Anti-rollover brake system

• US 6,065,558 A
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dynamotive IP LLC
• Original Assignee: Dynamotive LLC
• Inventors: Wielenga, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, J. J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuff, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/109,286
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 180/197, 180/282, 303/181, 303/183, 303/194, 303/177, 318/585
• US Class Current: 180/282
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0162 mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/208 of wheel rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/50 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/012 Rolling condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/0124 Roll-over conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/244 Oversteer
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9122 ARS - Anti-Roll System Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/922 EBV - Electronic brake force distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/18 with two or more pivoted arms, e.g. parallelogram
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/06 Wheel load; Wheel lift
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17554 specially adapted for enhancing stability around the vehicles longitudinal axle, i.e. roll-over prevention road vehicle drive control systems for roll-over prevention otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/243 for roll-over protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/58 responsive to speed and another condition or to plural speed conditions

Abstract

The present invention provides a brake system for preventing a friction rollover of a vehicle. The brake system includes a set of brakes for applying pressure to resist the rotation of the respective wheels of the vehicle, a sensor for producing a rollover signal in response to a predetermined force urging the vehicle to rollover, and a control for actuating the brakes in a predetermined program in response to the rollover signal. In one embodiment of the present invention, the controller actuates both front brakes in response to the rollover signal. In another embodiment of the present invention, the controller brakes the most heavily loaded front tire in response to the rollover signal.

Claims

1. A brake system for a vehicle having front and rear wheels, the system comprising:

a set of brakes for applying pressure to resist the rotation of the front and rear wheels, said set of brakes including a front set of brakes for applying pressure to resist the rotation of said front wheels and a rear set of brakes for applying pressure to resist the rotation of said rear wheels;

a sensor for producing a rollover signal in response to a predetermined force urging the vehicle to rollover; and

a control for applying said front set of brakes in a predetermined program in response to said rollover signal.

2. A brake system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said predetermined force is proportional to a lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

3. A brake system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control actuates said brakes to apply a maximum amount of pressure.

4. A brake system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said control actuates said brakes to apply an amount of pressure proportional to said lateral acceleration.

5. A brake system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes a pair of front wheels and a pair of front brakes and said control actuates the pair of front brakes.

6. A brake system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes a pair of front wheels and a pair of front brakes and said control actuates one of the front brakes based upon the direction of said predetermined force.

7. A brake system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sensor comprises an accelerometer for measuring lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

8. A brake system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sensor comprises an instrument for measuring the roll angle of the vehicle.

9. A brake system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said instrument comprises one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a roll rate sensor, and sensors measuring the distance between the vehicle and the wheels.

10. A brake system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the vehicle includes a pair of rebound bumpers positioned near a wheel on opposite sides of the vehicle and said sensor comprises a pair of switches for signaling compression of either of said rebound bumpers.

11. A method for preventing a rollover of a vehicle having at least a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, the steps of the method comprising:

providing a set of front brakes;

said front brakes including an independently actuable brake for each front wheel for separately applying pressure to resist the rotation of each of the front wheels;

providing a sensor for sensing an impending rollover condition;

providing a control for actuating at least one of said independently actuable brakes;

sensing an impending rollover condition; and

applying said at least one independently actuable brake, braking at least one of said front wheels of the vehicle in response to sensing the impending rollover condition, said control acting independently of other vehicle control systems.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11 including the step of determining a critical amount of force to roll the vehicle over during a turn prior to the step of sensing the impending rollover condition.

13. A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the step of sensing the impending rollover condition is further defined as measuring a predetermined amount of force less than the critical amount of force.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the step of braking the wheels is further defined as braking the wheels in response to measuring the predetermined amount of force.

15. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the step of providing the sensor is further defined as providing an accelerometer for measuring the amount of lateral acceleration placed on the vehicle.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the step of sensing the impending rollover condition is further defined as measuring a predetermined critical amount of lateral acceleration placed on the vehicle.

17. A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein the step of braking the wheels is further defined as braking the wheels in response to measuring the predetermined critical amount of lateral acceleration placed on the center of gravity of the vehicle.

18. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the vehicle includes a pair of rebound bumpers positioned near a wheel on opposite sides of the vehicle and the step of providing the sensor is further defined as providing a switch for signaling compression of either of the rebound bumpers.

19. A method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the step of sensing an impending rollover condition is further defined as sensing compression of either of the rebound bumpers.

20. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the step of braking the wheels is further defined as braking the wheels in response to sensing compression of either of the rebound bumpers.

21. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the step of providing the sensor is further defined as providing one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a roll rate sensor, and sensors measuring the distance between the vehicle and the wheels to measure the roll angle of the vehicle.

22. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the step of sensing the impending rollover condition is further defined as measuring a predetermined critical roll angle of the vehicle.

23. A method as set forth in claim 22 wherein the step of braking the vehicle is further defined as braking the vehicle in response to measuring the predetermined critical roll angle.

24. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the step of braking the wheels is further defined as applying a maximum amount of pressure to the wheels.

25. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the step of braking the wheels is further defined as applying an amount of pressure to the wheels proportional to the lateral acceleration placed on the center of gravity of the vehicle.

26. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the vehicle includes a pair of front wheels and a pair of front brakes and the step of braking the wheels is further defined as braking the front wheels.

27. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the vehicle includes a pair of front wheels and a pair of front brakes and the method further includes the step of determining the front wheel loaded with the largest amount of lateral force prior to the step of braking the wheels.

28. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein the step of braking the wheels is further defined as braking the front wheel loaded with the largest amount of lateral force.