Rollover determination system and method

• US 7,213,670 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2002
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iyoda, Motomi, Nagao, Tomoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FREEDMAN, LAURA
• Application Number:
  US10/483,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20050257981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 180/282, 280/735, 340/440, 701/45, 701/301
• US Class Current: 180/282
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01027 Safing sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01306 monitoring vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal

Abstract

A rollover determination system 20 includes a first roll rate sensor 22, a lateral G-sensor 26, and a main rollover determination unit 30. The first roll rate sensor 22 detects roll rate of a vehicle. The lateral G-sensor 26 detects acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle. The main rollover determination unit 30 determines a possibility of rollover of the vehicle based on roll rate RR and lateral acceleration Gy. A safing determination unit 70 for confirming an occurrence of rollover is additionally incorporated in the main rollover determination unit 30.

Claims

1. A rollover determination system comprising:

a first roll rate sensor that detects a first roll rate of a vehicle;

a second roll rate sensor that detects a second roll rate of the vehicle;

a lateral acceleration sensor that detects a lateral acceleration of the vehicle in a lateral direction of the vehicle; and

a controller that makes a first determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle on the basis of at least one of the first roll rate detected by the first roll rate sensor and the second roll rate detected by the second roll rate sensor together with the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration sensor, wherein the first roll rate sensor and the second roll rate sensor are arranged to detect a rotational angular velocity about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and the controller makes, in parallel to the first determination, a second determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle on the basis of one of the first roll rate and the second roll rate.

2. A rollover determination system according to claim 1, wherein the controller makes the first determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle on the basis of the first roll rate the second roll rate, and the lateral acceleration.

3. A rollover determination system according to claim 2, wherein the second determination determines whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle on the basis of the first roll rate and the second roll rate.

4. A rollover determination system according to claim 3, wherein the controller makes the first determination and the second determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle in parallel in accordance with at least one map indicating a relationship between two parameters selected from the first roll rate, the second roll rate, a roll angle obtained by integrating the first roll rate with respect to time, a roll angle obtained by integrating the second roll rate with respect to time, and the lateral acceleration.

5. A rollover determination system according to claim 1, wherein the controller makes the first determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle in accordance with at least one map indicating a relationship between two parameters selected from the first roll rate, the second roll rate, a roll angle obtained by integrating the first roll rate or the second roll rate with respect to time, and the lateral acceleration.

6. A rollover determination system according to claim 5, wherein the controller makes the first determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle by determining whether the first roll rate or the second roll rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value within a predetermined time period.

7. A method of determining a rollover comprising the steps of:

detecting a first roll rate of a vehicle,

detecting a second roll rate of the vehicle;

detecting a lateral acceleration of the vehicle in a lateral direction of the vehicle, and

determining a first determination of whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle on the basis of at least one of the first roll rate and the second roll rate together with the lateral acceleration, wherein the first and second roll rates are detected by measuring a rotational angular velocity about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, in parallel to the first determination, determining a second determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle on the basis of one of the first roll rate and the second roll rate.

8. A method of determining a rollover according to claim 7, wherein in the first determination it is determined whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle on the basis of the first roll rate, the second roll rate, and the lateral acceleration.

9. A method of determining a rollover according to claim 8, wherein the second determination determines whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle on the basis of the first roll rate and the second roll rate.

10. A method of determining a rollover according to claim 9, wherein the first determination and the second determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle are made in parallel in accordance with at least one map indicating a relationship between two parameters selected from the first roll rate, the second roll rate, a roll angle obtained by integrating the first roll rate with respect to time, a roll angle obtained by integrating the second roll rate with respect to time, and the lateral acceleration.

11. A method of determining a rollover according to claim 7, wherein the first determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle is made in accordance with at least one map indicating a relationship between two parameters selected from the first roll rate, the second roll rate, a roll angle obtained by integrating the first roll rate with respect to time, a roll angle obtained by integrating the second roll rate with respect to time, and the lateral acceleration.

12. A method of determining a rollover according to claim 11, wherein the first determination whether there is a possibility of rollover of the vehicle is made by determining whether the first roll rate or the second roll rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value within a predetermined time period measured from detection of the roll rate.