Method and device for ascertaining the center-of-gravity height of a vehicle

• US 7,263,436 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2003
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Verhagen, Armin, Arndt, Dietmar
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/681,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20040133338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/38, 701/65, 701/72, 701/124, 180/172, 180/282, 180/290, 180/271, 340/440, 340/443, 702173-175
• US Class Current: 701/124
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01908 Acceleration or inclination sensors characterised by the use of gyroscopes B60G21/08
• 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 2300/08 Agricultural vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0511 Roll angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0521 Roll rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0531 Roll acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/63 Location of the center of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/82 Ground surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/02 Retarders, delaying means, dead zones, threshold values, cut-off frequency, timer interruption
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/0194 transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 Improving accuracy of a sensor signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0233 Vehicle tilting, overturning or roll over
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• 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: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration

Abstract

A method and the associated device for ascertaining the center-of-gravity height of a motor vehicle, in which

• • a variable representing the rolling motion of the vehicle about its roll axis oriented in the vehicle longitudinal direction is ascertained,
  • a variable representing the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is ascertained,
  • the center-of-gravity height is ascertained from the variable representing the rolling motion and the variable representing the lateral acceleration,
  • the center-of-gravity height is ascertained only in predefined driving conditions,
  • the change in the roll rate per unit of time entering into the ascertainment of the predefined driving conditions.

Claims

1. A method for ascertaining a center-of-gravity height of a motor vehicle, comprising:

ascertaining a variable representing a rolling motion of the vehicle about its roll axis oriented in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

ascertaining a variable representing a lateral acceleration of the vehicle; and

ascertaining the center-of-gravity height as a function of the variable representing the rolling motion and the variable representing the lateral acceleration, the center-of-gravity height being ascertained only in predefined driving conditions, the predefined driving conditions being a function of a change in a roll rate per unit of time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the variable representing the rolling motion is the roll rate, the roll rate being a change in a roll angle per unit of time.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising ascertaining the roll rate and, by an integration of the roll rate over time, ascertaining the roll angle, the center-of-gravity height being ascertained as a further function of the roll angle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the variable representing the rolling motion is a roll angle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ascertaining of the center-of-gravity height includes ascertaining a product of a mass of a payload of the vehicle and a center-of-gravity height of the payload.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising ascertaining the predefined driving conditions as a further function of the variable representing the lateral acceleration.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the center-of-gravity height is ascertained only in those driving conditions in which an amount of the change in the roll rate per unit of time is less than a factor multiplied by an amount of the variable representing the lateral acceleration.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising ascertaining whether a road surface has a gradient in a vehicle transverse direction, the center-of-gravity height being ascertained only in the case of a roadway which is one of (a) not inclined and (b) only negligibly inclined in the vehicle transverse direction.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the center-of-gravity height is ascertained as a further function of an estimated mass of the vehicle.

10. A method for ascertaining a center-of-gravity height of a motor vehicle, comprising:

ascertaining a variable representing a rolling motion of the vehicle about its roll axis oriented in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

ascertaining a variable representing a lateral acceleration of the vehicle; and

ascertaining the center-of-gravity height as a function of the variable representing the rolling motion and the variable representing the lateral acceleration, the center-of-gravity height being ascertained only in predefined driving conditions, the predefined driving conditions being a function of a change in a roll rate per unit of time,

wherein the variable representing the rolling motion is the roll rate, the roll rate being a change in a roll angle per unit of time, and wherein the center-of-gravity height is ascertained considering at least two driving conditions in which the roll rate has a substantially disappearing value, as a further function of a change in the roll angle between the two driving conditions and a change in the variable representing the lateral acceleration between the two driving conditions.

11. A device for ascertaining a center-of-gravity height of a motor vehicle, comprising:

first sensor means for ascertaining a variable representing a rolling motion of the vehicle about its roll axis oriented in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

second sensor means for ascertaining a variable representing a lateral acceleration of the vehicle; and

ascertainment means for ascertaining the center-of-gravity height as a function of the variable representing the rolling motion and the variable representing the lateral acceleration, the center-of-gravity height being ascertained only in predefined driving conditions, the predefined driving conditions being a function of a change in a roll rate per unit of time.