Method for regulating the driving stability of a vehicle

• US 6,957,873 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: May, Alexander, Wanke, Peter, Raulfs, Henning, Kümmel, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Douglas C.
• Application Number:
  US10/415,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20040046447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 303140-148, 303/166, 303/113.2, 180/197, 180/248, 701/41, 701/48, 701 70- 89, 701/301, 701/90
• US Class Current: 303/140
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/122 Pre-actuation in case of ESP control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/03 Driver counter-steering; Avoidance of conflicts with ESP control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17555 specially adapted for enhancing driver or passenger comfort, e.g. soft intervention or pre-actuation strategies

Abstract

In a method for regulating the driving stability of a vehicle pressures for individual brakes of the vehicle are determined in dependence on several input quantities so that the driving stability is enhanced by brake interventions at individual wheels. To enhance the driving stability of a vehicle, it is determined during stable driving performance whether in view of a highly dynamic steering maneuver there is a tendency to a subsequent unstable driving performance, and in this case brake pre-intervention will occur already when the vehicle exhibits a stable driving performance.

Claims

1. A method for regulating the driving stability of a four-wheeled steered vehicle with an individual wheel brake assigned to each wheel, comprising the steps of:

determining pressures for the individual brakes of the vehicle in dependence on several input quantities so that the driving stability is enhanced by brake interventions at individual wheels,

determining during a stable driving performance whether in view of a highly dynamic steering maneuver there is a tendency to a subsequent unstable driving performance, and wherein in this case brake pre-intervention will occur already when the vehicle exhibits a stable driving performance,

evaluating the variation between leaving a tolerance band indicating a stationary, stable driving performance and the entry of the steering wheel angle velocity into the tolerance band,

detecting the highly dynamic steering maneuver is detected when the following conditions are satisfied;

a.) |SWAP_MAX|/(T₂−

T₁)>

threshold value 1,

b.) |SWAP_MAX|/(T₃−

T₂)>

threshold value 2,

c.) |SWAP_MAX|>

threshold value 3;

wherein SWAP=steering wheel angle velocity,

SWAP_MAX=maximum of the steering wheel angle velocity,

T₁=point of time of the steering wheel angle velocity leaving the tolerance band,

T₂=point of time of the maximum of the steering wheel angle velocity,

T₃=point of time of entry of the steering wheel angle velocity into the tolerance band.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including the step of:

detecting a highly dynamic steering maneuver in dependence on the time variation of a steering wheel angle velocity.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, effecting the brake pre-intervention step when, at the time of the entry of the steering wheel angle velocity into the tolerance band, the amounts of at least one of the members of the group consisting of a vehicle yaw rate and a lateral vehicle acceleration is in excess of a predetermined respective threshold value.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including the step of:

effecting brake pre-intervention on the curve-outward front wheel.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein threshold values and a brake torque generated by the brake pre-intervention are dependent on at least one of the following two quantities, vehicle speed v_Ref and maximum of the velocity of the steering wheel angle.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brake pre-intervention takes place as long as the condition |SWAP_t−

SWAP_MAX|/(t−

T₂)>

threshold value 4 is satisfied.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including the step of:

activating the brake pre-intervention during a change of the steering direction (zero crossing of the steering wheel angle=SWAT₄) when the following conditions are satisfied;

SWAP<

threshold value 5 and

LA>

threshold value 6

or

SWAP>

threshold value 5 and

LA<

threshold value 6

wherein SWAP=steering wheel angle velocity, LA=lateral acceleration.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including the step of:

terminating the brake pre-intervention when at least one of the following conditions is satisfied;

a.) |CI*SWAP+SWA|<

threshold value 9;

b.) a change in direction (zero crossing) of the yaw rate is detected after a yaw rate maximum;

c.) the maximum duration of intervention is exceeded.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brake pre-intervention occurs at both front wheels.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brake torque generated by way of the brake pre-intervention is dependent on at least one of the elements of the group consisting of vehicle speed v_Ref, lateral acceleration, and steering wheel angle gradient.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duration of the brake pre-intervention is dependent on at least one of the elements of the group consisting of vehicle speed v_Ref, lateral acceleration, and steeling wheel angle gradient.