Reconfigurable structure method of estimating vehicle lateral velocity

• US 8,041,491 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tan, Hualin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Shelley
• Application Number:
  US11/874,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20090105900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33
• US Class Current: 701/71
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0162 mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0514 Wheel angle detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0523 Yaw rate
• 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 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/2042 Lateral speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/41 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/1871 Optimal control; Kalman Filters
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/212 Transversal; Side-slip during cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 Improving accuracy of a sensor signal

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product is provided for estimating the lateral velocity of a vehicle. The method comprises providing a plurality of estimation structures, each estimation structure corresponding to one of a plurality of dynamic regions in which a vehicle may operate, determining in which of the plurality of dynamic regions the vehicle is operating to identify a first dynamic region, and generating a first regional lateral velocity estimation from a first estimation structure corresponding to the first dynamic region.

Claims

1. A method of estimating a vehicle lateral velocity, comprising:

providing at least three estimation structures, each estimation structure corresponding to one of at least three dynamic regions in which a vehicle may operate, the at least three dynamic regions comprising a low lateral velocity region, a linear region, and a nonlinear region;

determining in which of the at least three dynamic regions the vehicle is operating to identify a first dynamic region; and

generating a first regional lateral velocity estimation from a first estimation structure corresponding to the first dynamic region.

2. The method of claim 1, further including

providing an information transfer scheme between the first estimation structure, a second estimation structure corresponding to a second dynamic region, and a third estimation structure corresponding to a third dynamic region;

and

implementing the information transfer scheme to generate an overall estimation of the vehicle lateral velocity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information transfer scheme combines data obtained from the first regional lateral velocity estimation with data obtained from a second regional lateral velocity estimation from the second estimation structure and with data obtained from a third regional lateral velocity estimation from the third estimation structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining in which of the at least three dynamic regions the vehicle is operating further includes obtaining a plurality of operational parameters of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of operational parameters includes a yaw rate, a road wheel angle, a vehicle speed, a longitudinal acceleration, and a lateral acceleration.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the information transfer scheme utilizes at least a portion of the first regional lateral velocity estimation as an initial value for the second regional lateral velocity estimation.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first, second, and third estimation structures further include first, second, and third mathematical models representing the first, second, and third dynamic regions.

8. A system for estimating a vehicle lateral velocity, comprising:

a processor having a plurality of sensors configured to receive a plurality of operational parameters of a vehicle, the processor implementing a reconfigurable estimation algorithm which;

provides at least three estimation structures, each estimation structure corresponding to one of at least three dynamic regions in which a vehicle may operate, the at least three dynamic regions comprising a low lateral velocity region, a linear region, and a nonlinear region;

determines in which of the at least three dynamic regions the vehicle is operating to identify a first dynamic region; and

generates a first regional lateral velocity estimation from a first estimation structure corresponding to the first dynamic region.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the reconfigurable estimation algorithm:

provides an information transfer scheme between the first estimation structure, a second estimation structure corresponding to a second dynamic region, and a third estimation structure corresponding to a third dynamic region; and

implements the information transfer scheme to generate an overall estimation of the vehicle lateral velocity.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of operational parameters includes a yaw rate, a road wheel angle, a vehicle speed, a longitudinal acceleration, and a lateral acceleration.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the information transfer scheme combines data obtained from the first regional lateral velocity estimation with data obtained from a second regional lateral velocity estimation from the second estimation structure and with data obtained from a third regional lateral velocity estimation from the third estimation structure.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first, second, and third estimation structures further include first, second, and third mathematical models representing the first, second, and third dynamic regions.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the mathematical models include a bicycle model and a kinematics model.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the mathematical models include a model of operating parameter variation.

15. A computer program product for performing an estimation of a vehicle lateral velocity, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for providing at least three estimation structures, each estimation structure corresponding to one of at least three dynamic regions in which a vehicle may operate, the at least three dynamic regions comprising a low lateral velocity region, a linear region, and a nonlinear region;

a second executable portion for determining in which of the at least three dynamic regions the vehicle is operating to identify a first dynamic region; and

a third executable portion for generating a first regional lateral velocity estimation from a first estimation structure corresponding to the first dynamic region.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further including

a fourth executable portion providing an information transfer scheme between the first estimation structure, a second estimation structure corresponding to a second dynamic region and a third estimation structure corresponding to a third dynamic region;

and

a fifth executable portion for implementing the information transfer scheme to generate an overall estimation of the vehicle lateral velocity.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the information transfer scheme combines data obtained from the first regional lateral velocity estimation with data obtained from a second regional lateral velocity estimation from the second estimation structure and with data obtained from a third regional lateral velocity estimation from the third estimation structure.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein determining in which of the at least three dynamic regions the vehicle is operating further including obtaining a plurality of operational parameters of the vehicle.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the plurality of operational parameters includes a yaw rate, a road wheel angle, a vehicle speed, a longitudinal acceleration, and a lateral acceleration.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the information transfer scheme utilizes at least a portion of first regional lateral velocity estimation as an initial value for the second regional lateral velocity estimation.