Method and apparatus for stabilizing a vehicle in the presence of a tilt tendency

• US 6,756,890 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Leimbach, Klaus-Dieter, Schramm, Herbert, Wetzel, Gabriel, Dominke, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/554,982
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 340/440, 340/429, 340/436, 340/437, 701/70, 701/72, 701/1, 186/65.3, 186/197, 192/107.C
• US Class Current: 340/440
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/241 Lateral vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/243 for roll-over protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for stabilizing a vehicle in the presence of a tilt tendency are described. For this purpose, for at least one wheel, a variable quantitatively describing a wheel behavior of at least one wheel is determined. At least as a function of the variable that quantitatively describes the wheel behavior determined for the at least one wheel, a determination is made as to whether a tendency to tilt about a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle exists.

Claims

1. An apparatus for stabilizing a vehicle in the presence of a tilt tendency to prevent a tipover of the vehicle, comprising:

a first device determining, for at least one wheel, a variable describing a change in a slip of the at least one wheel and determining whether a tilt tendency about a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle exists as a function of the variable describing the change in the slip of the at least one wheel;

a second device determining a variable describing a diameter or a radius of the at least one wheel;

a third device determining whether the tilt tendency exists as a function of the variable describing the one of the diameter or the radius of the at least one wheel; and

an arrangement stabilizing braking interventions on at least one wheel of the vehicle in the presence of the tilt tendency.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the variable describing the diameter or the radius of the at least one wheel as a function of a variable describing a wheel rotation speed of the at least one wheel, a variable describing a vehicle speed, a variable representing transverse dynamics of the vehicle, and a variable describing a geometry of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one variable representing transverse dynamics of the vehicle;

at least one of briefly generating and modifying one of braking torques and drive torques as a function of one of the at least one variable representing the transverse dynamics of the vehicle; and

one of during and after the time period in which at least one of the braking torques and the drive torques are being at least one of briefly generated and modified at the at least one wheel, determining the variable describing the change in the slip of the at least one wheel.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

the tilt tendency of the vehicle exists if a magnitude of the variable describing the change in the slip of the at least one wheel is greater than a corresponding threshold.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising;

determining which wheels of the vehicle are suitable for detecting the tilt tendency as a function of a variable representing transverse dynamics of the vehicle; and

detecting the tilt tendency as a function of at least one of briefly generating and modifying at least one of the braking torques and the drive torques.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

selecting the wheels of the vehicle located on an inside of a curve as the wheels of the vehicle suitable for detecting the tilt tendency.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the tilt tendency exists if, for at least one wheel, at least one of;

a value of the variable describing the diameter or the radius is one of greater that a first threshold and less than a second threshold value;

a first magnitude of a difference between the variable describing the diameter or the radius and a comparison value is greater than a third threshold value;

a second magnitude of a variable describing a change over time in the variable describing one of the diameter and the radius is less than a fourth threshold value; and

a third magnitude of a variable describing an angle of inclination of a wheel axle greater than a fifth corresponding value.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of:

determining the variable describing the diameter or the radius for each wheel of a wheel axle;

determining the angle of inclination of each wheel axle as a function of the variable describing the diameter or the radius for each wheel of the wheel axle.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the tilt tendency exists if a magnitude of a difference between a speed limit value and the variable describing the vehicle speed is less than a sixth threshold value.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing stabilizing interventions on at least a front wheel of the vehicle on an outside curve so that a braking torque is at least one of generated and increased for the front wheel.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing at least one of engine interventions and interventions on suspension actuators to stabilize the vehicle.

2. A method for stabilizing a vehicle in the presence of a tilt tendency to prevent a tipover of the vehicle, comprising:

stabilizing braking interventions on at least one wheel of the vehicle;

for at least one wheel, determining at least one of;

i) a variable describing a change in a slip of the at least one wheel, and ii) a variable describing a diameter or a radius of the at least one wheel; and

determining whether a tilt tendency about a vehicle axis oriented in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle exists as a function of one of;

i) the variable describing the change in the slip of the at least one wheel, and ii) the variable describing the diameter or the radius of the at least one wheel.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining a variable describing at least one of a yaw rate of the vehicle and a transverse acceleration of the vehicle, the variable describing at least one of the yaw rate the vehicle and the transverse acceleration of the vehicle being the variable representing the transverse dynamics of the vehicle; and

determining the variable describing the vehicle speed as a function of the variable describing the wheel rotation speed of the at least one wheel.

14. A method for stabilizing vehicle in a presence of a tilt tendency to prevent a tipover of the vehicle, comprising:

determining whether a tilt tendency about a vehicle axis oriented in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle exists; and

if the tilt tendency exists, performing stabilizing braking intervention in a controlled fashion on a front wheel of the vehicle, the front wheel being on an outside curve.