Method for determining unstable driving states

• US 8,170,746 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Company HG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Gärtner, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spisich, George D.
• Application Number:
  US12/295,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/31, 701/34, 701/36, 701/37, 701/39, 701/40, 701/41, 701/43, 701/44, 701/70, 701/45, 180/197, 180/281, 180/282, 280/735, 340/440, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/86 Optimizing braking by using ESP vehicle or tire model
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17551 determining control parameters related to vehicle stability used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0028 Mathematical models, e.g. for simulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0052 Filtering, filters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0245 Means or methods for determination of the central position of the steering system, e.g. straight ahead position
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/005 treating sensor outputs to obtain the actual yaw rate

Abstract

A method for identifying unstable driving states is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: (a) detecting whether the magnitude of a difference between a first value of a driving state variable that is detected by means of a first sensor, and a second value of the driving states variable that is calculated from measured values of at least one further sensor, increases over time, (b) filtering the difference by means of a delay element after it has been established that the difference has increased, (c) comparing the filters difference and the unfiltered difference, and (d) establishing the presence of an unstable driving states when the comparison shows that a deviation between the filtered difference and the unfiltered difference exceeds a predefined threshold value. The method enables an unstable driving state to be identified even when a driving states variable has an offset error which is of the desired size.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an unstable driving state of a motor vehicle, comprising the following steps:

a) determining whether a difference between a first value of a driving state variable that is acquired by a first sensor and a second value of the driving state variable that is calculated from measured values of at least one further sensor increases in size over time,

b) filtering the difference by a delay element,

c) comparing an unfiltered difference with the filtered difference,

d) detecting a presence of an unstable driving situation if the comparing step reveals that a deviation between the unfiltered difference and the filtered difference exceeds a predefined threshold value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the steps b), c) and d) are repeated if the deviation between the unfiltered difference and the filtered difference increases, and in that step a) is carried out after it has been detected that the deviation between the unfiltered difference and the filtered difference has not increased.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the delay element is a PT_n element.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the delay element is a PT₁ element or a PT₂ element.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving state variable is a lock angle of steerable wheels of the motor vehicle or a rotational angle of a steering wheel of the motor vehicle.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second value of the driving state variable is calculated from a measured yaw rate of the motor vehicle and a measured lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle in a vehicle model.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the vehicle model is a steady-state single-track model of the motor vehicle.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of acquiring the first value of the driving state variable by an incremental sensor on the basis of a starting value.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the ignition is restarted a last value of the driving state variable which was acquired in a preceding ignition sequence is used as the starting value.

10. A computer program product which has a computer program which comprises instructions for carrying out a method as claimed in claim 1 in a processor.