Roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle

• US 7,463,965 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi FUSO Truck & Bus Corporation (Daimler Truck Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi FUSO Truck & Bus Corporation (Daimler Truck Holding AG)
• Inventors: Sakata, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Diacou; Ari M
• Application Number:
  US10/953,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20050110345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 180/282, 280/5.502, 280/5.506, 280/400, 303/140, 303/146, 340/440, 701/38, 701/45, 701/70, 701/124
• US Class Current: 701/83
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17554 specially adapted for enhancing stability around the vehicles longitudinal axle, i.e. roll-over prevention road vehicle drive control systems for roll-over prevention otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/04

Abstract

The invention provides a roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle wherein appropriate braking force can be applied to a turning outer wheel in response to a situation and a rolling state of the vehicle to suppress otherwise possible roll-over of the vehicle while assuring the traveling performance. A roll parameter value detection section detects a parameter value corresponding to a rolling state of a vehicle, and a turning type decision section decides a type of turning of the vehicle. A roll-over suppressing control section controls a braking mechanism in a predetermined period so that, when the rolling state of the vehicle upon turning of the vehicle is excessive with respect to a first reference state, an amount of braking force corresponding to the magnitude of the roll parameter value and the type of turning. By the control, while the traveling performance of the vehicle is assured, roll-over of the vehicle can be suppressed effectively to assure the stability of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a braking mechanism that brakes left and right wheels of said vehicle separately from each other;

roll parameter value detection means for detecting a parameter value corresponding to a rolling state of said vehicle;

turning type decision means for determining whether a turning mode of said vehicle is in a one-directional turning mode where said vehicle turns only in one direction or a steering back turning mode where a steering wheel of said vehicle is rotated in multiple directions to change the direction of turning of the vehicle; and

roll-over suppressing control means for controlling said braking mechanism to apply braking force only to left or right turning outer wheels, which are the wheels positioned on the outer radius of the vehicle making a turn, when the rolling state of the vehicle upon turning of the vehicle becomes greater than a first reference state,

wherein an amount of braking force applied to only the left or right turning outer wheels depends upon a magnitude of the parameter value detected by said roll parameter value detection means and the turning mode of said vehicle determined by said turning type decision means,

wherein said turning type decision means decides that the vehicle is in the steering back turning mode if a steering wheel angular velocity is equal to or greater than an angular velocity set in advance in the opposite direction to the turning direction, and

wherein said turning type decision means decides that the vehicle is in the one-directional turning mode if the steering wheel angular velocity is lesser than the angular velocity set in advance.

2. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said roll-over suppressing control means ends an application of braking force only to the turning outer wheels when the rolling state of said vehicle upon turning of said vehicle becomes smaller than a second reference state.

3. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein parameters indicative of the rolling state of said vehicle include a roll rate of said vehicle.

4. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein parameters indicative of the rolling state of said vehicle include a lateral acceleration.

5. A roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a braking mechanism that brakes left and right wheels of said vehicle separately from each other;

roll parameter value detection means for detecting a parameter value corresponding to a rolling state of said vehicle;

turning type decision means for determining whether a turning mode of said vehicle is in a one-directional turning mode where said vehicle turns only in one direction or a steering back turning mode where a steering wheel of said vehicle is rotated in multiple directions to change the direction of turning of the vehicle; and

turning type decision means for determining whether a turning mode of said vehicle is in a one-directional turning mode where said vehicle turns only in one direction or a steering back turning mode where a steering wheel of said vehicle is rotated in multiple directions to change the direction of turning of the vehicle; and

roll-over suppressing control means for controlling said braking mechanism so that, if the rolling state of said vehicle upon turning of said vehicle becomes greater than a first reference state, then an amount of braking force, which depends upon a magnitude of the parameter value detected by said roll parameter value detection means and the turning mode of said vehicle determined by said turning type decision means, is applied only to left or right turning outer wheels, which are the wheels positioned on the outer radius of the vehicle making a turn,

wherein said roll-over suppressing control means sets the amount of braking force to be applied only to the turning outer wheels to a maximum value to control said braking mechanism when the magnitude of the parameter value detected by said roll parameter value detection means, upon the turning type decision means determining that vehicle is in the steering back turning mode, is equal to or greater than a first threshold value,

wherein said turning type decision means decides that the vehicle is in the steering back turning mode if a steering wheel angular velocity is equal to or greater than an angular velocity set in advance in the opposite direction to the turning direction, and

wherein said turning type decision means decides that the vehicle is in the one-directional turning mode if the steering wheel angular velocity is lesser than the angular velocity set in advance.

6. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said roll-over suppressing control means performs proportional-integral-differential (PID) control based on the parameter value detected by said roll parameter value detection means upon the turning type decision means determining that vehicle is in the one-directional turning mode to control the amount of braking force to be applied only to the turning outer wheels.

7. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said roll-over suppressing control means ends an application of breaking force only to the turning outer wheels when the rolling state of said vehicle upon turning of said vehicle becomes smaller than a second reference state.

8. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein, when the magnitude of the parameter value detected by said roll parameter value detection means, upon the turning type decision means determining that vehicle is in the steering back turning mode, is lower than the first threshold value but equal to or higher than a second threshold value, which is set in advance as a value lower than the first threshold value, said roll-over suppressing control means sets the amount of braking force to be applied only to the turning outer wheels to a positive fixed value set in advance to control said braking mechanism.

9. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein, when the magnitude of the parameter value detected by said roll parameter value detection means, upon the turning type decision means determining that vehicle is in the steering back turning mode, is lower than the second threshold value but equal to or higher than a third threshold value, which is set in advance as a value lower than the second threshold value, said roll-over suppressing control means controls said braking mechanism to maintain the braking force only to the turning outer wheels.

10. The roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein, when the magnitude of the parameter value detected by said roll parameter value detection means, upon the turning type decision means determining that vehicle is in the steering back turning mode, is lower than the third threshold value, said roll-over suppressing control means sets the amount of braking force to be applied only to the turning outer wheels to a negative fixed value set in advance to control said braking mechanism.

11. A roll-over suppressing control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a braking mechanism that brakes left and right wheels of said vehicle separately from each other;

a roll parameter value detection sensor for detecting a parameter value corresponding to a rolling state of said vehicle;

turning type decision means for determining whether a turning mode of said vehicle is in a one-directional turning mode where said vehicle turns only in one direction or a steering back turning mode where a steering wheel of said vehicle is rotated in multiple directions to change the direction of turning of the vehicle; and

roll-over suppressing control means for controlling said braking mechanism to apply a braking force only to left or right turning outer wheels, which are the wheels positioned on the outer radius of the vehicle making a turn, when the rolling state of the vehicle upon turning of the vehicle becomes greater than a first reference state,

wherein an amount of braking force applied only to the left or right turning outer wheels depends upon a magnitude of the parameter value detected by said roll parameter value detection sensor and the turning mode of said vehicle determined by said turning type decision means,

wherein said turning type decision means decides that the vehicle is in the steering back turning mode if a steering wheel angular velocity is equal to or greater than an angular velocity set in advance in the opposite direction to the turning direction, and

wherein said turning type decision means decides that the vehicle is in the one-directional turning mode if the steering wheel angular velocity is lesser than the angular velocity set in advance.