Determination of dynamic axle loads and/or wheel loads of a wheel vehicle

• US 7,340,368 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Mayer, Andreas, Stratesteffen, Martin, Schweiger, Thomas, Fiedler, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Bryan
• Application Number:
  US10/596,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 702/127, 702/141, 702/142, 702/148, 702/145, 702/124, 702/182, 701/69, 701/70, 701/72, 180/197, 180/199
• US Class Current: 702/145
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0521 Roll rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0522 Pitch rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0523 Yaw rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/102 vertical
• 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 2400/61 Load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 Improving accuracy of a sensor signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/06 Wheel load; Wheel lift
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/086 wherein the vehicle mass is dynamically estimated

Abstract

For determination of dynamic axle and/or wheel loads of a wheel vehicle (20), wherein for said wheel vehicle (20), at least two linear transversally oriented with respect to each other accelerations and three rotation rates of a rotation movement around the coordinate axis of the vehicle (20) or of the component of the coordinate axis are respectively measured by a measuring device (1). The three coordinate axes extend transversally with respect to each other and at least one axle load and/or wheel load of the wheel vehicle (20) are determined by means of at least two linear accelerations and three rotation rates with the aid of evaluation device (9).

Claims

1. An arrangement for the determination of the dynamic axle loads and/or the wheel loads of a wheel vehicle, comprising:

a measuring device arranged in the wheel vehicle or which can be arranged in the wheel vehicle, wherein said measuring device being operable to measure at least two linear accelerations of a wheel vehicle oriented transversally with respect to each other and to measure three rotation rates of a rotation movement or of a component of a rotation movement around a coordinate axis of the wheel vehicle, respectively, wherein said three coordinate axes extend transversally with respect to each other, and

an evaluation device, coupled with the measuring device and operable to determine at least one axle load and/or one wheel load by means of the at least two linear accelerations and the three rotation rates.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device has acceleration sensors in order to measure the linear accelerations and rotation rate sensors to measure the three rotation rates, wherein said acceleration sensors and the rotation rate sensors are parts of a prefabricated unit embodied in accordance with equipment engineering so that they can be installed in the wheel vehicle.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device is operable to measure the at least two linear accelerations as linear measured quantities, which do not depend on each other.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device has been embodied in such a way that the three coordinate axes extend vertically with respect to each other in pairs.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein in order to measure the rotation rates and to measure the linear accelerations, the measuring sensors of the measuring device are fitted to a vehicle structure moving relative to a running gear of the motor vehicle.

6. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation device has a computation unit, which is operable to calculate, by using a measured value measured by the measuring device for a linear acceleration oriented transversally to the plane of a vehicle subsurface, at least one part of the axle load and/or a part of the wheel load.

7. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation device has a computation unit, which is operable to calculate, by using the three rotation rates, at least one part of the axle load and/or a part of the wheel load, which is generated by a rotation movement of the wheel vehicle and/or by a rotation movement of a part of the wheel vehicle.

8. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation device has a computation unit, which is operable to calculate the axle load and/or the wheel load, with due consideration of a, in particular damped, suspension (40, 41, 43) between at least one of the wheels (21, 22, 23, 24) of the wheel vehicle and a vehicle structure.

9. A method for the determination of the dynamic axle loads and/or the wheel loads of a wheel vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring in the wheel vehicle at least two linear accelerations of a wheel vehicle oriented transversally with respect to each other and three rotation rates of a rotation movement or of a component of a rotation movement around a coordinate axis of the wheel vehicle, respectively, wherein said three coordinate axes extend transversally with respect to each, and

determining at least one axle load and/or one wheel load of the wheel vehicle, by using the at least two linear accelerations and three rotation rates.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the linear accelerations are measured with acceleration sensors and the rotation rates with rotation rate sensors and wherein said acceleration sensors and the rotation rate sensors are parts of a prefabricated unit embodied in accordance with equipment engineering so that they can be installed in the wheel vehicle.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the at least two linear accelerations are measured as linear measured quantities, which do not depend on each other.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein the three coordinate axes extend vertically with respect to each other in pairs.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein the rotation rates and the linear accelerations are measured as rotation rates and linear accelerations of a vehicle structure moving relative to a running gear of the motor vehicle.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein, by using a measured value measured in the wheel vehicle for a linear acceleration oriented transversally to the plane of a vehicle subsurface, at least one part of the axle load and/or a part of the wheel load is calculated.

15. A method according to claim 9, wherein, by using the three rotation rates, at least one part of the axle load and/or a part of the wheel load is calculated, which is generated by a rotation movement of the wheel vehicle and/or by a rotation movement of a part of the wheel vehicle.

16. A method according to claim 9, wherein, with due consideration of a, in particular damped, suspension between at least one of the wheels of the wheel vehicle and a vehicle structure, the axle load and/or the wheel load is calculated.

17. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of forecasting whether or not a wheel of the wheel vehicle or a plurality of wheels of the wheel vehicle will lose roadholding and thus the grip to a subsurface, by using the calculated at least two axle loads and/or wheel loads.

18. An arrangement for the determination of the dynamic axle loads and/or the wheel loads of a vehicle, comprising:

a measuring device arranged in the center of the vehicle comprising;

at least two linear acceleration sensors oriented transversally with respect to each other, and

three rotation rate sensors for measuring of a rotation movement or of a component of a rotation movement around a coordinate axis of the vehicle, wherein said three coordinate axes extend transversally with respect to each other, and

an evaluation device coupled with the measuring device for determining at least one axle load and/or one wheel load by the at least two linear accelerations and the three rotation rates.

19. An arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the measuring device is arranged in the proximity of the center of gravity of a wheel vehicle.

20. An arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the measuring device is operable to measure the at least two linear accelerations as linear measured quantities, which do not depend on each other.