Method and device for determining and detecting the overturning hazard of a vehicle

• US 6,424,907 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Rieth, Peter, Eckert, Alfred, Schmittner, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/743,948
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/70, 701/72, 701/79, 701/80, 701/124, 701/29, 180/170, 180/197, 340/431, 340/438, 340/440
• US Class Current: 701/124
• 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 17/01908 Acceleration or inclination sensors characterised by the use of gyroscopes B60G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0511 Roll angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0512 Pitch angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0523 Yaw rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/52 in tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/60 Load
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/61 Load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/044 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/24 Steering, cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/70 Estimating or calculating vehicle parameters or state variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9124 Roll-over protection systems, e.g. for warning or control
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0233 Vehicle tilting, overturning or roll over
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17551 determining control parameters related to vehicle stability used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters
• 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 8/246 Change of direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/122 : Determining position of centre of gravity

Abstract

A method and device is disclosed for determining and detecting the rollover hazard of a vehicle through a dynamic detection of variations in the center of gravity of the vehicle. During cornering of the vehicle, first condition variables, which correspond to the respective wheel load, are detected on at least two wheels. The detected first condition variables are compared to reference values representative of the respective cornering maneuver. A corresponding change in the center of gravity is calculated from the differences between the detected first condition variables and the reference values.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the rollover hazard of a vehicle that includes at least two axles and at least three wheels, wherein variations in the vehicle'"'"'s center of gravity are determined in the operation of the vehicle during cornering, comprising the steps of:

detecting first condition variables which respectively correspond to each respective wheel load during cornering on at least two wheels,

comparing each detected first condition variable to reference values representative of the respective cornering maneuver,

calculating a corresponding change in the center of gravity from the differences between the detected first condition variables and the reference values, and

determining a correspondingly changed, critical second condition variable representative-of the rollover hazard from the calculated center of gravity variation.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including the step of using at least one of a spring travel that can be measured at the wheel suspension, a spring pressure, a damper pressure that can be measured at a shock absorber, an inside tire pressure, and a lateral deformation of the vehicle tire as a basis for a first condition variable that corresponds to the wheel load.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including the step of using at least one of a transverse acceleration which acts on the center of gravity of the vehicle, a roll angle of the vehicle, a pitch angle of the vehicle, a vehicle speed, a steering angle, and a yaw rate as a basis for the second condition variable representative of the rollover hazard.

4. A device for detecting the rollover hazard of a vehicle that includes at least two axles and at least three wheels, comprising:

a means for sensing a driving condition in a cornering maneuver,

a means for determining variations in the center of gravity of mass,

a means to detect first condition variables which correspond to the respective wheel load on at least two wheels,

a means to compare the detected first condition variables with reference values representative of the respective cornering maneuver,

a means to calculate the change in the center of gravity from the differences between the detected first condition variables and the reference values, and

a means to determine a second condition variable representative of the rollover hazard from the calculated center of gravity variation.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, further including means for measuring at least one of the wheel suspension spring travel, the wheel suspension spring pressure, the shock absorber damper pressure, the pressure of the air inside of the tire, the lateral deformation of the tire, and using such measurement as a basis for the first condition variable that corresponds to the wheel load.

6. The device as claimed in claim 4, further including means for measuring at least one of the transverse acceleration which acts on the center of gravity of the vehicle, the roll angle of the vehicle, the pitch angle of the vehicle, the vehicle speed, the steering angle, the yaw rate, and using such measurement as a basis for the second condition variable representative of the rollover hazard.

7. The device as claimed in claim 4, further including an end position switch provided on a shock absorber or on a spring element of the wheel suspension, the switching point of the end position switch is linked by a time correlation to the second condition variable representative of the rollover hazard.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the switching point of the end position switch is linked to further driving state conditions.