Vehicle rollover detection system
First Claim
1. A system for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising:
- a. a roll angular velocity sensor operatively coupled to the vehicle, wherein said roll angular velocity sensor is adapted to measure a roll rate of the vehicle about a roll axis, and said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle;
b. a lateral velocity sensor operatively coupled to the vehicle, wherein said lateral velocity sensor is responsive to a velocity of the vehicle in a direction that is substantially lateral to said vehicle, and said lateral velocity sensor is selected from an ultrasonic sensor, a microwave sensor, a radar sensor, and an optical velocity sensor; and
c. a processor operatively coupled to said roll angular velocity sensor and to said lateral velocity sensor, wherein said processor is adapted to generate a signal for controlling a safety restraint system, said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to a signal from said roll angular velocity sensor and to a signal from said lateral velocity sensor, said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to a deployment threshold, said deployment threshold is responsive to said measure of lateral velocity, said processor is adapted to determine a measure of roll angle by integrating said signal from said roll angular velocity sensor, and said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is further responsive to said measure of roll angle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A roll angular velocity sensor and a lateral velocity sensor are operatively coupled to a processor, which generates a signal for controlling a safety restraint system responsive to measures of roll angular velocity and lateral velocity. In one embodiment, the processor delays or inhibits the deployment of the safety restraint system responsive to a measure responsive to the measure of lateral velocity, either alone or in combination with a measure of longitudinal velocity. In another embodiment, a deployment threshold is responsive to the measure of lateral velocity. The lateral velocity may be measured by a lateral velocity sensor, or estimated responsive to measures of lateral acceleration, vehicle turn radius, and either longitudinal velocity or yaw angular velocity, wherein the turn radius is estimated from either a measure of steering angle, a measure of front tire angle, or measures of forward velocity from separate front wheel speed sensors.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising:
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a. a roll angular velocity sensor operatively coupled to the vehicle, wherein said roll angular velocity sensor is adapted to measure a roll rate of the vehicle about a roll axis, and said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle; b. a lateral velocity sensor operatively coupled to the vehicle, wherein said lateral velocity sensor is responsive to a velocity of the vehicle in a direction that is substantially lateral to said vehicle, and said lateral velocity sensor is selected from an ultrasonic sensor, a microwave sensor, a radar sensor, and an optical velocity sensor; and c. a processor operatively coupled to said roll angular velocity sensor and to said lateral velocity sensor, wherein said processor is adapted to generate a signal for controlling a safety restraint system, said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to a signal from said roll angular velocity sensor and to a signal from said lateral velocity sensor, said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to a deployment threshold, said deployment threshold is responsive to said measure of lateral velocity, said processor is adapted to determine a measure of roll angle by integrating said signal from said roll angular velocity sensor, and said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is further responsive to said measure of roll angle. - View Dependent Claims (3, 22, 23)
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2. A system for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising
a. a roll angular velocity sensor operatively coupled to the vehicle, wherein said roll angular velocity sensor is adapted to measure a roll rate of the vehicle about a roll axis, and said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle; -
b. a lateral velocity sensor operatively coupled to the vehicle, wherein said lateral velocity sensor is responsive to a velocity of the vehicle in a direction that is substantially lateral to said vehicle, and said lateral velocity sensor is selected from an ultrasonic sensor, a microwave sensor, a radar sensor, and an optical velocity sensor; and c. a processor operatively coupled to said roll angular velocity sensor and to said lateral velocity sensor, wherein said processor is adapted to generate a signal for controlling a safety restraint system, said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to a signal from said roll annular velocity sensor and to a signal from said lateral velocity sensor, said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to a deployment threshold, and said deployment threshold is responsive to said measure of lateral velocity; and d. a longitudinal velocity sensor operatively coupled to the vehicle, wherein said longitudinal velocity sensor is responsive to a velocity of the vehicle in a direction that is substantially along said longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is further responsive to a signal from said longitudinal velocity sensor. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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4. A method of providing for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising:
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a. providing for acquiring a measure of roll angular velocity of the vehicle about a roll axis, wherein said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle; b. providing for acquiring a measure of lateral velocity of the vehicle, wherein said measure of lateral velocity is directly representative of a lateral velocity of the vehicle; c. providing for generating a signal for controlling a safety restraint system, wherein said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to said measure of roll angular velocity and to said measure of lateral velocity; d. providing for comparing a third measure with a first threshold, wherein said third measure is responsive to said measure of lateral velocity; and e. providing for delaying or inhibiting deployment of said safety restraint system if said third measure is less than said first threshold.
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5. A method of providing for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising:
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a. providing for acquiring a measure of roll angular velocity of the vehicle about a roll axis, wherein said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle; b. providing for acquiring a measure of lateral velocity of the vehicle, wherein said measure of lateral velocity is directly representative of a lateral velocity of the vehicle; c. providing for generating a signal for controlling a safety restraint system, wherein said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to said measure of roll angular velocity and to said measure of lateral velocity; d. providing for acquiring a measure of longitudinal velocity of the vehicle; e. providing for determining a measure of translational velocity of the vehicle, wherein said measure of translational velocity is responsive to said measure of longitudinal velocity and to said measure of lateral velocity; f. providing for comparing a fourth measure with a second threshold, wherein said fourth measure is responsive to said measure of translational velocity; and g. providing for inhibiting deployment of said safety restraint system if said fourth measure is less than said second threshold.
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6. A method of providing for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising:
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a. providing for acquiring a measure of roll angular velocity of the vehicle about a roll axis, wherein said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle; b. providing for acquiring a measure of lateral velocity of the vehicle, wherein said measure of lateral velocity is directly representative of a lateral velocity of the vehicle; c. providing for generating a signal for controlling a safety restraint system, wherein said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to said measure of roll angular velocity and to said measure of lateral velocity; d. providing for determining or acquiring a measure of roll angle from said measure of roll angular velocity; e. providing for determining a threshold function in a phase space of said measure of roll angular velocity and said measure of roll angle; f. providing for modifying said threshold function responsive to said measure of lateral velocity; and g. providing for comparing a measure in phase space with said threshold function, where said measure in phase space comprises a combination of said measure of roll angular velocity and said measure of roll angle, wherein said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to the operation of comparing said measure in phase space with said threshold function. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method of providing for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising:
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a. providing for acquiring a measure of roll angular velocity of the vehicle about a roll axis, wherein said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle; b. providing for acquiring a measure of lateral velocity of the vehicle, wherein said measure of lateral velocity is directly representative of a lateral velocity of the vehicle; c. providing for generating a signal for controlling a safety restraint system, wherein said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to said measure of roll angular velocity and to said measure of lateral velocity; d. generating a fifth measure responsive to said measure of lateral velocity and to at least one of a measure selected from the group comprising said measure of roll angular velocity, a measure of roll angle of the vehicle, a measure of lateral acceleration of the vehicle, a measure of vertical acceleration of the vehicle, a measure of steering wheel angle of the vehicle, a measure of longitudinal speed of the vehicle, and a measure of yaw rate of the vehicle; e. comparing said fifth measure with a third threshold; and f. controlling said safety restraint system responsive to the operation of comparing said fifth measure with said third threshold. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method of providing for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising:
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a. providing for acquiring a measure of roll angular velocity of the vehicle about a roll axis, wherein said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle; b. providing for acquiring a measure of lateral velocity of the vehicle, wherein said measure of lateral velocity is directly representative of a lateral velocity of the vehicle; and c. providing for generating a signal for controlling a safety restraint system, wherein said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to said measure of roll angular velocity and to said measure of lateral velocity, wherein the operation of providing for generating said signal for controlling said safety restraint system comprises; i. providing for acquiring a measure of lateral acceleration of the vehicle; ii. providing for determining a figure of merit responsive to said measure of lateral acceleration and said measure of roll angular velocity; iii. providing for determining a figure of merit threshold responsive to said measure of lateral velocity; and iv. providing for detecting the rollover condition by comparing said figure of merit with said figure of merit threshold. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A method of providing for detecting a rollover condition of a vehicle, comprising:
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a. providing for acquiring a measure of roll angular velocity of the vehicle about a roll axis, wherein said roll axis is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle; b. providing for acquiring a measure of lateral acceleration of the vehicle; c. providing for acquiring at least one of a measure of longitudinal velocity of the vehicle and a measure of yaw angular velocity about a yaw axis; d. providing for determining a measure of a turn radius of the vehicle; e. providing for determining a measure of lateral velocity of the vehicle responsive to said measure of lateral acceleration, to said measure of said turn radius, and to at least one of said measure of longitudinal velocity and said measure of yaw angular velocity; and f. providing for generating a signal for controlling said safety restraint system, wherein said signal for controlling said safety restraint system is responsive to said measure of roll angular velocity and to said measure of lateral velocity. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification