Apparatus for controlling behavior of vehicle

• US 6,438,474 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2000
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Kazuhiro, Tanaka, Hirohisa, Watanabe, Yoshihiro, Katayama, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/671,450
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/37, 701/41, 701/70, 701/72, 701/81, 701/89, 303/140, 303/143, 303/146, 180/197
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/03 Driver counter-steering; Avoidance of conflicts with ESP control
• 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

Abstract

An ECU (2) of a vehicle executes under-steering control when a steering wheel is operated in the direction to increase the steering angle under an under-steering state and the yaw rate does not increase. The under-steering control is not executed under such a driven under-steering state that the vehicle is cornering while applying the engine power to the driven wheels. The under-steering control is executed only under such a condition that although the steering wheel is operated in the direction to increase the steering angle, the actual yaw rate φ does not change and not follow the operation. Thus, in the vehicle, when the under-steering control for restraining the under-steering state or the over-steering control for restraining the over-steering state is executed during the cornering motion of the vehicle, the condition for executing the under-steering control or the over-steering control is adequately set. In consequence, it is prevented that the driver feels a malaise due to the excessively earlier or later execution of the control so that both of higher safety and driving characteristics may be obtained.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling behavior of a vehicle, which judges whether said vehicle is in an under-steering state on the basis of a deviation between a target yaw rate and an actual yaw rate and executes under-steering control for restraining the under-steering state, said apparatus comprising,

a controller which controls behavior of a yaw rate of said vehicle by estimating a running state of said vehicle to control a brake on the basis of estimated results, wherein said controller executes the under-steering control when a steering wheel is operated in a direction to increase a steering angle and the actual yaw rate does not increase in such a condition that said vehicle is in the under-steering state.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller executes the under-steering control when a target yaw rate, which is set on the basis of lateral acceleration and speed of said vehicle, lowers by a preset value or more on an occasion that said vehicle is cornering.

3. An apparatus for controlling behavior of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising, which judges whether said vehicle is in an under-steering state on the basis of a deviation between a target yaw rate and an actual yaw rate and executes under-steering control for restraining the under-steering state, said apparatus comprising,

a controller which sets the target yaw rate on the basis of lateral acceleration and speed of said vehicle, and makes the actual yaw rate follow the target yaw rate, wherein said controller quickens executing the under-steering control of said vehicle than usual by lowering a threshold for executing the under-steering control if the target yaw rate lowers by a preset value or more on an occasion that said vehicle is cornering.

4. An apparatus for controlling behavior of a vehicle having driven front wheels, which judges whether said vehicle is in an over-steering state on the basis of a deviation between a target yaw rate and an actual yaw rate and executes over-steering control for restraining the over-steering state by controlling a brake, said apparatus comprising,

a controller which sets the target yaw rate by using at least speed of said vehicle, and makes the actual yaw rate follow the target yaw rate, wherein said controller quickens executing the over-steering control of said vehicle than usual if said vehicle is judged to be in a tack-in state.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controller quickens executing the over-steering control by lowering a threshold for executing the over-steering control.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controller quickens executing the over-steering control by executing the over-steering control by force.

7. An apparatus for controlling behavior of a vehicle, which judges whether said vehicle is in an over-steering state on the basis of a deviation between a target yaw rate and an actual yaw rate and executes over-steering control for restraining the over-steering state by controlling a brake, said apparatus comprising,

a controller which sets the target yaw rate by using at least speed of said vehicle, and makes the actual yaw rate follow the target yaw rate, wherein said controller quickens executing the over-steering control of said vehicle than usual if said vehicle is judged to be in a counter-steering state.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said controller quickens executing the over-steering control by lowering a threshold for executing the over-steering control.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said controller quickens executing the over-steering control by executing the over-steering control by force.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said controller sets the target yaw rate on the basis of lateral acceleration and speed of said vehicle, and judges the counter-steering state on the basis of a steering angle of said vehicle.