System and method for characterizing the road bank for vehicle roll stability control

• US 7,085,639 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo, Brown, Todd Allen, Samuel, Stephen Varghese
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US10/610,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/38, 701/45, 701/72, 701/75, 180/197, 280/755, 303/146
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0162 mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• 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: B60G 2300/026 Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0521 Roll rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0523 Yaw rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/106 longitudinal with regard to vehicle, e.g. braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/41 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/4122 Neutral position detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/61 Load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/12 Strain gauge
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/28 Gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/012 Rolling condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/0194 transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/215 by applying a braking action on each wheel individually
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/24 Steering, cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 Improving accuracy of a sensor signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/85 System Prioritisation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/91 Suspension Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9122 : ARS - Anti-Roll System Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9124 : Roll-over protection systems, e.g. for warning or control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/92 : ABS - Brake Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/922 : EBV - Electronic brake force distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/925 : Airbag deployment systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/96 : ASC - Assisted or power Steering control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/962 : Four-wheel steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0233 : Vehicle tilting, overturning or roll over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 : Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01313 : monitoring the vehicle steering system or the dynamic control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 : comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 : responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/22 : Banked curves
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 : Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/06 : Wheel load; Wheel lift
• 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 8/1755 : 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/243 : for roll-over protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 : related to roll-over prevention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 : computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence

Abstract

A control system (18) for an automotive vehicle (10) having a vehicle body has a roll angular rate sensor (34) generating a roll angular rate signal corresponding to an roll angular motion of the vehicle body. A controller (26) is coupled to roll rate sensor and a plurality of sensors. The controller (26) generates a linear road bank angle, first reference bank angle and a relative roll angle in response to the roll angle generator and the plurality of sensor signals. The controller (26) determines a first reference bank angle and generates a second reference bank angle in response to linear bank angle and a first reference bank angle, a bank angle adjustment factor. The bank angle adjustment is a function of a relative roll angle estimate. The controller (26) controls the safety system in response to the second reference bank angle estimate.

Claims

1. A control system for an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body comprising:

a roll angle generator generating a relative roll angle signal;

a plurality of sensors generating a plurality of sensor signals;

a safety system; and

a controller coupled to roll angle generator and the plurality of sensors, said controller generating a linear road bank angle, first reference bank angle and a relative roll angle in response to the roll angle generator and the plurality of sensor signals, said controller determining a first reference road bank angle and generating a second reference road bank angle in response to the linear road bank angle, the first reference road bank angle and a bank angle adjustment factor, said controller generating said bank angle adjustment factor as a function of the relative roll angle, said controller controlling the safety system in response to the second reference road bank angle estimate.

2. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll angle generator comprises a roll rate sensor.

3. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the safety device comprises one selected from the group consisting of an active brake control system, an active rear steering system, an active front steering system, an active anti-roll bar system, and an active suspension system.

4. A method for controlling an automotive vehicle comprising:

determining a linear road bank angle;

determining a first reference road bank angle;

determining a bank angle adjustment factor as a function of a relative roll angle;

generating a second reference road bank angle in response to the linear bank angle and the first reference road bank angle and the bank angle adjustment factor; and

controlling a safety system in response to the second reference road bank angle.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the linear road bank angle is a difference between a global roll estimate and the relative roll angle.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein the ramp rate is a function of a camber turn ramp rate.

7. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein the ramp rate is a function of a maximum ramp rate.

8. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein said bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a ramp rate.

9. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a static roll boundary.

10. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a dynamic roll boundary.

11. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a pitch uncertainty rate.

12. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a static roll boundary, dynamic roll boundary, the relative roll estimate, a loop time and a maximum ramp rate and a pitch uncertainty rate.

13. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising measuring a pitch rate;

and

adjusting the second reference road bank angle as a function of pitch rate.

14. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising measuring a pitch rate;

and

adjusting the second reference road bank angle as a function of pitch rate and a wheel lift status.

15. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising measuring a pitch rate;

and

adjusting the second reference road bank angle as a function of pitch rate, a wheel lift status and a convergent or non-convergent condition.

16. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising adjusting the second reference road bank angle in response to an absolutely grounded condition.

17. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising generating a wheel departure angle as a function of the second reference road bank angle and in response to an absolutely grounded condition.

18. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the second reference road bank angle is determined as a function of roll acceleration.

19. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the second reference road bank angle is determined as a function of lateral acceleration.

20. A method controlling an automotive vehicle comprising:

determining a linear road bank angle;

determining a first reference road bank angle;

determining whether the vehicle is operating in a linear roll region, a transitional roll region or a divergent roll region;

when the vehicle is operating in the linear roll region, generating a second reference road bank angle in response to a global roll and a linear bank angle adjustment factor;

determining a bank angle adjustment as a function of a relative roll angle;

when the vehicle is operating in the transitional roll region, generating the second reference road bank angle in response to the first reference bank angle and the bank angle adjustment factor;

when the vehicle is operating in the divergent region, holding constant the first reference road bank angle; and

controlling a safety system in response to the second reference road bank angle.

21. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein determining whether the vehicle is operating in a linear roll region, a transitional roll region or a divergent roll region is performed in response to a relative roll angle.

22. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein determining whether the vehicle is operating in a linear roll region, a transitional roll region or a divergent roll region comprises determining a roll angle;

and

comparing the roll angle to a dynamic roll boundary and a static roll boundary.

23. A method as recited in claim 22 wherein when the roll angle is below the dynamic roll boundary, setting a region as a linear region.

24. A method as recited in claim 22 wherein when the roll angle is above the static roll boundary, setting a region as a divergent roll region.

25. A method as recited in claim 22 wherein when the roll angle is between the dynamic roll boundary and the static roll boundary, setting a region as a transitional roll region.

26. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the linear road bank angle is a difference between a global roll estimate and a relative roll angle estimate.

27. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein said bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a ramp rate.

28. A method as recited in claim 27 wherein the ramp rate is a function of a camber turn ramp rate.

29. A method as recited in claim 27 wherein the ramp rate is a function of a maximum ramp rate.

30. A method as recited in claim 27 wherein the bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a static roll boundary.

31. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a dynamic roll boundary.

32. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a pitch uncertainty rate.

33. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the bank angle adjustment factor is a function of a static roll boundary, dynamic roll boundary, the relative roll estimate, a loop time and a maximum ramp rate and a pitch uncertainty rate.

34. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising measuring a pitch rate;

and

adjusting the second reference road bank angle as a function of pitch rate.

35. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising measuring a pitch rate;

and

adjusting the second reference road bank angle as a function of pitch rate and a wheel lift status.

36. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising measuring a pitch rate;

and

adjusting the second reference road bank angle as a function of pitch rate, a wheel lift status and a convergent or non-convergent condition.

37. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising adjusting the second reference road bank angle in response to an absolutely grounded condition.

38. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising generating a wheel departure angle as a function of the second reference road bank angle and in response to an absolutely grounded condition.

39. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the second reference road bank angle is determined as a function of roll acceleration.

40. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the second reference road bank angle is determined as a function of lateral acceleration.

41. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein activating a safety device comprises one selected from the group consisting of an active brake control system, an active rear steering system, an active front steering system, an active anti-roll bar system, and an active suspension system.