Process for determining a critical angular position of a vehicle leading to roll-over

• US 6,496,759 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Mattes, Bernhard, Groesch, Lothar, Breunig, Volker
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/720,602
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/46, 180/268, 180/282, 280/707, 280/734, 340/438, 340/440
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01306 monitoring vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over

Abstract

A method is used to largely suppress the offset of a rotation rate sensor in that a given rotation rate is only subjected to integration if it exceeds a lower rotation rate threshold and lies below an upper rotation rate threshold. The thresholds are predefined as a function of an offset of the rotation rate sensor in question, and integration of the rotation rate is aborted after a predefined reset time and restarted.

Claims

1. A method for determining a critical angular position of a vehicle that will cause a rollover event, comprising the steps of:

measuring at least one of a first vehicle rotation rate about a longitudinal axis and a second vehicle rotation rate about a transverse axis, with at least one of a first and second rotation rate sensor, the first and second rotation rate sensors associated with the first and second vehicle rotation rates respectively;

determining at least one of first and second lower and upper rotation rate thresholds associated with each of at least one of the first and second rotation rate sensors, the lower and upper thresholds predefined as a function of an offset error of the respective first and second rotation rate sensors;

integrating the at least one first and second vehicle rotation rates if it exceeds the respective first and second lower thresholds and is less than the respective first and second upper thresholds;

aborting integration after a predefined reset time;

restarting integration;

determining at least one of a roll angle and a pitch angle from integration; and

detecting a critical angular position via a threshold decision unit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

setting the reset time as a function of a magnitude of at least one of the roll angle and the pitch angle obtained from integration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

setting the reset time as a function of a magnitude of the offset error of at least one of

the first and second rotation rate sensors.

4. A method for determining a critical angular position of a vehicle that will cause a rollover event, comprising the steps of:

measuring at least one of a first vehicle rotation rate about a longitudinal axis and a second vehicle rotation rate about a transverse axis, with at least one of a first and second rotation rate sensor, the first and second rotation rate sensors associated with the first and second vehicle rotation rates respectively;

determining at least one of first and second lower and upper rotation rate thresholds associated with each of at least one of the first and second rotation rate sensors, the lower and upper thresholds predefined as a function of an offset error of the respective first and second rotation rate sensors;

integrating the at least one first and second vehicle rotation rates only if it exceeds the respective first and second lower thresholds and is less than the respective first and second upper thresholds;

aborting the integration after a predefined reset time;

restarting the integration;

determining at least one of a roll angle and a pitch angle from the integration; and

detecting a critical angular position via a threshold decision unit.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

setting the reset time as a function of a magnitude of at least one of the roll angle and the pitch angle obtained from integration.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

setting the reset time as a function of a magnitude of the offset error of at least one of the first and second rotation rate sensors.