Roll stability indicator for vehicle rollover control

• US 7,788,007 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2006
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Chen, Cheng-Foo, Moshchuk, Nikolai K., Chen, Shih-Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CUONG H
• Application Number:
  US11/330,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20070162202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 701/38, 701/69, 701/41, 180/197, 180/199, 180/271, 180/282, 280/5.5, 280/735, 104/284, 340/440
• US Class Current: 701/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9124 Roll-over protection systems, e.g. for warning or control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 related to roll-over prevention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/11 Pitch movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/112 Roll movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/114 Yaw movement

Abstract

A system and method for providing a vehicle roll stability indicator that estimates the propensity for vehicle rollover. The system determines vehicle kinematics from vehicle sensors, such as roll rate, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, vehicle speed, etc. From these kinematic values, the system estimates a roll angle of the vehicle and a bank angle of the vehicle. From the estimated bank angle, the system provides a corrected roll angle. From the corrected roll angle, the system determines a roll energy of the vehicle and a roll energy rate of the vehicle. From the roll energy and the roll energy rate, the system calculates a roll stability indicator that defines the potential that the vehicle will tip-up or roll over. From the roll stability indicator, vehicle stability control systems can take suitable action.

Claims

1. A method for generating a roll stability indicator for indicating a likelihood that a vehicle will tip-up or rollover, said method comprising:

providing a roll rate signal of the roll rate of the vehicle;

providing a yaw rate signal of the yaw rate of the vehicle;

providing a lateral acceleration signal of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle;

providing a speed signal of the speed of the vehicle;

providing a hand-wheel angle signal of the angle of the hand-wheel of the vehicle;

estimating a roll angle signal of the vehicle based on one or more of the roll rate signal, the yaw rate signal, the lateral acceleration signal, the speed signal and the hand-wheel angle signal;

estimating a bank angle signal of the vehicle from one or more of the roll rate signal, the yaw rate signal, the lateral acceleration signal, the vehicle speed signal and the hand-wheel angle signal;

correcting the roll angle signal based on the estimated bank angle signal to provide a corrected roll angle signal;

calculating a roll energy signal based on the corrected roll angle signal;

calculating a roll energy rate signal based on the roll energy signal;

determining a critical energy signal and a critical energy rate signal; and

calculating the roll stability indicator based on the roll energy signal, the roll energy rate signal, the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein calculating the roll stability indicator also includes using speed-dependant constants.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the speed-dependent constants are provided in a look-up table for different vehicle speeds.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein calculating the roll stability indicator includes using the equation:

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein calculating the roll energy signal includes using the equation:

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein calculating the roll energy rate signal includes using the equation:

Ė

={dot over (φ

)}Q

where Ė

is the roll energy rate signal, {dot over (φ

)} is the derivative of the roll angle signal and Q is a generalized force on the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal includes determining the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal experimentally by vehicle testing.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein estimating a roll angle signal and estimating a bank angle signal includes using a GPS signal.

9. A method for generating a roll stability indicator for indicating a likelihood that a vehicle will tip-up or roll over, said method comprising:

providing vehicle kinematics signals;

estimating a roll angle signal of the vehicle from the vehicle kinematics signals;

calculating a roll energy signal based on the estimated roll angle signal;

calculating a roll energy rate signal based on the roll energy signal; and

calculating the roll stability indicator using the roll energy signal and the roll energy rate signal.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising determining a critical energy signal and a critical energy rate signal, wherein calculating the roll stability indicator includes also using the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein determining the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal includes determining the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal experimentally by vehicle testing.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein calculating the roll stability indicator also includes using speed-dependent constants.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the speed-dependent constants are provided in a look-up table for different vehicle speeds.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein calculating the roll stability indicator includes using the equation:

15. The method according to claim 9 wherein calculating the roll energy signal includes using the equation:

16. The method according to claim 9 wherein calculating the roll energy rate signal includes using the equation:

Ė

={dot over (φ

)}Q

where Ė

is the roll energy rate signal, {dot over (φ

)} is the derivative of the roll angle signal and Q is a generalized force on the vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 9 wherein estimating the roll angle signal includes using a GPS signal.

18. The method according to claim 9 wherein providing vehicle kinematics signals includes providing vehicle kinematic signals from one or more of a roll rate sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor and a vehicle hand-wheel angle sensor.

19. A system for generating a roll stability indicator that indicates a likelihood that a vehicle will tip-up or roll over, said system including a plurality of vehicle sensors for providing vehicle kinematics information and computer-executable instructions for:

estimating a roll angle signal of the vehicle from the vehicle kinematics information;

calculating a roll energy signal based on the estimated roll angle signal;

calculating a roll energy rate signal based on the roll energy signal; and

calculating the roll stability indicator using the roll energy signal and the roll energy rate signal.

20. The system according to claim 19 further comprising determining a critical energy signal and a critical energy rate signal, wherein calculating the roll stability indicator uses the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal.

21. The system according to claim 20 wherein determining the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal includes determining the critical energy signal and the critical energy rate signal experimentally by vehicle testing.

22. The system according to claim 20 wherein calculating the roll stability indicator uses speed-dependent constants.

23. The system according to claim 22 wherein the speed-dependent constants are provided in a look-up table for different vehicle speeds.

24. The system according to claim 22 wherein calculating the roll stability indicator uses the equation:

25. The system according to claim 19 wherein calculating a roll energy signal uses the equation:

26. The system according to claim 19 wherein calculating the roll energy rate signal uses the equation:

Ė

={dot over (φ

)}Q

where Ė

is the roll energy rate signal, {dot over (φ

)} is the derivative of the roll angle signal and Q is a generalized force on the vehicle.

27. The system according to claim 19 wherein estimating a roll angle signal and estimating a bank angle signal includes using a GPS signal.

28. The system according to claim 19 wherein the vehicle kinematics signals include vehicle kinematic signals from one or more of a roll rate sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor and a vehicle hand-wheel angle sensor.