Device and method for driving dynamics control in a vehicle

• US 8,121,756 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Giers, Bernhard, Schmidt, Robert, Sticher, Thomas, Ullrich, Thorsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oh, Harry
• Application Number:
  US11/795,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 701/37, 701/38, 701/41, 701/48, 701/79, 701 70- 72, 701 74- 75, 701 82- 83, 701 90- 91
• US Class Current: 701/37
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/086 Redundant systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/71 Distributed control; Master - slave controllers; Remote control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/016 Yawing condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/22 Braking, stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/122 Pre-actuation in case of ESP control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/02 Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/04 Automatic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/06 Active Suspension System
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/08 Coordination of integrated systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/09 Complex systems; Conjoint control of two or more vehicle active control systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17555 specially adapted for enhancing driver or passenger comfort, e.g. soft intervention or pre-actuation strategies
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0297 Control Giving priority to different actuators or systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/11 Pitch movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/112 Roll movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/114 : Yaw movement
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/003 : in order to control vehicle yaw movement, i.e. around a vertical axis B62D6/007 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for influencing the driving dynamics of a vehicle with an electronic brake system. The device includes a brake actuator for adjusting a brake torque at least one wheel brake of the vehicle. The brake torque can be determined in a torque distributing device according to a yaw torque requirement. A first control unit can be activated in the presence of a critical driving condition as is used to determine a first yaw torque requirement due to driving dynamics control. A management device (12) has a second control unit, which can be activated in the presence of a subcritical driving condition, and a second yaw torque requirement (R:D_GM) can be determined by the second control unit due to driving dynamics control, and the second yaw torque requirement (R:D_GM) can be sent to the torque distributing device (20), and an activated state of the first control unit a signal (I:EBS_Status; R: D_GM; R:[S1, S2, . . . ]) can be sent from the electronic brake system (2) to the management device (12), which causes deactivation of the second control unit.

Claims

1. A device for influencing the driving dynamics of a vehicle having an electronic brake system comprising a brake actuator for applying a brake on at least one wheel brake of the vehicle, wherein a brake torque can be determined in a torque distributing device according to a yaw torque requirement, the device comprising:

a first control unit which can be activated in the presence of a critical driving condition, the first control unit being used to determine a first yaw torque requirement due to driving dynamics control; and

a management device (12) having a second control unit, which is activated in the presence of a subcritical driving condition, wherein a second yaw torque requirement is determined by the second control unit due to driving dynamics control, the second yaw torque requirement is sent to a torque distributing device (20), and in an activated state of the first control unit (4), a signal is sent from an electronic brake system (2) to the management device (12), which causes deactivation of the second control unit.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second control unit is activated when an absolute value of at least one driving condition variable that represents a degree of stability of the driving condition is higher than a first threshold value.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first control unit (4) is activated when the absolute value of the at least one driving condition variable representing the degree of stability of the driving condition is higher than a second threshold value, with the second threshold value exceeding the first threshold value.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein a status information, which indicates an activity status of the second control unit, is transmitted from the management device (12) to the electronic brake system (2), and the second threshold value is variable depending on the activity status of the second control unit.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second threshold value is increased when the electronic brake system (2) detects by way of the status information that the second control unit is active.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management device (12) determines an adjusting requirement for activation of at least one additional actuator (14;

16;

18) that influences driving dynamics of the vehicle.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one additional actuator (14;

16;

18) is controllable by the management device (12) according to the adjusting requirement.

8. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the signal transmitted by the electronic brake system (2) to the management device (12) is an activity signal indicating an activity of the first control unit (4), and a neutral behavior of the at least one additional actuator (14;

16;

18) is adjustable by the management device (12) due to receipt of the activity signal.

9. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first yaw torque requirement can be transmitted to the torque distributing device (20).

10. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the signal transmitted from the electronic brake system (2) to the management device (12) is the first yaw torque requirement, and based on the first yaw torque requirement, a further yaw torque requirement is determined by the management device (12), and the further yaw torque requirement is transmitted to the torque distributing device (20).

11. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the signal transmitted from the electronic brake system (2) to the management device (12) is an adjusting requirement for the activation of the at least one additional actuator (14;

16;

18), which is determined in the first control unit (4) in addition to the first yaw torque requirement, and activation of the at least one additional actuator (14;

16;

18) is performed by the management device (12) according to the adjusting requirement.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first yaw torque requirement determined by the first control unit (4) is sent within the electronic brake system (2) to the torque distributing device (20).

13. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first yaw torque requirement determined by the first control unit (4) is transmitted to the torque distributing device (20) by way of the management device (12).

14. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one additional actuator is a control element (14) that permits adjusting an additional steering angle at front wheels of the vehicle steerable by the driver.

15. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one additional actuator is a control element (18) that permits adjusting a steering angle at rear wheels of the vehicle.

16. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one additional actuator is a control element (16) that permits influencing a chassis of the vehicle.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the control element (16) is at least one adjustable damper.

18. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the control element (16) is an adjustable stabilizer at an axle of the vehicle.

20. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first control unit is of an ESP system and is integrated into the electronic brake system, and the second control unit is contained in a chassis management device.

21. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the electronic brake system and the chassis management device are cross-linked.

22. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the chassis management device is separated and spaced from the electronic brake system.

23. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein data exchange between the chassis management device and the electronic brake system occurs through a data bus.

24. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the electronic brake system and the chassis management device are accommodated in a brake controlling apparatus.

19. A method for influencing driving dynamics of a vehicle, in which an electronic brake system is used to adjust a brake torque on at least one wheel brake of the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a brake torque according to a yaw torque requirement;

activating a first control unit in an electronic brake system in the presence of a critical driving condition and determining a first yaw torque requirement due to driving dynamics control;

activating a second control unit in a management device (12) in the presence of a subcritical driving condition, wherein the second control unit determines a second yaw torque requirement on the basis of a driving dynamics control operation that is transmitted to a torque distributing device (20), and in an activated condition of the first control unit (4), a signal is sent from the electronic brake system (2) to the management device (12), which causes deactivation of the second control unit.

25. The method as claimed in claim 19, including the steps of integrating the first control unit of an ESP system into the electronic brake system and containing the second control unit in a chassis management device.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, including the step of cross-linking the electronic brake system and the chassis management device.

27. The method as claimed in claim 25, including the steps of separating and spacing the chassis management device from the electronic brake system.

28. The method as claimed in claim 25, including the step of exchanging data between the chassis management device and the electronic brake system occurs through a data bus.

29. The method as claimed in claim 25, including the step of accommodating the electronic brake system and the chassis management device in a brake controlling apparatus.