Rollover judging device

• US 7,925,395 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nexgen Control Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Tokunaga, Takashi, Furui, Takashi, Yamashita, Toshiyuki, Harase, Shinichi, Inoue, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US11/922,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20090118892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/45, 701/46, 701/91, 701/93, 701/41, 280/5.502, 280/5.506, 280/5.507
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0133 by integrating the amplitude of the input signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01332 by frequency or waveform analysis
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 related to roll-over prevention

Abstract

A rollover judging device adjusts the magnitude of an angular velocity component ω of a vehicle in a direction of a rollover, which is measured by an angular velocity sensor 1, by using an ω adjusting unit 3c on the basis of an acceleration component of the vehicle in its rightward or leftward direction or in its upward or downward direction, which is measured by an acceleration sensor 2, calculates an angle component θo by integrating with respect to time this adjusted angular velocity component ωo by using an integrator 3d, carries out predetermined multiplication and addition processes by using a judging means 4 on the basis of this angle component θo and the measured angular velocity component ω, and, when the result of this addition process exceeds a preset threshold Th, outputs a signal indicating judgment of occurrence of a rollover to an air bag control device 5.

Claims

1. A rollover judging device comprising:

an angular velocity sensor for measuring an angular velocity component of a vehicle in a direction of a rollover of the vehicle;

an acceleration sensor for measuring either of at least an acceleration component of the vehicle in a rightward or leftward direction and an acceleration component of the vehicle in an upward or downward direction;

an integration processor for adjusting a magnitude of the angular velocity component measured by said angular velocity sensor on a basis of the acceleration component measured by said acceleration sensor, and for calculating an angle component by integrating with respect to time said adjusted angular velocity component; and

a judging unit for multiplying the angular velocity component measured by said angular velocity sensor and the angle component calculated by said integration processor by preset weighting factors, respectively, and for outputting a signal indicating judgment of occurrence of a rollover when an absolute value of a sum of said components multiplied by the preset weighting factors, respectively, exceeds a preset threshold.

2. The rollover judging device according to claim 1,

wherein the integration processor includes a filter for extracting an acceleration component in a preset specific oscillation region from the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor,

wherein said integration processor adjusts the angular velocity component based on a magnitude of said extracted acceleration component such that the integration processor reduces the angular velocity component when the acceleration component extracted by said filter is larger than a preset threshold.

3. The rollover judging device according to claim 2,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein the integration processor continues a state in which it reduces the angular velocity component for said fixed time interval after said acceleration component becomes smaller than said threshold.

4. The rollover judging device according to claim 1, wherein the integration processor adjusts the angular velocity component based on a magnitude of said measured acceleration component such that the integration processor increases the angular velocity component when the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor is larger than a preset threshold.

5. The rollover judging device according to claim 4,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein the integration processor continues a state in which it increases the angular velocity component for said fixed time interval after said acceleration component becomes smaller than said threshold.

6. The rollover judging device according to claim 1,

wherein the integration processor includes a velocity component calculating unit for calculating a velocity component by integrating with respect to time the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor, and,

wherein said integration processor adjusts the angular velocity component based on a magnitude of said calculated velocity component such that the integration processor increases the angular velocity component when the velocity component calculated by the velocity component calculating unit is larger than a preset threshold.

7. The rollover judging device according to claim 6,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein the integration processor continues a state in which it increases the angular velocity component for said fixed time interval after said velocity component becomes smaller than said threshold.

8. A rollover judging device comprising:

an angular velocity sensor for measuring an angular velocity component of a vehicle in a direction of a rollover of the vehicle;

an acceleration sensor for measuring either of at least an acceleration component of the vehicle in a rightward or leftward direction and an acceleration component of the vehicle in an upward or downward direction;

an integration processor for adjusting an amount of return used for integral value return-to-zero processing on a basis of the acceleration component measured by said acceleration sensor, for calculating an angle component by integrating with respect to time the angular velocity component measured by said angular velocity sensor, and for carrying out a process of returning an integral value obtained through said time integration to zero using said adjusted amount of return after a lapse of a fixed time interval after the calculation; and

a judging unit for multiplying the angular velocity component measured by said angular velocity sensor and the angle component calculated by said integration processor by preset weighting factors, respectively, and for outputting a signal indicating judgment of occurrence of a rollover when an absolute value of a sum of said components multiplied by the preset weighting factors, respectively, exceeds a preset threshold.

9. The rollover judging device according to claim 8, wherein when performing the process of returning the integral value obtained through said time integration to zero, the integration processor subtracts the adjusted amount of return from said integral value when said integral value is positive, whereas when said integral value is negative, the integration processor adds the adjusted amount of return to said integral value.

10. The rollover judging device according to claim 8,

wherein the integration processor includes a filter for extracting an acceleration component in a preset specific oscillation region from the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor, and,

wherein said integration processor adjusts the amount of return based on a magnitude of said extracted acceleration component such that the integration processor increases the amount of return when the acceleration component extracted by said filter is larger than a preset threshold.

11. The rollover judging device according to claim 10,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein the integration processor continues a state in which it increases the amount of return for said fixed time interval after said acceleration component becomes smaller than said threshold.

12. The rollover judging device according to claim 8, wherein the integration processor adjusts the amount of return based on a magnitude of said measured acceleration component, such that the integration processor reduces the amount of return when the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor is larger than a preset threshold.

13. The rollover judging device according to claim 12,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein the integration processor continues a state in which it reduces the amount of return for said fixed time interval after said acceleration component becomes smaller than said threshold.

14. The rollover judging device according to claim 8, wherein the integration processor includes a velocity component calculating unit for calculating a velocity component by integrating with respect to time the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor, and,

wherein said integration processor adjusts the amount of return based on a magnitude of said calculated velocity component such that the integration processor reduces the amount of return when the velocity component calculated by the velocity component calculating unit is larger than a preset threshold.

15. The rollover judging device according to claim 14,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein the integration processor continues a state in which it reduces the amount of return for said fixed time interval after said velocity component becomes smaller than said threshold.

16. A rollover judging device comprising:

an angular velocity sensor for measuring an angular velocity component of a vehicle in a direction of a rollover of the vehicle;

an acceleration sensor for measuring either of at least an acceleration component of the vehicle in a rightward or leftward direction and an acceleration component of the vehicle in an upward or downward direction;

an integration processor for calculating an angle component by integrating with respect to time the angular velocity component measured by said acceleration sensor, and for adjusting a magnitude of said calculated angle component on a basis of the acceleration component measured by said acceleration sensor, and for outputting said adjusted angle component; and

a judging unit for multiplying the angular velocity component measured by said angular velocity sensor and the angle component calculated by said integration processor by preset weighting factors, respectively, and for outputting a signal indicating judgment of occurrence of a rollover when an absolute value of a sum of said components multiplied by the preset weighting factors, respectively, exceeds a preset threshold.

17. The rollover judging device according to claim 16,

wherein the integration processor includes a filter for extracting an acceleration component in a preset specific oscillation region from the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor, and,

wherein said integration processor adjusts the angle component based on a magnitude of said extracted acceleration component such that the integration processor reduces the angle component when the acceleration component extracted by said filter is larger than a preset threshold.

18. The rollover judging device according to claim 17,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein said integration processor continues a state in which it reduces the angle component for said fixed time interval after said acceleration component becomes smaller than said threshold.

19. The rollover judging device according to claim 16, wherein the integration processor adjusts the angle component based on a magnitude of said measured acceleration component such that the integration processor increases the angle component when the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor is larger than a preset threshold.

20. The rollover judging device according to claim 19,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein said integration processor continues a state in which it increases the angle component for said fixed time interval after said acceleration component becomes smaller than said threshold.

21. The rollover judging device according to claim 16,

wherein the integration processor includes a velocity component calculating unit for calculating a velocity component by integrating with respect to time the acceleration component measured by the acceleration sensor, and,

wherein said integration processor adjusts the angle component based on a magnitude of said calculated velocity component such that the integration processor increases the angle component when the velocity component calculated by the velocity component calculating unit is larger than a preset threshold.

22. The rollover judging device according to claim 21,

wherein the integration processor includes a timer unit for measuring a preset fixed time interval, and,

wherein said integration processor continues a state in which it increases the angle component for said fixed time interval after said velocity component becomes smaller than said threshold.