Trailer presence detection system and method

• US 7,394,354 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH), Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Yu, Jingsheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie Bichngoc
• Application Number:
  US11/050,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/431
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/58 Auxiliary devices

Abstract

A system and method of detecting a vehicle trailer. The method includes sensing a first vehicle condition that indicates a movement of the vehicle, and sensing a second vehicle condition that indicates an angle of the vehicle. The method also includes determining a disturbance from the movement and the angle of the vehicle, and detecting a trailer presence when the determined disturbance is above a threshold.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a vehicle trailer adapted to be connected at a hitch of a towing vehicle, the method comprising:

modeling a plurality of dynamics of the towing vehicle;

determining a plurality of hitch force values from the modeled dynamics of the towing vehicle;

summing the determined hitch force values; and

detecting a trailer presence when the sum of the hitch force values exceeds a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dynamics of the towing vehicle are modeled with one of a linear bicycle model, a single-track model, a two-track model, and a non-linear bicycle model.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dynamics of the towing vehicle comprise at least two of a wheel speed, a steering angle, a mass, a yaw rate, a body slip angle, a moment of inertia around a center point, a cornering stiffness of a front tire, a cornering stiffness of a rear tire, a distance between the front tire and the center point, a second distance between the rear tire and the center point, and a distance between the rear tire and the hitch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of hitch force values comprises:

sensing a vehicle condition indicative of a yaw rate of the towing vehicle;

determining a yaw rate estimate; and

comparing the yaw rate estimate with the sensed yaw rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of hitch force values comprises:

sensing a vehicle condition indicative of a body slip angle of the towing vehicle;

determining a body slip angle estimate; and

comparing the body slip angle estimate with the sensed body slip angle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising finding at least one of a convergence of a yaw rate estimate, a second convergence of a body slip angle, and a convergence of the plurality of hitch force values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein summing the determined hitch force values comprises adjusting the determined hitch force values based on a plurality of wheel torques including an engine driving torque and a brake torque.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein summing the determined hitch force values comprises integrating the determined hitch force values over a period of time.

9. A system for detecting a vehicle trailer adapted to be connected at a hitch of a towing vehicle, the system comprising:

means for modeling a plurality of dynamics of the towing vehicle;

means for determining a plurality of hitch force values based at least in part on the modeled dynamics;

means for determining a sum of the determined hitch force values; and

means for detecting a trailer presence when the sum exceeds a threshold.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of dynamics are modeled with one of a linear bicycle model, a single-track model, a two-track model, and a non-linear bicycle model.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of dynamics of the towing vehicle comprise at least two of a wheel speed, a steering angle, a mass, a yaw rate, a body slip angle, a moment of inertia around a center point, a cornering stiffness of a front tire, a cornering stiffness of a rear tire, a distance between the front tire and the center point, a second distance between the rear tire and the center point, and a distance between the rear tire and the hitch.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein means for determining a plurality of hitch force values comprises:

means for sensing a vehicle condition indicative of a yaw rate of the towing vehicle;

means for determining a yaw rate estimate; and

means for comparing the yaw rate estimate with the sensed yaw rate.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein means for determining a plurality of hitch force values comprises:

means for sensing a vehicle condition indicative of a body slip angle of the towing vehicle;

means for determining a body slip angle estimate; and

means for comparing the body slip angle estimate with the sensed body slip angle.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for finding at least one of a convergence of a yaw rate estimate, a second convergence of a body slip angle, and a convergence of the plurality of hitch force values.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for determining a sum of the determined hitch force values comprises means for adjusting the determined hitch force values based on a plurality of wheel torques including an engine driving torque and a brake torque.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for determining a sum of the determined hitch force values comprises means for integrating the determined hitch force values over a period of time.

17. A method of detecting a vehicle trailer adapted to be connected at a hitch of a towing vehicle, the method comprising:

sensing a first vehicle condition indicative of a movement of the towing vehicle;

sensing a second vehicle condition indicative of an angle of the towing vehicle;

determining a disturbance at the hitch based on data including at least the movement of the vehicle, the angle of the vehicle, and a cornering stiffness of a front tire; and

detecting a trailer presence when the determined disturbance at the hitch is above a threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the data further includes a cornering stiffness of a rear tire.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the data further includes a distance between a front tire and a center point.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the data further includes a distance between a rear tire and a center point.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the data further includes a distance between a rear tire and the hitch of the towing vehicle.