Wheel lifted and grounded identification for an automotive vehicle

• US 7,109,856 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo, Brewer, Michael Edward, Meyers, Joseph Carr, Brown, Todd Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US10/608,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20040019418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 340/440, 340/438, 340/446, 340/441, 340/465, 701/36, 701/38, 701/40, 701/45, 701/70, 701/80, 701/41, 701/42
• US Class Current: 340/440
• 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 2400/208 of wheel rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/32 Torque on propulsion shaft
• 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 2401/174 Radar
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/28 Gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/012 Rolling condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/0124 Roll-over conditions
• 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 2800/70 : Estimating or calculating vehicle parameters or state variables
• 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 2800/952 : Electronic driving torque distribution
• 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 2021/01122 : Prevention of malfunction
• 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 21/01 : Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• 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 17/22 : Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices
• 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 2270/413 : Plausibility monitoring, cross check, redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/00 : Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force by changing number of effective brake cylinders in power brake systems B60T17/10
• 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 8/175 : Brake regulation specially adapted to prevent excessive wheel spin during vehicle acceleration, e.g. for traction control safety devices for propulsion unit control responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels B60K28/16
• 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 8/241 : Lateral vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/243 : for roll-over protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/246 : Change of direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/885 : using electrical circuitry
• 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) has a first roll condition detector (64A), a second roll condition detector (64B), a third roll condition detector (64C), and a controller (26) that uses the roll condition generated by the roll condition detectors (64A–C) to determine a wheel lift condition. Other roll condition detectors may also be used in the wheel lift determination. The wheel lift conditions may be active or passive or both.

Claims

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

a first roll condition detector generating a first roll condition signal;

a second roll condition detector generating a second roll condition signal;

a third roll condition detector generating a third roll condition signal; and

a controller coupled to the first roll condition detector, the second roll condition detector and the third roll condition detector, said controller determining wheel lift in response to the first roll condition, the second roll condition and the third roll condition.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein first roll condition, said second roll condition and said third roll condition are determined passively.

3. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said controller generates a passive wheel lift status signal.

4. A system as recited in claim 3 wherein said passive wheel lift status signal comprises a plurality of levels.

5. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said controller generates a potential rollover signal in response to the wheel lift signal.

6. A system as recited in claim 5 further comprising a safety device, said controller controlling said safety device in response to said potential rollover signal.

7. A system as recited in claim 6 wherein said safety device comprises at least one 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.

13. A method as recited in claim 5 further comprising determining a fourth roll condition and wherein determining a wheel lift comprises determining a wheel lift in response to the first roll condition, the second roll condition, the third roll condition and the fourth roll condition.

8. A method for controlling an automotive vehicle having an axle and wheels comprising:

determining a first roll condition;

determining a second roll condition;

determining a third roll condition; and

generating a wheel lift status signal in response to the first roll condition, the second roll condition and the third roll condition.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein determining the first roll condition comprises:

measuring a roll rate;

measuring a vehicle lateral acceleration; and

determining a relative roll angle in response to the vehicle roll rate and the vehicle lateral acceleration.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 further comprising determining a wheel departure angle in response to the vehicle roll rate and the vehicle lateral acceleration.

11. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein determining a second roll condition comprises determining a rolling radiusbased wheel departure roll angle.

12. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein determining a third roll condition comprises determining a normal loading at each wheel.

14. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein determining a fourth roll condition comprises calculating an actual road torque.

15. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising determining a fifth roll condition and wherein determining a wheel lift comprises determining a wheel lift in response to the first roll condition, the second roll condition, the third roll condition, the fourth roll condition and the fifth roll condition.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein determining comprises determining a fifth roll condition comprises determining a wheel longitudinal slip.