Vehicle dynamic control system

• US 6,392,535 B1
• Filed: 11/28/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuno, Koji, Matsuura, Munenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US09/722,399
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 340/441, 340/425.5, 701/1, 701/23, 701/65, 701/70, 701/200, 701/201, 701/93
• US Class Current: 340/441
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/04 Automatic transmission
• 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: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0051 combined with averaging
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/182 Brake pressure, e.g. of fluid or between pad and disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A vehicle dynamic control system includes: (a) a running condition detecting system for detecting running conditions of a vehicle; (b) a road data detecting system for detecting road data relating to a road in front of the vehicle; (c) a permissible speed calculating system for calculating a permissible speed for passing through a curve based on the running conditions and the road data; (d) an equivalent linear distance calculating system for calculating an equivalent linear distance as a distance for performing a deceleration operation by shortening a distance from a point of operation to the curve in front of the vehicle based on a permissible deceleration at a winding part of the road and a curvature of the winding part between the point of operation and the curve so as to consider a permissible deceleration applicable at the winding part of the road; (e) a passing judgement system for judging a possibility of the vehicle passing through the curve by a parameter based on at least the equivalent linear distance and the permissible speed; and (f) a warning and deceleration control system for activating at least one of a warning system or a decelerating system based on a judgement of the passing judgement system. The invention also relates to a method for controlling a vehicle using this system.

Claims

1. A vehicle dynamic control system, comprising:

running condition detecting means for detecting running conditions of a vehicle;

road data detecting means for detecting road data relating to a road in front of the vehicle;

permissible speed calculating means for calculating a permissible speed to pass through a curve based on said running conditions and said road data;

equivalent linear distance calculating means for calculating an equivalent linear distance as a distance for performing a decelerating operation by shortening a distance from a point of said decelerating operation to the curve in front of the vehicle based on a permissible deceleration at a winding pale and a curvature of the winding part between the point of said decelerating operation and the curve so as to consider said permissible deceleration applicable at winding part of the road;

passing judgement means for judging possibility of the vehicle passing through the curve by a parameter based on at least said equivalent linear distance and said permissible speed; and

warning and deceleration control means for activating at least one of warning means and decelerating means based on a judgement of said passing judgement means.

2. The vehicle dynamic control system according to claim 1, wherein:

said permissible deceleration is calculated by a friction circle relation between longitudinal and lateral accelerations of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle dynamic control system according to claim 1, wherein:

said passing judgment means judges the possibility of passing the curve based on the parameter in a predetermined manner, wherein said parameter is calculated as a required deceleration to be applied until reaching the curve based on a vehicle speed at the point of operation, said equivalent linear distance, and said permissible speed for passing through the curve.

4. A dynamic control system of a vehicle having an engine for providing power to drive the vehicle, a transmission directly and mechanically connected to said engine for changing a transmission ratio to an optimum value for driving said vehicle in any driving conditions, vehicle running condition detecting means mounted on said vehicle for detecting vehicle running conditions and for generating a vehicle running condition signal, and a navigation system mounted on said vehicle for deriving information relating to a road where said vehicle is presently running through a global positioning system and for outputting a road information signal, the system comprising:

road data detecting means responsive to said road information signal for detecting road data relating to said road in front of said vehicle and for producing a road data signal;

permissible speed calculating means responsive to said road data signal for calculating a permissible speed to pass through a curve based on said running conditions and said road data and for generating a permissible speed signal,

equivalent linear distance calculating means responsive to said road data signal and said permissible speed signal for calculating an equivalent linear distance for performing a decelerating operation by shortening a distance from a point of said decelerating operation to the curve in front of said vehicle based on a predetermined permissible deceleration at a winding part between a starting point of said decelerating operation and said curve so as to determine a permissible deceleration applicable at said winding part of the road and for producing a permissible deceleration signal;

passing judgement means responsive to said permissible deceleration signal for judging the possibility of said vehicle passing through said curve by parameters based on at least said equivalent linear distance and said permissible speed and for producing a passing judgement signal; and

warning and deceleration control means responsive to said passing judgement signal for activating at least one of a warning means and a decelerating means and so as to enable said vehicle to safely pass said curve at an optimum speed even if said road before entering said curve is curved.

5. A dynamic control method of a vehicle having an engine for providing power to drive the vehicle, a transmission directly and mechanically connected to said engine for changing a transmission ratio to an optimum value for driving said vehicle in any driving conditions, vehicle running condition detecting means mounted on said vehicle for detecting vehicle running conditions, and a navigation system mounted on said vehicle for deriving information relating to a road where said vehicle is presently running through a global positioning system, the method comprising:

detecting road data relating to said road in front of said vehicle through said navigation system;

calculating a permissible speed to pass through a curve based on said running conditions and said road data;

deriving an equivalent linear distance for performing a decelerating operation by shortening a distance from a point of said decelerating operation to the curve in front of said vehicle based on a predetermined permissible deceleration at a winding part between a starting point of said decelerating operation and said curve so as to determine a permissible deceleration applicable at said winding pair of the road;

judging the possibility of said vehicle passing through said curve by parameters based on at least said equivalent linear distance and said permissible speed; and

activating at least one of a warning means and a decelerating means so as to enable said vehicle to safely pass said curve at an optimum speed even if said road before entering said curve is curved.