure distribution passage for opening said second hydraulic pressure distribution passage to distribute said braking pressure to said brake units and closing said second hydraulic pressure distribution passage to prevent distribution of said braking pressure to said brake units;

pressurizing valves installed to said first and second hydraulic pressure distribution passages, respectively downstream from said first and second cut valves, respectively to pressurize said braking pressure to be supplied to said brake units, respectively;

pressure relief valves connected to said brake units, respectively through which said braking pressure is relieved from said brake units, respectively;

hydraulic pumps installed to said first and second hydraulic pressure distribution passages, respectively, for supplying hydraulic pressure to said pressurizing valves;

a vehicle speed sensor;

a yaw rate sensor;

a steering angle sensor;

a lateral acceleration sensor;

a pressure sensor for detecting a step-on pressure with which a brake pedal is stepped on; and

a control unit comprising a microcomputer for controlling said first and second cut valve, said pressurizing valves, said relief valves and said hydraulic pumps on the basis values detected by said vehicle speed sensor, said yaw rate sensor, said steering angle sensor, said lateral acceleration sensor and said pressure sensor, performing, when a deviation between a target yaw rate determined on the basis of said value detected by said steering angle sensor and a yaw rate detected by said yaw rate sensor is greater than a specified threshold deviation, said driving stability control, by regulating valve openings of said pressurizing valve and said pressure relief valve of each said brake unit simultaneously with closing both said first and second cut valves, rectifying, when said step-on pressure is higher than a specified step-on pressure, said driving stability control by opening either one of said first and second cut valves so as to make a participative degree of said driving stability control smaller while said step-on pressure is higher than said specified step-on pressure than while said step-on pressure is lower than said specified step-on pressure, and restraining said rectification of said driving stability control when a driving condition is judged on the basis of said values detected by said vehicle speed sensor, said yaw rate sensor and said steering angle sensor to cause a spin of the vehicle.

9. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 8, wherein said control unit restrains said rectification of said driving stability control when a slip angle of the vehicle that is determined on the basis of said values detected by said vehicle speed sensor, said yaw rate sensor and said steering angle sensor is greater than threshold slip angle specified for an occurrence of a spin of the vehicle.

10. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 8, wherein said control unit increases a rate at which said participative degree of said driving stability control is made smaller as said step-on pressure becomes higher.

11. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 8, wherein said control unit increases increases a rate at which said participative degree of said driving stability control is made smaller as a vehicle speed detected by said vehicle speed sensor becomes higher.

12. The system of driving stability control as defined in claim 8, wherein said control units restraints said driving stability control when judging a steering wheel is further turned on the basis of said driving condition.